Title: The Girl on the Train
Author: Pamela Hawkins
Genre: mystery Continue Reading →
Category Archives: Staff News
What We’re Reading: The Brothers K
Title: The Brothers K
Author: David James Duncan
Genre: literary fiction
Why did you choose to read this book?
I have a Goodreads account and this book kept showing up on my recommendations, even though I’d never heard of the author.
In a small mill town in Washington State, a former minor-league baseball pitcher and his Seventh-Day Adventist wife raise five children. The book follows the members of the family from the late 1950s through the early 1970s.
What did you like about it?
I liked the development of all the characters. The children grow to become adults as the story reveals more about the past of older characters too. My favorite character is arguably the main character and the narrator’s father, Hugh Chance. Following characters for decades also provides a window into an earlier time in history.
Did it remind you of any other book, or a movie?
It reminds me of Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen, which also follows multiple characters over a period of time.
Was there anything noteworthy about the book?
It was a New York Times Notable Book. It is written in beautiful but accessible prose. Introducing each chapter or section of the book is a quote from a work of literature or philosophy.
What feeling did the book leave you with?
At 645 pages, it’s a long book, so I was glad finally to have finished it! I thought it was a great book, but felt like the ending, in which we learn what happened to each of the characters years down the road, was tacked-on and unnecessary, which diminished the overall experience of reading it.
Who would you recommend the book to?
I’d recommend this to fans of literary fiction and baseball. I would also suggest that people who are experiencing some sort of significant familial change may find this book to be an opportunity to reflect on their own situations.
What would you pair this book with?
Spicy Indian food and cold, cheap beer.
What We’re Reading-January
This book was read by Courtney Bippley, a Reference Librarian at the Main Campus Library
Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?
Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.
As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap—their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures—acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are.
What We’re Reading
This is the first in a new type of blog post from the Durham Tech Library. Each post will allow a staff member to highlight a book they’ve read recently.
This post is brought to you by Stephen Brooks, reference librarian, who read the book Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.
This novel follows several members of an American family, the Berglunds, as well as their close friends and lovers, as complex and troubled relationships unfold over many years. The book follows them through the last decades of the twentieth century and concludes near the beginning of the Obama administration. The Berglunds are the middle class suburban family that the neighbors just love to talk about. Walter, the successful and doting husband, and Patty, the tall ex varsity basketball player who bakes Christmas cookies for each resident of Barrier Street, seem like the perfect couple. But life is not the pretty picture presented to the world. When their precious first born is corrupted by the wanton girl next door, the edges fray on the Berglunds’ family fabric. An old friend emerges, tall, dark and only slightly disheveled and mistakes are made.
Meet Our New Library Staff!
The Durham Tech Library is very pleased to welcome new members to our team as well as announce some additional updates to our staffing. Our new staff members look forward to working with you so please stop by and introduce yourself!
Courtney Bippley, Library Technician
Courtney grew up in the Raleigh/Durham area and has a Master of Science in Library Science from UNC Chapel Hill. An avid coffee drinker, she also enjoys tea with a good book. Courtney loves science fiction/fantasy and is always available for a friendly discussion about either. Hobbies include dancing, reading, writing, and the occasional adventure.
Stephen Brooks, Reference Librarian
Stephen has worked in libraries for over 20 years at UNC Chapel Hill, Asheville – Buncombe Technical Community College, UNC Asheville and George Mason University. He has a bachelor’s degree in English from UNC Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in library and information studies from UNC Greensboro. He is an avid boardgamer, decent tennis player, and devoted father and husband. Stephen’s favorite book is Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.
Lauren Havens, Reference Librarian
Before joining Durham Tech’s library in January 2013, Lauren had worked at UNC-Chapel Hill, Durham County Library, and the EPA. She and her husband welcomed a baby girl in February, so Lauren has been enjoying the adventure of parenthood… and of course reading many wonderful children’s books! In her spare time, Lauren enjoys blogging, reading (naturally), playing board games like Galaxy Trucker, and catching up on television series like Gravity Falls and Justified.
Meredith Lewis, Reference Librarian
Meredith Lewis works in both the Orange County and Main Campus libraries. A former English teacher, she recently completed her Masters in Library Science at UNC-Chapel Hill and is excited to continue working at Durham Tech after interning and working part-time through the 2013-2014 school year. Professionally, she’s interested in curriculum design, online learning, and meeting the needs of diverse student populations, especially how it relates to library support. Personally, she’s into arts & crafts, cats, cheesy puns, and reading mostly non-serious books.
“Good night and good luck”
Borrowing a line fr
om broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, we at the Durham Tech library wish librarian Bill Frazier all the best as he signs off—as this semester ends, he will be closing the chapter on his time at Durham Tech.
Bill has worked as evening reference librarian at the ERC main campus library in the fall and spring semesters for almost ten years now, and we will sorely miss his kindness and good humor, not to mention his attention to detail! Bill has always been willing and able to pitch in and help with anything we needed, from taking inventory to making information sheets for students to leading library orientations.
For this, for everything, Bill, we thank you; the library will not be the same without you. On the plus side, Bill will now have more well-deserved time for his passions, such as music, travel, and most of all, family. But we hope he never forgets his family at Durham Tech. Good night and good luck indeed—and come visit often!
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, January 20th
Please join members of the library staff and the college for Durham Tech’s Stop Hunger Now Meal Packaging Event on Mon. Jan. 20th from 9:00 – 6:30 at the Wynn Bldg room 1103. Click here for more information and to sign up for a volunteer shift. This important service project is a great way to start off the year!
The library has lots of resources on Dr. King’s life and work, as well as materials on poverty, social justice, activism, and service.
Titles for inspiration and information:
The 100 Greatest Americans of the 20th Century: A social justice hall of fame
E 747 .D74 2012
Citizen King (DVD) E 185.97 .K5 C58 2004
Citizen You: Doing your part to change the world HN 18.3 .T57 2010 (upstairs, Dr. Phail Wynn Jr. collection)
Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice REF HM 671 .E53 2007
Everyone Helps, Everyone Wins: How absolutely anyone can pitch in, help out, give back, and make the world a better place
HN 49 .V64 L48 2010 (upstairs, Dr. Phail Wynn Jr. collection)
Gettin’ My Word Out: Voices of urban youth activists HN 19 .A76 2007 (upstairs, Dr. Phail Wynn Jr. collection)
Gospel of Freedom: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s letter from Birmingham Jail and the struggle that changed a nation F 334 .B69 N446 2013
The Great Divergence: America’s growing inequality crisis and what we can do about it HC 110 .I5 N63 2012 (upstairs, Dr. Phail Wynn Jr. collection)
I See the Promised Land: A life of Martin Luther King, Jr PS 3556 .L598 I8 2010
The King Years: Historic moments in the civil rights movement
E 185.61 .B7913 2013
Martin Luther King: “I have a dream.” (DVD) E 185.97 .K5 M295 2005
Poor Kids: An intimate portrait of America’s economic crisis (DVD)
HV 741 .P66 2013
Social Justice HM 671 .S623 2010 (upstairs, Dr. Phail Wynn Jr. collection)
Social Welfare: Fighting poverty and homelessness HV 1553 .S62 2011
Search the online catalog for additional materials.
Congratulations, Mary Kennery!
Mary Kennery, Library Technician, receives award (photograph by Susan Baker)
We are pleased to announce that our Library Technician, Mary Kennery, has won the 2013 Excellence in Support Services Award at Durham Tech. This prestigious award is presented to an employee who promotes excellence, innovation, and dedication in service to the students and to the larger community of Durham Tech.
Mary is an exceptionally productive team member at both the Main campus and Orange County campuses. She is extremely hard working behind the scenes ordering, processing, and cataloging materials for the library. Mary really helps us to keep the library running smoothly on a daily basis. She is dedicated to serving students, faculty, and staff, and always goes the extra mile to help library patrons. Mary has an enormous heart and volunteers for campus service projects.
Click here to read more about all of Durham Tech Community College’s award winners this year.
Congratulations, Mary! You are so deserving of this honor!