November/December's Middletown Book for Discussion: The Briar Club, Kate Quinn (December 4)

 

The MUM Book Discussion group will next meet on Friday, December 4.  Our title is The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. Here is a brief summary:

"During the McCarthy era, everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation's capital where secrets hide behind white picket fences. But when the lovely, mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic room, she draws her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship. When a shocking act of violence tears the house apart, the Briar Club women must decide once and for all: who is the true enemy in their midst?" (publisher)

Here is where you can find the book:

• There are copies available from Miami, OhioLINK, and SearchOhio, all searchable and requestable from the Miami University Libraries Search catalog. You may also access SearchOhio through your local public library.
• Amazon has the paperback, Audible, and Kindle available, and Bookshop.org has links to purchase the title from independent booksellers.

We will meet at 11:30am on the 4th both in Room 123 in the Library and on Zoom.  Join the Zoom here! 

Our group is always finding interesting titles to share, and we look forward to the new things you'll bring to the table. In addition to discussing A Founding Mother, the group also shared these titles for consideration at their October 30 meeting:

• My Dear Hamilton:a Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
• The Yankee Sphinx: an FDR Novel, Mark Frost
• The French Illusion, John Grisham
• Abigail Adams' letters are available online in the National Archives (Founders Online collection)
• Theo of Golden, Allen Levi
• The Calamity Club, Kathryn Stockett
• Peter Grainger's DC Smith detective series
• The Woman in Suite 11, Ruth Ware
• Beyond Inheritance, Roxanne Khamsi
• Finding My Way - Malala Yousafzai
• Wildwood (movie)
• On the Calculation of Volume IV, Solvej Balle
• The Running Ground, Nicholas Thompson
  

Please come along to our discussions to share what you've been reading/watching/listening to/experiencing!

If you're looking for something interesting to read, check out our page of past and future reads at http://www.mid.miamioh.edu/library/bookdiscussion.htm

John

"1318 Vermont Avenue, Northwest (House), Washington, District of Columbia, DC." No known copyright restrictions, Credit: Library of Congress via Picryl.com

GHL Midd-mester newsletter!

Hello!

Read the Gardner-Harvey Library Middmester newsletter. This edition includes upcoming library events, new spaces to use, a list of courses with free or affordable textbooks, and tips for research help!

Happy November!

--

Jennifer Hicks, MLIS, MA Instructional Design & Technology

Outreach & Instruction Assistant Librarian

Gardner-Harvey Library

Miami University Middletown

513-727-3221

GHL hosting 2 events this week! (10/21 and 10/23)

Hello!

The Gardner-Harvey Library is hosting 2 events this week! This Wednesday, check out the National Parks Talk on Zoom at 4:30pm. On Friday we welcome you to join library and IT staff for a hike on the Middletown campus!

National Parks

Pinnacles Wednesday, Oct. 21 | 4:30 p.m. | Zoom only event Tammie L. Gerke, geologist, introduces attendees to the geology of national parks and other sites. Get your geology questions answered and participate in lively discussions! Join us for an overview of Pinnacles National Park, where volcanic eruptions formed the terrain. No RSVP is required. MiamiOH.edu/Regionals/Libraries | BurkeJJ@MiamiOH.edu

Visit for Zoom Link

Go Take A Hike!

Friday, October 23

11:00am

The Purple Trail (0.5 miles)

Meeting point for hikes is in front of JHN. Look for the A frame sign with the Go Take a Hike poster. We will depart as a group for the trail at 11:10am.

--

Jennifer Hicks, MLIS, MA Instructional Design & Technology

Outreach & Instruction Assistant Librarian

Gardner-Harvey Library

Miami University Middletown

513-727-3221

Registering for Spring? Consider enrolling in MU Regionals Courses with Free or Affordable Textbooks

Regional students regularly ask library staff about courses that have free or affordable course materials, and the Regional Libraries have assembled a list of them (just updated in Fall 2026)!

From past surveys and many conversations, we know that Regional students are negatively impacted by textbook costs. But it is clear that many Regional faculty members have found ways to decrease or eliminate textbook costs for their students. 

You may consult the list of Miami University Regionals courses with free or affordable textbooks as a searchable Google Sheet. There are 129 listed course sections, representing 114 courses. We estimate that Regional students are saving over $300,000 per semester due to faculty choosing these free or affordable course material options.

As you start registering for Spring courses, keep the listed options in mind as you look to save money on textbooks and other required course materials.

Thanks to the 59 Regional faculty members who have provided information about their course materials. And a big thank you to Melissa Carrion of TRIO, who inspired us to run the survey. 

Anyone with questions or comments about the list should feel free to contact us. Thanks!

John Burke and Krista McDonald

Middletown campus events this week! (10/14 and 10/16)

 Join GHL for 2 events this week!

Today!

You Can Make It @ the TEC Lab Makerspace!

Printing in Pink Wednesday, Oct. 14 | 12:30-2 p.m. | Gardner-Harvey Library, 125 | Middletown Learn how 3D printing works, how to have items 3D printed in the library, and how to use 3D pens! Participants will be able to make their own creations with 3D pens and will also walk away with a small 3D printed item! Meet in the TEC Lab, 125. No RSVP is required. MiamiOH.edu/Regionals/Libraries | HicksJL2@MiamiOH.edu Friday! Join the Middletown library and IT staff for a trail walk on campus! We will be meeting in front of Johnston Hall at 11am and will head out as a group to the trailhead at 11:10 to give extra time for everyone to make it to the meeting point.

--

Jennifer Hicks, MLIS, MA Instructional Design & Technology

Outreach & Instruction Assistant Librarian

Gardner-Harvey Library

Miami University Middletown

513-727-3221

Events at Middletown this week! (10/7)

 Hello!

The Gardner-Harvey Library is hosting 2 events this Wednesday!

Join us for the first of 5 trail hikes on campus! This Wednesday we will be walking the Red trail (0.4mi). Everyone is welcome to join, no registration required. Meet in front of JHN at 11am.

At 2pm we will be hosting a Zoom talk with Janelle Allen.  We hope you can make it to 1 or both events!

Fascinating Physiological Features

Integumentary System Wednesday, Oct. 7 | 2 p.m. | Gardner-Harvey Library | Middletown | Zoom and In-person Important Things Everyone Should Know About How the Human Body Functions Take a focused journey through the various organ systems of our human physiology for optimal health and wellness. The first Wednesday of each month, we will walk through a new physiological system in the human body. All are welcome! No RSVP is required. MiamiOH.edu/Regionals/Libraries | BurkeJJ@MiamiOH.edu

Visit for Zoom Link

October's Middletown Book for Discussion: A Founding Mother, Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie (October 30)

 

The MUM Book Discussion group will next meet on Friday, October 30.  Our title is A Founding Mother by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. Here is a brief summary:

"A sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams-wife of one president and mother to another-whose wit, willpower, and wisdom helped shape the fledgling republic. In the heart of revolutionary Boston, Abigail Adams raises her children amid riots, blockades, and the outbreak of war. While her husband, John Adams, rises from country lawyer to nation-builder, often away for years at a time, Abigail builds her own independence-managing their farm, making lucrative investments, amassing savings, battling plague and loss, and defending their home. Unafraid to speak her mind, she famously offers fearless political counsel, urging John to "remember the ladies" in the new government. From war-torn streets to the chandeliered halls of power, A Founding Mother is the unforgettable story of a woman ahead of her time-one whose voice, vision, and valor still resonate powerfully today." (publisher)

Here is where you can find the book:

• There are copies available from Miami, OhioLINK, and SearchOhio, all searchable and requestable from the Miami University Libraries Search catalog. You may also access SearchOhio through your local public library.
• Amazon has the paperback, Audible, and Kindle available, and Bookshop.org has links to purchase the title from independent booksellers.

Stephanie Dray will be speaking about the book on the Hamilton Campus on October 8 at 7:00pm (more details here) as part of the  MU Regionals Passport to Programming series for Fall 2026.

We will meet at 11:30am on the 30th both in Room 123 in the Library and on Zoom.  Join the Zoom here! 

Our group is always finding interesting titles to share, and we look forward to the new things you'll bring to the table. In addition to discussing Yesteryear, the group also shared these titles for consideration at their September 18 meeting:

• Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly, Marie Bostwick
• 11/22/63, Stephen King
• Educated, Tara Westover
• The Editor, Steven Rowley
• Theo of Golden, Allen Levi
• By Any Other Name, Erin Cotter
• The Paris Wife, Paula McLain
• The Last Mandarin, Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung
  
• Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church, Hahrie Han
• A Perfect Union, Catherine Allgor
• Dickens and Prince - Nick Hornby
• Buckeye, Patrick Ryan
• Crook Manifesto, Colson Whitehead

Please come along to our discussions to share what you've been reading/watching/listening to/experiencing!

If you're looking for something interesting to read, check out our page of past and future reads at http://www.mid.miamioh.edu/library/bookdiscussion.htm

John

"Abigail Adams" by Wally Gobetz is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.