NetLibrary e-Book of the Month

Tree of Souls
The Mythology of Judaism
by Howard Schwartz
Oxford University Press, 2007

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Reference

Only one of the world's mythologies has remained essentially unrecognized—the mythology of Judaism. As Howard Schwartz reveals in Tree of Souls, the first anthology of Jewish mythology in English, this mythical tradition is as rich and as fascinating as any in the world.

Drawing from the Bible, the Pseudepigrapha, the Talmud and Midrash, the kabbalistic literature, medieval folklore, Hasidic texts, and oral lore collected in the modern era, Schwartz has gathered together nearly 700 of the key Jewish myths. Equally important, Schwartz provides a wealth of additional information, revealing the source of the myth and explaining how it relates to other Jewish myths as well as to world literature.

Designed to increase awareness of online resources and highlight the value of your eBook collection, the November eBook of the Month is provided through the generous support of Oxford University Press. Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your NetLibrary collection by sharing this pioneering anthology of Jewish mythology.

Read What GTCC Students Have To Say About the All-Campus Read

Here is what Golda Fried's students say about Don't Make Me Stop Now in their review at Amazon.com

Golda says,

I'm teaching this collection of short stories at my community college and we're having a lot of fun. A lot of my students can't stand when the stories are open-ended because they really want to know what happens to these characters. But that means they care about the characters, right?

One student says, "The whole music thing did it for me"--Jonathan White. "Many of the stories have cool 70s point-of-reference songs. I like how the main character is composed in his thoughts but then he'll lash out at his father and stuff. But then there are many surprises for the reader and diabolical twists."

In "Couple Strikes it Rich," Jeff Kinzie says,"The main couple is not the one who gets rich; the older couple is the one who does which makes the story ironic. His girlfriend was real indecisive."

In "Hidden Meanings," Ian Griffith says, "I really like how he filled the whole thing with comedy and sarcasm. The whole time this student is writing the story she is complaining about the other students and that the teacher is probably not going to listen to her opinions anyway."

About the story 'The Right to Remain'," says Amanda Slaughter, "I appreciate the cold and tense internal battle Sanderson has with his wishful love life in an alcoholic haze."

Rebecca Turner says about "Muddy Water, Turned to Wine": "It was a very well-written story but a little morbid. The main character is this guy who's obviously getting over a relationship which ended very badly for him and he has a one night stand and the girl gets a call that her father has died and he offers to drive her to the funeral. He finds out that he's being used...."

Natalia Alston states about "The Golden Era of Heartbreak": "I liked the descriptions. I felt like I was there in the background watching. I like how he had heartbreak. The story was suspenseful because it had a Sopranos feeling."

Kim Woods states about "Everything Was Paid For": "I like how the main character tried to make everything right for his girlfriend. I did like the ending because there is poetic justice to the two guys. I also like how the main character was upset and trying to take care of his girlfriend and so was in touch with some of his emotions."

Shelly Shealy states about "Results for Novice Males": "I like the competitive nature of the main characters. These guys are out of control trying to do a triathalon in the middle of the night."

Overall, we as a class give it eighteen thumbs up.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

from the book cover of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"

NetLibrary eBook of the Month

Check out NetLibrary's eBook of the month, "Capitalism: As if the World Matters" by Jonathon Porritt.

From the publisher:
"As our great economic machine grinds relentlessly forward into a future of declining fossil fuel supplies, climate change and ecosystem failure, humanity, by necessity, is beginning to question the very structure of the economy that has provided so much wealth, and inequity, across the world. In this fresh, politically charged analysis, Jonathon Porritt wades in on the most pressing question of the 21st century – can capitalism, as the only real economic game in town, be retooled to deliver a sustainable future? Porritt argues that indeed it can and it must as he lays out the framework for a new ‘sustainable capitalism’ that cuts across the political divide and promises a prosperous future of wealth, equity and ecosystem integrity."

Garden Spells

I just finished this wonderful book by North Carolina author Sarah Addison Allen, who lives in Asheville. It's a quick, light read about a magical garden and the reconciliation of two sisters.

From the author's website:
"Welcome to Bascom, North Carolina, where everyone has a story to tell about the Waverley women. The old house that’s been in the family for generations, the walled garden that mysteriously blooms year round, the rumors and innuendoes of dangerous loves and tragic passions. Eccentric, reclusive, or renegade, there’s not one that wasn’t somehow touched by magic.

As the town’s successful caterer, Claire has always clung closely to the Waverleys’ roots in their enchanted soil, tending the family garden from which she makes her much sought-after delicacies. She has everything she thinks she needs – until one day she finds a vine of ivy creeping into her garden and knows that everything is about to change.

Then her prodigal sister Sydney arrives with her five-year-old daughter and a dark secret she hopes to keep well hidden. And suddenly Claire’s carefully tended life is about to run gloriously out of control …"