Category Archives: Read Great Things 2021

Macro Choices of Microhistories

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Dig deep while reading narrow by completing a microhistory for the Read Great Things 2021 Challenge.

The most important question: What the heck is a microhistory?

A microhistory is a narrowly-focused, in-depth examination of a certain subject or individual over time. Some microhistories focus on illuminating the life and impact of a lesser-known group, event, or individual. Others dig deep into a subject or object to trace its historical, social, and/or other (economic, cultural, psychological, medical, etc.) impacts. A microhistory isn’t necessarily a short book– it can dig deep on a narrow topic over many pages. 

A HUGE THANK YOU to Courtney Bippley (who loves microhistories) for compiling book lists of lots of things we have available. Click through to see some of the books (ebooks included!) that you can get through Durham Tech and for some reading lists from around the internet of additional options.

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What We’re Reading: Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye and some Jane Eyre-Inspired Reads

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Reader, I confess: I’ve never read Jane Eyre. I had a profoundly bad experience with another Brontë sister in high school that has biased me against the other Brontës. Fair? Nope, but sometimes reading isn’t fair when there are lots of other choices out there. 

However, I did recently read Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye about a orphan-turned-governess (with some life experience in between) who keeps coming across the opportunity to murder folks. She picks up a copy of Jane Eyre and is compelled to confess her life story and misdeeds. She’s not arbitrarily murdery, but–shucks–it just keeps happening. 

So let’s do this WWR thing–

jane steele by lyndsay faye

Title: Jane Steele

Author: Lyndsay Faye

Genre: Historical Fiction (takes place in Victorian England)

Available at the Orange County Campus (PS 3606 .A96 J36 2016)

Read Great Things 2021 Categories: A book that takes place outside the continental United States; A book about family; Choose your own category–A book inspired by another book; A book recommended by Durham Tech Library staff (our favorite category)

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Self-Care Books for Comfort and Growth

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Tune into yourself with books that will help you with your self-care goals through the Read Great Things 2021 Challenge.

A set of Scrabble tiles, some turned over so they are blank in the background, with the words SELF CARE spelled out on top

Self-care can be about taking care of yourself in many ways: emotionally, spiritually, creatively, physically, or mentally. 

Keep reading for some suggestions based on what your own self-care goals might look like, including some suggestions contributed by your Durham Tech community. 

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What We’re Reading: The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

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the vanished birds by simon jimenez
Available at the Orange County Campus (PS 3610 .I54 V36 2020)

Title: The Vanished Birds
Author: Simon Jimenez
Genre: science fiction; fantasy; dystopia; literary fiction
Read Great Things 2021 Categories: A book about or set in space; A book about family; A book that takes place outside the continental United States; and A book suggested by a Durham Tech Librarian

My own category: A book about travel, longing, and trying to find beauty in something that’s broken

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

Earth has been ruined, so space habitation and travel to various colonies is the norm. The only problem is that it takes so long, so those who have to make the journey find themselves literally out-of-time with anyone they leave behind. A genius scientist, a lonely spaceship captain, and a boy who falls from the sky all converge in a story about ethics of technological development, love, and family. I also need to tell you that I found the writing particularly beautiful. 

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Reading Great Things in 2021: New Year, New Categories

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Need to fill out your 2020 challenge form? Here it is! If you’ve already filled it out, no need to do it a second time. We’ll be in touch shortly about prizes. They arrived while we were away for Winter Break. 

Durham Tech Library Read Great Things Challenge 2021

What is the Read Great Things Challenge?

The Read Great Things Challenge is a personal reading challenge sponsored by the Durham Tech Library that encourages folks to diversify and/or increase their reading goals by completing books throughout 2021 that fit into at least 10 of the following 12 categories:

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Out Loud in the Library – Read Great Things with Meredith Lewis

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Are you participating in the Read Great Things Challenge? Have you heard of it before? Are you interested in participating next year? Wondering why we started a reading challenge at Durham Tech? 

Learn all these things and more on our last podcast episode of the year! I interview Meredith Lewis, OCC Librarian, and we talk about the reading challenge, why reading can be good for you, and what she is reading right now. 

Click here to listen