Tag: The Chronicles of Narnia

Genre Starter List: Classics

Have you been meaning to brush up on the classics? I think a lot of us have been perpetually, if we’re honest with ourselves. Here are some books that come to mind when it comes to refreshing or expanding one’s classic literature readership!

*All descriptions written by Darius Mullin.

Treasure Island

Perhaps the most iconic pirate story ever written, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is a classic coming-of-age story filled with buccaneers and buried gold.

Jane Eyre

In this story of intrigue and passion, the eponymous governess of Thornfield Hall finds herself more than interested in the brooding Mr. Rochester… but what secret is he hiding?

The Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes

Dive into the adventures of the world’s greatest detective and his faithful companion, Dr. Watson, in this collection of the Arthur Conan Doyle stories that have regaled generations of readers.

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

It’s never too soon to reread the classic C.S. Lewis novel that kicked off the Chronicles of Narnia series, and it’s never too late to read it for the first time!

The Lord of the Rings

Considered by many to be the definitive fantasy series, The Lord of the Rings is a must-read. The trilogy may be daunting in length, but it’s worth it!

At the Back of the North Wind

Meet the author who C.S. Lewis famously said influenced everything he wrote. At the Back of the North Wind is just one of the worthwhile stories penned by George MacDonald.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Even if you’re not a sci-fi aficionado, chances are you’ve heard of this classic. Journey to the Center of the Earth is a fantastical tale of wonder and discovery by one of the fathers of science fiction, Jules Verne.

The Time Machine

Continuing with books by sci-fi legends, The Time Machine was the first novel by H.G. Wells. An immediate success, the book—which seems to have a bland title, until you realize that Wells invented the idea of a machine for traveling through time—remains a fascinating read today.

The Metamorphosis

In this short and bizarre novella, a young man wakes up in the morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a person-sized bug. A great read if you’ve been wondering what everyone means when they keep saying “Kafkaesque.”

Pride and Prejudice

The timeless classic by Jane Austen—Pride and Prejudice is a witty, comedic, and romantic story of Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of a country gentleman, and Mr. Darcy, a rich aristocratic landowner.

The Moon is Down

You’ve probably heard of John Steinbeck’s works Of Mice and Men or East of Eden. This lesser-known classic by one of the greatest American authors follows the plight of a small town that suddenly finds itself occupied by an enemy force.

Richard III

One of Shakespeare’s histories, Richard III follows the meteoric rise and fall of the cunning and devious titular character. Prefer to watch Shakespeare plays? The Hollow Crown rendition of Richard III features Benedict Cumberbatch at his absolute best in the lead role.

A Tale of Two Cities

One of Dickens’ most revered works, A Tale of Two Cities presents believable characters and social criticism against the backdrop of the chaotic French Revolution.

These are just some of the many worthwhile classic books that are available at the Union University Library. Craving more suggestions? Find more classic literature reading lists here and here. Happy reading!

Darius Mullin’s reviews reflect his personal opinions and not necessarily those of the library or university.

Reading List: Authors with November Birthdays

It’s hard to believe 2023 is almost over and the fall semester is coming to a close. We have enjoyed celebrating author birthdays with you all. We would love to hear your thoughts on our Author Birthday Read Aloud series. Did you find out you share a birthday with an author? Did you discover a new author to read?

Well, the year is not quite over yet and there are still some great authors to celebrate. So, join me as we celebrate authors with birthdays in November.     

Susanna Clarke born November 1is best known for her award-winning books, Piranesi and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. She is also responsible for writing short stories in the Strange universe.

M.T. Anderson is an American fiction and nonfiction writer for all ages and was born November 4. Anderson has written award-winning books like Feed, Octavian Nothing, and the Pals in Peril series.

Bram Stoker was born November 8, 1847. He is most known for his haunting novel, Dracula. His other works include The Snake’s Pass, The Lady of the Shroud,and Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving.

Neil Gaiman is an English author born on November 10, 1960. His works include books like The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Coraline, and Don’t Panic: The Official Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Companion.

Fyodor Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist born on November 11, 1821. You may recognize him as the author of Crime and Punishment. He also wrote novels like The Grand Inquisitor, The Gambler, and The Possessed.

Melissa helped us celebrate Robert Louis Stevenson on November 13, by reading a couple of poems from A Child’s Garden of Verses. Stevenson is known for his many collections of poetry.

Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian poet and novelist born on November 16. Achebe is the author of one of the most widely translated African novels, Things Fall Apart.  He also wrote No Longer at Ease and numerous essays and short stories.

Christopher Paolini was born November 17, 1983. He is most known for his series The Inheritance Cycle which he began working on at age 15. He continues to publish books with some of his recent titles including To Sleep in a Sea of Stars and Murtagh.

Margaret Atwood was born on November 18, 1939. Atwood is known for writing The Handmaid’s Tale which has become a popular television show.  She also wrote Hag-Seed, a Shakespeare retelling, and The Edible Woman.

Ruta Sepetys was born on November 19. You may know her for The Fountains of Silence. Sepetys has also written Salt to the Sea,  I Must Betray You, and Between Shades of Gray.

As one of Jeannie’s favorite authors, she helped us honor George Eliot’s birthday on November 22 by reading from Middlemarch. Eliot also wrote Adam Bede,  Silas Marner, Daniel Deronda, and many others.

Children’s author and illustrator, Kevin Henkes was born on November 27. You might recognize Henkes’ works like Olive’s Ocean, Owen, and Chrysanthemum.

C.S. Lewis also shares a November birthday of November 29. Savannah helped us celebrate this well-known author by reading from The Chronicles of Narnia series. Lewis is the author of many other books including Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, The Screwtape Letters, and A Grief Observed.

Two well-known authors, Louisa May Alcott and Madeleine L’Engle, will wrap up our November celebrations with their birthdays on November 29. Alcott is the author of Little Women, A Long Fatal Love Chase, and Jo’s Boys. L’Engle is the author of A Wrinkle in Time, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and The Polly O’Keefe Quartet.

We hope you enjoyed celebrating authors born in November. Check back next month for December birthdays!

March Book (& Movie) Madness 2023 Winner and Wrap-Up

March Book (& Movie) Madness 2023 has come to an end. We used a similar format to last year, but we changed up some of the genres and chose books that had movie adaptations. For me (Rachel), I was unaware that both The Godfather and Jurassic Park originated as books. I also enjoyed learning more about Murder on the Orient Express and have added it to my TBR list. Another change we made for this year was that we had paper versions of our brackets where students were able to fill them out ahead of time and were awarded points for each correct guess. The two students with the most points were given gift cards.

Without further ado, I would like to present our winner…

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe!

Our closest match-up and biggest blowout both occurred in the Sweet 16. Jurassic Park (34) narrowly defeated Dune (26) in our Science Fiction category, while The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (55) easily defeated The Wizard of Oz (8) in our Children’s category. If we could label a book as a Cinderella in this year’s tournament, it would go to Frankenstein making it all the way to the Final Four. For those that filled our brackets ahead of time, most picked it to advance past Rebecca in the Sweet Sixteen, but no one thought it would win against the Science Fiction category (Jurassic Park/Dune) in the Elite Eight. It was an exciting race all the way to the end.

A huge thanks goes to all of those that voted on the library’s Instagram, filled out brackets, and followed along on the Read to the Final Four. Come back next year!

March Book (& Movie) Madness 2023: Week 4

Union University’s Library at the Logos is back with our second presentation of March Book Madness! On Fridays in February, you will be introduced to the books competing in March Book Madness in 2023. A difference this year is that each book has also been made into a movie. We hope that this will help you with the selection process. Each week will feature our titles from two different genres. By the end, you will have been introduced to 8 genres and 16 books. Then, during the month of March, stay tuned to our social media channels to vote on your favorites. Our 2022 Champion was The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Will a familiar favorite win again or will a new contender reach the top of the shelf? You, our readers, will determine the winner. We hope that you journey with us as we make our way through the Final Four and crown our second March Book (& Movie) Madness Champion!    

Rachel: Welcome.  I’m Rachel Bloomingburg, and I’ll be one of your commentators again this week, alongside Darius Mullin. I hope you’re ready because we’ve made it to the homestretch and will be introducing you to our final competitors for this year! Darius, could you tell us about our last two categories?

Darius: Sure! Our last two categories for March Book Madness 2023 are Mystery and Children’s literature! Mystery novels focus on some sort of puzzle, crime, or predicament that must be solved. The protagonist is often—but not always—a detective, such as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, or Edgar Allan Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin. Children’s literature is a broad category including, quite simply, books that are written with children as the intended primary audience. Children’s books often include accompanying illustrations and are sometimes quite enjoyable for adult audiences as well.

Rachel: They sound like vastly different categories. Would you tell us about our first entry in the Mystery genre?

Darius: The first Mystery entrant is, of course, Sherlock Holmes. There are a lot of different collections and adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, but for our purposes we’ve selected The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and the 2009 Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. and directed by Guy Ritchie. Sherlock Holmes himself is a “consulting detective” whose skills of observation and deduction are almost fantastical. His companion is Dr. John Watson, who is the narrator of Doyle’s stories. Holmes has captured the imaginations of generations of readers by navigating numerous exciting cases and adventures; the 2009 film is not based on any particular Sherlock Holmes story.

Rachel: Great choice. I’m not as familiar with this genre; however, Sherlock Holmes is a classic that I believe most will have some knowledge about. Could you tell us about the second selection?

Darius: Our second Mystery story is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie and its 2017 movie adaptation directed by Kenneth Branagh. In this classic Hercule Poirot adventure, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by an unexpected snowdrift. The next day, one of the train’s passengers, a millionaire, is found stabbed to death in their locked cabin. Surely the murderer is still on board, but who is it? Read or watch to find out!

Rachel: Oh, wow! That sounds interesting. I may give this one a try. Who do you think will advance to the next round?

Darius: Well, these are two very strong competitors, with both the novel and movie versions of each giving us a good showing. Nonetheless, I suspect Sherlock Holmes will win out in the end, as few literary characters are more iconic. Rachel, how about we go ahead and move on to our last category, Children’s literature. Who’s up first?

Rachel: Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! You will likely notice this line from The Wizard of Oz. The book written by L. Frank Baum with illustrations by Michael Hague, as well as the movie with the same title released in 1939, follows a young girl named Dorothy as she is transported in her home from Kansas to the land of Munchkins by way of a tornado. Her only hope is to return to her home, so the munchkins encourage her to follow the yellow brick road and make her way to the City of Emeralds and meet with the Great Wizard of Oz. As she begins her journey, she will meet a host of memorable characters including the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and The Cowardly Lion. You will later meet the Wicked Witch of the West. She is rather unhappy with Dorothy because the house she traveled in landed on top of the Wicked Witch of the East and killed her. Will Dorothy make her way back home with the help of her friends or will the Wicked Witch of the West succeed with her plan of revenge? Only time will tell.

Darius: Such a classic fantasy story! What is it facing in the sweet sixteen?

Rachel: The Chronicles of Narnia is a beloved series. While there’s debate on which is the proper order to read it, the story it tells is what matters most. For our purposes today, we will focus on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Four siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy—are sent from their home in London during the war to escape the air raids. Life is simpler in the country until the day that Lucy discovers a certain wardrobe. While it appears to be full of coats, as Lucy discovers, another world awaits her. A magical world trapped within an eternal winter and under the rule of the wicked White Witch. Lucy is a character that portrays goodness, and her arrival helps to spread the feeling of hope. Will she, along with Aslan and others on the side of good, be able to defeat the White Witch once and for all? You’ll have to read to find out.

Darius: Wow, two beloved stories going head-to-head here! And I have to weigh in on the debate—The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe comes first, at least the first time you read it. But you’re right, the important thing is to read them. Which of the two do you think is most likely to move on to the next round?

Rachel: These stories have similar elements, and I believe they both have a strong chance to advance. I think the popularity of The Chronicles of Narnia series will give it a slight edge. I’m excited to see who comes out on top!

Darius: Well, everyone, those are our last four entrants for March Madness 2023! Which of these do you think has the best chance of making it to the Final Four? Which of our sixteen competitors will take home the crown? Keep an eye on the library Instagram for voting in the days to come, and catch up on the first three entries of this series here.

Riddle Me This Survey Responses

You may have seen our “Riddle Me This” signs across campus and in the library. Each week we asked you to answer a question; here is what you said.

What is your favorite book turned movie?

Use the links to find the books or movies that we have available for checkout at the Union library. How do they compare in your opinion?

What’s one book you think the library should have that we don’t have?

Our Collection Development Coordinator was able to purchase some of these recommendations for the library, be on the lookout for the new additions.

Do you prefer print or ebooks?

The answers were unanimously in favor of print books. However, one respondent noted ebooks are helpful for research.

What’s your favorite drink from Modero?

Try one of these recommended drinks and let us know what you think of them.

  • Pineapple smoothie with cayenne
  • Free water
  • Cinnamon/white mocha steamer with whipped cream and cinnamon powder
  • Stonefruit Italian soda
  • Butter beer coffee soda
  • Café au lait with honey and cinnamon
  • Lemonade with coffee concentrate
  • Iced stonefruit and honey latte
  • Maple Latte (Also, try a miele)
  • Iced Mexican mocha with extra cayenne
  • Americano with cream
  • Vanilla steamer
  • Mocha latte
  • Lavender latte
  • Chili clove latte
  • Butterscotch shakes
  • Mango green tea with honey
  • Mocha cappuccino
  • Chai Latte

Where is your favorite place to study?

Having a great study place makes studying a little less challenging. Try out one of these spaces if you don’t have a favorite of your own.

  • 1st floor of the library
  • Family/Children’s Room
  • Bedroom
  • Room 303
  • Modero
  • Outside the library on a sunny day
  • Front Computer Lab (TLC)
  • 2nd Floor of the library

What do you like about the library?

We love libraries and so do you, here are some of the best things about our library according to you.

  • Library workers (Darius, Micah, and Meagan)
  • the good study atmosphere
  • Modero
  • The people and socializing
  • Books
  • Snacks
  • Pretty windows
  • Décor
  • Study rooms
  • Candy and notes for Valentine’s Day