Noraf's blog

A number of new political biographies and memoirs have been released this spring and we have them ready for you to check out and enjoy. Learn about such diverse and famous figures as Hugo Chavez, Mary Robinson (the former President of Ireland,) Hillary Clinton, and Winston Churchill.

Comandante: Hugo Chavez’s Venezuala by Rory Carroll

Everybody Matters: My Life Giving Voice by Mary Robinson

The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power by Kim Ghattas

Celebrate Star Wars Day and honor the films by immersing yourself in one of these documentaries:

Jedi Junkies DOC 791.43 JED New DVD

The People vs. George Lucas DOC 791.43 PEO

Hollywood’s Greatest Villains DOC 791.43 HOL

May the fourth be with you!

Are you a gamer?  Whether you enjoy old school classics videogames or more modern fare, we’ve got a selection of documentaries that will interest you!

The Girl Who Walked Home Alone: Bette Davis, a Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler

I just learned that April 18th is Poem in Your Pocket Day!

The idea is very simple: find a poem that you really like and then take it with you and share it with people you know. One mustn’t be limited by just traditional pockets – go paperless and quote a few lines in your emails, or on our favorite social media page, or your blog. Here are some poetry collections in the Nonfiction Department Literature Room to use as a starting point for channeling your inner wordsmith:

Do you feel you have something to say and just need to get it out? Why not start a blog? The Nonfiction Department has books that can help get you started.

Public Speaking for Dummies by Malcolm Kushner

This book is for anyone who has to give a speech or presentation and has anxiety about public speaking. You can use this friendly guide as your own personal arsenal of tools to overcome stage fright, and learn how to speak with confidence. You will also discover how to build a rapport with your audience, add power with body language, create visual aids and address international and virtual audiences. From researching your topic and preparing the room to crafting a riveting address, the tips in this book will help you deliver a masterful presentation.

Have you ever wondered what the authors that you like are reading? Which books do they treasure and which ones helped to shape them into the authors they are now? In The Book That Changed My Life edited by Diane Osen, you can read about different award-winning authors and the books that shaped them. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and two-time National Book Award winner David McCullough talks about two books that changed his life as a boy and a young man. Alice McDermott, another National Book Award winner, discusses the impact that reading Wuthering Heights had on her, and how it inspired her interest in both the storyteller and storytelling. James Carroll tells us about some of the books that had life-changing potential.

Book Lust books by Nancy Pearl

The Friends are having a big book sale this weekend!

All books, mostly adult hardcover and trade paperback, will be $0.50. Lots of best sellers and popular subjects. Bring a big bag and take away some big bargains!