July's Middletown Book for Discussion: The Queens of Crime, Marie Benedict (July 30)

 

The MUM Book Discussion group will next meet on Thursday, July 30.  Our title is The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict.  Here is a brief summary:

"London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment." (publisher)

Here is where you can find the book:

• There are copies available from 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 hardcover, paperback, and Kindle available, and Bookshop.org has links to purchase the title from independent booksellers.

We will meet at 11:30 am 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  The Correspondent, the group also shared these titles for consideration at their June 26 meeting (one quick correction: a member of the group had suggested Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict at our previous meeting, but I had listed the incorrect author):

Blue Nights, Joan Didion

Dear Committee Members, Julie Schumacher

The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune

Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke

Paper Girl, Beth Macy

The Calamity Club, Kathryn Stockett

Hunt, Gather, Parent, Michaeleen Doucleff

A Fortune of Sand, Ruta Sepetys

Tracker 220, Jamie Krakover

The Harvey Girl, Dana Stabenow

How to Start, Jodi Kantor

The Odyssey, Emily Wilson (translator)

Atmosphere, Tayor Jenkins Reid

There is Confusion, Jessie Redmon Fauset

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, Julia Alvarez

A Manual for Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin

On the Calculation of Volume I, Solvej Balle

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

"292:365, 2017, Dorothy's statue IMG_7992" by tomylees is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

June's Middletown Book for Discussion: The Correspondent (June 26)

The MUM Book Discussion group will next meet on Friday, June 26.  Our title is The Correspondent by Virginia Evans.  Here is a brief summary:

"Sybil is seventy-three years old, in the winter of her life. Sybil has always made sense of the world through writing letters and through this epistolary novel we see how she comes to terms with her past and present and learns forgiveness." (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 hardcover, paperback, and Kindle available, and Bookshop.org has links to purchase the title from independent booksellers.

We will meet at 11:30 am on the 26th 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  When We Were Angels, the group also shared these titles for consideration at their May 22 meeting:

We Were the Lucky Ones, Georgia Hunter

The Women, Kristin Hannah

The Girl Behind the Gates, Brenda Davis

The Book Woman's Daughter, Kim Michele Richardson

Paper Girl, Beth Macy

Sarah's Key, Tatiana de Rosnay

The Woman They Could Not Silence, Kate Moore

My Friend Anne Frank, Hannah Pick-Goslar

There is Confusion, Jessie Redmon Fauset

Dawn Powell: a Biography, Tim Page

Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke

Emma McChesney series, Edna Ferber

The Great Forgotten, K.L. Murphy

Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter, Lizzie Pook

Above the Waterfall, Ron Rash

Queens of Crime, Heather Terrell

Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen

Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt

My Octopus Teacher (film)

They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals, Mariah Blake

Harlem Shuffle, Colson Whitehead

Trust, Hernan Diaz

Nothing Ventured, Jeffrey Archer

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

"Writing Letter" by Kristin Hardwick is marked with CC0 1.0.

Five for Finals at the Gardner-Harvey Library! (May 11-15)

As you complete final projects and study for final exams, the Gardner-Harvey Library has five things ready for you! Come in all finals week, 8-5, May 11-15, to enjoy:

1. 10 study rooms for yourself or your group.
2. Free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.
3. Free snacks
4. Check out a laptop or use our computers.
5. Get friendly and expert research and citation help

We want to help you finish strong!

Today!! Field Day and final Zoom talk (May 6)

 Hello!

Today is the day! Field day will be taking place on the quad and in the lower level of the Gardner-Harvey Library on the Middletown campus between 12pm and 2pm. Drop by the table and grab a challenge card then work your way through the stations. You can participate solo or in a group! Prizes for completing 5 and 10 stations!

We also have our final Zoom event of the semester! Details below:

What's In Our Backyard Series

A Tour of the Natural Areas Around Miami University Middletown, A Campus Among the Trees! Wednesday, May 6 | 4 p.m. | Gardner-Harvey Library | Middletown | Zoom and In-person The beautiful, natural areas around the Middletown Campus are a positive protective factor for our region and our university. These areas are a favorable investment for our Metroparks and are open to the community to improve their health through visiting the green spaces. No RSVP is required. MiamiOH.edu/Regionals/Libraries | BurkeJJ@MiamiOH.edu

Visit for Zoom Link

--

Jennifer Hicks, MLIS, MA Instructional Design & Technology

Outreach & Instruction Assistant Librarian

Gardner-Harvey Library

Miami University Middletown

513-727-3221

Help us help students! The Gardner-Harvey Library Care Cabinet is stocked with personal hygiene items for students in need. We also provide free snacks in the lounge because students can't focus when they are hungry. If you would like to help, we would gladly accept donations in person or sent directly through our Amazon Wishlist

May's Middletown Book for Discussion: When We Had Wings (May 22)

​​​

The MUM Book Discussion group will next meet on Friday, May 22.  Our title is When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner.  Here is a brief summary:

"[A]n interwoven tale about a trio of World War II nurses stationed in the South Pacific who wage their own battle for freedom and survival." (publisher)

Here is where you can find the book:

• There are no copies available at Miami or OhioLINK, but ---- use Miami University Libraries Search to search both of those catalogs, plus ---- SearchOhio is back, and they have copies! It is now incorporated into the Miami University Libraries Search (if you search in "Everything" from the search menu). Once again we have access to the holdings of many Ohio public libraries in addition to our usual academic options. You may also access SearchOhio through your local public library.
• Amazon has the hardcover, paperback, and Kindle available, and Bookshop.org has links to purchase the title from independent booksellers.

We will meet at 11:30 am on the 22nd 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  Murder Takes a Vacation, the group also shared these titles for consideration at their April 24 meeting:

Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan book series

Prom Mom, Laura Lippman

Joan Mitchell's art

Alchemised, SenLinYu

Babel, R.F. Kuang  

Paper Girl, Beth Macy

Dopesick, Beth Macy

Factory Man, Beth Macy

A Girl Called Samson, Amy Harmon

The Girl from Greenwich Street, Lauren Willig

The Keeper, Tana French

Mona's Eyes, Thomas Schlesser

Bookish, Matthew Sweet

Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid

You & Me and You & Me and You & Me, Josie Lloyd

Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke

The Astral Library, Kate Quinn

The Book Woman's Daughter, Kim Michele Richardson

The Woman's March, Jennifer Chiaverini

The Woman's Hour, Elaine Weiss

Bluets, Maggie Nelson

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

"p013234" by PhotosNormandie is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

This week at GHL! National Park Talk and design your own socks!

 

National Parks

Krakatoa - the Day the World Exploded Tuesday, Apr. 21 | 4:30 p.m. | Zoom event Many have heard of Krakatoa but may not know that during the 1800s eruption, approximately two-thirds of the volcano located above water disappeared almost instantly. What about the earthquakes leading up to and during the eruption, the tsunamis generated as a result of the eruption, its impact on the spice industry, or even how this volcano formed? Tammie Gerke, Ph.D. in Geology, will provide a presentation on the volcano and its formation, which will be followed by a discussion of the book “Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded” by Simon Winchester. This book is based on personal diary entries of people living in the region leading up to, during, and after the eruption. Learn what it must be like to be impacted by such an eruption from people who lived through it. Please note that you do not need to read the book to attend. If you want to borrow a copy to read, please contact the Gardner Harvey Library staff, and they can assist you with this. No RSVP is required MiamiOH.edu/Regionals/Libraries | BurkeJJ@MiamiOH.edu

Visit for Zoom Link

You Can Make It @ the TEC Lab Makerspace

Design Your Own Socks! Thursday, Apr. 23 | Noon - 2 p.m. | Gardner-Harvey Library, 014 TEC SPACE | Middletown Join us in the TEC Space to design your own socks! Bring a digital image, and staff will walk through how to edit the design. Once your design is ready, we will print and sublimate your socks! Free event, one pair per participant.  No RSVP is required. MiamiOH.edu/Regionals/Libraries | HicksJL2@MiamiOH.edu

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

Regional students are asking about courses that have free or affordable course materials, and the Regional Libraries have assembled a list of them (now updated in Spring 2026)!

You may consult the list of Miami University Regionals courses with free or affordable textbooks as a searchable Google Sheet. There are 120 listed course sections, representing 108 courses. We estimate that Regional students are saving over $300,000 per semester due to faculty choosing these free or affordable course material options.

Thanks to the 54 Regional faculty members who responded to the survey and provided information about their course materials. And a big thank you to Melissa Carrion of TRIO, who inspired us to run the survey. 

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. We do recognize, though, that some course topics may not be able to be addressed using open textbooks, OER, or the use of older textbook editions.

If you are a faculty member who is:

1. using an open textbook, 
2. using some form of OER or instructor-supplied readings, 
3. enabling students to buy or borrow less expensive earlier editions of textbooks, or 
4. using another affordable option for students to access learning materials, 

and you are not included in this list, we want to hear from you. Email John Burke (burkejj@miamioh.edu) with your information and we will add you to the list!  We hope to keep updating and growing this list on an ongoing basis.

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

John Burke and Krista McDonald