reading

Sept. 29, 2010: On This Day in History

On September 29, 1987, my lovely sister Jacqueline Ratner was born. Happy 23rd sis! In other, more scholarly-related news, on September 29, 2008, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell a record 777.68 points after the House voted against a $700 billion financial recovery plan. It was a very somber day that wrote this 21st-century recession in stone. Two years later we are supposedly rising out of the recession, and a lot of valuable lessons have been learned by experts, businesses, and individuals alike. As students, and for the future of this country, it is important that we learn from mistakes in the past so we can keep making that “cash-money.” The library has always had books on finance, as it is one of the most popular majors at Northeastern, but now you can find newly added post-recession books on how to manage your money. Keep that beer-money coming in all of your life by taking a look at some of the great new additions to the Snell Stacks. The Roller Coaster Economy: Financial Crisis, Great Recession, and the Public Option Too Big to Save? How to Fix the U.S. Financial System Guide to Financial Markets

Alumni space in Snell Library

Do you miss your alma mater yet, alums? If you do, we’ve got a treat for you. Beginning June 25th, the first floor of Snell Library will undergo construction to create an Alumni Reading Room. This room has been made possible by a generous gift from Dr. and Mrs. Eugene M. Reppucci, Jr., in honor of Dr. Reppucci’s late mother, Anna Reppucci. The room will open this fall. It will be situated to the right of the Library main entrance, facing Snell Engineering. The primary purpose of the room is to provide a welcoming space for Northeastern alumni to relax, read, use their laptops, conduct research, and meet while on campus. Graduate students who have received their baccalaureates from Northeastern are also welcome to use the space. Additionally, the Library is pleased to offer the room to current students who would like to schedule a Student Group meeting or event. Students can book the room through the Office of Student Affairs. Study tables and seating previously located in the Reading Room space are being redeployed to other areas of the Library. Lesley Milner, Associate Dean of user services commented; “We are delighted to offer alumni and student groups what promises to be a beautiful new space.” It must be understood that this room is first and foremost, for alumni, and their activities take precedence over student activities. Student group meetings may be overridden by alumni events. For more questions, please contact Maria Carpenter at m.carpenter@neu.edu. Further updates can be added to this post in the form of comments. -Damon Griffin

Chat While Reading

We’ve often discussed the future of books and reading on Snell Snippets, so I thought that some might be interested in this “Chat While Reading: The Future of Books?” article from NPR.  Their article focuses on BookGlutton.com but a number of commenters mentioned other communal reading sites like LibraryThing.com.  How do you think a site like this would function differently for classes than a Blackboard chat or discussion page?  Currently, if I have a friend who lives too far away, we’ll just email back and forth about books we’re reading: quoting passages, etc.  Just this past week, a friend who lives in New Zealand and I were emailing back and forth as she finished up Anna Karenina. I think for now I’m going to stick with that more private way of communication and dialogue.  But I also often like to check out Amazon, IMDB, metacritic  or Wikipedia after I read or watch something, to get a sense of its reception and other people’s reactions.  Any thoughts?

It’s Not You, It’s Your Books

This NY Times Sunday Book Review essay was written several months ago-a good friend sent it to me at the time, and pointed out the tragic humor of the Isabel Archer/Gilbert Osmond example.  I found the essay to be a very humorous and interesting one, and I shared it with family members.  They however were not as pleased!  They thought it demonstrated caring far too much about insignificant details.  I recently met someone and the essay topic came up again, as he knows the essayist and had gotten into a disagreement with her about it when the essay came out.  It’s an essay that seems to be polarizing, and so I’m interested to hear what others-bookish or not-have to say! I must say, that I also cringe when I hear people claim to love Ayn Rand (often celebrity actors and Alan Greenspan).  But I did think it was a bit funny for this essay to call out Rand enthusiasts-as the Times had not that long before published an article on the success of Rand devotees in the financial world. 

Summer Reading–Rebecca

I think Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier typifies the perfect summer read.  It’s atmospheric and has one of the most famous opening lines: “Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”  It borrows liberally from past gothic plots (most obviously Jane Eyre) and also manages to make more over the top, an already pretty over the top genre.  It’s chock-full of romance, secrets, jealousy and revenge. 

 

This book is one I’d recommend checking out from Snell Library to read over the summer, and it’s also featured in the Summer Staff Picks exhibit on the first floor of the Library.