SCC Book Corner

The SCC Book Corner is a reading group dedicated to reading fiction and nonfiction works.

Public Speaking Resources @ SCC Libraries

  The SCC Libraries want to offer Public Speaking Resources to our students and community patrons.

Books –

  • iSpeak: Public Speaking for Contemporary Life (3rd Edition) by Paul Nelson PN4129.15 .N46 2010
  • Beyond Bullet Points: Using Microsoft PowerPoint to Create Presentations that Inform, Motivate, and Inspire by Cliff Atkinson HF5718.22 .A87 2011
  • There’s No Such Thing as Public Speaking: Making Any Presentation or Speech as Persuasive as a One-on-One Conversation by Jeanette Henderson PN4129.15 .H46 2007
  • It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It: Ready-to-Use Advice for Presentations, Speeches and Other Speaking Occasions, Large and Small by Joan Detz PN4121 .D38825 2007
  • 7 Steps to Fearless Speaking  by Lilyan Wilder PN4121 .W3865 1999

Videoshttp://library.sccsc.edu/findbooks.asp#videos

Library Catalog – Audiovisual Search:
Search for videos, audiobooks, CD-ROMs (software), and CDs that are located in the Audiovisual (AV) section of Spartanburg Community College Library.

Films on Demand
Educational videos available via streaming to anywhere (off-campus must login).  If you experience any problems, please call the SCC Library at 592-4654.

NBC Learn:
Thousands of videos, historic newsreels, and other materials available via streaming from NBC News archives.

SCC Research Guide and Blog –

http://library.sccsc.edu/SubjectGuides/speech/index-speech.asp – This Research Guide covers how to retrieve statistical information, quotes, and create a persuasive speech.

http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/ – “Six Minutes: Pubic Speaking and Presentations Skills Blog.” by Andrew Dlugan. Every week this blog identifies the best public speaking articles that the author finds on the Web.  The author also provides reviews for books on public speaking.

 

Kick 2012 Off Right

New Year’s Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous.

The SCC Libraries have the right books to Kick 2012 Off Right.

Environmental

  • Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology by Alex Madrigal TJ808.7 .U6 M33 2011

Health

  • Fit to Succeed: Make Health and Wellness Your Competitive Advantage by Steve Heussner RC969. H43 H38 2008
  • Healthy Employees, Healthy Business: Easy, Affordable Ways to Promote Workplace Wellness by Ilona Bray RC969. H43 B73 2009

Investments & Personal Finance

  • Hardy Money: Taking Gold to a Higher Investment Level by Shayne McGuire HG293. M.395 2010
  • Jim Cramer’s Getting Back to Even: Your Personal Economic Recovery Plan HG4910. C73 2009

 

 

Winter Break 2011

What’s on Your Reading List this Winter Break?

I asked the SCC Library Staff to share their reading list during the Winter Break.

I just read and LOVED, A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron. 

 Janet Ward, Library Specialist (Cherokee County Campus)

I will be reading books with and to my children during this break:

The Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney

Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The Princess and the Goblin by Arthur Hughes

Patricia Jordan, Library Director

 

I’ll be reading the new Janet Evanovich book, Explosive Eighteen.

Katherine Stiwinter, Public Services Librarian

I’m reading Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson.

 A retired Major leads a quiet life as a proper Englishmen until he meets a Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. They are drawn together by a shared love of literature and the loss of their spouses. They become romantically interested in each other, but the village can’t accept the relationship of this native and a foreigner.

 Judy Parham, Adjunct Librarian/Lib Specialist (Cherokee County Campus)

I will be reading The Seed: Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work by Jon Gordon. An AOT 254 student recommended this book to me. The book revolves around a guy name, Josh.

Josh has lost his passion at work and his boss challenged him to take two weeks off to think about his future at the company. During Josh’s time off, he meets a farmer and the rest you must read for yourself.

Leverne McBeth, Library Specialist

I am currently reading  Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.  I hope to read The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides (fiction) and Catherine the Great (biography) by Robert K. Massie.

 Barbara Scala, Technical Services Librarian

What’s New?

Non-Fiction

The Band That Played On: The Extraordinary Story of the 8 Musicians Who Went Down with the Titanic by Steve Turner

G530. T6 T87 2011

Summary: April 15, 2012, will mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, the world’s largest – and supposedly the safest – passenger ship of its time. You can be sure that the centennial will trigger a landslide of books on the subject. Less certain is how many will find anything new to say. But here is at least one – an early comer to the race – that has already succeeded on that count. The Band that Played On by Steve Turner is, surprisingly, the first book since the great ship went down to examine the lives of the eight musicians who were employed by the Titanic. The Christian Science Monitor, March 31, 2011 pNA

 I Belong to South Carolina: South Carolina Slave Narratives Edited by Susanna Ashton

E185.93 .S7 I2 2010

Summary: Clemson Univ. English professor Ashton and her associates have done readers of southern history and African American history a real service by compiling, editing, and making readily accessible the personal memories of seven individuals who lived at least a portion of their lives as slaves in South Carolina. The chronology ranges from the middle of the 18th century through Reconstruction and redemption. These accounts of the slave experience are collected memories, not a collective history.  CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, Nov 2010 v48 i3 p575(1)

From Marriage to the Market: The Transformation of Women’s Lives and Work by Susan Thistle

HD6095. T49 2006

Opportunities in Landscape Architecture, Botanical Gardens, and Arboreta Careers     by Blythe Camenson

SB469.384 .C35 2007

The Abusive Personality: Violence and Control in Intimate Relationships (2nd Edition)  by Donald C. Dutton

RC569.5 .F3 D87 2007

 Conjoined Twins in Black and White: The Lives of Millie-Christine McKoy & Daisey and Violet Hilton Edited by Linda Frost

QM691 .C66 2009

Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural History of the Modern Tattoo Community by Margo DeMello

GT2346. U6 D45 2000

How to Listen to Great Music: A Guide to Its History, Culture, and Heart by Robert Greenberg

MT6 .G76 2011

Fiction

Soul Enchilada by David Macinnis Gill

            PS3557 .I45 S68 2010

Summary: Eunice “Bug” Smoot is not having a good day. She’s about to be evicted from her apartment, she’s been fired from her pizza delivery job, and she doesn’t fit in anywhere because she’s half African American and half Tejana. Her only joy is her grandfather’s 1958 Cadillac Biarritz. Bug’s day gets worse when she finds out her grandfather sold his soul–and Bug’s–to finance the car. Her grandfather’s soul was missing upon his death, so now Bug has until Halloween to find her grandfather’s soul or she must give up her car and her soul. Voice of Youth Advocates, Oct 2010 v33 i4 p310(2)

 

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell

PR6065. F36 V36 2008

Summary: Family Secrets are hard to keep. Esme Lennox was only sixteen when her family committed her to the Cauldstone Hospital. No one acknowledged Esme existence, until the hospital called Iris Lockhart (grand-niece of Esme) sixty one year later. Iris is unfolding the family secrets and at the same time dealing with a stranger entering into her world. This book has a high level of conflicts (family conflicts and society conflicts). This book can create a list of discussion points for any book club. Maggie O’Farrell, author, grew up in Wales and Scotland. She now lives in Edinburgh.  Leverne McBeth, SCC Library Specialist

What’s New @ SCC Library?

Non-fiction

Automotive Wiring and Electrical Systems by Tony Candela

TL272 .C36 2009

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Behind Closed Doors: At Home in Georgian England by Amanda Vickery

HQ615. V53 2009

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Carmen: An Urban Adaption of Bizet’s Opera by Walter Dean Myers

PS3563. Y48 C37 2011

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Decision Point by George W. Bush

E903. A3 2010

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Finding the Answers to Legal Questions: A How-To-Do-It Manual by Virginia Tucker and Marc Lampson

KF240 .T83 2011

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The Pruning Book: Completely Revised and Updated by Lee Reich

SB125. R38 2010

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Punishment and Democracy: Three Strikes and You’re Out in California 

by Franklin E. Zimring, Gordon Hawkins, and Sam Kamin

HV9305. C2 Z58 2001

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Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

PQ2246. M2 E5 2010

Summary: Madame Bovary was published in 1857 by Gustave Flaubert. Lydia Davis translated this literary classic in 2010. Emma Bovary is the heroine. On the outside, Emma has the perfect life (doctor’s wife, middle class lifestyle, and mother) but behind closed doors Emma is a desperate housewife. Lydia Davis provides an introduction and notes that give readers additional knowledge about Gustave Flaubert. This masterpiece could be a good discussion topic about French Families in rural 1840s.

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Knock at a Star: A Child’s Introduction to Poetry

by X.J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy

Summary: Knock at a Star is a revised anthology of poetry for children (grades third to six). This anthology also contains “special kinds of poetry” (Limericks, Songs, Takeoffs, and Haiku). The book is illustrated by Karen Lee Baker. The illustrations are black ink and relates to the poems. I enjoyed reading “Learning” by Judith Viorst (page 5). “Learning” is a poem about a boy trying to learn how not to be a slob. The authors included several indexes (authors, titles, and first lines) and a “Do It Yourself” chapter to encourage children to write their own poetry.

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Justice in Blue and Gray: A Legal History of the Civil War

by Stephen C. Neff

KF5060. N44 2010

Summary:       The author explores the legal issues that arose from the American Civil War and still are debatable today. Legal issues like property ownership and military trials after the war. The author also explains how the American Civil War affected behaviors in military events now. This book is written in an easy t understood format. Book’s index is an effective search tool for looking up key people and events. Stephen Neff is a Reader in Public International Law at Edinburgh Law School.   

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The CAFO Reader: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories

Edited by Daniel Imhoff

SF140. L58 C34 2010

Summary: CAFO stands for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation which is the agriculture industry’s term for factory farm. This book contains 30 essays by food and agriculture excerpts. The essays are shining a bright light on factory farms. Several of the issues include treatment of animals, employee rights, and deregulation of the industrial food industry. Daniel Imhoff is the editor of The CAFO Reader. Daniel provides several reference tools for readers (consumer guides for example “Know Where Your Food Comes From”, information about contributors, list of resources to government and non-profit agencies, a glossary of CAFO terms, and bibliography, notes, and index).

What’s New @ SCC Library

SCC Library (Central Campus) will post a monthly update of new materials to the library’s collection.

Non-Fiction Books

Islam: The Religion and the People by Bernard Lewis and Buntzie Ellis Churchill

BP161.3 .L482 2009

Life Without Oil: Why We must Shift to a New Energy Future by Steve Hallett and John Wright

HD9502.A2 H2425 2011

The Twenty-Four Hour Mind: The Role of Sleep and Dreaming in Our Emotional Lives  by Roseland D. Cartwright

RA786 .C37 2010

Summary: A sleepwalker killed his wife in their backyard. The Twenty-Four Hour Mind is based on research about bizarre sleep disorders. The book is written for a general reading audience.  The author (Rosalind D. Cartwright) is a Professor Emeritus of Rush University Medical Center’s Graduate College Neuroscience Division. She also founded the first Sleep Disorder Service and Research Center in the state of Illinois.

Heat Wave: The Life and Career of Ethel Waters by Donald Bogle

ML420. W24 B64 2011

Summary: Heat Wave highlights the seven decade career of Ethel Waters (blues and pop singer). Ethel began her music career in Black Vaudeville and reached new heights in the nightclubs of 1920s Harlem. The author (Donald Bogle) also explores Ethel’s personal issues (racism and religious conversions). The author teaches at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and at the University of Pennsylvania.

History in Blue: 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers by Allan T. Duffin

HV8023. D84 2010

Summary: America women began working in law enforcement in the 1840′s. History in Blue highlights the women who paved the way for current policewomen. This book contains photos of police matrons working with young offenders and simulated police uniforms. The author (Allan Duffin) is a former officer in the US Air Force and a historian.

Fiction Books

Mixing It by Rosemary Hayes

PR6058 .A947 M59 2007

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

PS3602. A3447 S55 2010

Summary: Ship Breaker is a Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. Ship Breaker is the author’s first science fiction novel for young adult readers. The Gulf Coast region is a beautiful tourist place for visitors but for Nailer, a teenage boy, the Gulf Coast region a hard place to live. Nailer is ship breaker. He collects copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living.

Celebrating Movies @ SCC Library (June and July)

The SCC Library (Central Campus) will be displaying movie books during the Summer Semester. Movie books are novels based on movies.

The display will feature the following authors:

Terry McMillan

John Grisham

Stephen King

Alice Sebold

James Patterson

May – Mystery Month

Welcome Summer Students,

Take a minute and review SCC Libraries Mystery Collection.

Mystery Month

Double Whammy

By Carl Hiaasen

Private eye, R.J. Decker, is searching for a cheater at a sporting event (bass fishing) but instead steps into a murder investigation in Coon Bog, Florida. This novel is an earlier work by Carl Hiaasen. This story contains humorous situations and fast pace fun.

Mistress of Mellyn

By Victoria Holt

This classic novel has a romantic suspense plot.  Connan TreMellyn is a widow and looking for a governess for his daughter. Martha Leigh is the new governess for the wealthy TreMellyn Family. Martha falls in love with the master of the house and discovers the mystery about the death of Connan’s wife.

Cookie Cutter

By Sterling Anthony

This novel has a psychological suspense plot. The killings are racially charged and Mary Cunningham, Detroit’s Homicide Lieutenant is on the case. This novel contains graphic violence and sexual situations. The storyline could inspire book discussions about race and black culture in the South (1960s) and Detroit, Michigan (1990’s). I recommend this book to any Walter Mosley fan.

Booklist:

Southern Fried                  By Cathy Pickens

The Blackheath Poisonings: A Victorian Murder Mystery             

 By Julian Symons

Paying the Piper              By Sharyn McCrumb

Simon Said                         By Sarah Shaber

Play Dirty                            By Sandra Brown

Dust to Dust                       By Tami Hoag

Popular fiction books can be checked out for 3 weeks at any of SCC Libraries (Central, Cherokee, and Tyger River).

Discussion Questions – “For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf”

Book Summary:

The book was inspired by Shange’s play titled For Colored Girls Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf. Shange’s work was only the second by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway in 1975. For Colored Girls is a mixture of poetry, music, and dance. The piece consists of seven women who perform twenty poems examining gender, abuse, love, and self-esteem.

Discussion Questions:

  1. In “graduation nite”, the speaker loses her virginity in a Buick the same night as her high school graduation. How does her ecstatic embrace of adulthood in lines “we waz grown we waz finally grown” hint at both her innocence and its loss (page 23)?
  2. How does the end of an affair narrated by the lady in red in “no assistance”, capture the pathos of a romantic break-up: “this note is atached to a plant/i’ve been watering since the day i met you/ you may water it/ yr damn self” (page 28)?
  3. How does the author’s juxtaposition of a poem about rape, “lantent rapist” (page 31-35), with a poem about abortion, “abortion cycle #1″ (page 36-37), highlight the sexual vulnerabilities and dangers faced by many of her female speakers?
  4. In the poem, “pyramid”, about three girlfriends and the one man they all desire – “we all saw him at the same time/& he saw us” -how would you characterize the author’s depiction of female friendship (pages 53-56)? How does the male romantic interest in “pyramid” compare with the author’s other depictions of boys and men in For Colored Girls?

For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf: A Chorepoem.” 2010. Book & Authors Gale. Web. 19 Mar. 2011.

Book Discussion Event – March 21st 2011

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