Library Newsletter - April 2024



a heart made of books

National Library Week

Join us in the library for different activities every day during National Library week.

  • April 8: Make your own bookmark.
  • April 9: Dress like your favorite book character.
  • April 10: Library Appreciation Wall
  • April 11: #CCClibrarysnapshotday
  • April 12: DEAR – Drop Everything And Read.
    Check out a book from the library!


National Poetry Month

National Poetry Month is a special time to celebrate poets’ integral role in our culture. Join the library in celebrating poetry and its impact on our lives. We have a special display where you can build your own “spine poetry.” Come in for inspiration or visit our library poetry guide. Don’t like to create poetry but love listening to it? The library will be hosting a student poetry reading on 4/11 from 4:00 to 5:00 and an employee poetry reading on 4/22 from noon to 1:30. Check the school calendar for more information.  Come join us!

a woman reading a book with her head in the clouds


an example of the victory vibes vault books

Victory Vibes Vault

This Libby collection is the result of a collaboration between Student Success Coach Nate Saari and the CCC Library. Nate reached out to the campus community to get recommendations for books that impacted their learning about the world and themselves in hopes of inspiring our next generation of male scholars to succeed. Featuring books such as: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, The Creative Act by Rick Rubin, and Go Ahead in the Rain by Hanif Abdurraquib.



Professional Development Corner

Professional Development on Libby

The CCC library has a collection of ebooks and audiobooks available on Libby to support you in your professional development. Titles include: The PD Book by Elena Aguilar and Lori Cohen, Leading Equity by Dr. Sheldon L. Eakins, Becoming a Student-Ready College by Tia Brown McNair et al, and Getting Along by Amy Gallo.



New Books

Song of my softening

Song of My Softening

by Omotara James

Omotara James is a poet of the body, brilliantly exploring queerness, the body, and Blackness in a profound way. She moves us emotionally and reminds us of our physical and sensual selves with poems that open wide the questioning of how we express both love and pain, and how we view our bodies in society.

Creep, Leap, Crunch! a Food Chain Story

Creep, Leap, Crunch! a Food Chain Story

by Jody Jensen Shaffer
illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal

From the sun that shines upon the grass and trees to the animals that feed each other, each element in nature has its place. But what happens when the food escapes? Find out with a lyrical, cumulative text that mirrors the food chain itself and detailed art that gets you up close with the animals.

English as a Second Language and Other Poems

English as a Second Language & Other Poems

by Jaswinder Bolina

Always delivered with an edge of irony and incomparable wordcraft, Bolina’s lyrics are by turns vividly imagistic, acoustically playful, and infused with an acute scrutiny. The imagery comes bursting forth studded with sharp details about a wide range of subjects, from alienation to poverty to social protests.

Edible Houseplants

Edible Houseplants: Grow Your Own Citrus, Coffee, Vanilla, and 43 Other Tasty Tropical Plants

by Laurelynn G. Martin and Byron E. Martin

Beginners and houseplant enthusiasts will be delighted to discover the range of tropical plants that can be grown in containers indoors, in any location. This colorful guide features photos along with a list of growing conditions and complete care guidelines for 46 food-bearing plants.

Why Fathers Cry at Night: A Memoir in Love Poems, Letters, Recipes, and Remembrances

Why Fathers Cry at Night: A Memoir in Love Poems, Letters, Recipes, and Remembrances

by Kwame Alexander

This powerful memoir provides an intimate look into Alexander’s life and the loved ones he shares it with. Full of heartfelt reminisces, family recipes, love poems, and personal letters, he inspires bravery and vulnerability in every reader who has experienced the reckless passion, heartbreak, failure, and joy that define the whirlwind woes and wonders of love.

Escargot and the search for spring

Escargot and the Search for Spring

by Dashka Slater
illustrated by Sydney Hanson

This picture book is an irresistibly sweet and charming story about a cute French snail that sets off on a springtime adventure with an adorable bunny. Hanson's gentle watercolors bring to life a charming verdant landscape, unlikely friendship, changing seasons, and springtime fun. 

The book you want everyone you love to read

The Book You Want Everyone You Love to Read: Sane and Sage Advice to Help You Navigate All of Your Most Important Relationships

by Philippa Perry

Perry focuses on the many factors that go into forging, maintaining, and strengthening adult relationships. With practical wisdom, everyday examples, compassion and wit, Perry applies psychological principles to ordinary relationships in an easily digestible form.

Loving someone who has sexual trauma

Loving Someone Who Has Sexual Trauma: A Compassionate Guide to Supporting Your Partner and Improving Your Relationship

by Megan Lar Negendank

If you want to create a supportive and secure relationship with a partner who has experienced sexual trauma, this book can help you get started. It provides a gentle guide that gives you the tools you need to help nurture intimacy and trust, and cultivate a secure relationship where you both can feel loved, safe, and connected.

The People Who Report More Stress: Stories

The People Who Report More Stress: Stories

by Alejandro Varela

Varela’s collection of 13 interconnected short stories views the world through the eyes of gay men who deal with contemporary worries with varying degrees of exigency. Most of the tales are set in Brooklyn, which inspired the author to share searing commentary about gentrification, racism, sex, and political correctness.