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Library & Archives > Blog

Hotter Than That by Krin Gabbard

July 11, 2012 by Amanda VerMeulen

Hotter Than ThatHotter Than That by Krin Gabbard claims to be the story of “The Trumpet, Jazz, and American Culture.” It’s actually a description of how masculine the trumpet is and how the author personally experiences the trumpet. Every chapter the author mentions how the trumpet is a pure form of masculine expression. As a woman, it makes me feel left out, and that if I played the trumpet, it would be lesser than a male performer. Even the little section about the history of female trumpeters is sprinkled with comments like, “Although she is tall, slim, and attractive, Jensen is all business when she plays.” (direct quote)

The last straw was at the end of the book, when he spends four pages summarizing the book, all about the masculinity of the trumpet. Only one paragraph mentions women at all, and in it he says, “At this point, it becomes clear why women can be as successful as men when they play the trumpet.” That’s good, but his reasoning is horrible. “If a woman… rips through a phrase like Armstrong or Gillespie at his most intense, we might say that she is expressing the masculine side of herself.” So, according to the author, a woman can’t be a good trumpet player if she isn’t in some way masculine.

The book has other issues, though. It’s poorly organized, with biographical chapters mixed in with chapters about the history and construction of the trumpet. Also, the author spends many pages describing his own personal preferences for the trumpet and how he learned the trumpet.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Rebecca Thayer
Rating:  Not Recommended

Filed Under: Summer Reading

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

July 9, 2012 by Amanda VerMeulen

Little BrotherCross George Orwell’s 1984 with modern-day America. Brings up some controversial issues on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It keeps you wondering what is right, what is constitutional, and what is going too far.

Availability: COSMOS
Review Submitted by: Lisa Williams
Rating:  Highly Recommended

Filed Under: Summer Reading

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

July 9, 2012 by Amanda VerMeulen

MockingjayI highly anticipated the final book of the Hunger Games series. I have enjoyed the other two books and looked forward to enjoying the third. It is not that the 3rd book is not well written, since it is. It is just that the story was not what I expected. I don’t want to give anything away for those that haven’t read the series yet but the characters lost a little of the edge I had come to enjoy in the first two installments. It was still a good book just not exactly what I was hoping for.

Availability: SMCM Library and COSMOS
Review Submitted by: Mandy Reinig
Rating: Recommended

Read Mandy Reinig’s reviews of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.

Filed Under: Summer Reading

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

July 8, 2012 by Amanda VerMeulen

Water for ElephantsI have seen the movie and was looking forward to reading the book since movies tend to leave out some of the most exciting parts. I was not disappointed. I think this book took on special meaning for me since I read it just as I was arriving to work with elephants in Sri Lanka. For me, this book became not just a love story but also a story about the emotions and feelings of the animals themselves. I also enjoyed how the author moved back and forth between the present Jacob and how the present Jacob came to be.

Availability: COSMOS
Review Submitted by: Mandy Reinig
Rating: Highly Recommended

See Jordan Gaines’ review of Water for Elephants.

Filed Under: Summer Reading

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

July 7, 2012 by Amanda VerMeulen

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire HunterI’d heard that the movie adaptation of this book was “so-so,” which led me to believe that the book was incredible and the movie did no justice. After reading the review on this site several weeks ago, I was excited to buy the book, since my library hadn’t had the book on the shelves for weeks. I wish I’d saved my money.

My frustrations with the book are two-fold. Firstly, I never felt drawn into the book at ANY point. The book switches between 3rd-person narration and entries from Lincoln’s “secret journals,” oftentimes changing with every other paragraph. Grahame-Smith’s style, while unique, never allowed me to feel like I was experiencing the story. I felt like an observer, and I desperately wanted to feel included.

Secondly, while the vampire twist was a unique idea, Grahame-Smith’s storytelling ability was lacking. The book reads like a history lesson, and basically every hardship in Lincoln’s life (i.e. deaths in the family) was blamed on vampires. When the vampires aren’t playing a role in the book, the author seems to get lost in his research and ramble. (And when they ARE playing a role, there is a severe deficit of description). Grahame-Smith lacks the ability of many historical biographers to draw readers in to peoples’ lives—he simply recounts anything I could have Googled and adds in some vampire-killing. Indeed, he acknowledges Google and Wikipedia at the end for the “help” he had with writing his book. He doesn’t cite one historian, Lincoln biography, or primary source.

I did enjoy reading about Lincoln’s life, but was frustrated by its execution. The best takeaway from my reading was that Lincoln had a life that doesn’t require vampires for it to be incredible. It has inspired me to go read a real Lincoln biography now. I have yet to see the movie (and may only see it when it comes out on DVD), but this may be one instance where the movie may actually be better than the book.

Availability: USMAI and COSMOS
Review Submitted by: Jordan Gaines, SMCM Alum ’11
Rating:  Not recommended

Read Samantha Schwartz’s review of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Filed Under: Summer Reading

No More Excuses for the Uninformed

July 6, 2012 by Amanda VerMeulen

You now have enhanced access to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The domain smcm.edu has been added to the CHE authentication database so that anyone with a college email address can create a free account and access the CHE from anywhere, anytime, without using Research Port!

Ways to access the Chronicle online:

  • On your iPad with the new Chronicle App
  • On your smart phone using the new Chronicle mobile interface
  • On any computer, from any location in the world with your new free account

 

I'z up heer...soakin up yur smartz...

You don’t want this kitten to know more about higher education than you do. Trust me.

Filed Under: Library Collection Tagged With: chronicle, ejournals

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

July 6, 2012 by Amanda VerMeulen

Pope JoanPope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross is the story of a woman, who, disguised as a man, rises to highest position in the Catholic Church. It is a novel, since the existence of Pope Joan is denied by the Catholic Church. However, this serves to make the book more interesting, since the author can fill in dramatic details. Joan’s downfall is sort of obvious and disappointing, but is apparently found in historical sources. The misogyny and brutality of the time (ninth century) is rather horrifying, but is accurate to the time period. Recommended.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Rebecca Thayer
Rating:  Recommended.

Filed Under: Summer Reading

July Challenge: Win Bonus Points!

July 6, 2012 by Amanda VerMeulen

When the Emperor wa Divine

Join the College’s first-year students and read Julie Otsuka’s, When the Emperor Was Divine. Earn two points in July by posting your review on the Library Summer Reading blog.

See Tiko Mason’s review of Julie Otsuka’s The Buddha in the Attic.

Filed Under: Summer Reading

June’s Prize Winner is…

July 5, 2012 by Amanda VerMeulen

Lauren Grey has won the monthly prize drawing for June.

Submit a review in July to be eligible for the our next drawing. Don’t forget prizes are available for all participants who submit a review between June 4 and August 17.

Tote BagsBook Themed Refrigerator MagnetsBook Marks

Filed Under: Summer Reading

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

July 5, 2012 by Amanda VerMeulen

Balzac and the Little Chinese SeamstressBalzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie is the story of two young men who are sent to the countryside to be “re-educated” during China’s Cultural Revolution. There, they discover Chinese translations of forbidden Western books. The book’s description of the re-education of the two men is interesting, and the wonder that they feel upon reading these forbidden books is familiar to anyone with a love of reading. However, the last third of the book really falls off in quality, with a strange narrative change. I found the end to be confusing. The end of the book seems to have a deep meaning, but I could not figure out what it was.

Availability: SMCM Library
Review Submitted by: Rebecca Thayer
Rating:  Recommended with Reservations.

Filed Under: Summer Reading

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