Tag Archives: readgreatthings2019

What We’re Reading: Hi! Have you met Murderbot?

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Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries series: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, and Exit Strategy
Available at the Main Campus Library

This series was read by Courtney Bippley, Reference Librarian, Lance Lee, Spanish Instructor and TLC Director, and Meredith Lewis, Orange County Campus Librarian. 

Title: The Murderbot Diaries (All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, and Exit Strategy), a series of 4 novellas

Author: Martha Wells

Genre: Science Fiction

#ReadGreatThings2019 Category: A book about technology [fiction counts for this category, too!]

Why did you choose to read this book? 

  • Courtney (CB): Meredith told me to and I generally trust her judgement. Plus, that fulfills my “Recommended By A Librarian” category for the 2019 Read Great Things Challenge. [And now can fulfill yours too since it’s on the blog!]
  • Lance (LL): Meredith was selling it hard, so I had to take her up on the offer.
  • Meredith (ML): I read a review of it and the book went on sale for $1.99. I bought the book and immediately loved Murderbot as a character. The story was interesting, too—terrain exploration in space,mysterious bad behavior, robots. Awesome. It is also true that I was selling this book hard because I want people to give it a chance!

What did you like about it?

  • CB: It is fun science fiction with action and mystery that lightly touches on larger themes of human consciousness and AI rights. What’s not to like?
  • LL: The philosophical question of whether or not this being was alive and should be treated like a human was really compelling.The first-person narrative from Murderbot’s point-of-view was humorous and intriguing.
  • ML: Murderbot as a character is extremely relatable, especially after a long day of interacting with people. I think Murderbot also really describes awkwardness well—those times when you don’t quite react in the most suave way? Murderbot understands (well, maybe not, but Murderbot tries to and then stops trying because understanding human behavior is hard, y’all).

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

  • CB: It’s a little like The Terminator, minus the time travel and if Schwarzenegger would rather have been watching soap operas.
  • LL: Not a specific book or movie, but it belongs to the genre of “here’s this future world with these new ways of functioning, so what would happen?”
  • ML: Parts of the series reminded me a little of Marvin in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, though the two books are not similar in tone at all. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it’s just robots and snarkiness. And sentient space ships always remind me of that one Futurama episode with the sentient ship (duh?). I’m not going to lie–Murderbot also reminded me a little of myself as a middle and high schooler just being so over other people, like, trying to get into my business. I wasn’t a battle robot, though, so my damage count was mostly tallied in rolled eyes.

Was there anything noteworthy about the book?

  • CB: All the books are short so it’s perfect for times when you don’t want to commit to something long. And, pretty light when bringing it in your purse somewhere. 
  • LL: I found it to be a unique story that made you think a bit but also fun to read (a.k.a. not too heavy).
  • ML: All Systems Red (the first book in the series) has won both the Nebula and Hugo awards for best novella, and Artificial Condition (book two in the series) just won the Hugo award for best novella.  

What feeling did the book leave you with?

  • CB: Wanting to read the next one.
  • LL: I want to get to know Murderbot in person. I might even watch a Murderbot reality show if they starred in it.
  • ML: Excited that there’s going to be a novel to go along with these novellas! (Currently scheduled for mid-2020.)

What would you pair this book with?

  • CB: Binge watching Battlestar Galactica (the 2004 version), a show I think Murderbot would enjoy.
  • LL: A really long weekend where you wanted to binge read a series.

Does this book have any book or movie friends?

  • CB: If you want a more serious exploration of the topics in the book, I’d recommend Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick [available at the Orange County Campus Library]. Or watching Blade Runner. 
  • LL: I have to plug Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty [available through ILL]. They both are sci-fi with some elements of mystery (Six Wakes more-so) and set in a universe where new realities can unfold because of technological advances.
  • ML: If you like sentient AI, Autonomous by Annalee Newitz [available at the Main Campus Library] and the Scythe series by Neal Shusterman [available at the Orange County Campus Library] explore it in different ways. 

What We’re Reading: The Influencing Machine

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The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media. Written by Brooke Gladstone and illustrated by Josh Neufeld

This book was read by Meredith Lewis, the [mostly] Orange County Campus Librarian, and is available for checkout at the Main Campus Library.

Title: The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media
Author: Brooke Gladstone and illustrated by Josh Neufeld

Genre: Social Science, Graphic Novel, Historical Overview

#ReadGreatThings2019 Category: A social science book; A book about technology; A book that will help you with one of your personal goals [if increasing your media literacy is one of your goals]

Check out our blog post on the Read Great Things 2019 Challenge. 

Why did you choose to read this book?W

Meredith: Well, Courtney recommended it to me. Since this book is about the history of the press/media and how it gets made and influenced in our modern world, I was especially interested from an information literacy standpoint. I mean, knowing how our news gets made matters, right? [Spoiler: The argument made in this book is yes.]

What did you like about it? 

Meredith: In general, I’m interested in learning about the history and contexts of things and this book really goes into (in a pleasant visual format) how media and government have this push-pull (repeat) relationship. I really like how Brooke Gladstone (an NPR journalist) investigates things that go into our modern media marketplace like money, bias, and information overload. She also calls out problematic practices in journalism. 

What feeling did the book leave you with?

Meredith: It left me feeling optimistic, actually! I genuinely believe that the world is full of the capacity for positive change and being informed and aware of the biases and structures around us matters and can help contribute towards making those positive changes.  

Image from page xxii of Brooke Gladstone's The Influencing Machine (illustrated by Josh Neufeld): Back in 1922, Walter Lippman wrote..."Let him cast a stone who never passed on as the real inside trugh what he had heard someone say who knew no more than he did. For the real environment is altogether too big, too complex, and too fleeting for direct acquaintance. And although we have to act in that environment, we have to reconstruct it on a simpler model before we can manage with it." But now, with most of the media's resources at our fingertips, we can seek beyond mediated interpretations of events. We can choose how much to simplify our worldview. When coverage is contradictory or confusing, we can read the original documents, or track down a dubious claim to its source... ...or seek sensible views outside out comfort zone. It's risky. John Dewey once said, "Anyone who has begun to think places some portion of the world in jeopardy." But, as Spider-Man once said (quoting his Uncle Ben), "With great power comes great responsibility."

Read Great Things: Memoir Admiration

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(In which one of your librarians highlights the different categories of the Read Great Things Challenge 2019. Want to know more about the Read Great Things 2019 Challenge? Check out our library blog post about it. All are welcome to participate!)

I like memoirs. A lot. I know this isn’t everyone’s favorite genre, but on the other hand, some people really only like to read memoirs. (You do you, reader.)

If you also like memoirs or just need to fill that “book by or about someone that you admire” box on the #RGT2019 Challenge and want to go the memoir-route, here are a few suggestions for you that are also available through the Durham Tech Libraries. 

  • Becoming by Michelle Obama
    Available at the Main and Orange County Campus Libraries (though may be checked out)
  • Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
    Available at the Main Campus Library
  • Born a Crime Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
    Available at the Main Campus Library
  • Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay
    Available at the Main Campus Library
  • Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
    Available at the Main Campus Library
  • March: Book 1 (A Graphic Novel) by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
    Available at the Main and Orange County Campus Libraries

Read Great Things 2019: Personal Goals!

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For many, January is a time to mindfully start new habits, either just as a new year reset (hello, dry-anuary participants and all of you doing Whole 30 for your very last day today!) or as the start of a new, hopefully enduring habit.

The library surveyed Durham Tech faculty and staff and asked them to anonymously share their goals for 2019. 

Durham Tech Faculty & Staff New Year, New Goals 2019 pie chart-- 35% of those surveyed are interested in Individual Goal Achievement, including learning a specific skill or accomplishing a specific objective. 7% of those surveyed are interested in improving their time management. 10% of those surveyed are interested in self-improvement-related goals. 21% of those surveyed are interested in improving their own self-care. 17% are interested in improving their finances or financial literacy, and 10% have health and wellness-related goals, mostly related to exercising more and eating more healthily.
Results of the faculty and staff 2019 goals survey.

Have similar goals? Why not use the Read Great Things Challenge to help you reach those goals by reading a book to expand your knowledge, and also check off at least one box on your checklist? Just a few on-hand suggestions from your local Durham Tech library locations– 

  • Lift - fitness culture, from naked Greeks and acrobats to jazzercise and ninja warriors by Daniel Kunitz
    Available at Main Campus
  • Every body yoga - let go of fear, get on the mat, love your body by Jessamyn Stanley
    Available at Main Campus
  • The food matters cookbook - 500 revolutionary recipes for better living by Mark Bittman
    Available at Main Campus
  • What the fork are you eating An action plan for your pantry and plate by Stefanie Sacks
    Available at Main Campus
  • Year of yes - How to dance it out, stand in the sun and be your own person by Shonda Rhimes
    Available at Main and OC Campuses
  • You are a badass - how to stop doubting your greatness and start living an awesome life by Jen Sincero
    Available at OCC
  • Why Buddhism is true - The science and philosophy of meditation and enlightenment by Robert Wright
    Available at OCC
  • There is no good card for this - What to say and do when life is scary, awful, and unfair to people you love by Kelsey Crowe and Emily McDowell
    Available at Main Campus
  • Daring greatly- how the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead by Brene Brown
    Available at Main Campus
  • The financial diet - A total beginner's guide to getting good with money by Chelsea Fagan
    Available at Main Campus
  • Dollars and Sense - How we misthink money and how to spend smarter by Dan Ariely
    Available at Main Campus
  • Deep Work Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
    Available at Main Campus
  • The Inefficiency Assassin Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer by Helene Segura
    Available at Main Campus
  • How to Be A Better Person by Kate Hanley
    Available at Main Campus
  • The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance-What Women Should Know by Claire Shipman and Katty Kaye
    Available at Main Campus

While there’s a lot of debate about how effective “new year, new you” mentality can be in terms of long-term goal achievement, there’s no debate that goal-setting is valuable. From ACA 122 to our own college councils and committees, goal setting is where it’s at. 

Want to know more about the Read Great Things 2019 Challenge? Check out our blog post about it. 

Read Great Things in 2019: Challenge Yourself!

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A new year, a new set of Read Great Things categories. Are you ready to participate?

Durham Tech Library Read Great Things Challenge 2019

What is the Read Great Things Challenge?

The Read Great Things Challenge is a personal reading challenge sponsored by the Durham Tech Library throughout 2019 that encourages folks to diversify and/or increase their reading goals by completing books that fit into at least 10 of the following 12 categories:

  • A book that will help you with one of your personal goals
  • A book by or about someone you admire
  • A social science book [nonfiction books about society and the relationships among individuals within a society, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, history, public health, and communication books, among others]
  • A book published in the decade you were born
  • An epistolary book or a book that contains epistolary parts [a book written using diary, journal, newspaper, or letter entries]
  • A book you’ve been putting off but—you swear!–you really do want to read
  • A reimagining of a classic tale or work of literature
  • A book about or that features college or higher education
  • A book about an immigrant or immigration
  • A book about technology
  • A book by a North Carolina author or that takes place in North Carolina
  • 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 and read the books in any order you like. You will need to choose books that fit into at least 10 of the 12 categories by the end of Fall Semester (December 2019) to complete the challenge.

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 in 2019, that counts. We’re not here to judge or assign reading levels.

Can I count a book for multiple categories?

One book can count for up to two categories, so if you read strategically, you can complete the challenge by only reading 5 books in total.

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

To win and complete the challenge, you should finish books throughout 2019 that fit into at least 10 of the 12 listed categories. In mid-December at the end of the Fall Semester, 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.

More questions? Email library [at] durhamtech [dot] edu or Orange County Campus Librarian Meredith Lewis at lewisma [at] durhamtech [dot] edu.

View, download, or print a copy of the checklist and challenge guidelines: Read Great Things 2019 Challenge Checklist [pdf]

Already finished? Fill out the Read Great Things 2019 Challenge Completion form or turn in your completed paper copy at either the Main or Orange County Campus library.