The Book Blog - Learning Resources at St. Johns River State College

Since November 1st, my inbox has been flooded with emails about holiday shopping. It comes as no surprise to me that the algorithms have me completely figured out and many of these emails tout something along the lines of "bookish gifts" or "gifts for your reader". While I have seen some truly great gift suggestions, my favorite this holiday season has to be the book box subscriptions!

My first experience with subscription book boxes was several years ago through CrateJoy. I subscribed my youngest sister, who at the time was a teenager and avid reader of young adult fiction. We did not live together at the time and I thought this would be a great way to share our love of reading from a distance. I was delighted to learn that she truly loved the book box! Each month, a themed box would arrive with book(s) and great bookish novelty items ranging from bookmarks to socks, all of which were on theme and adorable!

These days there is no shortage of subscription box options thanks to the success of early distributors such as CrateJoy. Big-name retailers such as Amazon have gotten into the game and individual sellers can be found on Etsy. You may also be interested to know that these boxes are not limited to books. I have also gifted pet-themed boxes which included pet treats and toys and an international snack box! If you are looking for a gift idea for a "hard to buy for" friend or family member a subscription box might be a nice option. Book boxes are available for readers of all ages and lovers of all genres!

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Brittnee

Recent Posts

Giving Thanks for Books: How Stories Can Heal and Help Us Grow

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I've been thinking about the things I value most, and books are easily in my top five. I believe that books have a unique way of feeling deeply personal and providing solace and insight exactly when we need it.Lately, I’ve been reading The Librarians' Guide to Bibliotherapy. It has given me an even deeper appreciation for the role books can play in one’s well-being. The foundation of bibliotherapy is the deliberate use of books to intentionally support mental health and personal growth. It has been fascinating to explore how stories can help us navigate complex emotions, process life events, or simply just feel understood. Bibliotherapy is more than just reading for enjoyment—it’s about choosing the right book at the right time to nurture your mental health. Now, keep in mind, bibliotherapy should be used in conjunction with other forms of therapy or support.While reading, I have learned how books can help with grief, anxiety, or depression, offering solace when needed most. For instance, a novel that reflects one’s current situation has the ability to provide a sense of emotional validation, while a memoir can offer new insights and coping mechanisms. Whether through a novel, memoir, or a self-help book, bibliotherapy has the ability to harness the power of words to help individuals heal, grow, and find balance in their lives.Books invite us to slow down, reflect, and engage with the world through someone else’s perspective—while still letting us retreat into the comfort of our imaginations. So, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, let’s take a moment to be thankful for the stories that bring us joy, healing, and connection. What books are you grateful for?...

Jimi Hendrix-Room Full of Mirrors

Hello everyone, I hope you are all heading into the holiday season well!This week I would like to discuss a book I have not finished yet, but it is good enough to recommend. One of my many personal interests is reading about music. One of the areas I like to study most is Seattle's music. Known most recently in our minds for the 1990s scene of grunge/rock and roll music, Seattle is also the birthplace of other musical legends like Quincy Jones, and the person I would like to speak about today, Jimi Hendrix.The book I am reading, Room Full of Mirrors, is a biography about the life of Jimi Hendrix. When I begin a rock biography, I like to imagine how the musician or artist began. I ask myself questions like “Did this person sit in their room and play all day?” Or maybe “Did they have a teacher or a parent that showed them initially how to play and they ran with it?” In the case of Jimi Hendrix, it was mostly his pure desire to express himself through a guitar that made him want to be great.Jimi grew up poor in Seattle. It is mentioned he first began playing a broom and mimicking the broom like a guitar to songs on the radio. Like it seems in many cases of great artists, his parents divorced when he was a younger boy. Jimi eventually obtained a beat-up acoustic guitar with one string, which he played while walking around the neighborhood. When he got to high school, Jimi finally obtained an electric guitar. Jimi was left-handed, but his father, a demanding alcoholic insisted he play right-handed. To get around this, Jimi would flip the guitar over and become proficient in playing it upside down to fool his father. When Al Hendrix, his father would walk out of the room, Jimi would flip it again back to his correct, left-hand playing side.This is just one brief insight into the life of Jimi. I don’t want to ruin what happens next so I will say check it out for yourself! You will learn of tales from his Army experience, playing circuits around the southern United States and sharpening skills!I do fear though, getting to the end of Jimi’s brief story. I say this only because I feel that I know what may happen next even if I haven’t gotten there yet. Many artists get to a level of fame where the talent they possess becomes big business. It makes a lot of money for many people. I think that artists who are young and have this vision get taken advantage of. Everyone wants a piece and there is money and careers on the line. Almost like a rocket that just cannot stop. Something like this I fear happened to Jimi, sadly, as well. ...

My reading selections for National Native American Heritage Month

As November is National Native American Heritage Month, and as I haven’t had much time lately to read as much as I normally would (this semester has been a busy one!), I thought this time I would tell you all about two books I intend to read this month rather than books I have read.Bridging the gap between spooky season and the rest of autumn, I’ve decided to read Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.’s edited volume Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology. This book, first published in September 2023, is a collection of twenty-six short horror stories by Native American and Canadian First Nations authors. Its title refers to an Indigenous belief spanning the continent and transcending cultures that if one whistles after dark, they could risk inviting something sinister into their lives, one example being the Navajo skinwalker, a witch or spirit that can disguise itself as an animal for nefarious purposes. This book was a national bestseller and was nominated for multiple literary awards, including the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Anthology, the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Anthology, and the Locus Award.The other book I’m hoping to read this month is Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. I just saw the film based on this book a few weeks ago (I’m a little behind the times, I know), and I thought it was a cinematic masterpiece. Lily Gladstone, who plays Mollie Kyle in the film, is a fantastic actress, and it was wonderful to see her bring Kyle’s story into the spotlight. While the subtitle seems to imply that a primary focus of the book is the newly-formed Federal Bureau of Investigation, the film places the focus on Kyle and allows her, through Gladstone, to tell her story as the daughter and sister of a family destroyed by the greed and violence of the white men who sought to take everything from them, and as a survivor of this same greed and violence herself, as her husband and his family tried and ultimately failed to kill her the same way they killed her family. I’m very interested to see what details from the book might not have made it into the (three-and-a-half-hour!!!) movie, and to learn more about this moment in American history.Killers of the Flower Moon by David GrannCall Number: E99.O8 G675 2016ISBN: 9780385534246Publication Date: 2017-04-18Presents a true account of the early twentieth-century murders of dozens of wealthy Osage and law-enforcement officials, citing the contributions and missteps of a fledgling FBI that eventually uncovered one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, they rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. Her relatives were shot and poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more members of the tribe began to die under mysterious circumstances. In this last remnant of the Wild West--where oilmen like J.P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes like Al Spencer, the "Phantom Terror," roamed--many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll climbed to more than twenty-four, the FBI took up the case. It was one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations and the bureau badly bungled the case. In desperation, the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only American Indian agents in the bureau. The agents infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history....

It's Spooky Season!

Spooky season is upon us! Now, while I am not a huge fan of scary stories, I do try to read something Halloween-esque this time of year. I typically read more suspense than straight up horror fiction, but it never hurts to broaden your horizons a bit. I was searching through our catalog to try and find something new to read (I’ve also been in a bit of a readers’ slump) and I thought I would share what I found. So here is a list of some of the library’s spooky reads to get you ready for this Halloween! H.P. Lovecraft's The haunter of the dark and other grotesque visions by Howard Phillips Lovecraft; Alan Moore; John CoulthartISBN: 9781902197234Publication Date: 2014-03-01 Out There Screaming : an anthology of new Black horror by Tananarive Due (Contribution by); Nnedi Okorafor (Contribution by); Jordan Peele (Editor, Introduction by); John Joseph Adams (Editor); N.k. Jemisin (Contribution by); Rebecca Roanhorse (Contribution by)ISBN: 9780593243794Publication Date: 2023-10-03NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The visionary writer and director of Get Out, Us, and Nope, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions, curates this groundbreaking anthology of all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation. "Every piece is strong and memorable, making this not only likely to be the best anthology of the year, but one for the ages."--The Guardian A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Esquire, Chicago Public Library, CrimeReads A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds of Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele's anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and--like his spine-chilling films--its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world . . . and redefine what it means to be afraid. Featuring stories by: Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L. D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham JonesISBN: 9781982136468Publication Date: 2021-01-26A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From USA TODAY bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a "masterpiece" (Locus Magazine) of a novel about revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition. Labeled "one of 2020's buzziest horror novels" (Entertainment Weekly), this is a remarkable horror story that "will give you nightmares--the good kind of course" (BuzzFeed). From New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a novel that is equal parts psychological horror and cutting social commentary on identity politics and the American Indian experience. Fans of Jordan Peele and Tommy Orange will love this story as it follows the lives of four American Indian men and their families, all haunted by a disturbing, deadly event that took place in their youth. Years later, they find themselves tracked by an entity bent on revenge, totally helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way. Bram Stoker's DraculaCall Number: PN1997 Dracula 1992 DVDISBN: B000TGJ80SFrom Academy Award®-winning director Francis Ford Coppola, comes the classic and chilling tale about the devastatingly seductive Transylvanian prince (Gary Oldman) who travels from Easter Europe to 19th-century London in search of human love. When the charismatic Dracula meets Mina (Winona Ryder), a young woman who appears as the reincarnation of his lost love, the two embark on a journey of romantic passion and horror. Now presented in full 4k resolution, experience this sensual gothic spectacle like never before. Haunted by Leo BraudyCall Number: PN56.S8 B73 2016ISBN: 9780300203806Publication Date: 2016-10-25this book explores how fear has been shaped into images of monsters and monstrosity. From the Protestant Reformation to contemporary horror films and fiction, he explores four major types: the monster from nature (King Kong), the created monster (Frankenstein), the monster from within (Mr. Hyde), and the monster from the past (Dracula). Drawing upon deep historical and literary research, Braudy discusses the lasting presence of fearful imaginings in an age of scientific progress, viewing the detective genre as a rational riposte to the irrational world of the monstrous. Haunted is a compelling and incisive work by a writer at the height of his powers" The Twisted Ones by T. KingfisherISBN: 9781534429574Publication Date: 2019-10-01 The Haunting of Leigh Harker by Darcy CoatesISBN: 9781728220222Publication Date: 2021-09-07From bestselling gothic horror author Darcy Coates comes a chilling story of a quiet house on a forgotten suburban lane that hides a deadly secret... Leigh Harker's quiet suburban home was her sanctuary for more than a decade, until things abruptly changed. Curtains open by themselves. Radios turn off and on. And a dark figure looms in the shadows of her bedroom door at night, watching her, waiting for her to finally let down her guard enough to fall asleep. Pushed to her limits but unwilling to abandon her home, Leigh struggles to find answers. But each step forces her towards something more terrifying than she ever imagined. A poisonous shadow seeps from the locked door beneath the stairs. The handle rattles through the night and fingernails scratch at the wood. Her home harbours dangerous secrets, and now that Leigh is trapped within its walls, she fears she may never escape. Do you think you're safe? You're wrong. Also By Darcy Coates: The Haunting of Ashburn House The Haunting of Blackwood House Craven Manor The House Next Door Voices in the Snow The Whispering Dead Dead Silence by S. A. BarnesISBN: 9781250819994Publication Date: 2022-02-08A Most-Anticipated Title in Bustle, i09, LitHub, PopSugar, CrimeReads, BookRiot, GoodReads and more. STARRED Review in BookPage! Titanic meets The Shining in this SF horror novel in which a woman and her crew board a decades-lost luxury cruiser and find the wreckage of a nightmare that hasn't yet ended. Claire Kovalik is days away from being unemployed--made obsolete--when her beacon repair crew picks up a strange distress signal. With nothing to lose and no desire to return to Earth, Claire and her team decide to investigate. What they find is shocking: the Aurora, a famous luxury spaceliner that vanished on its maiden tour of the solar system more than twenty years ago. A salvage claim like this could set Claire and her crew up for life. But a quick search of the ship reveals something isn't right. Whispers in the dark. Flickers of movement. Messages scrawled in blood. Claire must fight to hold on to her sanity and find out what really happened on the Aurora before she and her crew meet the same ghastly fate. "Truly un-put-downable in its purest sense." Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights Imaginary Friend by Stephen ChboskyCall Number: St. Johns River/Palatka Popular Fiction -- PS3553.H3469 I43 2019ISBN: 9781538731345Publication Date: 2019-10-01Single mother Kate Reese is on the run. Determined to improve life for her and her son, Christopher, she flees an abusive relationship in the middle of the night with Christopher at her side. Together, they find themselves drawn to the tight-knit community of Mill Grove, Pennsylvania. It's as far off the beaten track as they can get. Just one highway in, one highway out. At first, it seems like the perfect place to finally settle down. Then Christopher vanishes. For six awful days, no one can find him. Until Christopher emerges from the woods at the edge of town, unharmed but not unchanged. He returns with a voice in his head only he can hear, with a mission only he can complete: Build a tree house in the woods by Christmas, or his mother and everyone in the town will never be the same again. Soon Kate and Christopher find themselves in the fight of their lives, caught in the middle of a war playing out between good and evil, with their small town as the battleground. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth WareCall Number: PR6123.A745 I5 2016ISBN: 9781501112331Publication Date: 2016-04-19When reclusive writer Leonora is invited to the English countryside for a weekend away, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. But as the first night falls, revelations unfold among friends old and new, an unnerving memory shatters Leonora’s reserve, and a haunting realization creeps in: the party is not alone in the woods.-- Amazon summary....

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