Candy's October Staff Pick

The Carving of Mount Rushmore

Written by Rex Alan Smith

NB 237 .B6 A68 1985

Written with humor, perception and energy, Rex Alan Smith has put together a complete story of how Mount Rushmore came to be.

In some ways, it reads out as an unofficial biography of Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor who led a life as big and as large as the faces he carved out of “the chosen stone”.

Loaded with pictures, written in close detail, it is an impressive story.

Jan's October Staff Pick

The Arrival

Written by Shaun Tan

PZ 7.7 .T36 ARR 2007

Casey's October Staff Pick

The Hobbit

Written by J.R. Tolkien

PZ 7 .T5744 H0 1966

Who doesn’t love Tolkien’s classic work? The Hobbit and, subsequently, The Lord of The Rings series laid the ground work for all of contemporary fantasy. Often times taking several paragraphs to describe in high resolution detail scenes of landscape imagery that would be beyond the adjective spectrum of most writers, Tolkien’s The Hobbit will quickly become your October love affair.

Kelsey's October Staff Pick

Personality Psychology

Written by Jim McMartin

BF 698 .M349 1995

Ever wonder how or why your personality works? In Personality Psychology, your common, everyday questions on personality are asked, and then responded to by using and explaining understandable data. This book was made with students in mind, giving them a better understanding on Personality Psychology.

Kristy's October Staff Pick

Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life

Written by Karen Armstrong

BL 624 .A74 2010

"...compassion is aptly summed up in the Golden Rule, which asks us to look into our own hearts, discover what gives us pain, and then refuse, under any circumstances whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else."

Wes' October Staff Pick

Into the Wild

Written by Jon Krakauer

Call #: CT 9971 .M38 K73 1997

Back in the early 90's there was a young man named Christopher McCandless who went by the name of Alexander Supertramp. He was a vagabond, of sorts, that traveled the country by foot trying to find a meaning to the questions he had about life. He ultimately made it to Alaska where he lived for a few months and then died. This is a wonderful book to read for anyone who likes traveling. It is also very similar to the movie, although the book is better.

Cory's October Staff Pick

Outliers

by Malcolm Gladwell

BF 637 .S8 G533 2008

New Yorker columnist Gladwell made a big splash with Blink and The Tipping Point. In his 2008 book, Outliers, Gladwell focuses on success and how it is achieved. With clear, accessible language Gladwell relates the stories behind the tremendous success of specific individuals. His message is that although it does take hard work to succeed – his measure is 10,000 hours to become an expert at anything – it also takes opportunity. While some may interpret this as proof that the American dream is not equally accessible, it is also a reminder to seize hold of the opportunities that open to you.

Juli's October Staff Pick

NOWHERE BOY

DVD ML 420 .L38 N69 2008

Learn about the young John, before rock n’ roll, before The Beatles, before Yoko, before the unimaginable in New York City. Imagine a young man from Liverpool in 1950s who was destined to become one of the world’s greatest musicians and peace activists.

This is John Lennon in his early years. This is John Lennon, the nowhere boy who found his way.

Sam's October Staff Pick

Food, Inc.

DVD HD 9005 .F66 2009

Food, Inc. is a documentary that explores where the food that we purchase comes from, and what it means for the health of future generations. The director exposes the dark side of the American food industry. Food, Inc. reveals surprising -- and often shocking truths -- about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

Shawnte's October Staff Pick

The Hate Factory

Written by Georgelle Hirliman

HV 9475 .N62 N395 2005

The Hate Factory is a book about inmates of a penitentiary of New Mexico. The book is about the gloomy times and hardships the inmates partake within the prison and how gruesome and ruthless inmates were to one another. I believe that it’s a gut wrenching story that steals your attention to make you want to read it till the very end. I was left mind bottled throughout the tragic happenings taking place within the prison and that’s why I think that this book is a great read for Halloween. It will put Goosebumps on your neck and night mares within your dreams.