The Ides of March have come and gone, and while this may call to mind the drama of Julius Caesar, for this librarian the date just reminded me of Shakespeare or, to be more accurate, Ian McEwan’s 2016 retelling of another Shakespeare play. Nutshell is the story of pregnant Trudy and her lover Claude’s plot… Continue reading Ian McEwan’s Nutshell
Author: Rebecca Tull
Thankful for Podcasts
Talk of turkey, family, gratitude, all signs the Thanksgiving holiday is just about here. The long hours spent on the road or in the airport – facing down boredom, perhaps – don’t get as much attention. How to enliven those hours after you’ve tired of your musical playlist and making conversation, but are not ready… Continue reading Thankful for Podcasts
Graveyard Story? Lincoln in the Bardo?
Looking for a graveyard story as we head toward Halloween? Maybe an exceptionally beautifully written graveyard story that also meditates on life and death with humor and extreme… thoughtfulness? Check out George Saunders’ latest, Lincoln in the Bardo, an unconventional and surreal story of the days following the death of President Lincoln’s 11-year-old son, Willie.… Continue reading Graveyard Story? Lincoln in the Bardo?
Novels in Verse and Young Adult Readers
Did National Poetry Month pass without your having the chance to read a sonnet or haiku? Maybe you prefer to read novels. Historical fiction? Non-fiction, even? Anything but poetry? If so, novels in verse may be for you. The library’s Young Adult (YA) and Children’s collection has a number of interesting novels in verse that… Continue reading Novels in Verse and Young Adult Readers
All the News That’s Fit to Print… and Digitize
Last month The New York Times released its latest self-study, Journalism That Stands Apart: The Report of the 2020 Group, outlining its principles, priorities, and goals. By many accounts, The New York Times is hugely successful – $500 million in digital only revenue, more than one million print subscriptions – but the changing media landscape… Continue reading All the News That’s Fit to Print… and Digitize
Progressive vs. Flat Tax?
On October 6th, the Library hosted Senator Pat McGuire, Chair of the Illinois Senate Higher Education Committee, along with a panel of Moraine students, in a discussion on how Illinois colleges are facing the impact of the current budget crisis. During the Q and A, the focus turned to sources of revenue and taxes. The… Continue reading Progressive vs. Flat Tax?
Facts, Please
The 2016 Presidential Election is less than two months away. If you haven’t already, it’s not too late to start fact checking what the candidates, their supporters, and detractors, are saying, especially if current headlines and tweets leave you skeptical. The nonprofit, nonpartisan FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, may be a… Continue reading Facts, Please
First Lady Biographies
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan passed away on Sunday at the age of 94. Did you know that she was also an actress and attended high school in Chicago? You can learn more about her, as well as the contributions of the 44th First Lady (who is currently running for President) and others, in one… Continue reading First Lady Biographies
World Migration Mapping
This year’s One Book One College selection, Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant, considers a number of immigration issues, including undocumented immigration in the U.S.; acculturation and belonging; and political polarization. While the MVCC community explores these issues locally, the world is watching another migration story unfold through headlines and imagery coming out of Europe,… Continue reading World Migration Mapping
Forthright Voice on Media Dies
The New York Times lost one of its most distinctive voices last night. David Carr, the media columnist for the paper, died after collapsing in the newsroom. Carr was known for his unpretentious but sophisticated style, his journey to prominence the more impressive in light of the addictions from which he suffered in the 1980s.… Continue reading Forthright Voice on Media Dies