Welcome to the blog!

We have all, at one point or another, read a post on Amazon, Facebook or Twitter.  For this reason we are taking our staff book club digital. You can now submit your reviews on books, and movies to clcolson@smcm.educrbarclift@smcm.edu, or  pemann@smcm.edu.

As for me…If anyone had told me a few years ago I’d be a blogger, I would have asked my son which science fiction movie monster that was. And yet here I am “blogging” about the latest books I have read. The beauty of this system is that though I am not an eloquent writer, nor a technical one, I am able to put my opinions out for you to read and get your feedback. Often times the feedback I receive helps me better understand what I am reading from new perspectives, making me enjoy the story even more.

Like many of you I was skeptical about writing reviews. I like reading for pleasure. The idea of analyzing and reviewing the books I read seemed like quite the headache until I found just how easy it can be. Personally, I select books that sound intriguing. When I finish a book I ask myself a few questions– why did I select that particular book, how did the book make me feel, and what, if anything, did I get out of it? Most of the time a slew of emotions come into play; take the book “Dog Stars.” When (slight spoiler) one of the supporting characters dies, oh gosh did I cry. And the book “Passage” gave me nightmares for a week! The need to share these experiences is a powerful one, and here we intend to provide an outlet for that need, as well as to spread the wealth of READING!

As for film, well I’m not a film critic, I don’t know one director from other – so this I will leave to my esteem colleague Curt, who if given a dialogue or scene can pretty much tell you the name of the film, the director and leading stars. …Me, I love Disney films.

Cheryl

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus Review of the staff book club summer reading by Angie Draheim.

If you want to be completely whisked away to another time and place, follow The Night Circus. Don't worry. There are no scary clowns. Think of a mystifying Cirque du Soleil show but better. The vivid and beautiful imagery had me captivated from page one. I felt like one of the rêveurs completely obsessed and entranced by the whimsical, intriguing Victorian circus and its interesting cast of characters and was sad when the book ended. I was actually grateful that it took me so long to get through it (not because it was at all a slow read but because my toddler keeps me busy during my spare time) as it kept the magic alive in my mind that much longer.

The Night Circus is available at the SMCM Library in print and via library Kindle