Our annual book swap is going on right now. There’s no better chance to add books to your collection than when you can do it for free. Right outside the Writing Center is a table full of beautiful free books just waiting to be taken home. If you have time to stop inside the Writing Center you will find even more bound beauties available. Maybe you have some books that you are willing to pass on to the next eager reader. We’re ready, willing and able to take those off your hands.
Reach for the Stars, They’re Only 7 (maybe 8…) Feet High
Notice anything new about the Writing Center? When you stop by to pick up or drop off some books, be sure to check out our new ceiling art. The stars, also hanging in the front staircase of Hill Hall, symbolize that a writer’s mind is similar to the universe, expansive, impressive, and full of hot burning stuff just waiting to be discovered. We hope our art encourages you to stop by the Writing Center and let us aid you in uncovering ideas you may have thought were unreachable. We can help. We have the technology.
–Melanie, Peer Tutor
Books can offer some of the most exciting adventures of your life, if only you know where to look. A lot of students are biased against books because school assigned readings can seem forced and unnecessary. In reality, there are books that are as adventurous and lively as any movie or video game out there.
My favorite genre of books is mystery novels. I have always enjoyed solving riddles and puzzles, reading books such as Encyclopedia Brown from a young age. As I grew up I continued to read more complex mysteries. Agatha Christie (my favorite author), for instance, has written dozens of books and hundreds of short stories that feature sleuths like Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple, who baffle their friends and solve crimes with ease. Sherlock Holmes, of course, is the most famous literary detective of all time. I love mystery books because I can play along, trying to solve the crime along with the detective; unfortunately, I almost never guess the criminal correctly.
Another exciting genre of books is action and fantasy. Often, college students assume that a book can never have action, because it only has words, and could never live up to the latest James Bond film. That could not be further from the truth! Not only are books amazingly active, but they also inspire popular movies and T.V. shows all the time: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones are recent examples of this phenomenon. These books kindle the imagination by combining reality with magic, triggering dreams of heroism and greatness.
After Thanksgiving, we are having a Book Swap at the Writing Center (Hill Hall 111). I encourage you to stop by, grab a book or two, and try out a new genre. Who knows? You might find one that excites even you!
Barnabas, peer tutor
With all of the papers, exams, and other time-sucking assignments that inevitably accompany the end of the semester, it may be difficult to get excited about recreational reading. (In case you’ve forgotten, with your brain all muddled up with lit papers and math exams, recreational reading is reading you do for fun in this magical thing called free time.)
Here’s the thing: So much free time is coming! Believe it or not, we have less than a month left in the semester. When winter break hits, you’ll have time to do fun things, like reading! (Yes, reading is fun.)
So why not prepare? Luckily for you, a momentous event is rapidly approaching- the first ever McDaniel Writing Center Book Swap!
During the week after Thanksgiving Break, members of the McDaniel College community can participate in the “take a book, leave a book” system. We already have over 150 books!
How did we get so many already? Well, this past weekend, three peer tutors (including myself) went with the Professor A and his wife, Mrs. Professor A, to the Book Thing. It’s a magical place full of free books, with no strings attached other than they are not for resale. Pretty cool, eh?
We’ll be posting photos of some of our best finds to Facebook and Twitter up until the event begins, but here’s a preview:
Don’t have a book to swap, but want to snag something to read over break? Never fear! You have options! Receive a free book by:
1) Reigstering for our online scheduler while in the office,
or
2) Following or liking the Writing Center if you don’t already, Facebooking or Tweeting a photo of yourself with your book, and then tagging the Writing Center in the post.
It’s so simple!
What if I have the opposite problem, you may ask? If you have books that you want to get rid of, and don’t want to acquire more, we also have options for you. Well, there’s really just one option, and that is: We want all of the books!
http://booktothefuture.com.au/
Yes, including yours. Even the ones the school bookstore rejected.
Now that we all understand what is going on with this book swap thing, there’s only one thing left to do- Join the Facebook event and tell your friends about it!
Hanna, peer tutor