Games! Games! Games!

 You have studied until your brain is fried and you need to relax.  What can you do to rejuvenate both mind and spirit? Game of Thrones is long over, and due to the current pandemic, parties are still a way off. The NHTI Learning Commons and Library has you covered! Among our textbooks, graphic novels and bones, we have a great collection of games that can be taken home to enjoy with the family. Many are strategy games that will take your brain down different pathways as you plot and strategize to put yourself or your team in the winner’s circle. Take a look through our catalog to see if any of them pique your interest. I have listed a few below for your consideration.

Exploding Kittens
Ok, this one would be in the list due to its eyebrow raising name alone, but it is a lot of fun as well. This card game is for kids, teens and adults. The player’s greatest desire is to not get the Exploding Kitten card and get blown out of the game. Along with that deadly card there are other action cards including Defuse cards, Pig-a-Corns, All-Seeing Goat Wizards and the fearsome Catterwocky – all of which can help you fend off the dreaded explosion.  Your strategy in the use of these and other action cards will determine your fate – Winner or Boom!

 

Pass the Pigs
Another great name!  Win or lose, it’s all in how you roll the pigs! Each turn a player will throw pig shaped dice and win or lose points based on how the pig dice land. If the pig lands on its side, no points. If it lands on the snout, great job, 10 points. You have to be careful though as a bad roll of the pigs can wipe out your score in an instant.

Ticket to Ride Europe
Draw your cards and build your train route through turn-of-the-century Europe. Longer routes will gain you more points, but your competition is out there making their route plans as well. This Europe edition of the game adds new twists to the original Ticket to Ride game by adding stations, bridges and ferries to your strategy choices.  

Anomia
This is a fast-moving card game where players rush to give an example of the category on their opponent’s card. Players will flip cards until a symbol matches with another player and then both will try to be first in giving an example of the category listed on their opponent’s card. This fun game is for children and adults and requires a quick eye, a sharp mind, and a speedy response time. The player who has won the most of these card battles, wins the game.

Apples to Apples
It’s all about the nouns and adjectives in this classic game. Players will try to match one of noun cards in their hand to the adjective card turned over by the judge. The judge then decides which player card is the closest match to the noun. Much of the fun comes in making that decision because the adjectives can be far afield and the judge may have to stretch their imaginations to make a match. Listening to players defend their cards adds to the fun. The judge changes each round and the first player to make 4 matches is the winner. This is a quick, easy game to play and is sure to bring some smiles.

 

 

 

Social Justice and the Funny Books

Ok, the term ‘funny books’ certainly shows my age (which will be hinted at but never revealed).  The comics of my day have grown from mere colorful depictions of Archie led high jinks and the exciting adventures of the brave, but tragically fashioned challenged, men and women of Marvel and DC to literary showcases of deep, meaningful topics.  While the NHTI Library has many books covering events that are covered under the topic of social justice another layer of understanding is added when the book combines both pictures and words as is the case of graphic novels.  The graphic novels listed below are a sample of the gems you will find in the collection.

 

I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina

Alfonso can't wait to play the role of Hamlet in his school's hip-hop rendition of the classic play. But as he is buying his first suit, an off-duty police officer mistakes a clothes hanger for a gun and shoots Alfonso. When Alfonso wakes up in the afterlife, he's on a ghost train guided by well-known victims of police shootings, who teach him what he needs to know about this subterranean spiritual world. Meanwhile, Alfonso's family and friends struggle with their grief and seek justice for Alfonso in the streets.

 

Incognegro: A Graphic Mystery Novel by Mat Johnson

In the early 20th Century, when lynchings were commonplace throughout the American South, a few courageous reporters from the North risked their lives to expose these atrocities. They were African-American men who, due to their light skin color, could "pass" among the white folks. They called this dangerous assignment going "incognegro.".

 

Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Speigelman

A brutally moving work of art--widely hailed as the greatest graphic novel ever written--Maus  recounts the chilling experiences of the author's father during the Holocaust, with Jews drawn as wide-eyed mice and Nazis as menacing cats.

 

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

Long before he braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father's -- and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future.  In 1942, at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, every person of Japanese descent on the west coast was rounded up and shipped to one of ten "relocation centers," hundreds or thousands of miles from home, where they would be held for years under armed guard.

They Called Us Enemy is Takei's firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the joys and terrors of growing up under legalized racism, his mother's hard choices, his father's faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future.

Climate Changed: A Personal Journey Through the Science by Philipp Squarzoni

Based on the analysis of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), but seen through the perspective of everyman journalist Philippe Squarzoni, this graphic novel explains how our environment functions; outlines the consequences of climate change and asks: is our society able to pursue a proactive policy in regard to ecological issues. Philippe Squarzoni weaves together scientific research, interviews with leading experts, personal reflections and a call for action starting at a grassroots level. 

'Tis the Season....for an inauguration, that is! by: Annie Gagne

January 20, 2021 is Inauguration Day for the United States, an important piece in the presidential cycle. The inauguration of the president of the United States is a ceremony to mark the commencement of a new four-year term of the president of the United States. The inauguration takes place for each new presidential term, even if the president is continuing in office for a second term. 

The office of the presidency is a vital one, carrying with it the responsibility for the wellbeing of our country and its citizens. The holders of this office are varied in life history and experience and a glimpse into their backgrounds and presidencies can be fascinating. The NHTI Library and Learning Commons has many books covering our long line of leaders. Here are just a few to get you into the political season spirit!

 

President Carter: The White House Years
 by: Stuart Eizenstat

The Carter presidency is the most underappreciated of the last century. Often considered just a smiling but ineffectual Southerner in a sweater, Carter deserves to be remembered instead as a risk taker who always did the right thing, not the political thing, whose legacy led to presidential successes long after his term, and whose list of lasting achievements reshaped the country. Stuart Eizenstat saw everything firsthand. As Carter's chief domestic policy adviser, he was directly involved in all domestic and economic decisions as well as in many involving foreign policy. Famous for the legal pads he took to every meeting, he draws on more than 5,000 pages of contemporaneous notes, as well as declassified documents and the 350 interviews he conducted with the era's key players from both parties, to write this comprehensive, yet intimate history.This book is no apologia, however. Eizenstat analyzes Carter's triumphs and failures honestly so we can understand how he confronted some of the most intractable challenges any president has faced. In the end you'll agree that this good man from Georgia was a greater president than history has allowed--and that President Carter: The White House Years is the definitive history of his one consequential term.

 

Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power 
by: Richard Carwardine

As a defender of national unity, a leader in war, and the emancipator of slaves, Abraham Lincoln lays ample claim to being the greatest of our presidents. But the story of his rise to greatness is as complex as it is compelling. In this superb biography, the highly regarded Oxford University historian Richard Carwardine examines Lincoln both in his dramatic political journey and in his nation-shaping White House years. Through his groundbreaking research, Carwardine probes the sources of Lincoln’s moral and political philosophy. We see how, while pursuing office, Lincoln drew strength from public opinion and the machinery of his party. We see him, as a wartime president, recognizing the limits as well as the possibilities of power, and the necessity of looking for support beyond his own administration. We see how he turned to the churches, to their humanitarian agencies, and to the volunteer Union Army for allies in his struggle to end slavery.

In illuminating the political talents that went hand in hand with large and serious moral purpose, Carwardine gives us a fresh, important portrait of the incomparable Abraham Lincoln.

 Obama: An Oral History 2009-2017 
by: Brian Abrams

In this candid oral history of a presidential tenure, author Brian Abrams reveals the behind-the-scenes stories that illuminate the eight years of the Obama White House through more than one hundred exclusive interviews. Among those given a voice in this extraordinary account are Obama's cabinet secretaries; his teams of speechwriters, legal advisers, and campaign strategists; as well as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who fought for or against his agenda. They recall the early struggles of an idealistic outsider candidate and speak openly about the exacting work that led to cornerstone legislation. They share the failures and dissent that met Obama's efforts and revisit the paths to his accomplishments. As eyewitnesses to history, their accounts combine to deliver an unfiltered view of Obama's battle to deliver on his promise of hope and change.

This provocative collage of anecdotes, personal reminiscences, and impressions from confidants and critics not only porvides an authoritative window into the events that defined an era but also offers the first published account into the make of the forty-fourth president of the United States - one that history will not soon forget.

 My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H.W. Bush 
by: Doro Bush Koch

'My Father, My President' takes a fascinating look at the life of former United States President George Bush. The book, written by his only daughter, Doro Bush Koch, is filled with personal stories, family memories and never-before-seen photos.

 The Kennedy Half Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy by: Larry Sabato

John F. Kennedy died almost half a century ago-yet because of his extraordinary promise and untimely death, his star still resonates strongly. On the anniversary of his assassination, celebrated political scientist and analyst Larry J. Sabato-himself a teenager in the early 1960s and inspired by JFK and his presidency-explores the fascinating and powerful influence he has had over five decades on the media, the general public, and especially on each of his nine presidential successors.

A recent Gallup poll gave JFK the highest job approval rating of any of those successors, and millions remain captivated by his one thousand days in the White House. For all of them, and for those who feel he would not be judged so highly if he hadn't died tragically in office, The Kennedy Half-Century will be particularly revealing. Sabato reexamines JFK's assassination using heretofore unseen information to which he has had unique access, then documents the extraordinary effect the assassination has had on Americans of every modern generation through the most extensive survey ever undertaken on the public's view of a historical figure. The full and fascinating results, gathered by the accomplished pollsters Peter Hart and Geoff Garin, paint a compelling portrait of the country a half-century after the epochal killing. Just as significantly, Sabato shows how JFK's presidency has strongly influenced the policies and decisions-often in surprising ways-of every president since.

Finding Fiction By Tim Fisher

Last month I told you about our easier-to-find Movie and TV collection. Now I’d like to mention the changes that we have made to the Fiction collection.

Normally, under the Library of Congress classification scheme, fiction books are found under the letter P. For example, British writers are found under PR, American authors under PS, Scandinavian authors under PT, etc. etc. This has usually meant using the Library Catalog to find the authors you like.

Now, we have separated out our most popular authors’ works and re-labeled them FICTION and have arranged them by the authors’ last names. Now, if you want to find what we have by Stephen King, you just peruse the Fiction shelves until you get to K, and there they are!

And while you may find a few classic authors like Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte have moved to Fiction, don’t worry, we are still keeping many literary tomes such as Moby Dick and Tom Sawyer available in the PS’s, and As You Like It and Ivanhoe in the PR’s.

In this way, we hope to make your browsing experience in the Library easy and fun. Right inside the entrance, you can find movies and TV series by title, audio books by author, children’s picture books like Dr. Seuss by author, Young Adult books by author, and now, lots of popular fiction books by author as well.

As soon as we get back to normal, it should be easy to find that break from studying that you can find in a great book or movie! Stay safe!

                 

Take a Trip through the NH Collection

Previous blogs have highlighted many of the special sections of the NHTI library available to students to enjoy from graphic novels to DVDs to ESL books. One area that should be of special interest to residents of the Granite State is the NH Collection.

Tucked against that far wall as you enter the building (behind the rolling stacks) you will find several shelves of books dedicated to the history and happenings of New Hampshire  It is here that you will find interesting books on individual NH cities, land features such as Mount Washington, nefarious doings that will curdle the blood, and famous personages that have either been born in the state or have visited. Read below for just a taste of what the collection offers.

Mary Baker Eddy by Gil Gillian
Born in Bow, NH Mary Baker Eddy did what so few others, man or woman, has ever done – created a new religion that in 2015 boasted over two billion members. Take this book off the shelf and learn how she went from being a middle-aged widowed and divorced mother in poor health to the founder of The Church of Christ, Scientist as well the founder of a newspaper and three magazines.

Abraham Lincoln in NH by Elwin Page (Author), Mike Pride (Editor)
In February of 1860, Abraham Lincoln graced NH with a three-day visit when he visited his son, Robert, at Phillips Academy in Exeter. While here, Lincoln gave three speeches which helped him gain NH’s backing to be the next President of the United States. 

My Brave Boys: To War with Colonel Cross and the Fighting Fifth
by Mike Pride and Mark Travis
When the Civil War came calling, how did New Hampshire measure up? Mike Pride and Mark Travis use letters, newspaper articles and diaries to shine a light on the courageous “Fighting Fifth” of New Hampshire.

Stories from the White Mountains: Celebrating the Region's Historic Past
 by Mike Dickerman
The White Mountains of New Hampshire has a past rich with explorers, lumberjacks, hotels, trains and so much more. Mike Dickerman brings this history to life detailing events covering plane crashes, logging railroads and even the great Hurricane of 1938. A great read for those who want to look past the foliage and into the background of the area.

Judgement Ridge: the Dartmouth Murders and the Making of Teenage Killers by Mitchell Zuckoff
In January of 2001, two Dartmouth College professors were viciously murdered in their own NH home. The town of Hanover was rocked by the news and by the fear generated in the wake of the murders of Half and Susanne Zantop. Who did it? Why? The answer is as chilling as the crime.

The NH Collection at NHTI Library offers many interesting and exciting looks into our state history.  Take a moment to browse through this area to learn something new about New Hampshire. From the unique storytelling of Fritz Wetherbee to books explaining how our little state owns the first-in-the-nation primary the NH Collection is sure to have something for you.

Let's Take a Trip to Another Land: Dystopian Reads by Annie Gagne

I've always thought reading was a great way to escape one's own reality in exchange for the comedies, tragedies, and the high and lows of their favorite stories. In actuality, there is no better way to escape reality than to enter that of a dystopian novel. Societies divided into factions or districts provide a stark contrast to our everyday communities. What about a world where aliens come to your world and inhabit a human's body in an attempt to make a more peaceful world?  How about a life of never-ending video games that are seemingly meaningless, but are instead preparation for a battle against aliens looking to destroy Earth? These are just a few of the kinds of worlds you can dive into in a dystopian novel and, even better, most are written as a series! Here are a handful of novels you might want to pick up:

 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.*

Divergent by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.  

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing unrest that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.*

 The Maze Runner by James Dashner

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone. Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying. *

 The Giver  by Lois Lowry

The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.*

 The Host by Stephanie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.*

 Legend by Marie Lu

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.*

 The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them - the beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see.  To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother-or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.*

Happy reading!

*Summaries provided by Goodreads

Where Did All of These Movies Come From?

Some of our longtime students know that we have an eclectic and interesting collection of feature films on DVD and Blu-ray. Those who have taken Professor Steve Ambra’s film studies classes are probably aware of that as well. Up until now, it’s been a little difficult to find them because they were divided between shelves in the Circulation Office and stored away in a back room. Now, for the first time, they have a new home in our browsing area just inside the Library to the right of the main entrance. Our collection includes an extensive non-fiction DVD collection which can be searched by the catalog, and an equally impressive collection of films, TV series and children’s videos, all arranged by the title of the show!

To find a movie now is as easy as ABC. If you want Casablanca, look in C; The Man Who Knew Too Much, look in M; and for Disney’s Peter Pan, just look in the children’s section under P.

TV shows, specials and mini-series are shelved next to the feature films and they are also browsable by title…Foyle’s War under F, and Prime Suspect under P.

You may want to conduct your own set of film studies once you see that we have an extensive collection of movies by Hitchcock and Kubrick, as well as John Ford, Fritz Lang, Ingmar Bergman, Buster Keaton, and Sergio Leone!

And all of these DVDs check out for 7 days at a time, giving you plenty of time to curl up on the couch with a nice cup of cocoa and indulge yourself when you need a break from studying for that killer AP exam.

Also, while we know that fictional films are great, don’t forget to turn around and look at the non-fiction films that we have as well. While you may want to grab a catalog computer to look up a special subject, a quick look at the shelves reveals DVDs on Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Ted Williams’ baseball career, Ken Burns’ history of Jazz, PBS’s Eyes on the Prize, weather and climate, first aid, animals and plants and hundreds of other subjects just waiting to be explored.

So, come in and take a stroll past our videos. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find…all because you are part of the NHTI community!

7.5 Billion Dollars!

On September 21^st, 2020 Microsoft bought Bethesda Software for 7.5 billion dollars. Bethesda Software is the parent company of ZeniMax Media which is the creator of such gaming hits as Elder Scrolls, Quake, Doom and Fall Out. What this tells us (besides that Bill Gates is mega rich) is that it is a great time to be a game programmer and a great time to check out NHTI’s Animation and Graphic Game Programming Degree.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the job landscape and you will want to graduate into a career that has anticipated growth and a potentially high salary. As the buyout of Bethesda by Microsoft shows, the game development field is still hot. With an expected growth rate of 21% through 2029 and salary range from $62,000 at entry level to $160,000 at the advanced level, the gaming industry can offer you a solid career path through troubling times.

NHTI’s degree program has the goal of supplying its student with the knowledge and skill set to be able to analyze and solve complex problems posed by game development. At the end of the program you will have the ability to program in multiple programming languages, debug sophisticated software applications, apply math and physics to development and technical issues as well as prepare a personal portfolio presentation for prospective employers or advanced education opportunities.

The NH Dual Admission Program allows you to start at NHTI, earn your two-year associate’s degree and then transfer to a four-year USNH college to finish out with a bachelor's degree. If you are not ready to commit to a degree program and just want to test the waters, NHTI also offers a Game Development Programming Certificate. NHTI has what it takes to start you on your career as the next great game developer.  Listed below are a just a few of the books the library has on game programming.

Building an RPG with Unity 5.x by Vahe Karamian
Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics by Eric Lengyel
Sam's Teach Yourself Unreal Engine 4 Game Development in 24 Hours by Aram Cookson
Computer Game Development and Animation: A Practical Career Guide by Tracy Brown Hamilton
Women in Game Development: Breaking the Glass Level-Cap by Jennifer Brandes Hepler