reading for pleasure

reading for pleasure

Small Things

Small Things

Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things. ~ Bruce Barton  What’s smaller than a dwarf, tends to be a “cautious homebody”(unless there is some Tookish blood), wears bright colors but seldom wears shoes over furry feet, likes to laugh and eat (six meals a day), and loves to give and receive gifts?  A Hobbit, of course, and the perfect improbable protagonist for J.R.R. Tolkien’s heroic quest. Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit, battles trolls, goblins, evil wolves, giant spiders, and a Gollum to help Thorin and his band of dwarves recapture the treasure of his ancestors, long ago stolen by the ferocious dragon, Old Smaug. Bilbo had help … Continued
On the Road Again

On the Road Again

Hi there! New library staff member Heidi Huff, here, newly minted MLS from IUPUI.  And YES, that’s my real name (not some fictional character as someone suggested earlier today.) Currently, I’m commuting to Richmond from Indianapolis.  But in talking to all the students and staff members I’ve met this week I discovered that many, many of you are commuters too.  I’ve met some of you from Oxford and Greenfield and here and there in-between.  Don’t even get me started on how far Venus Williams would have to commute if she were driving back and forth to campus. Here’s where the library comes into “play.”  The library has audio books (formerly known as books on tape) in the Browsing Collection – … Continued
Bog Child and Breast Cancer Awareness

Bog Child and Breast Cancer Awareness

Sometimes you come across a book that grabs you and holds you from the first page until the last. Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd, winner of the Carnegie Medal in Literature in 2009, is one of these books.  One of the many wonderful books available in the IU East Campus Library’s Young Adult collection, this beautifully written novel captures two times in one place. It is set in Northern Ireland in 1981, during the violence and upheaval known as “The Troubles.” Fergus McCann is struggling to finish his exams and plan for his future, but finds himself continually distracted by the chaos around him. His older brother joins a prison Hunger Strike and Fergus struggles to understand his own place … Continued
Simply reading…

Simply reading…

“Thank you for letting us use the library…I had a fun time because I love reading…Your books are cool…I read some books that I have never read…I learned some new words…I love going to the library…I love reading…My favorite book was Let’s Do Nothing. I also liked Freckle Juice. My favorite author is Judy Blume. I got Wizard of Oz and Planet Earth. It was a fun time…We had a good time at the library…When I go to IU East I will go to the library every day.” The content of thank you notes from young students reinforced what library staff intuitively know – reading is good. For two weeks in July the IU East Campus library was a daily … Continued
Graphic Novels

Graphic Novels

One type of literature I’ve always been fascinated with is comic art.  In fact, I even considered becoming a comic book artist before I decided to become a librarian.  IU East has a modest collection of graphic novels – some famous, like Persepolis and Barefoot Gen.  Some aren’t, and I’d like to tell you a bit about a few of them. We3 by Grant Morrison (PN6727.M677 2005), describes a trio of animals – a dog, a cat, and a rabbit – that have been converted by the army into efficient living weapons for combat situations too dangerous for humans.  But a visit by a bureaucrat unnerved by their rudimentary language and sentience orders them destroyed.  A scientist, unwilling to see … Continued