ISSUE SEVENTEEN
NON-FICTION REVIEWS FICTION FILM GRAPHIC NOVELS DIGITAL RESOURCES JOURNALS YOUR SUGGESTIONS
JUNE 2016
P2. RESOURCES ADDED TO THE LIBRARY COLLECTION THIS YEAR WHICH WILL ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO FURTHER WITH YOUR LEARNING
P4. BOOKS, FILMS, GRAPHIC NOVELS AND MANGA WITH A SENSE OF ADVENTURE THAT WILL LEAVE YOU FEELING CHALLENGED AND FULFILLED.
P8. A LOOK AT OUR TOP TEN MOST BORROWED RESOURCES AND WHERE TO GO FROM THERE FOR A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGE
P10. FILMS THAT FEATURE INTERESTING IDEAS AND DESTINATIONS FOR YOUR SUMMER HOLIDAY ADVENTURES. P12. REVIEWS OF CIVIL WAR & ANOTHER P13. GNC: SCI-FI/FANTASY AND ANTI-HEROES. P15. HOW THE LIBRARY CAN TEACH YOU TO FIND THE PERFECT HOLIDAY.
P17. THE EU REFERENDUM: A JOURNAL REVIEW. A LOOK AT SOME OF THE ARTICLES IN OUR COLLECTION ON THIS MONTH’S BIG VOTE. P19. RESPONSES TO YOUR SUGGESTIONS THIS TERM.
The Summer holidays are on the horizon and so pack your bags and get ready for an adventure! This final edition of the Reviewsletter for this academic year sees us take on the theme of “adventure”. In some instances this relates to travel and exploration. In other instances it is to do with pushing yourself academically and trying new things, being adventurous with your learning and going beyond what is expected of you as you enter the second year of your course. In Non-Fiction you’ll find an overview of some of the resources added to our stock this year which go beyond the curriculum. Our Reviews team take the adventure theme and run wild with it, offering their opinions on a wide range of resources for a variety of reasons. In Fiction we reel off the top ten most borrowed books of this year and see where you could go from there. In Film we offer you some wacky holiday ideas and destinations based on the movies. Graphic Novels offers reviews of some of the latest comic books and manga added to our shelves. Meanwhile the Graphic Novel Club take a look at Sci-Fi/Fantasy books as well as those stories where the main protagonist(s) are on the wrong side of the law. In Journals we review articles on the forthcoming EU Referendum. Finally, we offer our replies to your suggestions over the last few months. Mike Jones – Assistant Manager, Glyn Library
GOING BEYOND THE CURRICULUM With many of you beginning your Extended Project this month and others of you starting to think about subject coursework we thought it might be helpful to give you a rundown of some of the items we’ve added to our non-fiction collection this last year which stretch and go beyond what you’d normally look at in class. To put it in terms which fit with this issue’s theme, to be more adventurous in your learning and research. We’ve grouped the resources by subject area:
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Would it be expecting too much for one of our students to perfect artificial intelligence as part of their work? At the very least it’s worth reading James Barrat’s Our final invention: artificial intelligence and the end of the human era (on shelf in the Glyn Library at 006.3 BAR) and compliment it with The emporer’s new mind: concerning computers, minds and the laws of physics by Roger Penrose (006.3 PEN). Perhaps if that’s a little beyond your skills then maybe you’d be interested in taking on one of Jim Al-Khalili’s Paradox: the 9 greatest enigmas in physics (500 ALK)? What do you mean by definition a paradox is impossible to solve? You can at least work out how to untie the knots that your brain will be in after thinking them through. OK then, rather than reading up on problems yet to be resolved then perhaps you might like to cast your eyes upon the tale of one man who found some answers. Longitude by Dava Sobel (527.2 SOB) charts (pun intended) the life and work of John Harrison, the man who managed to
succeed where scientists and astronomers of the magnitude of Galileo and Newton had previously floundered and find a mechanical way for sailors to calculate longitudinal position.
CULTURE Modern culture is often defined by the very subjects in the previous section with technology being a huge part of contemporary living. Such an idea is explored in Howard Gardner’s The app generation (303.483 GAR) which takes three areas of adolescent life: identity, intimacy and imagination and discusses how the digital era has shaped the teenagers of today. One particular outcome of the digital era is the increased pressure on feminine identity, something which is criticised by Laurie Penny in Meat market: female flesh under capitalism (305.42 PEN), discussing how women are both consumers and consumed in this 21st century capitalist construct and how they can escape the cycle. If you prefer your cultural analysis a little more light-hearted then you may wish to pick up our copy of Aziz Ansari’s Modern romance (306.7 ANS), a collaboration between the comedian and academics from across the world investigating romance in different societies and cultures. If you ever feel like you’re being watched then you might be interested to read Glenn Greenwald’s No place to hide (323.448 GRE) and Luke Harding’s The Snowden files (323.448 HAR) and explore the revelations of the world’s most famous whistle blower. Although you might want to just read it within the Library rather than
putting it on your record, otherwise the government will know that you know!
THE ARTS So you’re not interested in the mind boggling world of science and would rather sit on a beanbag than leap up on the soap box and engage in societal and cultural discussion. Perhaps then you’re of a creative disposition. Even more reason to push yourself to go beyond the norm! A great place to start is Austin Kleon’s Steal like an artist (701.15 KLE) which offers advice for you to embrace a career in artistry and to think differently about it. His follow up, Show your work! (701.15 KLE), encourages you to display and exhibit what you create and how to utilise the digital world to get yourself noticed. One creative industry that’s flourishing right now is the world of comics and graphic novels and if you’re looking for advice on how to get your piece of that pie you could do much worse than read the musings of Brian Michael Bendis in Words for pictures (741.643 BEN). Bendis has written arcs for many of Marvel’s big hitters such as SpiderMan, the X-Men and Daredevil so knows what he’s talking about. Sticking with comic books, any of you interested in film history, theory and practice you would be wise to pick up our copy of Filmish by Edward Ross (791.43 ROS) which guides you on a graphic journey through the world of film. It’s a fascinating way to explore the medium and it makes perfect sense that such a visual form be represented and explored in this manner.
SPORT & ECONOMICS One of the most popular discussion point around modern sport is the amount of money involved in it. We’ve added two books to our collection in the last year which look specifically at the economics and the finances of football. Stefan Szymanski offers up Money and football: a soccernomics guide (796.33466 SZY), whilst Tjalle van der Burg discusses similar subjects in Football business: how markets are breaking the beautiful game
(796.334 BUR). If your interest lies in the wider world of finance you may wish to pick up the double header from the current anti-austerity poster boy Yanis Varoufakis And the weak suffer what they must? and The global minotaur (both 330 VAR). Sticking with the highly topical subject of penny pinching is the attention grabbing title of Kerry-Anne Mendoza’s latest work, Austerity: the demolition of the welfare state and the rise of the zombie economy (330.941 MEN). In it, famed blogger Mendoza, sets out her claims that austerity is not an essential measure but instead is a chance, seized upon by those in power, to shrink government and privatise services. That could certainly be an interesting starting point for a project!
LITERATURE & LANGUAGE As we celebrate 400 years since his death it seems only right that we’ve added a wider selection of book on William Shakespeare to our shelves. One of the most interesting is John Hudson’s Shakespeare’s dark lady: Amelia Bassano Lanier (822.33 A) which discusses not only how Amelia was the first women to publish a book of original poetry but also the theory that with her position in the royal court and connections with playwrights and theatre people she was in the perfect position to have created the body of work we now attribute to Shakespeare. Bringing our poetry collection bang up to date is the addition of Citizen: an American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (821.914 RAN), a collection of prose poetry tackling issues surrounding race, racism and violence (both physical and linguistic) in modern Western society. If that sounds a bit heavy then perhaps you’ll be more interested in exploring The secret life of the English Language: buttering parsnips, twocking chavs by Martin Manser (420 MAN). This is an amusing but highly informative guide through the history of words, their changing meaning and their ability to fascinate and entertain in equal measure.
ADVENTURE TIME! I hope the above byline doesn’t get you too excited, I’m afraid there are no current plans to stock the adventures of Finn the human and Jake the dog. What we do have though are a range of resources which fit under the theme of adventure. The Reviewsletter Team were given the brief of writing about something around the “adventure” theme, whether that be a personal adventure for them in trying something different or challenging or whether it was a resource which is about travel and seeking out new places. So we’ve got Natalie talking about a book which she found challenging (but ultimately rewarding) to read, Adam looking at the mind boggling travel options open to Marvel characters via the multiverse, Steve discussing his first ever foray into the world of Manga and Kate offering her opinion on a film which adventures to another planet.
BUTTER, by Erin Lange.
Reviewed by Natalie McGhie Butter is the story of the main character (nicknamed as the title of the book), who is obese. The book starts with him becoming frustrated with some of the unfair difficulties he faces on account of his weight (such as paying extra to take up two seats on a plane). Whilst Butter's mother tries to ease and reassure her son’s fears, his father shuts him out and ignores him. Pushed to the brink by the bullying he faces, Butter decides to kill two birds with one stone and publicly eat himself to death via an online Livestream - ending his pain but also granting him with awe and fascination from his fellow students, some of whom decide to befriend him out of morbid curiosity for his planned suicide. The book deals with very difficult subject matters, with many scenes being difficult to read. The author rarely pulls back from the horrible details, so I wouldn't recommend this book for people with a weak stomach. However, there is also a dash of humour in the book, with Butter's sarcastic and often brutally honest narration making his accounts enjoyable to read (he is carefully written in a way that makes him sound like a real person; rather than making him completely likable, the author seemed to ensure audience reactions to him were split. Personally whilst I enjoyed his narration there are also many aspects of Butter I dislike - However this just adds to the book for me, as it makes his character feel more flawed and realistic). Despite all of this my major gripe with the book is that the ending felt rushed. Without giving too much away, I wasn't satisfied with the conclusion that Butter's mental state immediately begins improving and instantly begins thinking rationally - I felt some of the scenes leading up to the climax of the book could have been cut to explore more of the book after the climax. However it's not a bad ending, and is good for what it is. Butter is definitely a book that sticks in your mind, mainly for the difficult subject matters and the sensitive and realistic way it is written.
DOCTOR STRANGE: THE WAY OF THE WEIRD, written by Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo.
Reviewed by Adam Say
“The bill’s coming due. There’s always a price to what we do. A cost. You go too long without paying for it, life will find a way of paying it for you.” Doctor Strange is a Marvel Comics hero on the up at the moment, with the film starring Benedict Cumberbatch due in November 2016 - so it’s not surprising that a new graphic novel of his adventures has arrived in timely fashion. What is surprising is how much of a funny read this is, a magical romp that presents us with a Sorcerer Supreme who is tired, jaded and feeling the weight of a lot of dubious magical and spiritual decisions. That and the fact he comes across as a worn out casanova add to the humour of this graphic novel. Marvel have gone a bit mad about multiverses with battleworlds, secret wars, time running out and all sorts of other thoroughly confusing nonsense dominating their stories of late. This graphic novel manages to sidestep being over complicated and referential by using these kinds of ideas - Sorcerer Supremes for each universe, a ridiculously powerful enemy attacking all magic - in a more straightforward way that is much more readable. We start with a quick introduction to Dr Strange’s origin that is concise and sets the scene for readers that are new to him. After this, he visits the bar with no doors, meets a sultry soul eater and a range of other bizarre magical entities, gets hit by a shockwave that knocks his astral form out of his body - and makes half of Manhattan vomit uncontrollably. But a dark force is moving through realms, aiming to destroy magic across all the universes in the multiverse, one by one - and it is up to Strange and the other Sorcerer Supremes to try to stop it - but the rest of them are not answering his messages, mostly because they are dead. Underlying the fun feel of the book is a darker subtext with a lot of exploration of the price that Strange pays for his powers - and the price that others pay in his stead. But the balance between sorcery silliness and the serious is perfect, not played for laughs but not a complete downer. The ever faithful Wong makes a great appearance in his usual role as Strange’s most reliable supporting servant and friend but there are a range of other old and new characters that all add well to the tapestry of Strange’s tales. There’s a sense of weary history to these stories that contrasts well with the new and bizarre creatures the reader encounters. Favourite line - from the character Zelma Stanton, a true librarian - “That’s the most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen!!! Do you really put all your books in piles like that?! God, you’re a monster!”
THE MARTIAN directed by Ridley Scott
Reviewed by Kate Lethbridge
When Mike said the theme of this reviewsletter was ‘Adventure’ I decided to go as far afield as possible and travel to Mars by watching the DVD ‘The Martian’. I remember watching a film when I was a child called Robinson Crusoe on Mars (made in 1964) about an astronaut's struggle to survive when stranded on the Red Planet. Well The Martian, directed by Ridley Scott, is a modern Hollywood take on the same idea. It’s been brought up to date with state-of-the-art special effects and cutting-edge computer wizardry, but the theme is practically the same.
After a storm on Mars, which is spectacular to watch, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead by his colleagues and left behind as they escape and head back to Earth. He is alive and must use all his courage, knowledge and ingenuity to survive in the hope that he will be rescued before it is too late. The film is not perfect. There are some scientific faux pas (how can you grow plants without carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?) and inaccurate timing (the story is set over a period of years, but we never really get the impression that the character is stranded alone for so long). It’s a little contrived in places and a bit shallow in characterisation, but in spite of its faults, the film’s basic set up draws you in, and by the time you reach the rescue scenes, you are on the edge of your seat. Well worth watching and extremely entertaining.
ONE PIECE, written and drawn by Eiichiro Oda.
Reviewed by Steve Squibbs
Monkey D. Luffy is determined to become the greatest pirate the world has ever seen. Undeterred by his lack of seafaring experience, a pirate crew, or even a ship, Luffy sets off in a rowboat in search of the fabled Grand Line and the legendary “One Piece”, said to be the greatest treasure in the world. Although the odds appear to be stacked heavily against Luffy (did I mention he can’t swim?), as his story unfolds you begin to think that he just might succeed, thanks in no small part to his body’s super-human ability to stretch like rubber, a power he acquired as a boy after accidentally eating the fruit of the Gum-Gum Tree. Luffy also has the benefit of being an eternal optimist, and it’s difficult not to be charmed by his hyperenthusiasm and massive grin, brought to life by Oda’s energetic style of illustration. In typical mangafashion Oda exaggerates characters’ facial expressions giving them a comical appearance which is well suited to the fun and silliness of the story. In fact Oda’s artwork is excellent throughout - some of the fight scenes are drawn at unexpected angles which works well, giving the action a very dynamic feel. One Piece currently runs to 81 volumes(!), and while I found the first volume hugely fun I do wonder whether the story’s lack of subtlety or nuance would make it difficult to sustain my interest over the longterm. For now, however, I’m eager to see how the story develops and will be looking forward to getting my hands on volume two when it arrives on our shelves.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN OUR REVIEWSLETTER TEAM? The Glyn Library is on the lookout for recruits to join our team of reviewers for the next academic year. If you’d be interested in writing reviews of books, films, graphic novels or manga then get in touch via library@barton.ac.uk or pop into the Library and speak to one of our friendly members of staff.
A new reward scheme from the Glyn Library…
READ
Read any resource in the Library collection. Actually you don’t have to just read, you could also view a film. It’s just “Read” fits better with our alliterative title
REVIEW
Look up the resource on the Library Catalogue and add a review for it. This is really simple to do and will mean your fellow students can get the opinion of one of their peers before they borrow a resource. Reviews can be positive or critical, we want honest assessments of our stock. Instructions on how to add a review can be found by clicking here.
REWARD
For every five reviews that you add to the Library Catalogue we’ll reward you with a chocolately treat. All reviews are moderated by a member of Library Staff to ensure that they are at least 50 words long and contain appropriate content. Once your fifth review has been approved we will email you and you can come collect your reward from the Library Desk.
IF YOU LIKED…WHY NOT TRY… Sticking with this issue’s theme of adventure, we wanted to try to encourage you to be a little more adventurous in your choices of reading so we’ve pulled up a list of the ten most borrowed books since the academic year began and had a look at what else we have in our collection that is similar but less well know and perhaps will push you a bit more. If you have any suggestions for fiction books that are little different from the norm and will challenge readers then why not let us know via library@barton.ac.uk
High-Rise by J G Ballard
The most borrowed fiction book this academic year was J G Ballard’s dystopian tale set in the most unruly block of flats ever to exist. Sticking in the dystopian genre, we recommend you try John Christopher’s examination of what would happen should a virus destroy the world’s crops. Both novels explore the breakdown of society and the morals (or lack of) of man in extreme circumstances.
The Death of Grass by John Christopher
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
This YA fantasy book tells of a world split by blood and the ruling elite’s ability to wield magical powers. It has been described as a good book to introduce those who don’t normally like fantasy fiction, as has the Throne of Glass series which tells of a world of kings and assassins and follows 18 year old Celaena as she is thrust into a thrilling fight-to-the-death with the kingdoms most lethal killers.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The coming of age tale has been a staple of literature since its beginnings and Perks… is one of the finest modern examples. If you want to move beyond the limitations of the YA brand and look at something more tricky then perhaps Donna Tartt’s bestseller is for you. The story of a group of misfits united by a charismatic professor whose lives are changed when they push the boundaries of morality.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Perhaps it was the murder element of The Lovely Bones that had you borrowing it with such regularity but what if you were drawn in by the meditations on the after-life. If so then If I Stay may be a good place to go next. Following an horrific car crash Mia is caught in limbo between the dead and the living and must decide whether to return to her life or fade away.
If I Stay by Gale Forman
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
Shortlisted for both the Man Booker Prize and the Baileys Women’s Fiction Prize in 2015 this is a generation spanning tale of one family and the Baltimore house that has been the centre of it all. Gaining similar critical acclaim (2016 Costa Book Awards), Kate Atkinson’s novel also follows a single family over the course of many decades but with and interesting time shifting dynamic and a sting in the tail.
A God In Ruins by Kate Atkinson
The Recruit by Robert Muchamore
Robert Muchamore’s CHERUB series (of which The Recruit is the first) is a great introduction to the spy genre in a YA mould and does contain some more adult themes. If you want to delve fully into the world of espionage fiction then perhaps Bond would be the logical step but the true master of the genre is Le Carre, so why not gtake inspiration from the recent BBC series and give this a go.
The Night Manager by John Le Carre
Wonder by R J Palacio
Wonder has been a popular book with our students for a number of years now and the story of Augie, a boy with a facial disfigurement and the problems he faces at school and the friendships that help him through it. Along similar themes but told from the reverse perspective of an able bodied girl striking up a friendship with a disabled boy is Kim Hood’s Finding A Voice, a rewarding read.
Finding A Voice by Kim Hood
Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
The Percy Jackson series continues to enthral our readers and is a brilliant introduction to the world of Greek mythology, albeit with a modern twist. Should mythology be something you’d like to explore further then you could do a lot worse than read Neil Gaiman’s epic American Gods which draws on ancient and modern myths to fuel its story of a broken man on a murder solving journey.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Bees by Laline Paull
This is a difficult one to suggest something more challenging as it’s already quite a challenging book itself, which makes it even more pleasing to see it cracking our top ten most borrowed books this year. Instead our recommendation will be more of a sideways move. Just as The Bees is a look inside the world of the titular insect, Watership Down is a brilliant (and heartbreaking) story from the rabbit kingdom.
Watership Down by Richard Adams
A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin
The A Song of Ice and Fire series (with a large portion of help from its TV counterpart) has pulled in a number of readers who would usually baulk at the idea of reading a fantasy novel. So where can such readers go next? Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series has all the intricacies, vastly imagined worlds and worn characters of Martin’s series as well as playing with traditional fantasy tropes.
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
CINEMATIC HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS As we approach the Summer break your minds may be turning to where to go on holiday. Yes you could look in travel guides (we have a very nice selection in the Library), or more likely on the plethora of websites that offer users the chance to rate destinations, hotels, etc. (more on those in our Digital Resources section) but we’ve got a different tact for you to try. Why not pick you vacation destination based on its depiction in films? Below are a selection of locales and the films they feature in and what they say about their suitability as a venue for some Summer fun!
EUROPE Let’s start with the destinations we can reach the easiest and with the least amount of fuss (at least for now, see our Journals section for information on the consequences of Brexit for travellers). So where in Europe might you like to visit based on its depiction in the movies? One standout option is Austria, in particular Slazburg, as seen in The Sound of Music. OK, the film was shot 50 years ago and was based even further in the past but the city still maintains all the charms that enchanted Maria and the Von Trapp children. Plus who wouldn’t love to go running round the Alps singing at the top of their lungs! If you prefer your films and holiday locations a little less “do rey me” and a little more “dum dum DUUUMMMM!” then perhaps Don’t Look Now can persuade you that Venice is worth a visit. Venice is a beautifully unique city with its canals and gondolas, but there is a sinister feel to the twisting and turning back alleys that is captured to fantastic effect in Nicolas Roeg’s
film. If you’d rather take in a little more of the continent in your trip then perhaps you can look to Jason Bourne for inspiration. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend the amnesiac approach to travel, jet-set Jason does take in a staggering amount of location across his three films from an Italian fishing village to Zurich, to Paris, to the French countryside to Mykonos. After a quick sojourn to India he then takes in Naples, Munich, Moscow, Turin, Paris (again), London, Madrid and Tangier before finally settling down(ish) in New York. Phew!
ASIA Just as the aforementioned Mr Bourne had a little downtime in India, so too do the Whitman brothers in Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited. As with all of Anderson’s films reality is seen through a whimsical screen but it still gives a delightful portrayal of why a train journey across India might be a wonderful way to spend your holiday. If you’ve got more of a head for numbers then perhaps you might like to check out British film X+Y, and journey with the characters to Taiwan as they prepare to participate in the international math Olympiad. It rather nicely encapsulates both the fear of visiting a new country and the excitement of exploration. A short trip in a north-easterly direction will land you in Japan where, if The Wolverine is anything to go by, you may well find yourself set upon by
ninjas and Yakuza! Although as I don’t think any of you are immortal mutants I think you may have a more pleasurable trip, perhaps something more akin to that enjoyed by Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray in Lost In Translation.
NORTH AMERICA There are so many films set in American cities that I thought instead you might like to see about those which encourage you to get away from the bright lights and into the vast countryside. One of the finest of this is Sean Penn’s Into the Wild. OK the ending might not be the most positive example of how to conduct a holiday but the rest is wonderful look at off-the-beaten-track America, encouraging you to abandon all ties and just enjoy nature and life itself. Adopting a similarly hippie philosophy to his travel plans is Forrest Gump. What better way to see the American wilderness than by running through it, imparting wisdom to passing strangers and clearing your mind of your troubles. It’s also a great advertisement for a working holiday, hoping on board a shrimping vessel in the deep south and have some nautical/food based fun! If you prefer your holidays to be a bit more adrenaline fuelled then maybe you’d like to take leaf out of Aron Ralston’s book and go mountain biking, underground pool swimming and climbing in Utah’s Blue John Canyon as depicted in 127 Hours. Those of you who’ve seen the film though will hopefully learn from his mistakes and not finish your holiday minus a forearm! Still, with improvements in mobile phone coverage, if you do get yourself into a pickle there’s every chance you’ll be able to broadcast your ordeal live on Facebook and make yourself into an internet star in the process! To be honest, all of these options sound a bit exhausting to me. I think I’d rather follow in the footsteps of Little Miss Sunshine and make the journey in a
beat up old campervan (although I could happily do without the family disfunctionailty).
OFF THE MAP So if none of those options excite you as somewhere to spend your time off this Summer then perhaps we need to suspend reality and open ourselves up to the possibility of the kind of holiday destination only the movies can offer us. Maybe some of you are thinking of visiting a theme park as part of your trip and if that’s the case then you’d be crazy not to book in a visit to Isla Nublar, home of Jurassic World, the first fully functioning dinosaur theme park. What could possibly go wrong with that? Actually come to think of it you might want to put in some cardio training with Mr Gump before your visit, just in case you need to RUN!! If you’d rather go somewhere more quaint where you can get a good home cooked meal and flagon of mead then Hobbiton could be the destination for you. Ok the Trip Advisor reviews do warn you of impending back problems and a need to a helmet due to the low ceilings but the lush greenery of the town makes it all worthwhile. Just be careful not to book yourself on one of the off-site excursions booked by a certain Gandalf the Grey, his trips are notoriously arduous and involve a lot of walking! Our final destination option is for those of you who like soaking up the rays. Tattooine in the outer rim of a galaxy far, far away has two suns meaning you’re guaranteed to return home with a perfectly bronzed tan. Be warned though, there is a propensity for crime and violence in this area (yes even more so than an 18-30s holiday to Magaluf!) even being described by one tour operator as a wretched hive of scum and villainy!
ALL OF THESE FILMS AND MORE CAN BE FOUND ON THE LIBRARY’S DVD STAND AND YOU CAN BORROW UP TO THREE OVER THE SUMMER BREAK.
CIVIL WAR. Written Mark Millar and drawn by Steve Niven
Reviewed by Matthew Baxter
I feel that I have to preface this particular review with the fact that as I type this, I have not watched the movie, and so may pass no judgement on how they compare. This leads into the fact that there will be spoilers for the comic, whether they relate to the film or not. Now, this has been one of the biggest marvel events, and a historical milestone for comics as a genre, to break the convention of hero vs. villain and have a full on war between heroes was astonishing when previously there had only been a small few skirmishes. Considering all the build-up, as seen in Road to Civil War, it is easy to see why this tale of betrayals, death and action was one of the best comics around for a long time. To get into the story, all that really needs to be known is that the Superhero Registration Act is put in place after the death of a young superhero team searching for ratings… Oh, and the entire city block that went with them. From there, we see such massive things happening, like Peter Parker revealing his identity to the world, the robotic resurrection of Thor, and the arrest of Steve Rogers himself. In terms of characters, in my opinion, Captain America is one of the weakest in this arc, as he’s essentially boiled down to a stubborn ass that won’t let go, on the other hand, characters such as Spiderman and the Fantastic Four really shine, as they grapple with the morality of the war, what they’ve done and who they ally themselves with. Iron Man is on top form, as while not stronger that old Stevey, he manages to cinch the moral high ground, often shown having expected the war, and what would need to be done. In my view, the ending is actually pretty good, if anti-climactic, with the fact that all superhero comics tend to skirt over, that there are innocent people around, also explored in Marvels. This is a must read for any comic fan, and both this, and Road To Civil War can be found in the Glyn Library.
ANOTHER. Written by Yukito Ayatsuji and drawn by Hiro Kiyohara
Reviewed by Matthew Baxter
Another is a very particular kind of tale, a horror manga whose tone shifts over its run. Looking at it as a full collection, it is clear to see this. Now, to be quite frank, a large amount of Another revolves around something which, if you want to read it for the first time, would be a spoiler, the manga contains quite a healthy dose of mystery, so I’m going to go ahead and say, if you don’t want spoilers, stop reading now, in fact, don’t read the blurb either. All gone? Then we may continue, looking first at the characters, since they make up quite a large amount of the story, with symbolism intrinsically tied to them. We’ll start with our main
character, Koichi Sakakibara, he wanders into this story as clueless as we do, suffering from a dad who stays away most of the time, he is quite a lonely figure… Oh, yeah, and his lungs collapse occasionally. He comes to Yomiyama North Middle School, and the mysterious Class 3. There, he finds friendship, but also an unnerving formality, as the class seems very peculiar. More peculiar though, is Mei Misaki, a lonely girl who we find out several things about, firstly she has a dolls eyes, secondly, she doesn’t exist, and thirdly, she does in fact exist. From there, death, murder and suicide run rife, as the curse that plagues Class 3 has its wicked way with the class. I won’t spoil the ending, just saying that the way they reveal their last twist is spectacular, and you will kick yourself for not noticing their subtle hints. Combining such a harrowing story with the art style which seems so detailed, and yet can make even the most beautiful seem completely horrifying, and you have a superb mystery and horror Manga. I have to say, that the few deaths you see, are horrifying to an extreme, though I question how long an umbrella point would be. Still, a wonderful telling of a tale which shocks to its very core, we have the full manga here at the Glyn Library, and I implore you to explore this tale of death. And to think, all because one kid was decided to be alive.
GRAPHIC NOVEL CLUB INTRODUCES… As Graphic Novel Club come to end of a very successful first year in existence they squeeze in two very interesting topics in their last two meetings. First up, they took a look at comics in which villains or anti-heroes are the central protagonist which often puts a distinct twist on genres. One thing to be said though is it’s very rare to find a story centered around an out and out evil character. Whilst many of those mentioned below operate beyond the confines of the law, there’s normally a bigger bad that they’re fighting against…
Supercrooks
So, you have super powers, congratulations. And you decided to be evil? Well, that must make robbing people easy. Oh wait, no, you were caught, in a world full of more superheroes than you can count, there’s only one person you can rob, people more evil and rich than you, does that make you moral? Who cares! Supercrooks is the story of a gang of supervillains, robbing supervillains, a slick read that is clever, engaging and has you reaching for the next page.
V for Vendetta
Yet more Moore, as the titular V is one of the classic british anti-heroes and now an iconic symbol of revolution, used by groups such as Anonymous. From breaking out of prison with nothing more than gardening and decoration, to a perfectly recreated concentration camp, V is the self admitted destroyer of, well, most things, from the Houses of Parliament in the first act, to the Old Bailey, V is not one for historic preservation.
Death Note
For manga fans, Light Yagami is Kira is like Batman is Bruce Wayne for comic fans, this intellectual madman is a joy to watch, as his twisted sense of morality encourages you to watch his fall as he kills criminal after criminal, engaged in a joyous battle of wits with the police, as he attempts to keep his identity secret while the entire world attempts to discover the identity of Kira. Oh, he also has a God of Death hanging over his shoulder.
Harley Quinn
Now, we’ve seen mainly anti-heroes so far, but well, Harley Quinn manages to be both a villain and a anti-hero. Starting out life as the Joker’s insane sidekick, the character has evolved so much over the years. Then again, given how many times the Joker is shown to abuse her, it’s no surprise she gets fed up of her pudding. Topic two of this half term and the final on of the year was to look at the Sci-Fi and Fantasy genre within the comic book world. This found them looking at a range of titles in this expansive area which can stretch anyway from superheroes to epic space adventures.
Kingdom
To begin, we go to Kingdom, the tale of an Aux who, after leaving Antarctica goes on a journey through a tattered apocalyptic world, seeing the remnants of humanity and meeting all sorts of characters.
Lumberjanes
Fantasy meets summer camp as this set of adventurous girls go on a quest to have fun and see what happens, going against god's, brainwashed boy scouts, hydras and a dragon at one point or another, with a colourful art style, this is a joy to read.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Wanted more from the hit movie? Well, this helps, though the action is closer to home as Earth is invaded this time. Oh, and Iron Man’s there and so is Star Lord's dad.... You may have a bit of catching up to do.
Captain Marvel
A problem solving heroine going around and solving, well, problems on a variety of different planets, each with their own distinctive culture and way of life, a good read for any who enjoy exploring new worlds.
Saga
An explicit exploration through a galaxy of adventure, death and extremely cheesy romance novels. Think the Game of Thrones of space, it even has dragons, although the act seen is of a more… private nature. With vivid characters, and worlds this is a great read.
Nimona
The bad guy is always evil, and the sidekick always weaker… Right? Well, in Nimona this is completely turned on it’s head, as our sidekick can turn into anything she chooses, like a shark. And the rivalry between arch-nemesis and hero is more convoluted than ever.
GRAPHIC NOVEL CLUB MEET EVERY OTHER TUESDAY TO DISCUSS COMIC BOOKS, MANGA & MORE, AROUND A CHOSEN THEME. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING EMAIL library@barton.ac.uk FOR MORE INFORMATION.
THE LIBRARY’S ROLE IN YOUR HOLIDAY DESTINATION As we approach the Summer break many of you may be looking at last minute deals to get away for a week or two during July and August. With so many options to choose from online and with everyone offering an opinion as to which destination and method of accommodation is the best it can be difficult to ensure you’re getting the best deal and that the online representation of the hotel you’ve just booked is a reliable one. That’s where the Library comes in. The thought of a librarian coming into your class and blathering on at you about research skills may fill you with the desire to groan loudly (believe me, we would have had the same reaction at your age) but the tricks and techniques you’ll learn in these sessions won’t only be useful for your coursework but can be adapted to improve all of your online activity. Those of you doing the Extended Project will be getting such a talk over the next two weeks and many more of you may do so in your subject classes but we thought we’d give you a guide to our top researching tips and how they can be used beyond the classroom.
BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO FIND It’s so very easy to launch into a search without any clear idea of what exactly you are looking for and in doing so find yourself going round in circles or being dragged off on a tangent. By creating a search strategy before you start you can make clear in your mind what it is you are looking for, where you are going to look
for it and how you are going to find it. Our creating a search strategy form can be viewed here. This might seem like a silly idea for when you’re sat at home on your smartphone looking at holidays or a new car or pair of trainers but ultimately it will save you time and ensure you are finding relevant information. So in terms of looking at holidays think about where you want to go, what kind of accommodation you want to stay in, what access you’ll need to transport etc. Think about how you’ll go about searching for this, what keywords you’ll need to use. Something that might be prevalent in holiday searching might be barriers that you’ll face in terms of information from destinations abroad being in a different language. You’ll also want to ensure that the information you are finding is up to date, it’s no good knowing if a resort was excellent in the 90s.
USE THE RIGHT TOOLS Whenever we go into a class to talk about research one of the first questions we ask is “if I asked you now to look something up on the computer, how many of you would go straight to Google to do so?”. Inevitably I am met with a sea of hands, one of which is my own. Google is the search tool with which we are most familiar, it has become so ingrained in our learning culture that “to Google” has become a verb used synonymously with searching on the web. However, whilst Google is a vast and powerful search engine, it is not always the most appropriate or useful search tool. For example, results presented to you are often influenced by those sites which pay for the privilege to be top of the listings and your previous search history has a bearing with Google providing the results it thinks you want to find rather than those which best
match your search terms. What you want is the smallest amount of results with the largest amount of relevance and so using a search tool related to your research area is one step towards this. So, if you’re looking for a holiday destination use a holiday search site rather than a generic search engine.
EVALUATE YOUR FINDINGS When shopping in the supermarket how many of you check the “best before” date on loaves of bread? Similarly, would you pick up a loaf from a brand you had never heard of with no ingredients or nutritional information on the packet or do you go with the loaf from the baker with the good reputation and the detailed list of what has gone into it and what you’ll get out of it on it? This is evaluating the product. You want information (bread) that is in date – you certainly don’t want mouldy facts – and comes from a writer (baker) who has reputable credentials and has provided a bibliography of references that they used (ingredients). Evaluation of sources in particularly important with internet resources as it is an open field where anyone can post anything and so there is not the editorial process that writing in books and journals is subjected to. This leaves information wide open to containing bias and being opinionated or factually incorrect. So, with any information you come across always ask, who wrote it, why have they written it and where did their information come from? So in terms of looking for a holiday this means looking at who the author of the information is: are they an independent reviewer, an expert from the travel industry or a member of the general public? Why are they putting the information up: are they a friend (or enemy) of the hotel owner, are they being paid to write the review on behalf of a company or are they a genuine holiday goer. Finally, where have they got their information from: have they even visited the resort, are they presenting fact or opinion, are their opinions backed up with evidence (perhaps photos, links to other articles/reviews saying the same thing) or is it unsubstantiated? One of the key things with evaluating reviews of any kind is to
read a multitude of them. Don’t just settle on one person’s opinion. It is often a good idea to ignore the extreme reviews (1 or 5 stars) and look at the middle ground where people offer a mix of positive and negative comments. Also don’t just rely on one site, check the information from various sources and see if it corroborates.
KEEP TRACK OF YOUR SOURCES One of the most frequent requests we get in the Library is from students who are looking for a book they thumbed through months ago and now need to reference for their coursework bibliography. They can’t remember the title or the author, only that it had a picture of a parrot on the front cover. Alas, library books are not catalogued by cover image and so it will be difficult to find the resource (although 9 times out of 10 we do manage it as we’re amazing!). A better (and less stressful) approach is to track resources as you use them. This could be as simple as having a Word document of Google Doc that you continually add to with the name and author of any books or the URL of any web resources. Another option is RefMe, a smartphone/tablet app and website/Chrome add-on that can help you collate and correctly reference resources. When searching for holidays you may wish to compile a list of options that you can return to later. Or perhaps when you arrive at your 5 star hotel to find that it’s more of a 3 star and half the facilities advertised aren’t apparent you might want to be able to refer to the original information source in your complaint.
GO FORTH AND SEARCH! Hopefully you can now see the value in the digital literacy skills that the Library can help you with both in an academic and social environment. If we can get you an A in your coursework and a decent holiday to celebrate there can’t be many complaints about that!
EU REFERENDUM DEBATE A journal review by Steve Squibbs With the referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU around the corner it seemed only right that we should delve into our journal archive to look for articles that could help illuminate the subject and hopefully enable you to come to an informed and reasoned point of view. Even if you are not old enough to cast your vote on the 23rd, the outcome of the referendum is likely to have a profound impact on UK politics and society, so it is certainly worth acquanting yourself with the facts about the EU, and the arguments for and against our continued membership.
available on our journal stands, or you can view a complete collection of referendum-related articles on The Economist's dedicated Brexit pages. Full access is only available to Economist subscribers, but you can register on the site and access up to three articles each week for free - just choose carefully! As one might expect, a number of useful and balanced articles on the EU can also be found in the pages of Politics Review. In addition to articles that present and analyse the main arguments for both Brexit and continued membership of the EU (Lynch, 2016; Moxon and MacEwan, 2012) you can also get to grips with the institutional architecture of the EU in a piece by Whitaker and Lynch (2009), although this should be read alongside Phinnemore’s (2011) review of the structural changes subsequently brought about by the Lisbon Treaty.
Taking the helm as guest editor for the most recent edition of New Statesman is former Prime Minister Gordon Brown (2016), who introduces a special issue on Britain in Europe with a piece that argues strongly in favour of European co-operation via the institutions of the EU. He is joined by an impressive array of Nobel laureates, historians and international thinkers for an engaging and thought-provoking collection of articles. In previous issues the left-of-centre weekly has also featured in-depth articles from both Charles Grant (2016), with an exploration of the international consequences of Brexit, and Simms and Less (2015) who argue that the European project is on the verge of collapse with no apparent solution in sight.
If you are looking for a historical perspective to the current debate 20th Century History Review examines the creation of the EU’s forerunner, the European Economic Community and asks what lay behind Britain’s ambivelance towards joining (Goodlad, 2006). Elsewhere, in the pages of History Today, two historians take opposing sides in the debate, both using the idea of a common European identity, or lack thereof, to support their respective positions (Rady and Overy, 2016). April’s issue of History Today also carries a fascinating piece by Peter Wilson (2016) who argues for a new interpretation of the Holy Roman Empire, asserting its relevance to the contemporary issues faced by EU member states.
Another publication that has regularly featured articles on the referendum is The Economist. The three most recent editions of the magazine are
For better or worse, two key issues that could well prove
decisive to the outcome of the referendum are that of migration and the economic consequences of a vote to leave or remain within the EU. In Business Review Nigel Watson (2007) examines how UK firms were affected by the eastward expansion of the EU in 2004, while Stephen Drinkwater (2006) assesses the macro-economic implications of migration from the A8 countries in an article for Economic Review. Finally, Economics Today weighs up some of the main economic arguments both for and against the UK’s continued membership of the EU (Robertson, 2014). We have featured here only a selection of the articles about the EU which can be found in our journal collection. For a comprehensive listing please visit the Glyn Library’s dedicated EU Referendum topic resource site. Articles: Brown, G. (2016) ‘Leading, not leaving’, New Statesman, (10-16 June), pp. 20-21. Drinkwater, S. (2006) ‘New migration to the UK’, Economic Review, 24(2), pp. 2-6.
Goodlad, G. (2006) ‘Britain and Europe: 1939-63’, 20th Century History Review, 1(2), pp. 29-33. Grant, C. (2016) ‘Pillar of the West’, New Statesman, (19-25 February), pp. 28-33. Lynch, P. (2016) 'The UK and the EU: better off out?', Politics Review, 25(3), pp. 2-5. Moxon, K. and MacEwan, I. (2012) ‘Should the UK remain within the EU?’, Politics Review, 22(1), pp. 16-17. Phinnemore, D. (2011) ‘Has Lisbon changed anything in the EU?’, Politics Review, 20(3), pp. 2729. Rady, M. and Overy, R. (2016) 'To leave or not to leave?', History Today, 66(6), pp. 6-7 Robertson, A. (2014) ‘Should the UK leave the EU?’, Economics Today, 21(4), pp. 2-6. Simms, B. and Less, T. (2015) ‘A crisis without end: the disintegration of the European project’, New Statesman, (6-12 November), pp. 22-27. Watson, N. (2007) ‘The business implications of migration’, Business Review, 13(4), pp. 20-22. Whitaker, R. and Lynch, P. (2009) ‘Where does power lie in the European Union?’, Politics Review, 18(4), pp. 10-13. Wilson, P.H. (2016) ‘The first European Union’, History Today, 66(4), pp. 10-19.
FICTION, GRAPHIC NOVELS & MANGA Heading up the suggestions for new fiction was Asking For It by Louise O’Neill, who won the Irish Book Awards with this brutal and heart-breaking novel about rape culture, sexism and victim-blaming. Also added to stock in response to your suggestions were Fangirl by Robin Rowell and Sarah J. Maas’ fantasy sequel A Court of Mist and Fury. In our graphic novel selection, your repeated requests for Garth Ennis’ Preacher Book 3 have been heard and the next instalment in this gun-toting saga will be gracing our shelves any day soon! Also on order, awaiting publication at the end of June, is volume 3 of Robert Kirkman’s Outcast. Requested and ordered for our ever-growing Manga collection were volumes 4 to 6 of Black Butler by Yana Toboso and volume 2 of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. This last series currently runs to 81 volumes and is the best-selling manga series of all time!
FILM In response to your suggestions: Suffragette, The Lady in the Van, The Woman in Gold and The Danish Girl are all now available on our shelves. Also on order, pending its release at the end of June is A Bigger Splash. The only DVD request we have had to decline this term is, regretfully, A Class Divided. This fascinating documentary film records a classroom experiment in small-town Iowa in the late 1960s when an inspiring teacher sets out to teach her pupils about the nature of racism and discrimination in wider society. Although the DVD was too expensive to buy, the good news is that
the documentary is freely available to watch online. A link is provided via the Library Catalogue.
NON-FICTION Racism and injustice are also the subjects of a new collection of poems, essays and images by Claudia Rankine entitled Citizen: An American Lyric. Described as ‘the book of a generation’ by The Sunday Times this makes a welcome addition to our collection. Also purchased for our poetry section was Idiot Verse by Keaton Henson. Suggestions for two new textile/fashion titles were both taken up: Smart Textiles for Designers: Inventing the Future of Fabrics by Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman and Digital Vision for Fashion & Textiles by Sarah E. Braddock Clarke are both now available on our shelves. For photography we have purchased Magnum Contact Sheets as requested, and in response to a request for a book on ‘nightmare photography’ we have bought Transréalités, a collection of the work of Arthur Tress, a US photographer from the 1960s who specialised in this area. Finally, we have ordered a number of criminology titles which will start to appear on the shelves over the coming weeks – if you are after something specific in the meantime do come and speak to us and we’ll be happy to fast-track anything you want sooner. That’s all for now, but please keep your suggestions coming, either via our suggestion boards, online via our Moodle page or just speak to any member of library staff and we’ll do our best to help!