60th Annual Grammy Awards

The 60th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 28, 2018 live from Madison Square Garden in New York City.  James Corden was the host.

The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which ran from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017.

Bruno Mars won the most awards with "XXIVK Magic" (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical), and "That's What I Like" (Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song).

There were tributes to Fats Domino and Chuck Berry ("Ain't That a Shame," "Maybellene"), The victims of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting ("Tears in Heaven"), Leonard Bernstein ("Somewhere"0, Andrew Lloyd Webber ("Don't Cry for Me Argentina"), Tom Petty ("Wildflowers") and Chris Cornell and chester Bennington ("1-800-273-8255").

Check out the display in the Audio-Visual Room.



Announcing the 2018 Andrew Carnegie Medals Shortlist Titles

The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction are awarded annually for  fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the previous year. They are named in honor of the 19th century American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in recognition of his deep belief in the power of books and learning to change the world. This award is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and administered by the American Library Association. The shortlist and winners are selected by a seven member selection committee of library experts who work with adult readers. The winners, one each for fiction and nonfiction, are announced at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in February.  Judge for yourself which of the following six shortlisted books is your winner. Take a read of all six or just one and then see if the recipient of the $5000 reward is also your winner!

Fiction                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
From New York mobsters to the first woman diver at the Brooklyn Naval Station during WWII to the motley crew of a merchant-marine ship in U-boat-infested waters, Egan's insightful and propulsive saga portrays complex and intriguing individual navigating the rising tides of war.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Saunders' boldly imagined, sensitive, and funny historical and metaphysical drama pivots on President Lincoln's grief over the death of his young son, Willie, as the cemetery's dead tell their stories in a wild and wily improvisation on the afterlife.

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
The story of a Mississippi family - brother and sister Jojo and Kayla and their troubled mother, Leonie, and their legacy of grief and spiritual gifts. Ward explores unresolved racial tensions and the many ways humans create cruelty and suffering. The novel is down-to-earth and magical.


Nonfiction
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir by Sherman Alexie
Alexie presents a courageous, enlightening, anguished, and funny memoir told in prose and poetry that pays tribute to his Spokane Indian mother and reveals many complex traumas and tragedies of reservation life, as well as his own struggles.

The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner by Daniel Ellsberg
In a griping mix of memoir and expose, Ellsberg recounts with searing specificity long-hidden facts about the U.S. government's perilously inadequate control of nuclear weapons - an arsenal that endangers all life on Earth - and calls for the dismantling of this Doomsday Machine.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
Grann's true-crime history takes readers to early-1920s Oklahoma, where oil was discovered beneath the Osage territory and where members of the Osage Indian Nation were murdered. This is a riveting story that includes the accruing of power by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI.

U.S. Presidential Fiction

Currently there are five nonfiction books on the New York Times best seller list about current or former United States Presidents: Grant by Ron Chernow, Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff, Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger,  Let Trump be Trump by Corey R. Lewandowski,  The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump edited by Bandy X. Lee and one vice president Promise Me, Dad by Joe Biden. Americans love to read about their Presidents and other politicians! When you finish up the nonfiction titles give one of these fictionalized novels a try.

Lincoln in the Bardo  by George Saunders
Traces a  night of lonely mourning and reflection as experienced by the president after the death of his beloved eleven-year-old son Willie at the start of the Civil War.

Citizen Washington by William Martin
A fictionalized account of George Washington depicts a man full of deficiencies and limitations who overcame personal struggles to become our country's first president.

Thomas Jefferson Dreams of Sally Hemings by Stephen O'Connor
A historical novel inspired by the long term relationship between the third President and Sally Hemings details their first meetings in late-18th -century Paris and the shifting values that shaped their relationship.

Finale: a novel of the Reagan Years by Thomas Mellon
An exploration of the Reagan Administration shares insights into the 40th President's character and decisions while appraising key historical events and the influences of such figures as Margaret Thatcher, Jimmy Carter, and Richard Nixon.

Grant: a novel by Max Byrd
A fictional portrayal of Ulysses S. Grant captures a distinctive, flawed man who led the North to victory in the Civil War, was elected president, failed as both a farmer and businessman, and fought his final battle against cancer.

Memories of the Ford Administration by John Updike
A university professor includes information from his research on James Buchanan, the president preceding Lincoln from 1857 to 1861, while connecting his experiences during the Ford administration of 1974 to 1977.

Those who love: a biographical novel of Abigail and John Adams by Irving Stone
Abigail Smith marries John Adams and faces the country's fight for independence with him.

Podcasts and Audiobook Listen-a-Likes

Do you love listening to podcasts, but need something to fill the time between episodes?  Below, we've provided some audio book "listen-a-likes" for a few popular podcasts.  All audio books are available digitally on either My Media Mall or Hoopla.


And if you're looking for a new podcast fix, check out Glenview Library's very own podcast: Well Read!

Podcast: Invisibilia

Invisibilia is about the invisible forces that control human behavior – ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions. Co-hosted by Hanna Rosin, Alix Spiegel, and Lulu Miller, Invisibilia interweaves narrative storytelling with scientific research that will ultimately make you see your own life differently.

Listen-a-likes:
-Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely, read by Simon Jones (available on My Media Mall)
In a series of illuminating, often surprising experiments, MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely refutes the common assumption that we behave in fundamentally rational ways. Blending everyday experience with groundbreaking research, Ariely explains how expectations, emotions, social norms, and other invisible, seemingly illogical forces skew our reasoning abilities.

-Eyes Wide Open: How to Make Smart Decisions in a Confusing World by Norneena Hertz, read by the author (available on Hoopla)
This game-changing book empowers readers to become confident, independent, wise decision-makers- savvy to how our emotions, moods, and habits can trip us up.

-Think Like A Freak by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, read by Stephen J. Dubner (available on My Media Mall) 
The authors of the seminal economics book, Freakonomics, take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationally—to think, that is, like a Freak.  Levitt and Dubner offer a blueprint for an entirely new way to solve problems, whether your interest lies in minor lifehacks or major global reforms.  Stephen J Dubner also hosts another popular podcast, Freakonomics Radio.


Podcast: The Longest Shortest Time

The Longest Shortest Time feature stories about the surprises and absurdities of raising other humans--and being raised by them.  This podcast takes a thoughtful, offbeat, and funny look at everything involved in parenting

Listen-a-likes:
-The Danish Way of Parenting: What the Happiest People in the World Know About Raising Confident, Capable Kids by Jessica Joelle Alexander and Iben Sandahl, read by Kim Mai Guest (available on My Media Mall)
What makes Denmark the happiest country in the world--and what are the secrets of Danish parents for raising happy, confident, successful kids, year after year? This upbeat and practical guide brings together the insights of a licensed psychotherapist and a mom -- a Dane and an American married to a Dane, respectively -- on the habits of the happiest families on earth.

-The Sh!t No One Tells You: A Guide to Surviving Your Baby's First Year by Dawn Dais, read by Meredith Mitchell (available on Hoopla)
In The Sh!t No One Tells You, Dais reveals what it's really like to be a new parent and provides helpful insights, humor, and hope for those who feel overwhelmed by the exhausting trials they're suddenly facing. Dais offers real advice from real moms-along with hilarious anecdotes, clever tips, and the genuine encouragement every mom needs in order to survive the first year of parenthood.

-How to Not Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn, read by the author (available on Hoopla)
After Jancee Dunn had her baby, she found that she was doing virtually all the household chores, even though she and her husband worked equal hours. She asked herself: How did I become the "expert" at changing a diaper? Many expectant parents spend weeks researching the best crib or safest car seat, but spend little if any time thinking about the titanic impact the baby will have on their marriage-and the way their marriage will affect their child.  How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids tackles the last taboo subject of parenthood: the startling, white-hot fury that new (and not-so-new) mothers often have for their mates.


Podcast: Serial

Serial is a true crime podcast from the creators of This American Life, hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial unfolds one story - a true story - over the course of a whole season. The show follows the plot and characters wherever they lead, through many surprising twists and turns.

Listen-a-likes:

-People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo—and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up by Richard Lloyd Parry, read by Simon Vance (available on My Media Mall)
Chronicles the disappearance, massive search, long investigation, and the even longer murder trial behind the gruesome murder case of Lucie Blackman in Japan.

-The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston, read by Dennis Boutsikaris (available on My Media Mall)
New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston teams up with Italian investigative journalist Mario Spezi to present a gripping account of crime and punishment in the lush hills surrounding Florence, Italy. The Monster of Florence is a remarkable and harrowing story involving murder, mutilation, and suicide--and at the center of it, Preston and Spezi are caught in a bizarre prosecutorial vendetta.

-The Most Dangerous Animal of All: Searching for My Father...and Finding the Zodiac Killer by Gary L. Stewart, read by the author (available on My Media Mall)
Gary L. Stewart set out to find his biological father, but that led him to a horrifying realization that his father may be the elusive Zodiac serial killer. It’s not just a hunch, though: During his hunt, Stewart turns up clues — including forensic evidence — that could conclusively point to his father as the notorious Zodiac Killer. It’s a sensational story that crafts a compelling case and a disconcerting portrait of a murder.


Podcast: Welcome to Nightvale

Welcome to Night Vale is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.

Listen-a-likes:

-Carter & Lovecraft by Jonathan L. Howard, read by Ari Fliakos (available on Hoopla)
Daniel Carter used to be a homicide detective, but his last case--the hunt for a serial killer--went wrong in strange ways and soured the job for him. Now he's a private investigator trying to live a quiet life. Strangeness, however, has not finished with him.

-Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang, read by Todd McLaren and Abby Craden (available on Hoopla)
A collection of stories in which characters must confront sudden change (the inevitable rise of automatons or the appearance of aliens) while striving to maintain some sense of normalcy. In the title story, a grieving mother copes with divorce and the death of her daughter by drawing on her knowledge of alien languages and non-linear memory recollection. Chiang examines what it means to be alive in a world marked by uncertainty and constant change, and also by beauty and wonder.

-Three Moments of an Explosion: Stories by China Miéville, read by Nicholas Guy Smith (available on My Media Mall)
London awakes one morning to find itself besieged by a sky full of floating icebergs. Destroyed oil rigs, mysteriously reborn, clamber from the sea and onto the land, driven by an obscure purpose. An anatomy student cuts open a cadaver to discover impossibly intricate designs carved into a corpse's bones—designs clearly present from birth, bearing mute testimony to . . . what?  Of such concepts and unforgettable images are made the twenty-eight stories in this collection—many published here for the first time.

Gold Medal Reads

With the Winter Olympics coming up next month, I thought it would be fun to highlight some novels that happen to feature some of the winter sports that you'll see coming up.  From hockey to skiing, here is some great fiction to enjoy this winter.

Beartown - Fredrik Backman
Hockey

People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.




L'Affaire - Diane Johnson
Skiing

Diane Johnson returns with another expatriate comedy of manners in this tale of a young dot-com executive from California who sets off for Europe to find culture, her roots, and maybe a cause to devote her considerable fortune to. When Amy checks into one of the finest small hotels in the French Alps - a hotel noted for skiing and for cooking lessons - she encounters a memorable cast of Euro trash aristocrats and ski enthusiasts. She has no plans to fall in love. But on the first afternoon, she is nearly swept away by an avalanche.


Chasing Stanley - Deirdre Martin
Hockey

Professional hockey player Jason Mitchell is thrilled when he's traded to the New York Blades-the team of his dreams. There's just one problem: his pooch isn't adjusting to city life too well. Good thing he crosses paths with dog trainer Delilah Gould. And then he begins to fall for her...


Now, with the season heating up, Jason realizes he'll have to score big to win the Stanley Cup-and the woman who has tamed his dog and unleashed his heart.





Swift Edge - Laura DiSilverio
Figure Skating

When world-class figure skater Dmitri Fane goes missing, his partner knows just whom to hire. It's up to Swift Investigations to find the missing Fane, and fast---the Olympics are just weeks away. It should be no trouble for the investigative team of Charlie Swift and Gigi Goldman: Their chief obstacle is Gigi's teenage daughter, Kendall, and her mad crush on Fane. That is, until the skating team's coach is brutally attacked and a colleague of Dmitri is killed, and things start to get complicated.

Golden Globe Winners 2018

The winners for the 75th Golden Globe Awards were announced last night:

Best Motion Picture - Drama: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Lady Bird

Best Performance in a Motion Picture - Drama: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

Best Performance in a Motion Picture - Drama: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Performance in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: James Franco, The Disaster Artist

Best Performance in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird

Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture: Allison Janney, I, Tonya.

Best Director: Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water

Best Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Original Score: Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water

Best Original Song: "This is Me", The Greatest Showman

Best Animated Feature Film: Coco

Best Foreign Language Film: In the Fade

Best Series - Drama: The Handmaid's Tale

Best Series - Musical or Comedy: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Best Performance in a Television Series - Drama: Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us

Best Performance in a Television Series - Drama: Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid's Tale

Best Performance in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy: Aziz Ansari, Master of None

Best Performance in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy: Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Best Performance in a Miniseries or Television Film: Ewan McGregor, Fargo

Best Performance in a Miniseries or Television Film: Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies

Best Supporting Performance in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film: Alexander Skarsgard, Big Little Lies

Best Supporting Performance in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film: Laura Dern, Big Little Lies 

Best Miniseries or Television Film: Big Little Lies