Author Archives: Meredith Lewis

About Meredith Lewis

Meredith is a librarian at Durham Tech on both the Main and Orange County Campuses.

#ReadGreatThings2018: Summer Reading Time!

Posted on by

With the spring semester over and done*, summer reading is upon us!

Looking for some light structure to your summer reading? Why not try the Durham Tech Library’s Read Great Things Challenge?

Durham Tech Library's Read Great Things 2018 Challenge

What is the Read Great Things Challenge?

The Read Great Things Challenge is a reading challenge sponsored by the Durham Tech Library throughout 2018 that encourages folks to diversify or increase their reading goals by completing books that fit into at least 10 of the following 12 categories:

  • A book being turned into a movie or tv show in 2018
  • A biography, autobiography, memoir, or a fictionalized account of a real person’s life
  • A book about or that features sports
  • A book of poetry or a book written in verse
  • A book you previously started or were assigned and never finished
  • A book that takes place in a country or place you’d like to visit
  • A book you chose for the cover
  • A book that takes place during or is about a historical event 50 years or more in the past [1968 or before]
  • A popular science book [nonfiction books that talk about scientific topics from a non-textbook point-of-view]
  • A book with a supernatural creature, occurrence, or event
  • A book about cooking or food
  • A book suggested by a Durham Tech librarian either in-person or on the Durham Tech Library Blog

We’re highlighting different genres throughout the year and on the blog through individual book posts, but you can always ask a librarian for recommendations if you can’t think of a book to read for a certain category (which conveniently fills that final awesome category).

How do I participate in the Read Great Things Challenge?

It’s pretty simple –just start reading! You don’t have to sign up and you can start at any point in the year. You’ll need to choose books that fit into at least 10 of the 12 categories by the end of Fall Semester (December 2018) to complete the challenge.

There’s also a joinable Sakai site (listed under Membership on your Sakai home page once you sign in) that we’ll be using if you want to discuss books you’re reading and recommend some of your own great reads. Email Meredith Lewis (OCC Librarian) or the library for more information. 

What kind of book counts as a “great thing”?

All books count–hardcover, paperback, ebooks, audiobooks, graphic novels, comic books, library books, books you own, books you’ve borrowed… If it fits into one (or two) of the categories and you’ve read it/want to read it, that counts.

Can I count a book for multiple categories?

One book can count for up to two categories.

How do I win the challenge? (What do I win?)

To win and complete the challenge, you should finish books that fit into at least 10 of the 12 listed categories. In late November or early December, we’ll have bookish prizes available for those who bring their completed book list to the library or fill out the completion form.

You’ll also get a personal sense of satisfaction and bragging rights. (And who doesn’t love those?)

Do the books have to be from the Durham Tech Library?

Nope, but we’re glad to point you in the direction of one already in our collection. We have some great books just waiting to make it on your list.

Download a pdf of the checklist and challenge guidelines here: Read Great Things Challenge 2018

*Technically, the semester will be “over and done” tomorrow, you know, for accuracy’s sake.

What We’re Reading: Woolly

Posted on by
woolly the true story of the quest to revive one of history's most iconic extinct creatures by ben mezrich book cover

Available at the OCC Library on new books shelf (QE 882 .P8 M49 2017)

This book was read by Meredith Lewis, the Orange County Campus librarian.

Genre: Narrative Scientific Nonfiction [the author is telling a true story, but re-creates some of the dialogue and events as though he were there]

#ReadGreatThings2018 Categor(ies): A popular science book

Find out more about the Read Great Things Challenge here.

What is this book about? 

This book is about genetic engineering and its potential, ideas on how to help stop the greenhouse gases trapped in the Siberian permafrost, and MAMMOTHS. Though this book tells the story of the convergence of the Pleistocene Park in Siberia and Harvard University’s Woolly Mammoth Revival Project, it brings up some really interesting questions about science, specifically the field of genetics: Just because we can [maybe, probably?] do something, should we do it, and how do we weigh the consequences. As the author says after a particularly interesting misunderstanding between the scientists and the press, “[G]enetics [i]s a powerful tool, but also an ethical minefield” (157).

 

Why did you choose to read this book?

Well, woolly mammoths are cool. I started another book about mammoths last year and never finished it* and then this book came along and here we are. 

Did it remind you of any other book, or a movie?

The obvious connection is Jurassic Park, either the book  or one of the movies (available in the Durham Tech Library), right? The book mentions it and I even learned that the reason that it isn’t possible to extract dinosaur DNA from something like amber is that over time DNA degrades and no longer actually exists in that thing that is preserved in the amber.

Side note: Woolly actually has been optioned for a movie. So that’s probably happening next year or so. Prepare yourself.

What would you pair this book with?

A healthy sense of skepticism, all accompanied with a sense of fascination with the world of science and its potential.

*An opportunity for another check box for me on the #ReadGreatThings2018 Challenge: A book you previously started and never finished

What We’re Reading: The Three-Body Problem

Posted on by

The Three-Body Problem book coverTitle: The Three-Body Problem

Author: Cixin Liu

Genre: science fiction

Why did you choose to read this book?

I am participating in Book Riot’s 2018 Read Harder Challenge. Having read The Three-Body Problem allows me to check off the category “A book of genre fiction in translation.” Also, the book has been on display on the Special Collections area of the main campus library and I’ve walked by it many times. The cover jumped out at me; this qualifies it for the library’s Read Great Things Challenge, category: A book you chose for the cover.

What did you like about it?

It is difficult to describe this book without giving anything away. Continue Reading →

What We’re Reading: The Secret Game

Posted on by
the secret game: a basketball story in black and white by scott ellsworth book cover

Available at the Main Campus Library (GV 885.72 .N8 E45 2015)

This book was read by Charles Farrow, a Library Technician at the Main Campus Library.

Genre: Historical Nonfiction

#ReadGreatThings2018 Categor(ies): A book about or that features sports AND A book that takes place during or is about a historical event 50 years or more in the past

What is this book about? 

Sunday, March 12, 1944 at 11:00am. The Secret Game.

In this book, Scott Ellsworth writes about a day and time in Durham, North Carolina during the Jim Crow era when two teams from opposite sides of the tracks–Duke and NC Central– ignored Jim Crow laws and decided to play a game that was never supposed to happen. It started out as a challenge, but ended up being more than just a game.

Why did you choose to read this book?

I chose to read this book because of a conversation I had with my son about black athletes in the Hall of Fame from HBCUs and how the historically black colleges and universities that produced them have been overlooked in sports history. We also talked about the history of black athletes at places like the University of Alabama, Duke, and the University of North Carolina and when they were allowed to participate in various sports.

What did you like about it?

I like this book because it brings to light that being an athlete is not just about playing a game. For some, it goes deeper than that. This book reveals a deeper truth that sports are not just about winning and losing. It shows that some of our greatest challenges are not from a physical opponent, but from our own system of beliefs instilled in us from childhood. I like this book because it reveals to the reader that sports transcends race, culture, nationalities and shows us how to overcome barriers and adversity by working together as a team and being a team player.

Did it remind you of any other book, or a movie?

The movie Brian’s Song

What would you pair this book with?

I’d pair this book with an archaeological dig, since that’s how much work the author had to do in order to find out about and report about this game. 

What We’re Reading: Lincoln in the Bardo (Coming Soon!)

Posted on by
lincoln in the bardo by george saunders

(Coming soon to the Durham Tech Main Campus and OCC Libraries)

This book was read by Meredith Lewis, [mostly] the Orange County Campus Librarian.

Title of book: Lincoln in the Bardo
Author: George Saunders
Genre: Literary Fiction
#ReadGreatThings2018 Categor(ies): A fictionalized account of a real person’s life & A book that contains a supernatural creature, occurrence, or event

Why did you choose to read this book?

The press surrounding this book was weird– I kept hearing about a huge number of people involved in the audiobook and wasn’t quite sure why that was a thing. (The book is made up of various accounts of different events, both real and supernatural, so each narrator gets a new voice– if you were wondering.) Aside from that, I like supernatural stories and the premise– Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s young son dies and is stuck between moving on to the world of the dead and staying behind on earth in the bardo (to greatly oversimplify: an in-between state in Tibetan Buddhism)– was really interesting.

What did you like about it?

Lincoln in the Bardo was unlike anything I’ve read before– the way the actual history backdrop of the story unfolded and how it was written was really interesting. It was kind of like reading a play, where it takes you a second to get used to the style and then you forget it’s there.  

Did it remind you of any other book, or a movie?

When I was younger, I read Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters and loved how weird and wonderful it was. One part of the storyline reminded me strongly of that book. 

Was there anything noteworthy about the book?

I mean, it an award and stuff (if you’re into that). 

Who would you recommend the book to?

People who like supernatural fiction and historical fiction and are looking for a well-written blend of both. It really was a great book about love and loss and regret and bravery and so much more. 

#ReadGreatThings2018: Fictionalized Accounts of Real People’s Lives

Posted on by

Need some more suggestions to work your way through the Durham Tech Library’s Read Great Things Challenge? This month, in addition to our previous post about memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies, we’re highlighting fictionalized stories about real people.

Any of these books will count for this category in the challenge, but you are more than welcome to find your own book as well. Many of the books below can be found in our libraries, along with so many more!

a brief history of seven killings by marlon james book cover
Jamaican Shower Posse (Available through ILL)
abraham lincoln vampire hunter seth grahame-smith book cover
Abraham Lincoln (Available at Main Campus, PS 3607 .R348 A64 2010)
alias grace by margaret atwood
Grace Marks, murderess (perhaps) (Available at Main Campus and OCC, PR 9199.3 .A8 A79 1997)
drood by dan simmons book cover
Charles Dickens (Available through ILL)
fever a novel of typhoid mary by mary beth keane book cover
“Typhoid” Mary Mallon (Available at Main Campus, PS 3611 .E165 F48 2014)
girl with a pearl earring by tracy chevalier book cover
Johannes Vermeer (Available through ILL)
i, claudius by robert graves book cover
Roman Emperor Claudius (Available at Main Campus, PR 6013 .R35 I2 1961)
lincoln in the bardo by george saunders
Abraham and Willie Lincoln (Available soon at the Durham Tech Main Campus and OCC Libraries)
see what i have done by sarah schmidt book cover
LIzzie Borden (Available at Main Campus, PR 9619.4 .S34 S44 2017)
swans of fifth avenue by melanie benjamin book cover
Truman Capote, Babe Paley, and other New York socialites (Available through ILL)
the good lord bird by james mcbride book covers
Abolitionist John Brown (Available at Main Campus, Special Collections shelf, PS 3613 .C28 G66 2013)
the watch that ends the night voices from the titanic by allan wolf book covers
Titanic passengers (Available at Main Campus, PZ 7.5 .W64 Wat 2011)
wolf hall and bring up the bodies by hilary mantel book covers
Thomas Cromwell (Available at Main Campus, Special Collections shelf, PR 6063 .A438
x a novel by ilyasah shabazz with kekla magoon book cover
Malcolm X (Available at Main Campus, PZ 7.1 .S47 Xan 2015)

 

What We Read in 2017: The Durham Tech Faculty and Staff Favorites Edition

Posted on by

In a repeating series highlighting current and recent reads around Durham Tech, here’s Durham Tech’s awesome faculty and staff’s favorite reads from all of 2017:

for the winner emily hauser
Available through ILL
the keeper of secrets a novel of love, loss, and survival by julie thomas
Available through ILL
lincoln in the bardo by george saunders book cover
Available through ILL
two ready player one by ernest cline book covers
Selected twice! Available at the Main Campus and OCC Libraries (PS 3603 .L548 R43)
the physician noah gordon
Available through ILL
a closed and common orbit by becky chambers book
Available through ILL
the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian by sherman alexie
Available at the Main Campus and OCC Libraries (PZ 7 .A382 Ab)
Available at the Main Campus and OCC Libraries (PR 9387.9 .A34354 H35)
Available at the Main Campus and OCC Libraries (PR 9387.9 .A34354 H35)
a fine old conflict by jessica mitford book cover
Available through ILL
laika by nick abadzis book cover
Available at the Main Campus Library (PN 6737 .A24 L35 2007)
my favorite thing is monsters by emil ferris book cover
Available at the Orange County Campus (PN 6727 .F4646 M9 2017)
the rules do not apply a memoir by ariel levy book cover
Available at the Main Campus Library (CT 275 .L3777 A3 2017)
essentialism the disciplined pursuit of less by greg mckeown book cover
Available through ILL
flight behavior by barbara kingsolver book cover
Available at the Main Campus Library (PS 3561 .I496 F55 2013)
homegoing by yaa gyasi book cover
Available at the Main and Orange County Campus (PS 3607 .Y37 H66 2016) and as an audiobook through Dogwood Digital Library
killers of the flower moon the osage murders and the birth of the fbi by david grann book cover
Available at the OCC Library (E 99 .O8 G675 2017)
in the shadow of lakecrest by elizabeth blackwell book cover
Available through ILL
a gentleman in moscow by amor towles book cover
Available at the Main Campus Library (PS 3620 .O945 G46 2016)
the ice pack series by chrissy peebles book covers
invisible man by ralph ellison book cover
Available at the Main Campus, Northern Durham Center, and the Orange County Campus (PS 3555 .L625 I5) and as an audiobook and ebook through Dogwood Digital Library
the shining girls by lauren beukes book cover
Available at the Main Campus Library (PR 9369.4 .B485 S55 2013)
dark carousel by christine feehan book cover
Available through ILL
red summer the summer of 1919 and the awakening of black america by cameron mcwhirter book cover
Available through ILL
tower of dawn by sarah j. maas
Available through ILL
the lying game by ruth ware
Available at the Main Campus Library (PR 6123 .A745 L95 2017)
in the time of the butterflies by julia alvarez book cover
Available at the Main Campus Library (PS 3551 .L845 I5 1994)
boltzmann's atom by david lindley book cover
Available through ILL
y is for yesterday by sue grafton book cover
See others in The Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series at the Main Campus and Northern Durham Center Libraries (PS 3557 .R13)
the radium girls: the dark story of america's shining women by kate moore book cover
Available at the Main Campus (HD 6067.2 .U6 M66 2017)
the crush saga by chrissy peebles
all the light we cannot see by anthony doerr book cover
Available at the Main and OCC Libraries (PS 3604 .O34 A77)
in the company of women inspiration and advice from 100 makers, artists, and entrepreneurs by grace bonney book cover
Available at the Main Campus Library (HD 6057.5 .U5 B66 2016)
glass houses by louise penny book cover
Available through ILL
the nightingale by kristin hannah book cover
Available at the Main Campus Library (PS 3558 .A4763 N55 2015)
dog medicine how my dog saved me from myself by julie barton book cover
Available through ILL
the only investment guide you'll ever need by andrew tobias
Available through ILL
court of wings and ruin by sarah j. maas book cover
Available through ILL
the book thief by markus zusak
Available at the Main and Orange County Campus(PZ 7 .Z837 Boo 2007) and as an audiobook through Dogwood Digital Library
themis files series-- sleeping giants waking gods by sylvain neuvel book covers
Available through ILL
the ocean at the end of the lane by neil gaiman
Available at the Main Campus Library (PR 6057 .A319 O24 2013)
the man who saved the union ulysseus s grant in war and peace by h.w. brands book cover
Available through ILL
the handmaid's tale by margaret atwood
Available at the Main Campus and OCC Libraries (PR 9199.3 .A8 H3)
the twelve lives of sauel hawley hannah tinti
Available through ILL
sourdough by robin sloan
Reviewed previously on the blog
grocery the buying and selling of food in america by michael ruhlman book cover
Available through ILL
the book of joy lasting happiness in a changing world by the dalai lama and desmond tutu with douglas abrams
Available at the Main Campus Library Spanish Language Collection (BL 65 .H36 B78 2016)
way out in dog heaven by kathryn ewers bundy
adulthood is a myth by sarah andersen
Available through ILL
little fires everywhere by celeste ng book cover
Available through ILL. Celeste Ng’s other excellent book, Everything I Never Told You, is available at the Main Campus Library (PS 3614 .G83 E94 2014)
stay with me by ayobami adebayo book cover
Available through ILL
the cottingley secret by hazel gaynor
Available through ILL
red notice a true story of high finance, murder, and one man's fight for justice by bill browder
Available through ILL
the storied life of a.j. fikry by gabrielle zevin
Available at the Main Campus Library (PS 3626 .E95 S86 2014)
evicted poverty and profit in the american city by matthew desmond book cover
Available at the OCC Library (HD 7287.96 .U6 D47 2016)
reskilling america learning to labor in the twenty-first century by katherine s. newman and hella winston book cover
Available at the Main Campus Library (LC 1045 .N49 2016)
born a crime stories from a south african childhood by trevor noah book cover
Selected twice! Available at the Main Campus Library (PN 2287 .N557 A3 2016)
armada by ernest cline book cover
Available at the Main Campus Library (PS 3603 .L548 A89 2015)
the war i always wanted the illusion of glory and the reality of war by brandon friedman
Available through ILL
we are all completely beside ourselves by karen joy fowler book cover
Available at the Main Campus Library (PS 3556 .O844 W4 2013)

As always, if you’re interested in a title, check out the master list of the books below and their availability to see if you can find it at Durham Tech or if you’ll need to request it through interlibrary loan (find this request under eforms). Need help doing either of these things or don’t yet have a library card? Ask in the library.

Here’s the list of Durham Tech’s favorite reads of 2017 (and their availability) in pdf format: Durham Tech Best Reads of 2017

Is your department, club, campus, committee, or subgroup interested in participating in a What We’re Reading blog post? The goal of the What We’re Reading posts is to highlight books, professional literature, blogs, or any other things you might be currently reading or have recently finished. Contact OCC librarian Meredith Lewis for more information.

#ReadGreatThings2018

Posted on by

Looking for a way to challenge your reading self in 2018?

Have we got a plan for you!

Durham Tech Library's Read Great Things 2018 Challenge

What is the Read Great Things Challenge?

The Read Great Things Challenge is a reading challenge sponsored by the Durham Tech Library throughout 2018 that encourages folks to diversify or increase their reading goals by completing books that fit into at least 10 of the following 12 categories:

  • A book being turned into a movie or tv show in 2018
  • A biography, autobiography, memoir, or a fictionalized account of a real person’s life
  • A book about or that features sports
  • A book of poetry or a book written in verse
  • A book you previously started or were assigned and never finished
  • A book that takes place in a country or place you’d like to visit
  • A book you chose for the cover
  • A book that takes place during or is about a historical event 50 years or more in the past [1968 or before]
  • A popular science book [nonfiction books that talk about scientific topics from a non-textbook point-of-view]
  • A book with a supernatural creature, occurrence, or event
  • A book about cooking or food
  • A book suggested by a Durham Tech librarian either in-person or on the Durham Tech Library Blog

We’ll be highlighting a different category on this blog each month.  Your can always ask a librarian for recommendations if you can’t think of a book to read for a certain category (which conveniently fills that final awesome category).

How do I participate in the Read Great Things Challenge?

It’s pretty simple –just start reading! You don’t have to sign up and you can start at any point in the year. You’ll need to choose books that fit into at least 10 of the 12 categories by the end of Fall Semester (December 2018) to complete the challenge.

There’s also a joinable Sakai site (listed under Membership on your Sakai home page once you sign in) that we’ll be using if you want to discuss books you’re reading and recommend some of your own great reads. Email Meredith Lewis (OCC Librarian) or the library for more information. 

What kind of book counts as a “great thing”?

All books count–hardcover, paperback, ebooks, audiobooks, graphic novels, comic books, library books, books you own, books you’ve borrowed… If it fits into one (or two) of the categories and you’ve read it/want to read it, that counts. As long as it’s read in 2018, you’re good to go. 

Can I count a book for multiple categories?

One book can count for up to two categories.

How do I win the challenge? (What do I win?)

To win and complete the challenge, you should finish books in 2018 that fit into at least 10 of the 12 listed categories. In late November or early December, we’ll have bookish prizes available for those who bring their completed book list to the library or fill out the completion form.

You’ll also get a personal sense of satisfaction and bragging rights. (And who doesn’t love those?)

Do the books have to be from the Durham Tech Library?

Nope, but we’re glad to point you in the direction of one already in our collection. We have some great books just waiting to make it on your list.

Download a pdf of the checklist and challenge guidelines here: Read Great Things Challenge 2018

What We’re Reading (& New in the OCC Library): From Here to Eternity

Posted on by
from here to eternity by caitlin doughty book cover

Available at the OCC Library on the New Book Shelf

Title: From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death
Author: Caitlin Doughty
Genre: Nonfiction — Essay & Travelogue

Why did you choose to read this book?

I saw it as a nominee for the Goodreads Choice Awards best nonfiction book of 2017 and it seemed interesting– I read both Mary Roach’s Spook and Stiff a few years ago and found the topic of how we as a culture think about death and the afterlife really interesting then, too. This book talks more about cultural practices and beliefs about death and bodies and is a light and engaging read (for real!).

Was there anything noteworthy about the book?

They highlighted a natural burial ground in North Carolina! I thought that was pretty cool.

Who would you recommend the book to?

Anyone interested in learning more about the topic of burial itself, but in a “morbid lite” kind of way. Also anyone interested in diverse cultural practices and beliefs– the book looks at countries from around the world (hence the travelogue part of the genre description).

Additional books mentioned in this post (because yay! books!)–

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach is available at the Main Campus Library in the downstairs stacks (call number BL 535 .R63 2006).

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach is available at the Orange County Campus Library on the New Books shelf (call number R 853 .H8 R635 2004).