Posts Tagged ‘books’

June 2017

“What We’re Reading” is a feature offering periodic reviews from Drexel Library’s staff about the books we’ve read. If you find a book which interests you and it is not in our collection, please feel free to acquire the book through our Interlibrary Loan service.

Commonwealth

by Ann Patchett

“The Christening party took a turn when Albert Cousins arrived with gin” – from this opening line that sparks the curiosity of the reader, leaving them hungry for details, Commonwealth, the latest novel from seasoned writer Ann Patchett, does not disappoint. A story of two families the Keatings and Cousins, simultaneously torn apart and pieced together by divorce and remarriage. The characters, made almost real by Patchett, survive various alliances and betrayals, and through the years develop various coping skills. In the end, it all seems to be about acceptance, and for each family member, there’s a unique spin, a way that this quality makes the most sense for their journey and where they are at this point in their life. In sum, a heartwarming story of families and the flawed characters who are part of them.

This book is part of the Library collection and can be found on the second floor book stacks.

March 2017

“What We’re Reading” is a feature offering periodic reviews from Drexel Library’s staff about the books we’ve read. If you find a book which interests you and it is not in our collection, please feel free to acquire the book through our Interlibrary Loan service.

A Gentleman in Moscow

by Amor Towles

A member of the Russian aristocracy, spared only by the act of having lent his well-connected name to a friend’s counter-revolutionary poem, Count Rostov is sentenced to life imprisonment in a Moscow hotel. Through the lens of the Metropol Hotel and the lives of the people who work there, he witnesses the shocking political and social upheaval taking place in Russia from 1922 through the 1950’s – the rise of communism, the death of Lenin, then Stalin, and the power struggle that followed. This is a book about finding grace in reconciling to one’s fate without becoming resigned to it, and surviving long enough to find one’s purpose.

A Gentleman in Moscow can be found in the Popular Reading Section on the first floor of the Post Learning Commons.

January 2017

“What We’re Reading” is a feature offering periodic reviews from Drexel Library’s staff about the books we’ve read. If you find a book which interests you and it is not in our collection, please feel free to acquire the book through our Interlibrary Loan service.

Strangers in their own land : anger and mourning on the American right

Arlie Russell Hochschild.

This month we are highlighting the selection for the SJU Book Club. The club welcomes all members of the SJU community—students, faculty and staff—to participate. The Book Club is a faculty-staff collaborative effort to engage the community in reading and discussing books which explore our social consciousness and personal identity.

The first meeting will take place during free period (11am-12:15 pm) on Tuesday, January 31, 2017, in the Presidents’ Lounge in Campion.

In “Strangers in Their Own Land” Sociologist and UC–Berkeley professor emerita Arlie Russel Hochschild explores parts of the United States that are considered centers of the conservative right. The author interviews a variety of residents of Louisiana such as mayors, salesmen, pastors, truck drivers, plant operators, and many others. She is looking to solve what she describes as the Great Paradox: How can a state that has lower life-expectancy, more divorce, lower school enrollment, environmental pollution, (namely those that could benefit from federal aid) dislike government assistance and regulation?

Hochschild delves into this question by crossing what she calls the “empathy wall.” The author is interested in finding out not only why people have certain beliefs but also listening to the anger and frustration of those who believe they have been forgotten. Hochschild’s results of this five-year study are illuminating in the effort to understand America’s political divide.

Strangers in their own land : anger and mourning on the American right is available at the Front Desk in the Drexel Library as well as electronically.

December 2016

“What We’re Reading” is a feature offering periodic reviews from Drexel Library’s staff about the books we’ve read. If you find a book which interests you and it is not in our collection, please feel free to acquire the book through our Interlibrary Loan service.

Amazing fantastic incredible : a marvelous memoir

Stan Lee and Peter David and Colleen Doran.

Amazing fantastic incredible : a marvelous memoir is a fun read for fans of Stan Lee, superheroes, comic books, or graphic novels. This autobiographical work is told and illustrated in the manner befitting an icon like Stan Lee. Born of humble beginnings, Stan Lee begins by describing his early life and progresses through to current day.

The illustrations are done in the style associated with superhero comics with occasional panels that pay homage to their anime cousin.

Not only does Stan Lee describe his life, but he discusses the ups and downs of the early days of the comic book publishing industry. Stan Lee began his career at a time when comics were still viewed as reading material for children. He talks about how the industry was nearly eradicated in the early days of the Senator Joseph McCarthy era to the industry developing its own standards of self-regulation to finally discovering a niche that did not cater exclusively to children but to adult readers who gravitated to the more mature storylines of their favorite superheroes.

Stan Lee created some of the most iconic heroes like the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, and Captain America. And like those heroes, has become an icon in his own right. In addition to talking about his life and the evolution of the comic book industry, Stan Lee also gives writers and potential writers useful advice on how to become a writer.

Stan Lee nearly single-handedly transformed an entire industry from something that was once believed to be a genre for children into one where adult readers could enjoy and relate to.

Amazing fantastic incredible : a marvelous memoir is available in the Popular Reading section of the Library’s collection on the first floor of the Post Learning Commons.