Library Blog - Book Reviews

Wade Watts won. Game over. Except that it wasn't.... This time, it's more than a game to win control over a billionaire's virtual universe. This time, real lives are at stake. This book was read by Susan Baker, Main Campus Reference Librarian. Title: Ready Player Two Author: Ernest Cline Genre: Science Fiction, Pop Culture Homage Read Great Things 2021 Categories: A book about family; A book recommended by a Durham Tech Library staff member; Choose your own category [A sequel!] Why did you

A wide-ranging exploration of architecture and innovation, featuring floating foundations, incorporating nature into school design, how temperature can impact our perception of happiness at work, the balance between community and privacy (and choice), and the challenges of living on Mars, among other topics. Title: The Great Indoors: The Surprising Science of How Buildings Shape Our Behavior, Health, and Happiness Author: Emily Anthes Genre: Nonfiction; Popular Science; Psychology of Daily Life

Jude Fawley is a fool trying to be an angel and is in an untenable situation: holding on to his dream and driven by passion, while trying to do the right thing. Title: Jude the Obscure Author: Thomas Hardy Genres: fiction, classic literature, social commentary Read Great Things 2021 Categories: A book that takes place outside the continental United States; A book about family; A book recommended by a Durham Tech Library staff member. This book was read by Stephen Brooks, Main Campus Librarian

This book was read by Courtney Bippley, Main Campus Reference Librarian and Library podcaster. Title: I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Second Edition Author: Ramit Sethi Genre: Self-help/Personal finance Read Great Things Challenge 2021 Categories: A book that will help with your self care, A book recommended by a Durham Tech Library staff member, Choose your own category (Personal finance book). Summary: From iwillteachyoutoberich.com- Not just another boring, personal finance book. You don’t have

A Supreme court justice in a mysterious coma puts his clever clerk in charge and in [repeated] danger in this exciting political thriller that deals with secret government dealings, bioethics, justice, regular ethics, corporate mergers, a chess move as metaphor, and complex family relationships. Title: While Justice Sleeps Author: Stacey Abrams (yes, that Stacey Abrams) Genre: Contemporary fiction, political thriller, who-dunnit Read Great Things 2021 Categories: A book about family; Choose your

“Atlanta is where I learned the rules and learned them quick. No one ever called me stupid. But home isn’t where you land; home is where you launch. You can’t pick your home any more than you can choose your family. In poker, you get five cards. Three of them you can swap out, but two are yours to keep: family and native land.” --Roy Othaniel Hamilton Jr in An American Marriage Roy and his wife Celestial are a young, attractive, highly-educated African American couple on the way to living their

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

Title: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Author: Suzanne Collins Genre: prequel; science fiction; dystopia Read Great Things 2020 Categories: A book that is part of a series; A bildungsroman; A controversial book; and A book suggested by a Durham Tech Librarian This book was read by Meredith Lewis, the [mostly] Orange County Campus Librarian. If you liked the original Hunger Games trilogy, you'll probably enjoy or appreciate this. If you're like me, you may need to re-read the other books, but

This book was read by Julie Humphrey, Library Director. Title: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption Author: Bryan Stevenson Genre: nonfiction, memoir Read Great Things 2020 Categories: A book about civic engagement; A book that has won an award, and A book suggested by a Durham Tech Librarian Why did you choose to read this book? Librarian Courtney Bippley recommended this book a while ago. I want to keep learning about criminal justice issues in the United States. I’ve always been

From the author who taught us that writing and life was best accomplished "bird by bird", or one slow mindful step at a time, comes her message of finding hope in the midst of chaos. Published in 2018, readers today in pandemic spring will recognize themselves in the first sentence: "I am stockpiling antibiotics for the apocalypse, even as I await the blossoming of paperwhites on the windowsill in the kitchen." Title: Almost Everything: Notes on Hope Author: Anne Lamott Genre: Self-help book