Getting stuck in the same game rut? Don’t forget that Andersen Library has a collection of board games, table games and card games to explore. Two of the newest additions to the collection are perfect for mixing things up.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is quick to pick up, and quick to devolve into silliness. The first player puts a card into the center, face-up, saying “Taco.” The next player then puts her card face-up on top of his, while saying “Cat.” Play continues this way (going “Taco” “Cat” “Goat” “Cheese” “Pizza” and so on) until a card laid matches the word spoken. Try to look at a Taco and say “Cat” – but don’t stumble, as you may get stuck having to take the full pile. Slap your hand on the deck when the card matches the word spoken, but be quick and don’t be last hand on the pile – yet another way to end up with a full hand of cards. Gorilla, Groundhog, and Narwhal cards randomly pop up, and prompt the players to action – the wrong action is yet another way to end up with a full deck.
Qwixx dice game (ages 8+) is another family friendly game that reinforces math, probability, and strategic thinking.
Visit the Curriculum Collection on the 2nd floor of Andersen Library to browse all the games available in the Teaching Tools section. Check them out as you would other library materials.
“Identity Theft: Protect and Prevent” will be presented online on Thurs., Jan. 28, at 3 p.m. by Jeff Kersten from the Wisconsin Bureau of Consumer Protection via Zoom, sponsored by Whitewater’s public library. Registration in advance is required in order to receive the program link shortly before the program begins (http://www.whitewaterlibrary.org/index.asp – scroll to the program listing at the bottom of the page).
You can get additional information from the Bureau’s website, such as its ID/Theft/Privacy Protection Fact Sheets. The Federal Trade Commission’s www.identitytheft.gov site also provides information, including warning signs and recovery plan options. It’s already tax season, and since one thing identity thieves can do with your information is file fraudulent returns, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has a page called “Identity Theft Central” that provides information for individuals, tax preparers, and businesses.
For assistance with finding additional resources, such as articles or books, please ask a librarian (visit or contact staff at the Reference Desk, email, chat, or make an appointment).
Ahhh. This sweet little puff of dandelion fluff provides a brief respite for the world-weary.
Playful artwork complements the punchy children’s poems with titles like “Atta-Dude” and “Roy G. Biv.” Each poem includes a label for the format while the “Poetic Forms and Literary Devices” glossary at the end of the book describes each one. Short bios of the contributors are also included.
The thanksgiving theme is woven through the poems, loosely at times. This is a delightful way to help youngsters (and the rest of us) cultivate gratitude. And it’s educational, too. Did you know that septercet, Fibonnaci, and Etheree are all poetic forms?
Thanku is a breath of fresh air for the first day of Spring Semester. Welcome back!
Thanku: Poems of Gratitude Edited by Miranda Paul; Illustrated by Marlena Myles New Arrivals, 2nd Floor Curr Coll, 811 Tha
Chad Lewis will talk about the “Bizarre History of Wisconsin: Strange Stories from Our Past” on Tuesday, January 19th, at 6 p.m. via Zoom (online). This free event is sponsored by Whitewater’s public library, the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library. Registration is required to receive a meeting invitation shortly before the program begins.
For assistance with finding additional resources, such as articles or additional books, please ask a librarian (visit or contact staff at the Reference Desk, email, chat, or make an appointment).
(Note: Food for Thought Cafe remains closed for Spring 2021.)
*Please remember that even when the physical Library is closed, or you are remote, you can:
Search the article databases (login when prompted with your campus Net-ID, same as for your campus email or Canvas) or Research@UWW (sign in to access all possible full text) and access online article text or submit ILLiad interlibrary loan requests for articles not available via UW-Whitewater’s libraries,
Ask a librarian for help using email or chat (UW-Whitewater librarians respond to the emails when the Library is open, but chat is covered 24/7 by non-local staff). You also can choose to make an appointment with a UW-Whitewater librarian, which can take place in person, over the phone, or online by Webex.
I picked up this book–audiobook to be precise–last week and as soon as I started listening I heard many eerie similarities between the world’s COVID-19 pandemic and the premise for this book. The book was written in 2017, so I wondered at Erdrich’s prescience. The setting is Minneapolis in the early days of a pandemic. The main character has a condition central to the pandemic. As the novel progresses it becomes more divergent from our reality, yet similarities remain:
Something has happened, but regular people do not know what is
People are hoarding food and other supplies
People are taken to hospitals, but no one is allowed to accompany them
Great uncertainty prevails
In 2000, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould stated “there’s been no biological change in humans in 40,000 or 50,000 years,” essentially meaning that human evolution has stopped. In Erdrich’s novel change is happening and happening quickly, but it is humans–and other living creatures–devolving into earlier species on their “family tree.” A cat has given birth to a saber-toothed tiger. Women are giving birth to babies that are not homosapiens.
The main character is twenty-something Cedar Hawk Songmaker, an Ojibwe woman who was adopted by a white family as an infant. As the novel opens she is pregnant and seeking out her birth mother to connect with her heritage and to see if any genetic abnormalities run in the family.
The writing is rich with details and the plot is gripping. This book has drawn me in and I’m excited to see where it goes. I give it high marks and think you will do the same.
Future Home of the Living God:
A Novel
by Louise Erdrich
Browsing Books, 2nd Floor PS3555 .R42 F88 2017
As we approach a new calendar year, perhaps paging through this gorgeously printed book and reflecting on the art and philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism will help you bring closure to the old year and begin preparation for the new.
From the publisher: “Taking as its theme the universally accessible experience of Awakening, the book’s main text leads readers along an immersive journey of self-discovery, aided by a virtual guide, or lama, and traditional art meant to support meditative practice. Complementary essays examine Tibetan Buddhism’s ritual tools, paintings, symbolic imagery, and artistic traditions. Beautiful color images of all artworks, including three by contemporary Nepalese-American artist Tsherin Sherpa, and selected important details enhance our understanding of their complex iconography.”
Best wishes for a New Year!
Awaken:
A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment
by John Henry Rice & Jeffrey Durham
New Arrivals, 2nd Floor N 8193.A3 R533 2019
Before I provide a review of Midnight Sun, it is best to give an overview of the Twilight series. These synopses are about the film versions of the books. Those of you who are loyal fans are picturing Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, and Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black. One of the great joys of reading a new book is visualizing the characters. It was extremely difficult for me to read Midnight Sun without seeing the faces of the movie stars as the characters, so I simply gave into the imagery and it made the reading more alive.
If you read the saga and also saw the movies, you will be revisiting the series again as you read Midnight Sun, trying to remember the details of Twilight, which was told through Bella’s perspective, and is now being told through Edward’s voice. I found the entire process fascinating and most enjoyable as an experienced reader of young adult literature. Midnight Sun is definitely on the cusp of adult literature and fits perfectly with the age of most readers who started the series around age 15 in 2005 and are 30 in 2020. I wonder about readers who will start the series with this book and then read Twilight and the others. That too would be a fascinating journey.
Twilight (2005) – High-school student Bella Swan, always a bit of a misfit, doesn’t expect life to change much when she moves from sunny Arizona to rainy Washington state. Then she meets Edward Cullen, a handsome but mysterious teen whose eyes seem to peer directly into her soul. Edward is a vampire whose family does not drink blood, and Bella, far from being frightened, enters into a dangerous romance with her immortal soulmate.
New Moon(2006) –Bella Swan is on the cusp of her 18th birthday and blissfully happy with her undead beau Edward Cullen. While celebrating her birthday with Edward’s family of “vegetarian” vampires, a frightening incident convinces Edward that he’s simply too dangerous to be around his sweetheart. He decides to leave the town of Forks in order to ensure her safety – leaving her behind, angry and depressed.
Eclipse (2007) – Danger once again surrounds Bella, as a string of mysterious killings terrorizes Seattle and a malicious vampire continues her infernal quest for revenge. Amid the tumult, Bella must choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob, knowing that her decision may ignite the long-simmering feud between vampire and werewolf.
Breaking Dawn(2008) – At last, Bella and Edward are getting married. When Jacob finds out that Bella wants to spend her honeymoon as a human, he is horrified — for Edward’s passion could accidentally kill her. Bella does indeed survive her honeymoon, but a new complication arises when she discovers that she’s pregnant — and the child is growing at an alarming rate. The pregnancy sets the wolves against Bella and Edward, but Jacob vows to protect his friend.
Midnight Sun (2020) – As a professor of children and young adult literature, I must provide a teachable moment. If teachers introduce this book in their classrooms as an independent read for their 15 year old and beyond students, then this is the exact story from the wildly popular vampire romance Twilight, but told from the vampire Edward’s perspective. Teachers will want to start with Twilight before they tackle this longer version and make their comparisons, or they could assign these books as parallel reads or partner reads. A parallel read is when you assign a student to read two books at the same time and make a comparison. A partner read is when one student reads Twilight and discusses events through Bella’s perspective, and the other student reads Midnight Sun and discusses the book through Edward’s perspective.
Teachers, Midnight Sun is a bit more violent as Meyer provides descriptive details as the vampires hunt big game, and Edward plots to kill Bella and anyone who gets in his way at the high school. Another violent episode in the book is the vivid description of James, the hunter vampire, and his attack on Bella. Also, the description of how to kill a vampire is very graphic. Students who play violent video games will find the descriptions tame, but still, as teachers, be cautious.
After Edward decides he is strong enough to tame his vampire urge to kill Bella, he has some more common relationship missteps. He is overbearing and so protective of his mortal girlfriend that he sneaks into her house and watches her sleep. Meyer is exceptional at description which I enjoy when the plot is action packed. But it becomes a bit of a snore, when it is Edward sitting in Bella’s room pining on about his love for her. This swoon talk and smitten speech and Edward’s ability to woo was a bit too gooey for me.
The one thing about the original series was how Meyer was able to balance action and romance so that both male and female young adult readers were equally captivated by the descriptive language and the story. In the 660 pages of Midnight Sun, there is too much nuanced detail that I found distracting, especially in the “Confessions” chapter.
All-in-all, I enjoyed the book. It is ideal for a snuggled winter read. It will keep you woozy with wonder and watchful with woe. Meyer should be commended for conceptualizing such a compelling companion read to her phenomenal series of beloved books.
Other Reviews of Midnight Sun:
If you are on the fence, I can absolutely recommend you join the hype. Hopefully the emergence of YA culture as a world-dominating phenomena means people will stop dismissing books enjoyed by teenage girls out of hand. And if you, too, missed out on this epic of the YA canon, there’s still time to get some friends together for a read-along (www.guardian.com).
The Edward/Bella power dynamic is still ripe for criticism, as is the depiction of the Quileute characters who don’t get much time in this book, not even Jacob Black. They still come off as stereotypical B-list characters. Meyer said that in writing Midnight Sun she was locked into the original story. But leaving those aspects unchanged adds a staleness to what is in many other ways an entertaining page-turner carried by frisson after frisson, a sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear; a thrill, often relegated to the sexual tension of youth (Karin Tanabe, Washington Post).
Unfortunately, Midnight Sun does not make for gripping reading, nor significantly expand Meyer’s vampiric lore, an obvious missed opportunity when writing from Edward’s perspective. It feels below the belt to criticize the quality of the writing, given that Twilight was never loved for that – but there is something to be said for editing. Midnight Sun is chronically overwritten, plodding along almost in real time. Nine whole pages are given over to a chat about their likes and dislikes: Bella’s favorite gemstone is whichever one matches Edward’s eyes, while he analyses Linkin Park lyrics for clues to unlock his lady love: “It didn’t seem to match any of her moods that I’d seen, but then, there was so much I didn’t know.” https://bookmarks.reviews/reviewer/elle-hunt/
Despite its door-stopper density, Midnight Sun does not amplify the original novel. At times, it even undermines it. The whole appeal of a vampire-boyfriend is that he is deadly and undead, but Midnight Sun just exposes how toothless Edward really is. https://audioproeventos.cl/pcn6ms/midnight-sun%2C-stephenie-meyer-english-e4ab51
Since I saw this DVD version of the 2019 movie appear on the New Arrivals shelf, I knew I had to watch it, and how convenient that I can also review it for our devoted blog readers (both of you 😉 ) here!
A friend who’s a big fan of the book insisted that I read the book first (I somehow missed out when I was a girl) and I’m very glad I had that fresh in my mind, both for the great pleasure of Alcott’s writing, and because this movie version is quite non-linear — it assumes watchers already know plenty of details about the story. There are so many jumps between 15-year-old Jo, 22-year-old Jo, and many ages in between, often with only a minute or two in each scene and sometimes with scarce cues in lighting or character age to differentiate the two — I’m thinking in particular of the sequence covering Beth’s illness and eventual death. But the jumps, while sometimes confusing, do still enhance the emotional impact of such scenes, so I can’t fault director Greta Gerwig too much.
Beyond that, I loved everything about this movie! The cozy family scenes are just as heartwarming as you’d want them to be — the cinematography and costuming are lush and gorgeous — the actresses are all believable in bringing to life the author’s intention. Jo’s tension between relationship fulfillment and writing genius are perhaps heightened a bit more in this modern feminist retelling than in the book (does Jo actually marry in the end or not, in this version!?), but Gerwig knows her audience.
Highly recommended, and I think over the winter break, I might have to go watch some earlier movie versions of this classic, just for comparison and the sheer pleasure of it!
