Reviewsletter January 2017

ISSUE NINETEEN

JANUARY 2017

Taking a glance at your favourite resources from 2016 P2. Reviews P11. Non-fiction P12. films P13. fiction P15. comics P16. journals P19. Digital resources P20. Your suggestions

Reviews As part of our review of the best that 2016 had to offer we asked our Reviewsletter team to write about their favourite thing they’d read or watched during the last 12 months (regardless of whether that item had been released this year). All of these resources can be found on the Library’s shelves so if you’re inspired to give one of them a go as a result of the reviews then why not pop into the Library and pick it up.

Inside Out Directed by Pete Docter Reviewed by Chloe Jurd During 2016 I have read and watched many films but one of my favourite films has got to be Inside Out by Disney Pixar. The film is based on the events of a little girl’s emotions after she has moved away from her childhood home in Minnesota to San Francisco. In the film we see her five main emotions Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear all working together to create memories for Riley, the girl. The memories are then sent away at the end of the day to Long term memory where they will remain until they are ready to be forgotten. However, the most important memories, known as the core memories are built up and kept in the hub where the emotions are based that help build up Riley’s personality and allow her to have hobbies and friends. When Riley and her family move to San Francisco everything is not as great as it seems. Riley’s first day at school is not going particularly well when Sadness intervenes with the control desk making Riley cry on her first day at school.

Which creates a sad core memory. Joy tries to dispose of the sad core memory accidentally knocking the other core memories out of the hub causing them to be sucked away with Joy and Sadness leaving the three other emotions to help Riley with everyday life.

I very much enjoyed this film as it speaks a lot to the older generation about childhood memories as well as coping with the everyday life as you have new beginnings and new challenges in life. It also conveyed a message for me about that you can’t always be happy and that there are many disappointments that you have to face. I very much enjoyed the playfulness of the film with the jokes that were entailed within the film such as the transport that the emotions take called “the train of thought”. I also enjoyed how clever the animation was that really caught the eyes with the bright colours and the joyfulness with the ideas of childhood antics such as an imaginary friend. In which I must admit it did have me crying by the end of the film with how easy it is to forget memories that should be cherished and remembered. I would fully recommend this film to anybody who loves the work Pixar put into their films as well as people who enjoy a good story that make you feel you five main emotions of Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear.

The Bluest Eye

By Toni Morrison Reviewed by Mackenzie Phillips Toni Morrison’s debut novel The Bluest Eye is a powerful and unforgettable portrayal of the complexities of race during the years following the Great Depression and is still relevant today. Set in Morrison’s hometown of Lorain, Ohio, the novel centres around eleven year old Pecola Breedlove as she navigates the cold and harsh world she inhabits. Life is tough for Pecola, her family is poor and her father abusive. The novel follows her over the course of a year in which her life changes in painful and devastating ways. Pecola believes having beautiful eyes means no one can do ugly things in front of her, she prays for her eyes to turn blue so she can be as beloved and beautiful as the blonde, blue-eyed ideal.

The novel is a vivid, harrowing exploration of physical and sexual identity as well as an implicit critique of society’s treatment of those perceived as other. Morrison aptly details the turbulence of racial ontology that she herself experienced as a young woman in a way that challenges and scrutinises societal perceptions of blackness.

Told in the form of many different interlocking perspectives, Morrison explores the cyclical nature of abuse and racism. Although the narrative is brutal and distressing, Morrison’s use of multiple perspectives allows us to sympathise even with Pecola’s abusers who fall victim to the prejudice that plagues society- a troubling reminder that those are wounded are more likely to wound others.

As a striking account of westernised beauty standards and sexual abuse, Morrison’s The Bluest Eye is a startling reflection of modern society's rejection of blackness and black female identities. This novel is not just an incredible and significant work of American literature, but a sociological and psychological exploration of identity and culture. Charged with passion and pain, The Bluest Eye remains one of the most bold and powerful pieces of American fiction I have ever read.

Ghostbusters Directed by Paul Feig Reviewed by Megan Foot Ghostbusters, which was released on the 11th July 2016, is a fun, entertaining and humorous remake of the 1984 classic. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wigg and Chris Hemsworth, along with Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.

Scientists Erin and Abby are keen to once again prove the existence of paranormal phenomena such as ghosts, so set out to capture ghosts from around New York City, bringing them back to their lab along with fellow members Jillian and Patty. During the beginning, the operation was a success, with the group capturing their first ghost. Much to their dismay, the video uploaded online was believed to be a fake among the public. Determined not to give up, the Ghostbusters carry on capturing

ghosts in order to prove to the public that they do in fact exist. The ghosts, however, are being summoned by Rowan North, a mad scientist who is attempting to bring about the ‘apocalypse’. Can the Ghostbusters stop him, or will it be too late?

I would highly recommend watching Ghostbusters, as it is a light hearted, funny, yet exciting film to watch. I wasn’t expecting the film to be as good as the original, but in fact, the remake exceeded my expectations, as it maintained by attention throughout. This was mainly due to the ever occurring twists and turns that was presented in the film, as well as the tension of finding out if the Ghostbusters would succeeded in defeating the villain.

The film also received high praise from critics, with the cast being recognised for their ‘marvellous acting’. The film also scored an average of 6.5 on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as being described as an ‘enjoyable film with disposable fun’.

Overall, I would recommend this film to not only those who are fans of the original, but also to those who enjoy comedy and sci-fi. The gadgets created by the scientists would particularly attract those who are interested in this genre.

Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens Directed by J J Abrams Reviewed by Rachel Cornish.

Directed by J J Abrams, Star Wars was back with the start of a new trilogy, The Force Awakens. If you have not seen the other films, there is no need to panic… you can easily watch it without the absolute need of previous knowledge from the other 2 trilogies (although you would love watching those as well!).

Star Wars depicts the adventures the adventures of various character ‘a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away’. It involves the story of the Skywalkers, who struggle in resisting the temptations of the dark side of the force. In the most recent movie, Luke Skywalker has gone missing. Rey, is an independent strong character, who, stranded on a desert planet from a young age by her parents, is led by a droid into adventure she will never forget. During her adventure, she learns the ways of the force, and uses this power in the hope to find Luke Skywalker, in person.

It is highly rated by the critics receiving 5 stars from The Mail on Sunday, The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Times. Also, it boasts the highest-grossing film of all time in the UK and Ireland.

Stats never lie and this continues to be the case.

SPOILER ALERT!!

There were a lot of shocks and twists, sad, shocking and happy ones, throughout it.

The happiest moment was when Han Solo and Chewbacca first arrived on the scene, and after not seeing them on screens since 1983, nothing gave me more pleasure. One of my highlights of that scene, was seeing and hearing the enthusiasm of Rey reflecting on Han Solo’s heroic history, which accurately mirrors to what the audience thinks.

However, the saddest moment is the death of my favourite character, Han Solo; he even beats Luke Skywalker for me. Overall, his charm, arrogance and steady approach in life is something that no character can beat. He even won Princess Leia over! One of my favourite scenes starring Han Solo was in episode 5, The Empire Strikes Back, when Princess Leia said ‘I love you’ and he replied ‘I know.’ It is those types of moments that make the thought of him not featuring in any more Star Wars unbelievable and tragic. Finn will not replace him, leaving Chewie, the only character, to bring back a slight Han Solo feel in the upcoming films.

If you have not seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens, or have not seen it for a while, I strongly recommend watching it and let the film thrill you into being your film of the year (2016) like it was mine immediately after I first saw it the first time.

High-Rise

By J G Ballard Reviewed by Megan Limburn In my opinion, the library resource of the year would have to be the book HighRise written by J G Ballard. Inspired by studying the dystopian novel- The Handmaid’s Tale - in English language and literature, I started to research and read more in this genre. My favourite thus far has been High-Rise.

The story centres on Dr Robert Laing, who has recently divorced his wife and moved into the enormous tower block, located outside of London. The tower block was designed to be the perfect living environment for all residents, who inhabit the staggering 40 floors. The high-rise was built by Anthony Royal and designed to be self-sustaining. It contains supermarkets, hair salons, schools, gymnasiums, swimming pools and many more features incorporated for the residents to use. There wasn’t meant to be any faults with the building. But as with all new builds, the high-rise is too good to be true. Things quickly turn sour as lifts stop working, power failures occur, garbage shoots are blocked, residents stop leaving the high rise and tension builds between the different floors... the residents true natures are revealed as they abandon normal social restraints and turn hostile towards one and other.

The opening is a proleptic event, where we meet Dr Laing eating a dog on his balcony... which at first confused me as this seems like such a bizarre thing to be doing. But I later realised it was designed to interest and entice you. As a reader you feel compelled to continue reading because you want to know what went wrong and what horrible events lead to this dramatic and surreal opening. I had no idea what would occur as I continued to read and my predictions were way off which is what made the book so interesting, as it meant I had no clue what would come next.

Ballard's narrative is clear allowing the reader to fully immerse themselves within the novel. The story moves at a relatively fast pace with all the exposition integrated within the story instead of just being a large chunk at the beginning. I would highly recommend giving this story a read but if you're more interested in movies High-Rise has recently been adapted and stars several amazing

actors including Tom Hiddleston. I've not personally seen this but I have been told by numerous people that it is a very good adaptation of the novel.

The Danish Girl Directed by Tom Hooper Reviewed by Angel Newman The Danish Girl is a thought-provoking romantic film based on a true story about a transgender painter who finds his true identity whilst helping his wife complete a painting. Einar Wegener (played by the amazing Eddie Redmayne) is married to Gerda Wegener (played by the brilliant Alicia Vikander) and at the beginning it’s a very sweet story however, Einar soon realises who he truly wants to be and we join him on his amazing journey to become ‘Lili Elbe’ as he becomes the first known person to undergo the sex reassignment surgery. This film is sure to touch your heart and I would certainly recommend it to anyone.

Catfish Directed by Henry Joost Reviewed by Anna Nuttall Now a much loved MTV hit show hosted by Nev Schulman, Catfish was originally made into a documentary based on the journey of Nev himself.

Similarly to those he now helps to find answers, Nev was once in the same position; deceived by a false identity on social media, someone whom he believed was the love of his life.

What started off as a meaningless video recording, his brother Ariel and friend Henry managed to capture one of the most gripping, unique and unexpected documentaries ever to be filmed. Starting simply from a mystery Facebook request, their project quickly becomes an exhilarating quest to find out more about her, resulting in some shocking and jaw-dropping moments at the extreme deception behind this initial ‘love story’.

Although over the past few years awareness over ‘Catfishing’ has been raised, the documentary shows just how easy it can be to be deceived online through conjured up profiles, copied photos and stolen voiceovers. You can never be too sure with who you are talking to online. So it’s always best to …

THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK

Looking For Alaska

By John Green Reviewed by Maria Toma One of my favourites book in 2016, which I was remarkably amazed about is Looking for Alaska by John Green. It caught my attention when I was wondering around the shelfs in the library in one of my lunch breaks. I heard from my friends previously about how astonishing it is and the fact that it is worth reading, but I didn’t get around to it by then.

I learnt that if there is one time in your life when you focus on your self-image, your relationships and your fears, it has to be your teenage years. This is captured flawlessly in Looking for Alaska. In his novel, John Green illustrates the emotion of freshness of high school years when you feel like you are on top of the world and your heart is pure.

The main character is Miles Halter. He is presented as a rising junior in a boarding school in rural Alabama. Miles is a Florida adolescent, used to the sun and the urban but not to the deep heat of the South. Being a shy boy he faces many difficulties and he goes through a lot of agony in order to get used to the new place. After being wrapped in duct tape and thrown into a lake, Miles is accepted for what he is without being judged by the others. He becomes more confident and he makes friends, one of which is Alaska Young. Apart from a demand academic load, their key amusement is going out and making pranks on the other group.

Miles goes through many experiences during the novel, but undoubtedly his attention is always dedicated to Alaska. Flirty and fairly distant, friendly, with a boyfriend in college, her strong temperament leads Miles and his friends into a labyrinth of sentiments and after a devastating misfortune, leaving him questioning if there is any way out.

John Green has written an inspired novel, one that will be valuable for young booklovers to weigh their place in the world how to deal with one another. Looking for Alaska is stimulating and convincing and I don’t think anyone would regret reading it.

Fangirl

By Rainbow Rowell Reviewed by Olivia Mill Don’t judge a book by its cover. Although, this may seem like the stereotypical teen fiction book it is so much more. Rainbow Rowell creates a world that anyone can lose themselves in. With this book winning her second young adults New York Times bestselling novel.

The main character Cath is an 18 year old who is terrified by the prospect of stepping across the line of her comfort zone and immersing herself in a new life at university. Persuaded by her twin sister Wren to take a chance on her own future she finds herself tagging along to a year in Nebraska

College to study fictional writing. Along the way she finds herself getting tangled up in all types of stress, work, family, boys and books. As Cath gets swallowed by the pressure she needs to find a way to adapt to her new environment away from home and everything she know in order to somehow survive.

This is a very meaningful and realistic story of a character who is stumbling through life simply trying to find her path. She struggles with everyday problems such as socialising and fitting in at a place which is so alienating to her - these are problems that we can all relate to. In this book I found a world which is realistic yet magical which you can completely absorb into - the best form of escapism. The characters have been crafted so completely that they seem real - the main characters of Cath and Levi are so believable and heart wrenching you feel as though you are living right along with them.

Overall, Rowell presents an all-consuming story which has the best balance of drama and realism which you will never forget. This book will make anyone a believer in how books and love go hand in hand. As a result, I recommend it to anyone who wants to get lost in words and characters which you can relate and empathise with. Cath’s view of the world is one that anyone can learn from and find comfort in - it the quiet way she copes with the world that makes Cath a secret hero.

Kingsman: The Secret Service Directed by Matthew Vaughan Reviewed by Rebecca Legg “"Manners maketh man." Do you know what that means? Then let me teach you a lesson.”

This amazingly gripping film with a star studded cast from Eddie the Eagle star, Taron Egerton who stars as Gary “Eggsy” Unwin to Love actually and Bridget Jones’s Diary star and Barton Alumni Colin Firth as Harry Hart the male gentleman Spy. Also starring the likes of Samuel L. Jackson as the megalomaniac with a fear of blood, Michael Caine as the deceptive head agent, Mark Strong - the tech support and Samantha Womack, Eggsy’s Mum. The film, an adaptation from an equally gripping and action-packed graphics novel, follows the life of Eggsy, a former world class gymnast that was previously in the cadets and whose late dad was secretly an undercover spy for top secret organisation, Kingsman. Eggsy now lives in a South London housing estate and is headed for a life behind bars, although when his mums new, abusive partner Dean, yet again takes advantage of Eggsy and his mum, he goes off the rails, stealing Deans, mates car and driving erratically backwards throughout London, narrowly avoiding the police until he slams the breaks on to avoid hitting a stray cat crossing the road.

Now facing 18 months prison time and refusing to give up his friends names, he uses his call to phone up an number that he was given when his dad died, for in a time of need. Sprung free of prison by Harry Hart, code name “Galahad” (Colin Firth), Eggsy is now enlisted in a top secret training programme for Kingsman, to become the new Lancelot. Eggsy has to compete against the other recruits for the position, but feels at a distinct disadvantage because of his background,

whereas the rest of the recruits are top of their class Oxford and Cambridge graduates, but his gymnastics, cadets and the small things he’s picked up and refined whilst living on the estate, like sleight of hand, turn out to be most effective, alongside his good heart and desire to win.

Meanwhile Richmond Valentine, the movies billionaire philanthropist and megalomaniac, who faints and throws up at the sight of blood wants to help heal the planet from global warming by handing out brand new, free sim cards to everyone all over the world, just as famous stars, celebrities, singers, politicians and billionaires go missing from over the globe. Valentine with the help of his henchwoman Gazelle (Sofia Boutella) who has prosthetic legs, specially sharpened to double up as lethal blades, plans to rid the world of global warming buy using his sim cards to send out radiation signals that activate the aggressive part of the brain, to lead to a mass culling Except for the missing celebrities, who have been injected with an implant that disables those radiation signals and are gathered at his top secret headquarters to watch in a ‘new era’. It's up to Kingman to save all of the human race.

With plenty of black humour, action, blood, suspense filled moments, weapons and gadgets and a constant reminder that it's not James Bond - “‘You know what this is like? It's like those old movies we both love. Now, I'm going to tell you my whole plan, and then I'm going to come up with some absurd and convoluted way to kill you, and you'll find an equally convoluted way to escape.’ ‘Sounds good to me.’ ‘Well, this ain't that kind of movie.’” and plenty of references to spy movies “‘You like spy movies, Mr. DeVere?’‘Nowadays they’re all a little serious for my taste. But the old ones…marvellous. Give me a far-fetched theatrical plot any day.’” and also lots of overly complicated drink orders “Martini. Gin, not vodka, obviously. Stirred for 10 seconds while glancing at an unopened bottle of vermouth.” Making this film the most approachable and hilarious film whilst being equally as violent and gory - definitely worth a watch!

Doubt Written and illustrated by Yoshiki Tonogai Reviewed by Natalie McGhie Doubt is a small manga series by Yoshiki Tonogai. Initially, it reads off quite a bit like the horror franchise Saw, but with cute little bunnies thrown into the mix.

I’m not going to lie, the similarities to the popular American horror franchise are quite glaring, and even I, someone who hates horror films, struggled to try and ignore them.

However, what I feel Doubt has going for it is a certain degree of charm. That might sound strange considering the premise is extremely dark: a group of teenagers meet up to voice their mutual love of an online mobile phone game, only to be kidnapped and thrown into a large warehouse, with a dead body to greet them. Becoming paranoid by the second, the group turns upon each other, unsure of whom they can trust. I wasn’t expecting to become so invested in these characters, but they all surprised me by being extremely three-dimensional. Yuu is your sweet-natured protagonist whose journey you follow, but is he really as trustworthy as he seems? Does the character who appears kind and gentle know more than they let on? Is the intelligent student thrown into the mix using his brainpower to help or hinder those around him? I felt as though I truly could not trust

anyone, and this simply made the characters all the more appealing. It’s impossible not to get sucked into a story when one moment you’re accusing your protagonist of being a murderer, and the next, you’re convinced he’s entirely innocent.

The story itself started off a little slow, but as the body count grows the pacing becomes faster and faster; I didn’t want to stop reading until I had uncovered the mystery. The drawings accompanying the speech are occasionally hard to make out, but for me this made the setting of the manga even creepier. Many times I gave one panel a quick glance, only to come back a few seconds later and realize, Oh-oh, so THAT’S what that strange shadow on the wall is...oh, that’s horrifying.

Doubt comes in two books, helpfully marked ‘1’ and ‘2’. The second begins straight after the first one ends off. Initially I was sceptical as to why you needed two books to tell one story, but considering the amount that is packed into the second book, I can now completely understand it. It would have felt rushed otherwise.

Doubt is by no means a perfect story, and like I said before, the parallels to popular American horror films can sometimes be a little hard to swallow. However, it was possibly the only story this year that kept me so engaged I immediately ran down to the library to collect the second one, and it stayed in my mind for a long time afterwards. If you like gore, horror, and mysteries, then I’d recommend having a look.

Non-fiction So what were your favourite of the non-fiction books added to our stock in 2016? Below are the top five resources according to your votes. Items were shortlisted based on the number of times they had been borrowed since January 1st 2016 and so in brackets you’ll find the percentage of loans as a comparison – does something being read lots mean it’s actually any good?

5th Overcoming low self-esteem by Melanie Fennell – 8% (12%)

Cognitive Behavioural Technique has increasingly become the go-to self-help mechanism in recent years and this guide by Melanie Fennell aims to help get you on the right track. It was our most borrowed non-fiction book of 2016 which I think can be viewed as encouraging that our users our recognising the need for help and taking it.

We have recently added to our self-help collection with a variety of further resources aimed at helping you through a range of mental and physical health issues.

=3rd Why fonts matter by Sarah Hyndman – 12% (5%)

Who’d ever have thought that a book about fonts would be our joint third most popular non-fiction book of the year! Perhaps it is testament to Sarah Hyndman’s engaging study of how the use of different typefaces can elicit feelings and evoke experiences and associations which can be key to successful advertising. A book with dual use, both for students wishing to create advertising and to those looking to analyse it.

=3rd How to ace your A-Levels by A Raja – 12% (7%)

I can see why the title of this book might draw in our users. Surely you’re all here in the hop of “acing” you’re a-levels. Made up of case studies of students who have recently taken their A –levels exams offering their tips and advice as to what they did to succeed. Obviously the same techniques won’t work for everyone but you may well find that bit of inspiration or a spark of an idea that you need to kick on in your studies.

2nd The amazing book is not on fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester – 18% (7%)

YouTubers Dan and Phil offer an insight into their world, both that of their personal lives and that of their vlogging majesty where over 8million subscribers follower their comedic commentary on modern living. The book appeals both to fans of their YouTube antics and to students of media and culture as an introduction to an aspect of the entertainment world foreign to those of us who restrict their intake to what comes out of the television.

1st Islamic State: re-writing history by Michael Griffin – 21% (5%)

The winner of the 2016 Reviewsletter Award for “Best Non-Fiction Book” is one which only just scraped onto the shortlist, have been the least borrowed of the 14 shortlisted titles. Griffin’s book offers a history of the terrorist group currently viewed as the primary threat to the Western world. He examines their beginnings in Iraq and their movement and involvement across the Middle East, looking at what contributes to their success and who has supported and encouraged their growth.

Film Now it’s time to find out which films you enjoyed the most in 2016! Below are the top five movies according to your votes. Items were shortlisted based on the number of times they had been borrowed since January 1st 2016 and so in brackets you’ll find the percentage of loans as a comparison – does something being watched lots mean it’s actually any good? =4th Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve – 7% (5%)

This triple Oscar nominated film about an FBI agent (played by Emily Blunt) enlisted to help take down a Mexican drug cartel was somewhat of a surprise hit with audiences and critics alike and so perhaps it is unsurprising to find it hitting our top 5 of the year.

The use of regular Coen brothers’ cinematographer Roger Deakins gives this film a luscious look while the award laden ensemble of Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro ensure a quality watch.

=4th The Jungle Book, directed by Jon Favreau – 7% (7%)

On paper it seemed like a poison chalice. How could a live action retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s most famous story match up to the animated Disney Classic? In the hands of Iron Man and Elf director Jon Favreau though it became a big hit. Aided by the voice talent of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson and Lupita Nyong’o, Favreau employed the motion capture talents of Weta to create photorealistic environments and animals to stunning effect.

3rd The Martian, directed by Ridley Scott – 18% (9%)

The Martian achieves the rare combination of being reasonably scientifically accurate whilst also being full of enough thrills to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. This is in no small part due to the talents of Matt Damon who puts in one of the finest performances of his career as the astronaut who gets left behind – a role he undertakes for the second time in recent years after a similar situation in Interstellar.

It’s both comedic and dramatic in turns and fully deserving of its 3rd place on our list.

2nd Deadpool, directed by Tim Miller – 22% (6%)

After years languishing in development hell Deadpool finally made his debut onscreen (we’re not counting the awful version of the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine).

Ryan Reynolds is perfect casting as the “merc with the mouth” and the brave decision to opt for a higher age rating than most superhero fair pays dividends with the blood splattered violence and potty mouthed insults going down a treat with audiences and our users alike.

1st Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J J Abrams – 26% (4%)

How could any other film have a chance in a year that saw the return of the greatest movie series of all time to our screens. Interestingly this was the least borrowed of our shortlisted films but perhaps this is because you all saw it multiple time at the cinema and have your own heavily used copy at home…or is that just me? Yes the plot was essentially a best of recreation of the original trilogy but after the CGI heavy, marketing friendly prequels it was a comforting to rediscover the lived-in, rich world of old.

Fiction But what about fiction I hear you cry? Below are the top five novels according to your votes. Items were shortlisted based on the number of times they had been borrowed since January 1st 2016 and so in brackets you’ll find the percentage of loans as a comparison – does something being read lots mean it’s actually any good?

5th The girl with all the gifts by M R Carey – 7% (12%)

It’s great to see this book making your list, a personal favourite of mine from last year’s reading, that we shall refer to as “alternative horror” so as not to give away too much of the intriguing plot. It’s certainly one which will get you thinking and can raise some interesting and heated discussions (as evidenced when our very own staff book club chose to read it). A film adaptation starring Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine and Glenn Close was released in October and the DVD will hit our shelves later this month.

4th The bees by Laline Paul – 9% (7%)

A fascinating concept which anthropomorphises the world of nature’s honey producers in following the story of sanitation bee Flora 717. Against the natural order of things Flora find herself in positions above her designated station and in doing so gives the reader a beautifully rendered tour of the inner workings of a beehive. During last year’s #MyFavouriteBook promotion we tweeted the review of one of our users and Laline Paul replied saying how she loved to hear how her readers connect with the book.

3rd The light fantastic by Terry Pratchett – 10% (7%)

Following the death of the much loved author in 2015 we thought it only right that we renewed our collection, replacing well-used copies with fresh editions for our students to enjoy. And enjoy it they, marking this, the second in Pratchett’s Discworld series, as their 3rd favourite book of 2016. This tome follows on from The Colour Magic, continuing the story of the wizard Rincewind who, along with companion Twoflower must save Discworld from impending doom at the hands of an approaching red star.

2nd A court of thorns and roses by Sarah J Maas – 11% (5%)

Fantasy continues to be a very popular genre with our users and so it’s not surprising to find A Court of Thorns & Roses in second place on our countdown, the opener in a planned six part series from Throne of Glass author Sarah J Maas. It tells the tale of Feyre, a girl dragged into a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie but where, instead of punishment she finds love in the arms of her captor. But in order for that love to flourish she must overcome an ancient curse or lose him forever.

1st The girl on the train by Paula Hawkins – 36% (17%)

A hugely bestselling novel, in fact it held the UK hardback bestseller top spot for 20 weeks – longer than any other novel ever has. It’s also proved popular with you, claiming the title of Reviewsletter Awards Best Fiction 2016. A psychological thriller it follows the intersecting stories of three women, Rachel, Anna and Megan whose lives collide in unfortunate circumstances. A film adaptation directed by Tate Taylor and starring Emily Blunt was released last year and the DVD will hit our shelves in February.

FILM CHAT CLUB

Meeting fortnightly on a Thursday lunchtime in L8 to discuss films around a chosen theme.

Contact 7abr1405@barton.ac.uk for more details.

Meeting fortnightly on a Tuesday lunchtime in L8 to discuss comics around a chosen theme.

Contact 7abr1405@barton.ac.uk for more details.

GRAPHIC NOVEL CLUB

Comics And finally we get to find out which were the best comics and manga! Below are the top five novels according to your votes. Items were shortlisted based on the number of times they had been borrowed since January 1st 2016 and so in brackets you’ll find the percentage of loans as a comparison – does something being read lots mean it’s actually any good?

5th Fight club 2. By Chuck Palahniuk, art by Cameron Stewart – 8% (4%)

For his follow-up to the hugely popular cult novel Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk chose to do so in the graphic form. This is very much a sequel to the book and not the film so don’t expect to see the likenesses of Edward Norton and Brad Pitt on the pages. Whilst it doesn’t quite have the same edge and engaging plot of the original it is certainly worth a read. It’s very meta with Palahniuk himself even appearing as a character in a plot where Tyler Durden returns from the narrator’s subconscious to abduct his son!

4th Steins;gate. By Yomi Sarachi – 9% (6%)

A multi-form story, Steins;Gate began life as a role-playing video game before morphing into an anime series and now also a manga. It follows a somewhat wacky plot in which self-proclaimed mad scientist Okarin combines a cell phone and a microwave, enabling him and the Future Gadgets team to be able to send text messages into the past. The question remains then as to whether they will use this ability for personal gain, to change the world or for something much more sinister?

3rd Another. By Yukito Ayatsuji, art by Hiro Kiyohara – 10% (8%)

The second manga title to make our top five is a mystery horror novel by Yukito Ayatsuji, one of the founders of the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan. It follows the mysterious ongoings of class 3-3 at Yomiyama North Middle School where Misaki, a popular student, suddenly died partway through the year in 1972. To ease the pain the teachers and students continued to act as though Misaki was still there leading to ghoulish consequences for those who came to find themselves in class 3-3 in thereafter

2nd Darth Vader. By Keiron Gillen, art by Salcador Larroca – 15% (8%)

If any of you watched Rogue One over the holidays (if you didn’t get out there and see it now!) and were impressed the fear inducing majesty of Darth Vader in this incarnation then you will love this graphic novel series from Keiron Gillen. This shows exactly why Vader is the most feared man in the galaxy. He is brutal, indiscriminate and determined, especially in the wake of his failure to prevent the first Death Star from exploding. Aided by the evil twins of Artoo and Threepio this is a darkly brilliant ride.

1st Deadpool kills the Marvel universe. By Cullen Bunn, art by Dalibor Talajic – 25% (10%)

It’s been a good year for the man they call “Mr Pool”. Whilst Star Wars kept him off the top spot in the film awards there was no way he was going to be beaten to the title of Reviewsletter Awards Graphic Novel of the year. Here he does just what the title suggests, hunting down and sending to their demise every Marvel superhero and villain. It’s not huge on plot but that’s not the fun of Deadpool, it’s the wisecracks, the ultra-violence and the post-modern fourth wall asides which are here in abundance.

Journals 2016 was, by all accounts, a portentous year – from Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, to the deaths of David Bowie and Muhammad Ali. However, instead of recapping on what some have dubbed ‘the most depressing year of the 21st century so far’ we have chosen to review 2016 through a selection of stories that you may have missed at the time or have since forgotten. So here they are, as reported via the library’s collection of journals and magazines…

January The Watts Studios in Compton, Surrey are opened to the public for the first time. The fully restored studios at Limnerslease, home to the Victorian artists and visionaries GF and Mary Watts, contain an entire gallery devoted to the work of Mary, hopefully rescuing her from a century of semi-invisibility, writes Rachel Cooke (2016, p. 41) in the New Statesman.

February The Six Nations Rugby Championship began and culminated the following month with England being crowned Grand Slam Champions for the first time since 2003. However, in an article for Rugby World, former England No. 10 Stuart Barnes (2016) insists that England’s achievement must be viewed in the context of the current mediocre standard of European rugby, and its inferiority

to the game as played by teams from the southern hemisphere.

March A ground-breaking study by scientists revealed the first recorded use of syntax in a non-human species. Previously believed to be a unique feature of human language, scientists from Japan, Sweden and Switzerland studying the calls of Japanese great tits discovered that the birds combined different calls to convey distinct meanings. In an article for language magazine Babel, Hazel Price (2016) explains how the team played different combinations of calls and monitored the response of the birds to come up with the findings that could give insights into the development of language in humans.

April More than 100 tonnes of ivory, valued at £82 million on the black market was set ablaze in Nairobi National Park.

The Kenyan government took the decision to publicly destroy its stockpiles of confiscated ivory in order to focus attention on the continued decline in Africa’s wild elephant population – according to Geographical an estimated 30,000 are killed each year by illegal poachers for their tusks.

May Arsenal Ladies FC scored a 1-0 victory over Chelsea to win the Women’s FA Cup Final for the 14th time. SheKicks magazine covered all the Cup action and reaction in their July edition.

June Archaeologists revealed that they had deciphered 87 of the 405 wax writing tablets that had been unearthed during the excavations on the site of the new Bloomberg offices in London. The tablets include the oldest hand-written document ever found in Britain, and provide a fascinating insight in to the lives of the first Londoners during the first decades of Roman rule. In an article for Current Archaeology, Matthew Symonds (2016) talks to team from The Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) about their remarkable find.

July A report by the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee described working conditions at Sports Direct as “akin to that of a Victorian workhouse” and accused billionaire owner Mike Ashley of treating his “workers as commodities rather than as human beings”. Ethical Consumer summarised some of the worst abuses at Sports Direct, including its failure to pay the minimum wage, health and safety violations

and the company’s “six-strikes-and-you’reout” policy. In the same issue, Heather Webb (2016) reports on the environmental ratings of sportswear brands, from Nike to lesser known brands such as Gossypium.

Also this month, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child launched to ebullient reviews in practically every major daily newspaper. If you’re still deciding whether to take the trip to London’s Palace Theatre where the play is currently showing, then a casual glance at the reviews collected in the summer double issue of Theatre Record will leave you in no doubt… albeit you may have to look at dates for 2018!

August The European Southern Observatory announced the discovery of an Earth-like planet, orbiting the closest star to our own. Proxima b, as the new planet is known, caused excitement beyond the scientific community since it orbits within the habitable or ‘goldilocks’ zone of the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri. This has led some to speculate that the newly discovered planet could provide a home away from home for the inhabitants of Earth, which will eventually be engulfed by an expanding sun in approximately 5 billion years. In a special report for the New Scientist, Jacob Aron (2016) looks at the similarities between the two planets and what details need to be pinned down before any such conclusions can be drawn.

September A team led by Dr Jakob Vinther of the University of Bristol reveal the most accurate depiction of a dinosaur ever, based on studies of a spectacularly well-preserved fossil from China held at the Senkenberg Museum in Frankfurt. By firing a laser at the Psittacosaurus fossil Vinther’s team were able to confirm the presence of melanosomes: the structures that store pigments in cells and tissues. An article in Focus magazine explains how the scientists then mapped the pigment patterns from the squished Cretaceous dinosaur on to a three-dimensional model with the help of palaeoartist Bob Nicholls.

October 2016 was the year that VR (virtual reality) stopped being something most of us just read about and began appearing in shops and in our homes. Among the major players bringing VR to the mass market is Sony with its PlayStation VR (PSVR) which launched this month. Talking to Ben Maxwell (2016) in gaming magazine Edge, Masayasu Ito of Sony claims that PSVR has the potential to change the world in a similar way to the company’s Walkman device in the 1980s.

November At the age of 90, Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro died, triggering several days of national mourning in the country and a wider debate about how history will remember him. There can be no doubt that Castro was one of the towering

figures of the 20th century and the most recent edition of BBC History Magazine includes pieces by five historians who offer their verdicts on the man and his legacy.

December One year after the Star Wars saga returned to the big screen with The Force Awakens, fans were treated to another film from the Star Wars cinematic universe with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

The October edition of Empire magazine carries an extended interview with the film’s director, Gareth Edwards (Jolin, 2016).

References Aron, J. (2016) 'The Earth next door', New Scientist, (27 August), pp. 8-9.

Barnes, S. (2016) ‘First the Slam, now for the super South!’, Rugby World, (May), pp. 44-47.

Cooke, R. (2016) ‘Byzantium baked in Surrey’, New Statesman, (22-28 January), pp. 38-41.

Elton, M. (2017) ‘How should history remember Fidel Castro?’, BBC History Magazine, (January), pp. 44-47.

Ethical Consumer (2016) ‘Sports Direct’, Ethical Consumer, (162), p. 32.

Focus (2016) ‘Unique fossil inspires most accurate model of a dinosaur ever’, Focus, (300), p. 22.

Geographical (2016) ‘Burn notice’, Geographical, 88(6), pp. 6-7.

Jolin, D. (2016) ‘Rebel Hearts’, Empire, (328), pp. 6067.

Maxwell, B. (2016) ‘Altered states’, Edge, (299), pp.

62-77.

Price, H. (2016) ‘Bird brains! (or not…)’, Babel, (15), p.

6.

Symonds, M. (2016) ‘Letters from Londinium: reading the earliest writing from Roman Britain’, Current Archaeology, (317), pp. 36-40.

Theatre Record (2016) ‘Harry Potter and the cursed child, parts I & II’, Theatre Record, XXXVI(16-17), pp.

844-853.

Webb, H. (2016) ‘Sportswear: who’s running ahead and who’s falling behind’, Ethical Consumer, (162), pp.

29-31.

Digital Resources In creating a whole bunch of new Subject Resource sites over the course of 2016 we hunted down and shared lots of digital resources which would have been new to our students. Here’s some of our favourites.

Engineers Without Borders UK leads a movement that inspires, enables and influences global responsibility through engineering with worldwide volunteering opportunities available.

Smart History offers more than 1500 videos and essays on art from around the world and across time.

The website works with more than 200 art historians and some of the world's most important museums.

Landsat Science is the longest continuous global record of the Earth’s surface, delivering visually stunning and scientifically valuable images of our planet. Includes all Landsat images published on the Earth Observatory, Visible Earth, and Landsat Science websites.

Social Science Research Network (SSRN) is devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of social science research and is composed of a number of specialised research networks in each of the social sciences.

Android Developers contains all the materials needed to develop for the Android platform are available on this website.

Amongst its features are an excellent Getting Started training section and a Development Guide.

The Digital Dances Archives represent over 100 years of British dance performance, creation and research and include photographs, films, drawings and other ephemera to access for free.

The Black List is produced each year, a compilation of the best unproduced scripts as voted for by industry execs. In addition to the scripts you'll find blogs offering screenwriting advice and the Table Reads Podcast in which actors perform a read through of scripts yet to be picked up.

Forvo is the largest pronunciation guide in the world, the place where you´ll find millions of words pronounced in their original languages. Great for checking how to pronounce tricky words.

The International Music Score Library Project aims to create a digital library of all public domain music scores that can be viewed or dowloaded as PDF files.

Features 350,000 scores and 14,000 composers as of May 2016.

Your suggestions Your suggestions and recommendations continue to roll in which we heartily welcome! Below are some items we’ve got as a result of these and our responses to some that we can’t fulfil.

FICTION, COMICS & MANGA As mentioned under the Reviewsletter Awards rundown for Best Fiction, we’ve replenished our Terry Pratchett collection so the student who commented on how his books were looking tatty will hopefully be pleased. Also finding their way onto our fiction shelves are James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars, Anthony Doerr’s All The Light We Cannot See, Eowyn Ivey’s To The Bright Edge Of The World and Khaled Hosseni’s And The Mountains Echoed. Some great suggestions there, keep them coming! The only fiction suggestion we weren’t able to fulfil recently was for more books by M R Carey for the simple reason that he’s only written two and we already have them both!

We’ll be sure to add The Girl With All The Gifts prequel The Boy On The Bridge when it’s published later this year.

We’ve been low on comic and manga suggestions recently but we have ordered iZombie

by Chris Roberson and also Marvel’s Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity War which will be nice preparation for next year’s cinematic adventures of Earth’s mightiest heroes.

NON-FICTION We now have a nice selection of books on dramatherapy thanks to one student’s suggestion. They can be found on shelf at 792.013. We also had a request for Pixar concept art.

We’ve ordered The Art of Moana as suggested but as we already have The Art of Pixar: the complete colorscripts and select art from 25 years of animation (778.5347 AMI) and The Art of Cars (791.437 CAR) on shelf we’ve not ordered any more. If you’d like more relating to specific films just let us know. Sticking with film we’ve also added Life Moves Pretty Fast, Hadley Freeman’s guide to the American movies on the 1980’s and what we learned from them.

OTHER ADDITIONS The only DVD suggestion since October has been for the Cowboy BeeBop anime which we’ve duly added to stock. Do let us know what other films you’d like to see!

As suggested by one user we’ve taken out a subscription to Oh Comely (ohcomely.co.uk), a current affairs and culture magazine which will hit our shelves in February.

NEED MORE INFO… “More LGBT books” has been added a few times to our suggestion boards. We have an extensive collection at 306.766 on LGBT matters as well as numerous novels by LGBT authors or about LGBT subjects. Let us know if they are any specific titles you’d like.