Student Survival!

On the main display this week are a wide range of books to help you during your time at City College. Whether you are a new or returning student, there is information on student finance and housing as well as useful cookery books, information on drugs and alcohol and guides on how to manage stress and boost confidence!

101 Ways to Organise Your Life

by Deborah Underwood

“Do you know how organising can improve your creativity? How to keep your family in line? How to be smart about studying?” This book will show you how in 101 ways. A great self helper!

 

Studying at University or College

by Suzanna O'Hara

“Packed with easy to follow advice and written in a lively style, this practical book will show you how to avoid time wasting routes and help you achieve University success”
 

Moody to Mellow  

by Stephen Palmer and Christine Wilding

“Your 100 step path to peace of mind will give you everything you need to transform your mind and mood forever. Offering tools, tips and techniques for identifying stress triggers and rediscovering a laid back life”

  

Brilliant Study Skills

by Bill Kirton

“Brilliant Study Skills is an accessible, practical guide to the most important and essential study skills that and student needs to master to succeed on any university course.” This book offers so much help with important academic skills you will need to develop to get the most out of your course and maximise your final grade.

 

Student’s Veggie Cook Book

by Carolyn Humphries

“All you need while you area away from home is a few pans, some scales, knives and a dish to put in the oven. With these, I will feed you well and save you pots of money. My recipes will feed three to four people. They work very well in a communal kitchen but when you do have to eat alone, everything keeps in the fridge to heat up for another time.”

 

Making the Most of Being a Student

by Judy Bastyra and Charles Bradley

“University if not just about studying for your degree: there are many other skills that you will need to master as well.”

This book offers help and advice with finances, personal wellbeing and health, decision making and how to study and live independently.

 

Managing Stress

by Terry Looker and Olga Gregson

“Covering all the sources of stress, this fully updated edition of Managing Stress will help you feel calm and back in control. Featuring the latest on stress management techniques such as NLP and with up-to-date information on the benefits of physical and mental exercise, it offers both inspiration and practical advice”

Confidence: The Art of Getting Whatever You Want

by Rob Yeung

“Confidence combines the best methods from cognitive behavioural therapy, sports psychology, neuro-liguistic programming, positive psychology and much more. Dr Rob Yeung, psychologists and coach, shows you how to challenge your fears, build your confidence and achieve your goals in life”

SMASHED: Growing Up a Drunk Girl

by Koren Zailckas

“The day Koren turned 14 she tasted alcohol for the first time. By the time she was fifteen, she was piecing together forgotten fragments of drink, men and misplaced clothes. And so it began”

A brutally honest account of author Koren’s first and last experiences with alcohol, starting at aged 14 and finishing at aged 22.

Student Housing and the Law

by Martin Davies and Graham Robson

“Keeping up to date with the law can be a nightmare. This book provides comprehensive and up-to-date information for all those involved in housing students, and advising them as to their housing rights, whether in private halls, traditional halls of residence, the private secotr or housing association properties"

Familiar faces and new faces

Welcome from everyone in the Information Store

A big welcome to all new faces around college, and to those who are returning after (hopefully) a lovely summer break.

For everyone who is new, here's a few things to get you started with the Information Store (the college library). We're a friendly bunch so pop in and say hi, we're here to help you make the most of your time at college.

 

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Your library card:

Your student card doubles as your library card, so no need to come in and apply for a card or activate your card, it is all set up and ready for you to borrow.

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A quick tour:

 

Follow Jim and Blake as they give you a tour of the Information Store: Information Store tour 2013.

 

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Frequently Asked Questions:

 

I am sure you have 101 questions as you start at college, and it can be hard to know where to start. We have compiled some of our most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and put them (and their answers) on Blackboard.

To find our homepage, start at the Blackboard homepage and click "Information Store" (on the left under "Useful Links". The FAQ box is the purple box in the middle of the screen.

If you have any questions at all, please just ask. You can also ring us on 01603 773114, or email tis@ccn.ac.uk

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DVD Review - Life of Pi (2012)

Another new film in the Information Store’s collection is the award winning Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee and starring Suraj Sharma in the title role.  Based on the novel of the same name by Yann Martel Life of Pi chronicles the adolescence of a young boy called Pi and a dramatic, life changing event which results in him drifting on a boat across the ocean with a tiger as his only companion.

The tiger, Richard Parker, had once belonged to his father’s zoo which was being moved, by boat, to a new location. The boat was caught in a huge storm and sunk; Pi found a lifeboat in which to save himself and soon discovered that underneath the tarpaulin was the vicious Bengal, Richard Parker.  The following few weeks would be an emotional and physical struggle as the two drifted further and further out to sea willing to be rescued. The hostility of Richard Parker meant that Pi had to build his own flotation device which trailed next to the boat in order to keep himself safe. Pi fed and looked after Richard Parker from afar and the two developed a respect for each other that meant Pi no longer feared being eaten by the beast. Their journey for survival is a constant battle as fierce storms, starvation and utter hopelessness taint their hopes of ever being found. 

The tiger’s name, Richard Parker, comes from several characters through fiction and history. In 1884, a young cabin boy on board the yacht Mignonette was eaten by his crew by means of their survival, his name was Richard Parker. As was the name of another young seaman sacrificed on board the Francis Speight in 1846 which floundered and he was thrown overboard to prevent the lifeboat capsizing. Finally, in the Edgar Allen Poe novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket Richard Parker is a mutinous young sailor who suggests they cannibalise one of their own crew after their ship the Grampus capsizes in a storm. After drawing lots on Parker’s suggestion, it is he who ends up being eaten by the crew. Will the tiger fall to the same fate, will Pi eat him to maintain his own survival? 

While the story being told is an epic tale of adventure, self-discovery and survival it is also riddled with morals and Indian folklore. It is also an absolutely spectacular feast for the eyes as the vast, sweeping ocean is brought to life by Ang Lee’s direction.  More impressive is the tiger itself which was created entirely through motion capture and advanced CGI technologies and looks like a real tiger. If I didn’t know it was CGI I would have been harping on about how well trained the tiger was, it was that realistic. Luckily I did my research. 
 

 

However, despite the amazing special effects, the epic story and beautiful CGI tiger I couldn’t get over how awful an actor Suraj Sharma was. I had high hopes for whoever was chosen to play Pi especially after being so invested in the book when I read it, I was so disappointed in the result. I found him to be annoying, over dramatic and his performance felt forced and unnatural. So much so, I would go as far to say he completely ruined the film for me. Richard Parker completely stole the show and he wasn’t even a real tiger, that’s how bad Sharma was.

Be that as it may, it is an amazing film to watch and a spectacular achievement for Ang Lee who scooped the Oscar for Best Director that year. Sharma wasn’t even nominated, surprise surprise.

Further Reading in the Information Store:

Life of Pi - DVD ZONE - 791.43 L

Life of Pi - BOOK ZONE - 823.91 MAR

Visual Effects for Film and Television by A.J Mitchell - BOOK ZONE - 791.45024 MIT

Movie Special Effects by Liz Miles - BOOK ZONE - 791.43024 MIL

More Summer Reads!

Included on the display this week are a few more tantalising titles for you to sink your teeth into over the remaining summer weeks...

Salt by Jeremy Page

In 1945 a German airman falls from the sky and lands in a salt marsh in England. He is discovered by a woman who takes him into her home and after staying with her for nine months, leaves her with a new born child, Lil. Lil grows up and has a child of her own, Pip, who is determined to piece together his family’s strange and intriguing history all the while dealing with the dramas of his own life.

 

Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks writing as Ian Fleming

Sebastian Faulks picks up where Ian Fleming left off right in the midst of the Cold war, continuing the never ending James Bond saga. An Algerian drug runner is brutally murdered in the suburbs of Paris. Bond is assigned a new mission, to follow Dr Julius Gorner, a powerful pharmaceuticals expert who has a thing for legal and illegal opiates. As always, Bond is accompanied by a beautiful woman wielding a pistol and the two must work together to save the world from global catastrophe.

 

A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam

The story begins as a mother is throwing a party for her two children, she is happy with her life having raised a beautiful family and building a stable home for them. However, it is 1971 in East Pakistan and the country is on the brink of the Bangladeshi War on Independence, a fight that will dramatically change her family’s lives for ever. It’s a story of revolution, sacrifice, hope and love as one woman is pushed to the edge as she tries to keep her family safe.

 

 The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall

Cy Parks is an artist who’s favoured medium is the human body. He abandons his mother’s seaside hotel which is crumbling to the ground and embarks on a new life in the vibrancy of Coney Island which is bursting with carnival decadence. He finds his muse in a beautiful woman who lends her body to him and his work, her soul is deep and rich and he plunges himself into the life surrounding this enigmatic young woman.

 

Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick

Based on the true story of Arthur Ransome, this historical story is told as a fairy tale with Kings and Queens, Princesses and enchantresses as well as magic, wonder and the fantastical. The story is of a man accused of being a spy during the Russian Revolution, the story fictionalises the Bolsheviks rise to power and the controversies surrounding its leaders like the haemophiliac Alexei, Rasputin and the terrifying Lenin and Trotsky.

 

Further Reading in the Information Store

As well as the above listed books, we have many others on the display including some of our new DVD's like Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook and the Twilight box set!

Come and have a browse! 

 

DVD Review - Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

 

David O Russell’s superb film Silver Linings Playbook graced our screens and enchanted our hearts back in 2012 and through generous backing from producer Harvey Weinstein earned itself a great reputation and a bundle of awards to boot, including an Academy Award for Jennifer Lawrence as Best Actress.

The story is about Pat (Bradley Cooper) who has just been released from a psychiatric hospital for attacking his wife’s lover after he found them romantically entwined in his bathroom, Pat has bipolar disorder and he has to see a therapist every week as part of the terms of his release. He returns home and is greeted by his father (Robert De Niro) who also shows signs of having a mental disorder, although this is never actually pinned down to specifics. Pat learns that his wife, Nikki, has moved away yet is still desperate to pick their marriage back up again, delusional to the fact his relationship is completely over. Along the way he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) a sufferer of depression who was diagnosed when her husband, Tommy, died. 

She makes a deal with Pat that she will deliver letters to Nikki for him if he agrees to be her dance partner for an upcoming dance competition.  A couple of letters pass hands and Pat thinks that a reconciliation with Nikki is on the cards. A racially fuelled brawl at football match lands Pat in trouble and his Father in a pile of debt, hope for his family lies entirely on the dance competition with Tiffany, with Nikki in attendance things start to heat up as they both take to the dance floor. With the sounds of The White Stripes ringing out and enough gyration to make Elvis’ head spin, will they reign victorious?

As serious as the subject matter of bipolar disorder may be, Silver Linings Playbook manages to keeps its head above the water without plunging into a swell of depression. The friendship of Pat and Tiffany is at times hilarious, while at others heart wrenching and their story is encapsulating from start to finish. Pat has some painfully honest personal moments which are short, sharp stabs of realism that bipolar disorder is a serious and unrelenting problem suffered by millions.

Beautifully acted and wonderfully directed, Silver Linings Playbook is a real treat from start to finish and every award and nomination well deserving.  It manages to dip into the subject of mental health while simultaneously sculpting an unconventional love story, throw in a bit of wacky dancing and illegal gambling and you’ve got yourself some pretty excellent entertainment.

 

Further Reading in the Information Store:

Silver Linings Playbook by David O' Russell - DVD ZONE - 791.43 S

Bipolar Disorder: Your Questions Answered by Neil Hunt - BOOK ZONE - 616.895 HUN

The Pits and the Pendulum: A Life with Bipolar Disorder by Brian Adams - BOOK ZONE - 616.895 ADA

DVD Review - Amelie (2001)

 

 Amelie Poulain is a young woman who endeavours to bring a little happiness to the lives of those living around her. Despite a rather stunted childhood, she uses many ingenious methods to help the quirky and eccentric people she loves.  These include her father, a glum recluse, who has never offered Amelie any warmth or love. As a result, Amelie has grown up wrapped in her own dreams by way of escaping her lonely life. However, Amelie’s vocation in helping others draws her out of herself and she finds what she believes to be her purpose.

Unlike many feel good films, Amelie is not the perfect heroine. She’s clever and childlike and a little bit out of step, but you love her for it. The film has a typically French sense of style and subtly, with a recurring theme of nostalgia. Throughout the film we are reminded of those things we loved as children, and forgot as we grew up.

The film is shot in saturated colour with a ‘hyper real’ atmosphere in every shot. The sound track is utterly beautiful, echoing the film’s whimsical and sweet nature. The Montmartre portrayed is picture-postcard like, if not completely realistic. And that is quite in tune with the films suspension from reality.

By Erin Bradshaw

Amelie is shelved in the DVD ZONE under 'Foreign Language, French' 791.430944 A

Summer Hobbies and Activites

The summer holidays are upon us and maybe you are jetting off to a sunny beach, escaping to the mountains or just chilling out at home. Either way, there will no doubt be a couple of rainy days where you are stuck inside, twiddling your thumbs thinking ‘I wish I had a hobby’.

Our display this week is dedicated to hobbies and activities and there are loads of books to get your mind turning and heart pumping. Here are a handful of examples:

Paper Cutting by Laura Heyenga

Paper cutting has become a popular art form in the last few years, where artists skilfully cut stencil-like designs into paper. This book chaptered by different paper cutting artists, discusses how they got started, their techniques and what they have achieved while showcasing the immense intricacies of their work.

 The Complete Idiots Guide to Astronomy by Christopher De Pree & Alan Axelrod

Summer offers clear, crisp skies and warm nights which are perfect for practicing astronomy. This books gives you a complete run down of everything you need to know before gazing into the depths of space, including, guidance on locating planets and tips for using a telescope.

 

Low-Budget Shooting by Cyrill Harnischmacher

Fancy spending the summer making low budget movies with your friends? This book tells you how to shortcut your way around film equipment without spending thousands of pounds. Couple with our other book on the display ‘The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook’ you should be sauntering up the red carpet in no time!

Cooking with the Masterchef:  Michel Roux Jr.

Do you enjoy cooking? Following recipes? A challenge in the kitchen? This book written by Master Chef Michel Roux Jr. is full of great, gourmet recipes that aren’t easy to perfect, but will be certain to satisfy the taste buds. A fun summer project could be cooking through the recipes and starting a blog to present your findings – disasters and successes!

 Design & Make: Mixed Media Jewellery by Joanne Haywood

This book covers all kinds of areas of jewellery making, introducing you to the wide range of materials and techniques. The easy to follow illustrations are suitable for a variety of ages and abilities, whether you are starting out or developing your skills, this books is a great starter.

Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots by Sharon Lovejoy

Gardening doesn’t have to be all weeding, mowing and planting, in fact, as demonstrated here by author Sharon Lovejoy,  there are lots of cool things you can do with a patch of soil or grass including making a ‘pizza patch’,’ moon garden’ or ‘medicine chest’ . She also offers basic gardening tips and tricks. The colourful layout and imaginative ideas make for fun reading and may even ignite a new found love for gardening!

All these books and more can be found on the display near the issue desk! Keep your eyes peeled for a few of these titles:

 

Simply Pottery

by Sarah Pearch

 

Printmaking on a Budget

by Mandy Bonnell & Stephen Mumberson

 

The Bicycle Book

By Bella Bathurst

 

The Complete Book of Running for Beginners

By Amby Burfoot

 

The Wagamama Cookbook

by Hugo Arnold

Summery Movies!

Grease

Love-struck Kiwi, Sandy, moves to America and falls in love with high school stud Danny Zucko in this classic musical comedy. She meets him during the summer, knowing nothing of his bad boy reputation and notoriety as leader of the gang ‘T-Birds’. When she starts at Rydell High School all becomes clear to her as Danny’s not the boy she fell in love with on the beach. She decides to prove her worth to him, be the kind of woman that will make him sit up and listen, not the wimpy little Sandra D everyone teases her for being. The result is a feel good classic with tons of catchy tunes and groovy dance moves that will leave you tapping your toes for hours afterwards.

 

(500) Days of Summer

The clue is in the name, however, this is not a film about a prolonged season, instead about a girl named after a season. Tom falls for the whimsical, beautiful and quirky Summer and despite a great start to their relationship, things soon start to completely fall apart. Tom recalls his relationship with Summer through a series of clever flashbacks including an ‘expectations vs. reality’ sequence where he arrives at a party to see Summer.  It’s not the happiest story in the world but it is well acted and hilarious in places. Worth a watch, for sure.

 

Slumdog Millionaire

Everyone was talking about Danny Boyle’s 2008 summer blockbuster Slumdog Millionaire because it was such an amazing, sweeping love story that captured the imaginations of viewers all over the world. Dev Patel plays Jamal who winds up on the Indian version of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’ Through the tribulations of Jamal’s life and the events that have lead him to this point he is able to easily answer every question down to life experience. He has no need for riches, he hasn’t gone on the show to become a millionaire, yet he is one question away from being one, so why is he there?

 

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

What would you do with one day off school? Play video games? Watch movies? Sleep in until 2pm? Ferris decides that with one day off, he is free to do whatever he wants. He and his friend Cameron bust their other friend Sloane out of school and borrow Cameron’s Dad’s Ferrari and the three of them set out to have the best day they possibly can, and they do.   Classic 80’s comedy in the same vain as The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a feel-good summer hit!

 

The Inbetweeners Movie

If you’ve ever watched the TV show The Inbetweener’s, you will know, before watching the film, that you will be in for some vulgarity from the start. The boys decide to go on holiday to Malia together, but of course, its not going to be that simple. Their dreams of a weekend full of girls, alcohol and all night raves is soon completely shattered when everything starts to go very wrong. Have a pillow to hand, this film will have you wanting to cover your face with embarrassment as their misadventures become more and more unfortunate.

If you find yourself faced with a rainy summer day, which let’s face it, is pretty likely, have a borrow of one of these movies to keep your summery spirits up!

Be safe and have a great summer!!

Summer Reads!

Our display this week is SUMMER READS!

 

 

Amongst the display are some great novels for you to get stuck into over the summer months as well as some gardening and cookery books!

Some titles include:

 

Bring up the Bodies 

Hilary Mantel

 

Hello Cupcake!

Karen Tack

 

Flight Behaviour

Barbera Kingsolver

 

Death Comes to Pemberley

 P.D James

 

Narcopolis

Jeet Thayil

 

River Cottage Veg

Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall

Some Films With Questionable Titles!

There are some films amongst our collection with titles that need to be celebrated. Open your mind to silent documentaries and low budget rockumentaries and explore our list of films with really weird titles!

Nanook of the North (Robert J. Flaherty , 1922)

Although it may sound like a film about an artic e-reader, this is in fact a film about an Inuit. Considered to be the first feature length documentary, although some of its content is arguably fictitious, the film follows Nanook and his family travelling and hunting for food illustrating the arduous Inuit life they endure.  Notable scenes include when Nanook builds and igloo and an interaction at trade post with a man from the Western world.  The film showed the isolation and solitude imposed upon the family by living in such a hostile corner of the world.  Being made in 1922 it is a silent film which makes its content all the more difficult to sustain for its 79 minute duration.


The Story of the Weeping Camel (Bayambasure Duvaa & Luigi Falorni, 2003)

A product of the hybrid genre of ‘docudrama’ this film follows the story of a family of shepherds who are trying to save the life of a rare white camel calf which has been rejected by its mother. In order to try and reconnect the mother with her young a Mongolian ritual is performed whereby a ‘violinist’ plays a lullaby to soothe the mother camel. She then cries (a real tear) and reconciles with her baby. It sounds weird and far fetched but its actually quite a beautiful little film. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary in 2004 and was very well received amongst critics on its release. Odd name, odd story but one worth investing in.

Rumble Fish (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983)

This weird title belongs to a film about gang culture. A man known only as Motorcycle Boy ditches his bad boy reputation for a quieter, more law abiding life. However his younger brother, Rusty James, continues to accepts fights with rival gangs resulting in horrific injury.  Motorcycle Boy intervenes one night while trying to save his brother from serious harm and decides to try and change him. Rusty James resolves to change his ways and be more like his brother. Such noble solutions come at cost though… Considered to be one of Coppola’s best films since Apocalypse Now is a story of brothers, redemption and revenge starring Mickey Rourke and Matt Dillon, not a bad watch by any means!

Eagle Vs. Shark (Taika Waititi,2007)

Quirky romantic comedy starring Jermaine from Flight of the Concords, this film gets its name from a ‘dress as your favourite animal’ party hosted by Jarrod. Lily who attends the party uninvited has a huge crush on Jarrod and just wants to get close to him. They start an awkward relationship even though Jarrod is not interested in her. She meets his father, 9 year old daughter (the result of a one night stand) and learns of Jarrod’s deceased brother. Jarrod is continually mean to Lily, often trying to push her away but will she give up that easily? It’s a weird one, almost too quirky for its own good and too awkward to bare in places. New Zealanders and fans of Flight of the Concords loved it though so you may too!

Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933)

This classic comedy from the 1930’s stars Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo Marx the famed comedy quartet who delighted audiences with their slapstick films. Duck Soup is no exception to their famous mad cap style. The bankrupt state of Freedonia seaks to borrow money from a wealthy lady called Mrs Teasdale. In return for her money she asks for a new president to be appointed, the wacky Rufus T. Firefly. Chaos and nonsense ensues as he takes over the state and neighbouring states attempt to infiltrate his office. It’s as mad and hilarious as the title suggests it to be, guaranteed to cheer you up on a bad day.

Le Donk and Scor-say-zee (Shane Meadows, 2007)

Filmed in five days and largely improvised, this rockumentary follows rock roadie Le Donk as he attempts to make aspiring rapper Scor-say-zee a success. They embark on a crazy and unpredictable journey together and with a little help from the Arctic Monkeys Scor-say-zee is on his way to the top. An amusing fictitious story about the music industry, a nice change from the more depressing subject matter we are used to from Meadows.

 

Snow Cake (Marc Evans, 2006)

An ex-convict accidentally kills a young girl in a car accident and decides to pay the girls mother a visit at her home. Unbeknown to him she is a severely autistic woman who manages to convince him to stay with her while he organises the funeral. He embarks on an emotional journey of friendship, love and grief as he tries to come to terms with his actions. A though provoking drama starring Sigourney Weaver. It’s an emotional one, definitely not about icy baked goods.  

 

Further Reading in the Information Store:

You can find all these DVD's in the DVD ZONE.

Nanook of the North at 791.4353
The Story of the Weeping Camel at 791.4309517
Rumble Fish at 791.43 R
Eagle Vs Shark at 791.43 E
Duck Soup at 791.43 D
Le Donk and Scor-say-zee at 791.43 L
Snow Cake at 791.43 S

Silent Cinema: An Introduction by Paolo Usai - BOOK ZONE - 791.43 USA
The Documentary Film Movement: An Anthology by Ian Aitkin - BOOK ZONE - 791.4353 AIT

Or perhaps these other weird film titles might fuel your curiosity to hunt for more!

Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb by Stanley Kubrick
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ken Kwapis
Poor Cow by Ken Loach

Give it a go, you never know, you might enjoy one of them!