GPL Reader Services

Writing Fiction

2012-01-27T10:44:00.002-06:00

Writing a book doesn't happen overnight. It takes time, perseverance, and usually some good editing. As a reader, the writing process seems like a magical process. But real writers will tell you that it takes a lot of work. Here are some books to peruse on the writing process.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King : I have heard several writers say they re-read this title every year to gain some insight into the process.

Practical Tips for Writing Popular Fiction by Robyn Carr: This title focuses on genre fiction.

The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction by James Alexander Thom : For those folks interested in writing historical fiction.

There are magazines available for checking out such as Writer's Digest, Writer, Poets and Writers. And take a peek at magazines we own, that are about specific genre writers and books - Romantic Times Book Reviews, Mystery Scene, Locus, and Historical Novels Review.

And there are always writer conferences to go to. Love Is Murder is the Chicagoland area's writer and fan conference for mystery and romantic suspense. And this year's conference is next weekend, Feb 3-5th. Look at their website http://www.loveismurder.net/ for more details.

And write on. And maybe someday we will have your book in the library.

Gung Hei Fat Choi!

2012-01-24T14:19:00.001-06:00

The Chinese New Year Dragon 4710 began yesterday!

Celebrate by reading some of these novels with "Dragon" in the title:

A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
New threats emerge to endanger the future of the Seven Kingdoms, as Daenerys Targaryen fights off a multitude of enemies, while Jon Snow faces his foes both in the Watch and beyond the great Wall of ice and stone.
Fifth book in the Song of Fire and Ice series

Dragon by Clive Cussler
Adventurer Dirk Pitt matches wits with a group of Japanese nationalist extremists out to establish a new empire as he races against time to recover an atomic bomb lost in the Pacific aboard a B-29 during World War II.

Harrowing the Dragon by Patricia McKillip
Spanning a quarter of a century, an anthology of previously uncollected short fiction explores a world of magic in such works as "The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath," "A Matter of Music," and "The Fellowship of the Dragon.".

Dragon's Fire by Anne McCaffrey
When a mine containing firestone, the mineral that gives the dragons of Pern their ability to breathe fire, explodes, killing the miners trapped there, young Cristov volunteers to take over the dangerous task of retrieving the explosive rock for the dragons.
Part of the Dragonriders of Pern series

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Journalist Mikael Blomkvist and hacker Lisbeth Salander investigate the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, which took place forty years ago.
First in the Millennium Trilogy

Dragon Fire by William S. Cohen
Upon the assassination of the Secretary of Defense, former senator and Vietnam POW Michael Patrick Santini is called upon by his President to fill the vacancy. Once there, he discovers that the United States is under attack by a silent, sinister force, someone determined to alienate our allies and undermine our position as a global superpower. But America is hours away from going to war--with the wrong enemy. Rejecting direct orders from the president, Santini races across the world in a desperate attempt to prevent a catastrophic global war

If Once is Not Enough

2012-01-20T09:26:00.000-06:00

Then you are in luck! Much like Groundhog Day over and over again), there are countless of movie remakes - either with the same or similar titles, made for TV and onto the big screen. Have you seen the different versions? Which did you like better, the original or the remake? Here are a few titles that are available at the library:

The Mummy:
(1932) Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Bramwell Fletcher, Arthur Byron,Edward Van Sloan.
(1999) Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Jonathan Hyde, Kevin J. O'Connor.

All The King’s Men:
(1949) Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, John Derek, Mercedes McCambridge.
(2006) Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet

Journey to the Center of the Earth:
(1959) Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl
(2008) Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem

Ocean's Eleven:
(1960) Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, Angie Dickinson.
(2001) George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Eddie Jemison, Bernie Mac, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Julia Roberts.

True Grit:
(1969) John Wayne, Glen Campbell, Kim Darby, Jeremy Slate, Robert Duvall, Strother Martin
(2011) Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, Hailee Steinfeld

Clash of the Titans:
(1981) Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Burgess Meredith, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress, Claire Bloom, Siân Phillips, Flora Robson, Laurence Olivier.
(2010) Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Alexa Davalos, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson.

Hairspray:
(1988) Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Divine, Debbie Harry, Ricki Lake, Jerry Stiller, Ric Ocasek, Pia Zadora.
(2007) Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley, Allison Janney.

Poseidon Adventure/ Poseidon:
(1998) Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowall, Stevens, Shelley Winters, Jack Albertson, Pamela Sue Martin.
(2006) Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss, Jacinda Barrett, Emmy Rossum, Mike Vogel, Mía Maestro.

New Audiobooks at the Glenview Public Library

2012-01-17T02:24:00.001-06:00

Be sure to check out the following new

audiobooks that have recently become

available at the Glenview Public Library.

You can reserve these titles through our

online catalog by clicking on the titles

below or by calling the Audiovisual Desk

at 847-729-7500 ext. 2602.

Fiction

The Angel Esmeralda by Don DeLillo
Down the Darkest Road by Tami Hoag
The Devil’s Elixir by Raymond Khoury
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
The Next Always by Nora Roberts
The Innocent by Taylor Stevens

Nonfiction
Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy by Bill Clinton
Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope by Gabriel D. Giffords
How I Got This Way by Regis Philbin

Which is better, the book or the movie?

2012-01-13T06:01:00.000-06:00

Many readers are probably already aware that the movie The Hunger Games, based on the book by Suzanne Collins, will open in March of 2012. Note: The second title in the series, Catching Fire, is scheduled to open in 2013.

For those who prefer to read a book before seeing the movie or television version (to determine whether or not it was cast and filmed correctly!) here are a few other books to read in order to be ready for their screen versions:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer: A young boy searches New York for the lock that matches a mysterious key that his father, who died in the 9/11 attack, had left hidden in his belongings.

One for the Money - Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum will be played by Katherine Heigl in the movie of the first mystery in the series.

The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen: HBO will produce a pilot, which Franzen will co-write, for a series based on this book. Ewan McGregor will star in the role of Chip, the middle son.

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (currently filming): This classic is being turned into a movie and a BBC miniseries that will be on Masterpiece Theater. Both versions have given the story a new ending, causing much controversy. Did they ruin it? Read the book first and you can decide!

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy: Shooting has begun, with film stars Keira Knightly and Jude Law. It is directed by Joe Wright (who also directed Atonement and Pride and Prejudice).

On the Road - Jack Kerouac: In this classic book of the Beat Generation, Kerouac writes in his improvisational, stream-of-consciousness style in the early 1950s, becoming the voice of a new generation. He typed the book in three weeks on a single long scroll of paper. (The movie stars Kristen Stewart, Kirsten Dunst, and Viggo Mortensen.)

Big Sur - Jack Kerouac: The book tells the story of Kerouac’s alcoholism and breakdown on the heels of his sudden fame, and his retreat to a cabin in Big Sur; the movie is in production and expected out sometime in 2012.

Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie: (Directed by Deepa Mehta, famous for her Elements Trilogy: Fire, Earth and Water.) The film version of Rushdie’s historical novel about India’s independence from British colonialism is expected in October of 2012. The book won a Booker Prize, and a Best of the Booker prize.

Winter Escape

2012-01-11T07:38:00.001-06:00

If you dream of warm sandy beaches during winter but can't get away, why not let a book take you there? From Havana to Hawaii, here are a few sunny and funny reads that might go well with an umbrella drink.

Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen

Chaz Perron pushes his wife overboard from a cruise liner. Unlucky for Chaz, Joey survives clutching a bale of Jamaican pot. Rescued by a former police officer, she decides not to report him and plots her revenge by haunting and taunting him by playing dead.

Cadillac Beach by Tim Dorsey
On the trail of a stolen stash of gems, Serge Storms and Lenny, his spacey marijuana-addicted sidekick, are back again in this screwball and slapstick crime-spree novel.

Havana Heat by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera
Miami private-eye Lupe Solano is sought after by two clients with ties to Cuba. One who wants to retrieve a priceless tapestry, hidden in her family's Havana home, and an art dealer with somewhat dubious ethics. Not sure whether to take either case, gutsy Lupe heads to Havana for what turns out to be a very suspenseful finale.

Swimsuit by James Patterson
A beautiful supermodel on a photo shoot in Hawaii disappears. LA Times reporter Ben Hawkins hopes to help the victim and get an idea for his next bestseller. He gets a shocking visit that forces him to take a hard-to-resist deal with the devil.

The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

With her divorce approaching and her quilting shop going out of business, Bonnie gets a chance to escape when an old friend invites her to Hawaii to help launch a new quilter's retreat at a charming bed and breakfast.

Forthcoming fiction for February

2012-01-09T11:34:00.001-06:00

Here are some titles coming out this February. You can reserve these by going to our Online Catalog, Bibliocommons or by calling the Reader Services Desk at 847-729-7500 x7600!

Into the Darkness by V.C. Andrews

Death of a Kingfisher by M.C. Beaton

Guns in the Gallery by Simon Brett

Ragnarok: the End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt

Sonoma Rose by Jennifer Chiaverini

No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie

Yours, Mine and Ours by MaryJanice Davidson

Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke

Kill Shot: an American Assassin Thriller by Vince Flynn

Catch Me by Lisa Gardner

Deader Homes and Gardens: a Claire Malloy Mystery by Joan Hess

Left for Dead by J.A. Jance

Victims: an Alex Delaware Novel by Jonathan Kellerman

I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

World Divided by Mercedes Lackey

Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

Oath of Office by Michael Palmer

Private Games by James Patterson

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb

Before the Poison by Peter Robinson

Restless in the Grace by Dana Stabenow

Board Games in the Teen Scene!

2012-01-06T09:09:00.000-06:00

Attention high school teens! Looking for a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon? Want to take a break from your studies for a short time? Board games are great stress relievers!

We have a wonderful assortment of board games for use in the Teen Scene: Apples to Apples, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Boggle, Chess/Checkers, Cranium, Deck of Cards, In A Pickle: The What's in a Word Game, Jenga, Monopoly, Scattergories, Uno. Teens may use any of the games with a valid library card or student ID, which will be held at the Reader Services Desk. There are games that can be used as a single, and others that are great group games. Bring a crowd and host an afternoon of Monopoly or enjoy your own tournament-style card game.

Games can be used during Library hours, up to 30 minutes before closing. All board games are for use in the Teen Scene only, by high school teens.

Any questions or game purchase suggestions, please contact Nicole M. Mills, Young Adult Librarian, at 847-729-7500 x2613 or email Nicole .

Six Favorites from 2011

2011-12-30T07:00:00.002-06:00

As the 2011 publication year draws to a close, I thought I'd use this opportunity to champion a few titles from the past year that I particularly enjoyed.

Blood, Bones & Butter:The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton

I was extremely impressed with this book by Gabrielle Hamilton, the owner/chef of Prune, a critically-acclaimed restaurant in NYC. Hamilton has written an exceedingly honest, heartfelt memoir about growing up too fast and too alone, about her circuitous path through higher education, about her hard work learning, observing, and surviving in restaurant kitchens. She writes of the grueling life of a restaurant chef and the seemingly impossible job of running a restaurant, raising a family and trying to sustain a marriage. The writing is excellent.

The audio version of this book is wonderfully read by the author. It feels right for memoir writers to read their own stories. The listener has the opportunity for an even more intimate “reading” experience with the added quality of the author's voice.

The Call by Yannick Murphy

A large animal veterinarian narrates this unique novel set in rural Vermont. The structure of this story takes the form of a vet's call log. The logged calls provide the format and forward movement for the book, but the "log" is much more than a look at veterinarian's routine day. Through the log the narrator reveals his innermost thoughts and keen observations, which become particularly affecting when a hunting accident leaves the vet's twelve-year-old son in a coma. Joy, stress, anger, worry, and love of family are at the heart of this original novel.

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

Using spare, poetic prose, Otsuka chooses to tell this beautifully written immigrant story in the first person plural, which gives this novel a very unusual voice. The story begins on a ship in the early 20th century as Japanese mail-order brides make their way from their homeland to America. They carry photos of handsome men and the hopes of a better life. On arrival, they discover men who look nothing like their pictures and confront the reality that their lives will, in most cases, be filled with backbreaking labor and hardship. The story follows these women’s lives until their removal to relocation centers just prior to WWII. Amazingly, this story is told in just 129 pages. After finishing this book, I immediately picked up Otsuka’s When the Emperor Was Divine (2002), another poignant story about the experience of Japanese-Americans--this novel focusing on their internment during World War II.

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Twenty-one-year-old Tess is found dead in an abandoned park building, her death officially pronounced a suicide. Beatrice, Tess's older sister, doesn't buy the suicide verdict. Her knowledge of her sister runs so deep that Beatrice is absolutely certain her sister was murdered. Guilt and love push Beatrice to try and uncover her sister's killer.

Beatrice tells this story as one long letter...a love letter, really...to her sister, which reveals the series of events that led to Tess's death. This suspenseful, fast-paced, psychological thriller has a big surprise ending.

Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman

A witty, fast-paced, humorous, yet thoughtful debut novel. Thirty-five-year-old Tom Violet feels stuck in his copywriter job with a corporation that seems to have no real purpose in the world. He really wants to be a novelist, but that's a particularly tough road for him to follow--his famous father has just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The passion seems to have disappeared from his marriage, which worries Tom, as does the fact that he's far too distracted by the twenty-three-year-old copywriter who works with him. How Tom handles these mid-life crises is both funny and touching.

This book reminded me of Richard Russo's writing as I was reading it. Interestingly, in the back matter of "Domestic Violets", the author reveals that one of his influences was Russo's "Straight Man"--one of my all-time favorite novels.

Vaclav & Lena by Haley Tanner

Vaclav and Lena meet as five-year-olds in an English as a Second Language class. Both are children of Russian immigrant families living in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach neighborhood. The two quickly become fast friends, their daily lives intertwined. The outgoing Vaclav is intent on becoming a famous magician, with shy Lena as his beautiful assistant. By the time the two children are ten, however, Lena’s unacceptable home situation forces Vaclav's mother to intervene…and Lena disappears from young Vaclav’s life. No magic can make her reappear. Vaclav is devastated, but he never forgets about Lena, nor she about him. On Lena’s seventeenth birthday, she vows to find Vaclav and the many missing parts of her life. Heartbreaking at times, this moving adult novel about love and loss may also find a strong audience among high schoolers.

This is a debut novel for Haley Tanner, whose own personal story is also heartbreaking and touching.

Broadway Lights in Chicago

2011-12-26T14:36:00.001-06:00

Want to warm up this winter and think spring? Listen to a musical and forget all your troubles! You can soon find materials on these musicals on display at the library.

Bank of America Theatre, Chicago

Come Fly Away - January 10-22
* Jersey Boys - April 5-June 2

Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago
* South Pacific - February 14-26
Bring It On: The Musical - March 6-25

Drury Lane, Oakbrook
* Sound of Music - October 20-January 8
* Gypsy - January 19-March 25

Light Opera Works, Evanston
* Camelot - June 1-10

Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire
* Legally Blonde: The Musical - January 18-April 1
* The Pirates of Penzance - April 4-June 10
Hero: A New musical - June 20-August 19

Oriental Theatre, Chicago
* In the Heights - January 10-16
* Mamma Mia - January 24-29
* American Idiot - February 7-19
* Fela! - March 27-April 8

Classic Christmas Stories

2011-12-23T02:51:00.004-06:00

Nothing conveys the holidays quite like a classic Christmas story and the best story experiences come from a book + our own creative imagination. It wouldn't be Christmas without a reading of A Christmas Carol. Here are some classic stories to keep you in the holiday spirit:

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Three ghosts take Ebeneezer Scrooge to Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future to change his ways in this all-time favorite story of repentance.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

This is one of the greatest works by O. Henry and the best Christmas romance ever written. It shows how we sacrifice for the ones we love.

The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson
This is a sad tear jerker about a poor little girl who gets to have the Christmas of her dreams.

Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck

A classic tale about showing love on Christmas as a boy surprises his father on Christmas morning by getting up early and milking the cows on their farm.

Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke
The classic tale of the fourth wise man, Artaben, who did not arrive in Bethlehem in time to present his gifts to the Saviour and spent his life searching for the Christ.

The Three Trees by Author Unknown

Three trees that dream of greatness are surprised by the way their dreams come true.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
This newer classic tells a story about a boy learning the importance of belief.

Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
The original story about Santa Claus.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
Who could forget the following classic line, "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

The Nativity Story (Luke 2:1-20)
This is the most classic story of Christmas.

Christian Fiction: Christmastime Stories

2011-12-19T09:29:00.001-06:00

Here are some funny, inspiring or thought-provoking books to read for a quick break from the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations.

Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon

Having pursued scholarly matters all of his life, Father Tim Kavanagh discovers the joys of working with his hands when he discovers a worn-out nativity scene and begins to restore it. This is number eight in the popular Mitford year’s series.

The Memory Quilt by T.D. Jakes

Life doesn't always unfold in a perfect way, even for God-loving, churchgoing people like Lela. It is winter in Chicago, and as the days of the season progress, Lela participates in a Bible study group that focuses on the Virgin Mary, and receives messages and guidance.

Christmas in Harmony by Philip Gulley
Quaker minister Sam Gardner copes with the eccentrics of his congregation while attempting to counter church elder Dale Hinshaw's plans for a "progressive" nativity scene on Christmas Eve.

A Plain and Fancy Christmas by Cynthia Keller
Raised in a close knit Amish community, Rachel returns to her parent’s home to raise her young daughter Katie after the death of her husband. Ellie has a high powered public relations job in New York City and has no time for her friends, family or her boyfriend. These two very different women receive shocking news that will change their lives forever; thirty years ago they were accidentally switched in the hospital. With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, it takes the love of both families for Rachel and Ellie to discover their own paths to fulfillment and happiness.

Dearest Dorothy, Merry Everything by Charlene Ann Baumbich
Through four Dearest Dorothy novels, Charlene Ann Baumbich has beguiled a growing legion of readers with the humorous and endearing denizens of Partonville, Illinois. Her latest heartwarming addition opens with everyone pitching in to help a local family rocked by tragedy. Meanwhile, Katie Durbin worries that her ambitious plan to revitalize Partonville's shopping district will crumble under the bullheaded doubts of a few townies-unless a Christmas miracle (and a few of Dearest Dorothy's prayers) can help her to win those stubborn folks over.

Hannah’s Hope by Karen Kingsbury
Because her father is the U.S. ambassador to Sweden, 15-year-old Hannah has been left in the care of her grandmother while she attends a Washington, DC, prep school. Hannah wants nothing more than to have her parents’ home for Christmas, but her world turns upside down when she uncovers that her father is not her biological father. Hannah's search for her father leads her to air force pilot Mike Conner, who has just accepted a dangerous mission in Iraq.

Snowed In

2011-12-16T13:20:00.004-06:00

We’ve all noticed how lucky we’ve been with the weather here in usually-snowy Glenview. I for one wouldn’t mind if I didn’t see a snowflake all winter! But in case you’re really missing the white stuff, here are some books that take place during winter snows and even blizzards. So stay warm and comfy at home while you read about others braving the winter elements.

Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman
A tale based on a deadly 1984 North Dakota blizzard follows the experiences of a small rural community devoted to its high-school athletics and its citizens' minor scandals, until a dangerous storm impacts the town in unsettling and powerful ways.

Tempting Evil by Allison Brennan
Struggling to recover from the loss of her husband and child, Joanna Sutton seeks refuge at her family's secluded Montana lodge, until she is called in to join the search for a local Boy Scout troop, stranded in the wilderness by a blizzard, a rescue mission that brings her face to face with local sheriff Tyler McBride and a cunning killer.

Midnight Champagne by A. Manette Ansay
When the Great Lakes Chapel and Hideaway Lodge had a cancellation on Valentine's Day, April and Caleb decided to have a big wedding after all. Formerly a house of ill repute, the tacky lodge is a magnet for trouble, and sure enough the record-breaking blizzard that whips up as the guests arrive creates an aura of impending disaster.

Heaven’s Fury by Stephen Frey
Preparing for a dangerous snowstorm in rural Wisconsin, sheriff Paul Summers finds his efforts hampered by the arrival of a mysterious group of criminals, a suspicious disappearance, rumors of cult activity, and the murder of a former lover.

Chill Factor by Sandra Brown
When a serial killer who leaves a blue ribbon at the site of his victims' last sightings appears in the peaceful town of Cleary, North Carolina, police chief Dutch Burton finds the case complicated by his ex-wife's disappearance during a blizzard.

A Christmas Blizzard by Garrison Keillor
A wealthy and depressed man bound for Christmas in the tropics is abruptly summoned home to North Dakota to visit an ailing aunt, arriving just in time to be trapped there by a blizzard.

Tokyo Cancelled by Rana Dasgupta
In the midst of a blinding snowstorm that shuts down Tokyo’s main airport, 13 stranded tourists pass the hours by spinning stories that reflect their diverse and colorful backgrounds.

Aunt Dimity, Snowbound by Nancy Atherton
After being caught in a blizzard, Lori Shepherd takes refuge in Ladythorne Abbey, the former home of the late Lucasta DeClerke, where she uncovers a plot to steal a priceless DeClerke family heirloom.

Read One of the Best!

2011-12-14T12:59:00.000-06:00

Sometimes it can be difficult to see beyond the craziness of the holidays, but January will be here soon, and it is the perfect month to hibernate with a good book. When you have a spare moment, take a look at these links to the Best Books of 2011 and make your reading list with the hope that you will actually have time in January to read one of the best.

Top Picks from The Chicago Tribune - A manageable list put together by our hometown newspaper.

The 10 Best Books of 2011 by The New York Times - If you are overwhelmed by lengthy lists, this one is edited to a short list of 10.

Bookpage Best Books of 2011 - 50 of the best according to Bookpage that includes fiction and non-fiction selections.

Publisher's Weekly Best of 2011 - 100 of the best for adults and children, selected by the review staff of the magazine of the book industry.

Christmas Book Bag: My top ten books for 2011 - Chicago local Al Gini from WBEZ chooses his 10 favorites of 2011.

Goodreads Choice Awards - 638,603 ballots were cast by the voracious readers and followers of the goodreads blog to select the best fiction and non-fiction of 2011.

And, if you would like to see even more of the best books you can take a look at this extensive list at the largeheartedboy.com.

Romantic Christmas Stories

2011-12-09T18:50:00.003-06:00

Not quite in the mood for the holidays yet? Too much running around? Want to read to relax - but don't have a lot of time? Want a feel good story? Try reading some romantic short stories!

A Harlequin Christmas Carol has three intertwined stories by Betina Krahn, Jacquie D'Alessandro and Hope Tarr - Three apprentice angels are trying to get their wings, but they must find true love for their charges.

The Heart of Christmas has three historical stories by award winning Mary Balogh, Nicola Cornick, and newcomer Courtney Milan.

Under the Mistletoe contains two contemporary novellas by Linda Howard and Stephanie Bond. These tales bring together the joy of Christmas and the wonder of love.

And there are many more Christmas story collections in the Romance section - just check after the Z's. Or ask the librarian at the desk.

Sappy? Maybe. But take a some time for yourself during this busy season. Have a little romance, go to bed with a bit more Christmas cheer, and dream big!

Happy Holidays!

Forthcoming fiction for January

2011-12-08T15:48:00.002-06:00

Here are some titles coming out this January. You can reserve these by going to our Online Catalog, Bibliocommons or by calling the Reader Services Desk at 847-729-7500 x7600!

A Charitable Body by Robert Barnard

The Rope: an Anna Pigeon Novel by Nevada Barr

Power Play by Ben Bova

Shadows in Flight by Orson Scott Card

Gideon’s Corpse by Lincoln Child

Death of Kinds by Bernard Cornwell

Taken by Robert Crais

The Evil That Men Do by Jeanne M. Dams

Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich

Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George

Need You Now by James Grippando

Home Front by Kristin Hannah

Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert

A Devil is Waiting by Jack Higgins

Gun Games by Faye Kellerman

Copper Beach: a Dark Legacy novel by Jayne Ann Krentz

Raylan by Elmore Leonard

The Hunter by John Lescroart

How It All Began by Penelope Lively

Deadline by Fern Michaels

All I Did Was Shoot My Man: a Leonid McGill Mystery

by Walter Mosley

The Odds by Stuart O’Nan

Breakdown by Sara Paretsky

The Jaguar by T. Jefferson Parker

Private: #1 Suspect by James Patterson

The Confession by Charles Todd

The Quality of Mercy by Barry Unsworth

December Programs Shine for Teens!

2011-12-01T06:22:00.000-06:00

We have 3 exciting programs scheduled for December to fit every teen need!

December 2nd is the next Teen Game Night event. Each month, two giant screens and large Boomchairs are available in the Community Room for ages 13-18 to have fun gaming. The Library owns Nintendo Wii, XBOX360, and Playstation 3 along with a variety of different games, or teens may bring in their own games to share. Pizza and pop are available each time for all who participate. Since the new Library has opened in October 2010, we have averaged 15 teens at each gaming event. A true success!

December 17th we will host a Card Stamping program. For those that like to scrapbook, this is a perfect way to get creative and make fun holiday cards to send to friends and family. Our staff expert, Monique Flasch, will be on hand to show teens different stamping techniques and various ways to showcase talent with card stamping. All materials will be provided.

Only two short days later we will have our annual Cookies in a Jar program! December 19th teens will be able to make two cookies in a jar---oatmeal and MandM---to bring home to use either as a gift, or for themselves. Instruction tags as well as all ingredients and embellishments will be provided. This has become very popular over the past two years and will hopefully follow the trend this year as well! Pick a holiday-inspired jar topper and ribbon to finish off the look.

Registration is now in progress! Don't miss out on the fun, register today! Go to the Glenview Public Library's web site at http://www.glenviewpl.org and click on Calendar and Events, or call 847-729-7500 and ask for the Reader Services Desk. A staff person would be happy to assist you. Register for yourself, or for a group!

Any questions please contact Nicole M. Mills, Young Adult Librarian, at 847-729-7500 x2613 or email nmills@glenviewpl.org.

Welcome to the Audio Visual Room

2011-11-28T10:59:00.000-06:00

…or as we lovingly call it, the AV Room. It is the first room to the left when you enter the main Library, and is sometimes mistaken for a bank because of the signage right above the desk. If you are looking for music, movies, audio books, and AV holds, this is the place!

There are over 12,000 CDs in our music collection, ranging from Blues to Classical, from Country to Rap/ Hip-Hop. The CDs are shelved according to the Call Number, either by genre or Dewey Decimal system, and within each of that they are arranged in alphabetical order by artist. You may check out up to 10 CDs for 3 weeks.

As for movies, there are over 6,000 DVDs - feature films (arranged in alphabetical order by title) and documentaries (arranged by the Dewey Decimal System). Feature films have a loan period of 7 days for $1.00. This collection includes foreign language films, TV series, BBC films, black and white films, and even a few silent movies. Documentaries circulate for 21 days and are free of charge. If you have a VCR player, there are still videotapes available.

Audio Books, of which there are over 4,000 items, are available on CD, cassette, and Playaway formats. Playaways are preloaded cassette players that only require you to supply your own headset and one AAA battery. All of these materials can be checked out for 21 days, free of charge.

When a hold on one of the above mentioned materials becomes available for you, this is where you will find it, shelved under your last name.

And last but not least, the AV room has it’s very own check out counter, right across from the desk.

Download some Holiday Cheer!

2011-11-25T06:28:00.001-06:00

Maybe you are hoping to unwrap an e-reader this holiday season, give one with some titles already loaded, or maybe you already have one and want to curl up with a good holiday title. Here are a few to consider in no particular order. Happy Holidays! (You will need your Glenview Public Library card number to check these ebooks out)

Wishin’ and Hopin’ by Wally Lamb
A hilarious account of fifth grader Felix Funicello in the months leading up to Christmas 1964. Set in the fictional town of Three Rivers, Connecticut.

Christmas in Cedar Cove by Debbie Macomber
It's Christmas in Cedar Cove, setting for some of the most beloved stories by "New York Times"-bestselling author Macomber. This volume presents her classic holiday tale "A Cedar Cove Christmas," along with the bonus story 5-B Poppy Lane.

The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank
Theodora has finally gotten her family together in South Carolina to celebrate Christmas, but the holiday looks nothing like the extravagant, homey holidays of her childhood. Luckily for her, a special someone who heard her plea for help arrives.

The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
On a train ride to Los Angeles, cash-strapped journalist Tom Langdon encounters a ridiculous cast of characters, unexpected romance, and an avalanche that changes everyone's Christmas plans.

I'll Be Home for Christmas by Fern Michaels
Four classic holiday tales from beloved, "New York Times"-bestselling author Michaels are gathered together for this unforgettable collection. Includes Comfort and Joy, The Christmas Stocking, A Bright Red Ribbon, and Merry, Merry.

New Audiobooks at the Glenview Public Library

2011-11-24T05:46:00.000-06:00

Be sure to check out the following new audiobooks that have recently become available at the Glenview Public Library. You can reserve these titles through our online catalog by clicking on the titles below or by calling the Audiovisual Desk at 847-729-7500 ext. 2602

Fiction
Zero Day by David Baldacci
The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian
Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Nightwoods by Charles Frazier
V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje

Nonfiction
The Time of Our Lives by Tom Brokaw
Blue Nights by Joan Didion

34th Kennedy Center Honors

2011-11-22T08:25:00.000-06:00

"This year, the Kennedy Center celebrates its 40th anniversary by selecting five extraordinary individuals whose collective artistry has contributed significantly to the cultural life of our nation and the world," said Kennedy Center Chariman David M. Rubenstein.

The annual Honors Gala will be held on Sunday, December 4, 2011 and will be broadcasted on CBS on December 27 at 8:00 CST. Honored this year are Barbara Cook, Neil Diamond, Yo-Yo Ma, Sonny Rollins and Meryl Streep.

Barbara Cook - Singer; born October 25, 1927, in Atlanta, Georgia
Cook began her singing and acting career in New York in 1950, when she was recommended for a summer camp show in the Poconos. In 1951 she had her Broadway debut, as Sandy in Sammy Fain and E.Y. "Yip" Harbur's musical Flahooley.

From there, she played such roles as Ado Annie - Oklahoma!, Carrie - Carousel, Babes in Toyland, Bloomer Girl and Plain and Fancy in 1955. She was also cast as Cunegonde in Leonard Bernstein's Candide. Laster she won a Tony Award as featured actress in a musical for her role as Marian the Librarian in Meredith Willson's 1957 The Music Man.

Cook has performed at Carnegie Hall in 1975, followed by performances at the Kennedy Center to San Francisco's Davies Hall, London's Royal Albert Hall, Venice's La Fenice, Barcelona's Gran Teare de Liceu, and the Sydney Opera House.

Neil Diamond - Sing and songwriter; born January 24, 1941, in New York, NY
Neil Diamond is an accomplished pop sonwriter in our era. He has written songs that encompass rock, folk and blues to country, Tin Pan Alley and top 40 pop.

He wrote his first song, "Hear Them Bells" when he was 16. In 1966 he produced his first three singles: "Solitary Man," "Herry Cherry," and "I Got the Feelin' (Oh No. No). In 1970 he wrote his first Number One hit "Cracklin' Rosie."

Diamond was named into the Songwriter Hall of Fame in 1984 and inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2011. Paul Simon said of Diamond that "He was known as the Jewish Elvis Presley. In fact, in many synagogues across the country Elvis was considered a bogus Neil Daimond.

Yo-Yo Ma - Cellist, born October 7, 1955, in Paris, France
Ma first studied cello with his father. At the age of seven he played for Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. He made his American television debut at eight with Leonard Bernstein and studied with Leonard Rose at the Julliard School.

He records exclusively with Sony Records and has expanded his repertory beyond the classical to music of Appalachia as well as Brazil, China, and India.

In 1998, Ma founded the Silk Road Project and has established partnerships from the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. The Silk Road Ensemble have performed at workshops at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Carnegie Hall.

"A good musician," Ma once said, "is someone who says: 'How can I contribute?'"

Sonny Rollins - Saxophonist, composer; born September 7, 1930, in Harlem, NY
Branford Marsalis has called him "the greatest improviser in the history of jazz" after Louis Armstrong. His playing, according to the New York Times, is "among the most satisfying experiences one can derive from listening to jazz."

Robbins discovered Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong as a teen. First playing alto sax, later switching to tenor. He was inspired by Louis Jordan, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Park and Thelonious Monk, who became his mentor.

He made his first major recording in 1953: Sonny Rollins and the Modern Jazz Quartet, which is a jazz classic. Other recordings were St. Thomas, Blue 7, Freedom Suite and The Bridge in 1962. Rollins has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Arts.

Meryl Streep - Actress, born June 22, 1949, in Summit, New Jersey
Streep has made more than 45 movies and has received 16 Academy Award nominations, winning two, and 25 Golden Globe nominations, winning seven. She has more nominations than any other actor in the history of either award. She has earned two Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Cannes Film Festival award, five New York Film cirtics Circle Awards, five Grammy Award nominations, A BAFTA awards, an an Australian Film Institute Award. In 2004, she was awarded the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award.

Streep was first interested in opera, but decided to study theater instead, graduating from Vassar College in 1971. She later earned an M.F.A. from the Yalae School of Drama in 1975.

In 1978 blossom with her role in The Deer Hunter. She won her first Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role as Joanna Kramer in Kramer vs. Kramer. She has been the drriving force for some of biggest world-wide hits of the past few years: The Devil Wars Prada, Mamma Mia!, Julie and Julia, and It's Complicated.

"She is a great actress, probably the best of her generation, and has given one wonderful performance after another," says the film critic Rogert Ebert. Director Alan J. Pakula said, "If there's a heaven for directors, it would be to direct Meryl Streep your whole life."

Come to the Audiovisual room at the library and check out the display on these honorees in December.

Forthcoming Fiction for December

2011-11-18T16:49:00.008-06:00

Here are some titles coming out this December. You can reserve these by going to our Online Catalog, Bibliocommons, or by calling the Reader Services Desk at 847-729-7500 x7600!

Vigilant by Stephen J. Cannell

Locked On by Tom Clancy

Death Benefit by Robin Cook

Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell

Threadbare by Monica Ferris

Covert Warriors by W.E.B. Griffin

Ran Away: a Benjamin January novel by Barbara Hambly

Down the Darkest Road by Tami Hoag

77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz

A Bespoke Murder by Edward Marston

The Forgotten Affairs of Youth by Alexander McCall-Smith

Chocolate Covered Murder by Leslie Meier

Four Play at Foul by Ann Purser

Sleepwalker by Karen Robards

Supervolcano: Eruption by Harry Turtledove

D.C. Dead by Stuart Woods

Glenviewings Friday: Incendies

2011-11-16T18:23:00.013-06:00

Please join us Friday for a screening of the film Incendies. Directed by Denis Villenueve and based on the 2003 drama Scorched by playwright Wajdi Mouawad, Incendies was nominated for a 2010 Best Foreign Language Academy Award and received widespread critical acclaim. A tradedy of Greek proportions unfolds as a set of twins travel to their deceased mother's ancestral homeland and unravel the atrocities of her past. Please join us in the Community at 2:00 or 6:30, just drop in.

National Book Awards, 2011

2011-11-11T05:51:00.005-06:00

The first annual National Book Awards, given to writers by writers, were presented in March of 1950. Since then, such writers as William Faulkner, Saul Bellow, Flannery O’Connor, Joyce Carol Oates, Alice Walker, John Updike, and Bernard Malamud have been recognized by their peers. More recent winners include Julia Glass, Richard Powers and Jonathan Franzen.

This year’s National Book Award Finalists were announced on Oct. 12, 2011 on Oregon Public Radio.

Of the 315 submitted fiction titles, the following were chosen as finalists:

The Sojourn - Andrew Krivak

The Tiger's Wife - Téa Obreht

Buddha in the Attic - Julie Otsuka

Binocular Vision - Edith Pearlman

Salvage the Bones - Jesmyn Ward

Which book will claim the honor for 2011? You can find out on November 16^th by going to The National Book's website at 7 p.m. to watch John Lithgow host the announcement event. No matter who wins, we are left with a list of five outstanding books, all of which can be checked out at Glenview Public Library.

You Know When the Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon

2011-11-08T08:50:00.003-06:00

,As veteran’s day approaches, it seems a fitting time to feature Siobhan Fallon’s recent book, You Know When the Men Are Gone. Fallon’s well-written, moving stories are eye-opening for most of us who have little connection to the modern military.

The main setting of Fallon’s loosely interconnected short story collection is the large military base at Ft. Hood, Texas. Through the stories the reader experiences the incredible burdens that a year-long deployment to a war zone places on a family. When the men are gone, a military base abruptly changes. Domestic responsibilities that have been shared suddenly become the wife’s sole responsibility. Military wives raise children alone. They handle home repairs and finances independently. They deal with serious health problems by themselves. Fallon integrates these and other seemingly routine situations smoothly into her stories.

Military wives endure the ever-present fear over the safety of their spouses. Compounding these fears, Fallon’s stories also expose anxieties about infidelity. Will a spouse become enamored with a female soldier while he is away? Will he return home with an exotic woman from a distant country? There is uneasiness on both sides of a marriage. Soldiers worry that their left-behind wives will find someone else to fill their absence.

While many of us have observed scenes of joyous reunions when soldiers return to their families after long deployments, Fallon’s stories reveal the tensions beyond those reunions. After a year abroad a soldier may feel more connected to his fellow soldiers than his family. He may experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome or struggle to heal from a physical injury. A soldier and his family must try readjust to an integrated domestic scene. These stories show how extremely difficult these readjustments can be…and they are not always successful.

Siobhan Fallon has written You Know When the Men Are Gone from the unique perspective of a military wife, making the stories in the book feel particularly honest and powerful. She lived at Fort Hood during the two tours of duty her husband spent in Iraq and her experiences as a military wife helped to inspire this book. Fallon currently lives in Amman, Jordan, where her husband is now stationed.

Spotlight on Stephen King

2011-11-05T13:11:00.000-05:00

Stephen King is a master of the horror genre- his intensely scary stories and believable but quirky characters have made him a bestselling author for the last 25 years. King published his first novel, Carrie, in 1974 and has gone on to publish at least one book a year since. Stephen King made publishing history in 1981 when he had three novels on the best-seller list at the same time; and again in 1985 when he broke that record. As of 2011 he has published: 49 novels, 7 under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, 6 nonfiction books, 10 short story collections plus novellas, screenplays, poetry, and essays. He has been nominated for and has won numerous literary awards including the Bram Stoker, Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards and in 2003 he was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters by the National Book Foundation. His latest novel, 11/22/63, is due out in November, 2011.

Full Dark, No Stars: In four previously unpublished short works, a man explores his dark nature, a writer confronts a stranger, a cancer patient makes a deal with the devil, and a woman makes a horrifying discovery about her husband.

Carrie: A repressed teenager uses her telekinetic powers to avenge the cruel jokes of her classmates.

Colorado Kid: A rookie newspaperwoman learns the true meaning of mystery when she investigates a twenty-five-year-old unsolved and very strange case involving a dead man found on an island off the coast of Maine.

Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season: A chronicle of the Boston Red Sox' 2004 baseball season features a running diary of observations, arguments, play analyses, and controversial management decisions, as recorded by a pair of best-selling horror writers and diehard Red Sox fans.

Planning a Handmade Holiday?

2011-11-01T06:37:00.000-05:00

Now that November is here, it's really time to get ready for the winter holidays. If you are hoping to do less shopping and more crafting, here are some suggested titles for inspiration that are available at the Glenview Public Library.

Martha Stewart's Handmade Holiday Crafts: 225 Inspired Projects for Year-round Celebrations - Make the holidays more festive with these projects for cards, decorations, and gifts from master crafter Martha Stewart.

Holiday Crafting & Baking with Kids: Gifts, Sweets, and Treats for the Whole Family! by Jessica Strand - Get the whole family together for some holiday fun to make handmade gifts.

Gifted: Lovely Little Things to Knit + Crochet by Mags Kandis - Over 30 projects to make and give including wearable accessories and home decor.

Gourmet Gifts: 100 Delicious Recipes for Every Occasion to Make Yourself and Wrap with Style by Dinah Corley - Corley presents simple and sophisticated recipes for jams, nuts, patés, and other items that bring together the culinary and the creative for inspired gifts.

The Best of Papercrafts Magazine - From handmade cards and food wraps to home décor and gift bags, this book is your one-stop source for projects of all kinds.

Read These Classic Horror Novels at Your Own Risk!

2011-10-30T11:00:00.002-05:00

These novels may include some fantasy, suspense, or the supernatural, but they have bone-chilling horror in common. The best ones don't go for the obvious scare or graphic description. Rather, they give you a story of seemingly normal events, a false sense of security, and then eerily disturb you with just one small indiscretion. Before you know it, you're scared; you want to go to bed, but you're afraid to go to sleep because you need to know what happens next!

The following have stood the test of time and frighten us as much today as when they were first written:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)
This is often cited as the first horror novel ever written as well as the first science fiction novel. Dr. Frankenstein's monster is a legendary character of the horror genre. It is a literary masterpiece that is more disturbing and gothic than outright scary. It's what happens when humankind foolishly tries to create life and conquer nature.

Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898)
Some call this the most sophisticated ghost story ever written. Two small children on their uncle's estate are put in the care of a young governess. Everything is going well until the uncle's servant and the previous governess return from the dead to collect the souls of the children.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1847)
Driven mad by his thwarted love, Heathcliff seeks to destroy the Linton and Earnshaw families after the death of his beloved Catherine. Revenge, however, cannot calm the deluded Heathcliff who is forever haunted by Catherine's ghost at Wuthering Heights.

Tales of Terror and Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle (1922)
Thirteen stories by the famous creator of Sherlock Holmes move from factual beginnings to climaxes of fear, puzzlement, and, sometimes, horror.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (1938)
A classic novel of romantic suspense finds the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter entering the home of her mysterious and enigmatic new husband and learning the story of the house's first mistress, to whom the sinister housekeeper is unnaturally devoted.

Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959)
An anthropologist conducts an unusual research project in a reputedly haunted house. This novel is one of Stephen King's favorites, and he cites it as being a big influence on his novel The Shining.

Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)
Having discovered the double identity of the wealthy Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula, a small group of people vow to rid the world of the evil vampire. Dracula was the beginning, and the reason why vampires are, and always will be, popular icons of the horror genre.

The Shining by Stephen King (1977)
This novel develops around the little boy, Danny, and his talent of "shining," his telepathic ability to read minds, see the future, and converse with a spiritual guide he calls Tony. Only Stephen King could make his readers afraid to ever again walk by a fire hose in a hotel hallway.

The Exorcist by William Blatty (1971)
A Jesuit priest, unable to find plausible explanations for an eleven-year-old's strange behavior, begins to suspect demonic possession. Is it really possession, or symptoms of mental illness, or an illustration of the dichotomy of religion versus science? It's up to the reader!

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886)
In 19th century London, Dr. Jekyll performs an experiment in which he attempts to separate his pure, good side from his dark, evil qualities. He succeeds and splits his personality in two, but his other half is the evil Mr. Hyde. This is the classic tale of a split personality.

HAPPY HAUNTED READING!!!!!!!

New Audiobooks at the Glenview Public Library

2011-10-26T09:52:00.000-05:00

Fiction
The Affair by Lee Child
Miracle Cure by Harlan Coben
The Race by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Son of Stone by Stuart Woods

Nonfiction

A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Lee Dugard
Life Itself by Roger Ebert
Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch
Every Day a Friday: How to be Happier 7 Days a Week by Joel Osteen

Become an Armchair Traveler !

2011-10-21T16:20:00.006-05:00

Want to travel to Naples, Kenya or Iceland? Longing to see Timbuktu, Newfoundland, and Australia? Don't have the money to go to Brazil, Malta or Patagonia this year? Become an armchair traveler with some suggestions from Nancy Pearl.

Pearl's latest publication, Book Lust to Go: Recommended Reading For Travelers, Vagabonds and Dreams is the perfect guide for you. She has a plethora of book titles (both fiction and non-fiction) to suggest to those readers who want to travel within the comfort of their own home.

Want to go to...

Newfoundland? Try The Shipping News by Annie Proulx or Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky

Wyoming? Try The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson or the Eye of the Wolf by Margaret Coel

Burma? Try The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason or Burmese Lessons: A Love Story by Karen Connelly

Adventure travel to scare you out of your seat? Adrift by Steven Callahan or The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain That Killed My Father by John Harlin

Travel the world with Nancy Pearl's book or ask for your Glenview librarian's suggestions. It is easy and you don't have to pay those extra luggage fees.

Happy travels!

P.S. For those who want a regular dose of travel writing - come join our GPL book discussion group, Travel With Me, with moderator Jean Goetzke.

Let's Bake and Decorate!

2011-10-14T07:18:00.030-05:00

According to Chase's Calendar of Events, October is National Bake and Decorate month. What better time of the year to do this than when the days are winding down, the summer madness is over and we're starting to get that cocooning feeling. So, for those of us who maybe need a little help with cooking and decorating, or just looking for fresh ideas, here are several resources available at the Library.

One of the magazines that the Library subscribes to is Sandra Lee Semi-homemade. Her mantra is "Keep it Simple, Keep it Smart, Keep it Sweet, Keep it Semi-homemade. Her recipes typically include a pre-made item, such as pie crust or a box of cake mix. In the latest issue (September/October), she has recipes for Caramel Spice Cake and S'mores Tarts, both of which look deliciously good. Also included in this issue are money saving meal recipes.

For those that need visual aid, there are several DVDs that you can watch. One is called The Complete Guide to Cake Decorating and Baking - a comprehensive introduction to everything there is to know about baking and decorating cakes. And when you're ready, you can't go wrong with Martha's Baking Favorites. Martha Stewart goes over techniques and the basics before showing you how to do the actual baking of cakes, pies, and cookies. It's all "good things".

As far as decorating, the September/October issue of Chicago Home and Garden Magazine has an article on "Color - room to room paint schemes", with tips on how to choose paint color that will flow from one room to the next.

From the Home Decorating Series " You Can Do It" with Christopher Lowell, there are 3 DVDs available: Seven Layers of Design and Color Courage, Savvy Surfaces and Merchandising the Home, and Nurturing Spaces and Double Duty. Or perhaps you want ideas on how to "bring new life to old finds". If that's the case, then watch Chris Olsen's Refresh Remix Restyle for easy step-by-step instructions.

These are just a few of the magazines and DVDs on cooking and decorating that you can find at the Library.

Duct Tape Crafts for Teens

2011-10-12T02:48:00.001-05:00

Ever want to create exciting crafts with nothing but duct tape? The Glenview Public Library will be hosting a Duct Tape Craft program for teens ages 13-18 on Saturday, November 19th from 2-3PM.

This will be the second time the Library has hosted such a program. Cell phone cases, wallets, and other neat items can be created with a variety of duct tape colors. Teens are encouraged to be creative! Any teen who is experienced at making more complicated duct tape creations are encouraged to attend and to help others. The possibilities are endless!

There are many spots still available, so register today at http://www.glenviewpl.org and click on Calendar and Events. You may also call 847-729-7500 and ask for the Reader Services Desk. A staff person would be happy to assist you with registration.

This is a great project for groups of friends who like to craft together! The Library offers a variety of teen-related programs, and we will have a nice selection of craft programs in the future as well. In the past, there have been such programs as Cookies in a Jar, Decorative Notebooks, and Scrapbooking. This Winter, we will have Cookies in a Jar, Card Making (Rubber stamping), and Chocolate Covered Pretzel making. Registration for these Winter programs will begin shortly.

Any questions about teen crafts and programming, please contact Nicole M. Mills, Young Adult Librarian, at 847-729-7500 x2613.

In Recognition of Susan Fromberg Schaeffer

2011-10-10T09:31:00.000-05:00

I usually like fiction written by poets; add a feline narrator, and I’m likely to enjoy the book. Such is the case with The Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer. I was reminded of the book when I read Schaeffer’s obituary in the Chicago Tribune several weeks ago. Not only did she write this delightful, witty narrative (which should appeal to dog and cat lovers alike), but she also received the Centennial Review award for poetry and was nominated for a National Book Award for Poetry for Granite Lady. Schaeffer, who received her first rejection slip from Ladies’ Home Journal at the age of eight, has written a truly amazing variety of well-researched novels that come alive with memorable characters and places. Some of her other books are:

Anya: (1974) Based on hours of stories told to her by actual Holocaust victim Anya Brodman, Schaeffer’s details seem real because most of them are. Many readers find Anya one of the most memorable characters ever presented in literature.

The Madness of a Seduced Woman: (1984) This novel is based on an actual murder trial in Vermont early in the century. Agnes Dempster is tried for the murder of her romantic rival and pronounced insane, largely on psychiatric testimony that Agnes's insanity resulted from "the madness of a seduced woman." Schaeffer examines her character’s motives as seen through the speculations of lawyers, friends, and her father.

The Injured Party: (1986) Schaeffer offers an intense, chilling portrait of a woman at mid-life. When Iris returns home from the hospital, where she has been treated for a fever of unknown origin, she is unable to leave her bed or talk to her devoted husband or her two children. Her depressive spell is interrupted by the arrival of John, the long-lost lover of her youth, who has decided to spend the last months of his life (he is terminally ill) with Iris and her family. Schaeffer reveals the inner workings of the family and the psychological changes of middle age with this complex character.

Buffalo Afternoon: (1989) The protagonist, Brooklyn-born juvenile offender Pete Bravado, joins the army at seventeen to escape his brutal father. Once in Vietnam, Pete experiences the boredom, bone-chilling fatigue, terror, and all of the atrocities of war. Like many others, he must eventually come to terms with what he has seen and felt. (Schaeffer spent years listening to Vietnam veterans in order to write this book.)

The Golden Rope: (1998) Doris and Florence Meek, identical girl twins, spend their days chasing butterflies through the Vermont woods, their mirrored gestures a sign of their uncanny connection. Eventually, Florence trades the intimacy of twinhood for marriage and a successful career as an artist. Left behind, Doris settles into a life of self-pity and depression, made worse by Florence's mysterious disappearance. Only when a writer requests her help in piecing together Florence's biography does Doris come to realize that Florence wasn't the person she seemed to be.

The Snow Fox: (2004) In this exhaustively detailed portrait of medieval Japan, Schaeffer displays the treacherous politics of court life and the way women are both coddled and restricted. When the powerful Lord Norimasa insists that renowned poet Lady Utsu poison the only man she has ever loved because he is a traitor, she is forever changed.

Poison: (2006) Schaeffer writes a saga loosely based on the turbulent life and loves of poet Ted Hughes. Writer Peter Grosvenor has always been almost as famous for his womanizing as he is for his poetry. After both his first and second wives commit suicide, Peter considers himself poisonous to women. Years later, after his death, Peter's third wife, desperate to preserve her wealth, engages in a battle of wills with Peter's two grown children, his sister, his would-be biographer, and his last, perhaps truest, love.

Brown Bag and Books

2011-10-08T12:51:00.003-05:00

Last week the Reader Services Department of Glenview Public Library held a Brown Bag and Books session over lunch in our staff lunch room. While munching on our PB and J or pad thai, we discussed with one another what books we’ve read and enjoyed recently. It’s a good way to get to know staff members from other departments while receiving recommendations for good reads. So here are some of the titles the staff of GPL have on their book shelves:

Fiction:

A Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Wise Man's Fear: a novel by Patrick Rothfuss
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (book 1 of the Song of Ice and Fire series)
The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton
Cutting for Stone by A. Verghese
Room by Emma Donoghue
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Mama does Time: a Mace Bauer mystery by Deborah Sharp
Please Look After Mom by Kyong-suk Sin
The Call: a novel by Yannick Murphy
Sima's Undergarments for Women by Ilana Stanger-Ross
Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Theft by Peter Carey

Nonfiction:
The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough
The Art Detective: Fakes, Frauds, and Finds and the Search for Lost Treasures by Philip Mould
The Invisible Gorilla: and Other Ways our Intuitions Deceive Us by Christopher F. Chabris
Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
The National Parks: America's Best Idea by Duncan Dayton and Ken Burns
It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy by Laura Notoro
Bossypants by Tina Fey

RIP Bert Jansch

2011-10-05T18:01:00.010-05:00

A sad day as the music world, at least the part that was touched by hearing Jansch's music, mourns the loss of the great singer-songwriter and guitarist. Bert Jansch, much more than a British folk revivalist, was a unique and uncompromising musician whose talent cut a giant swath across a wide range of music circles. For more information on Bert please read this obituary.

Forthcoming Fiction for November

2011-10-05T14:56:00.002-05:00

Here are some titles coming out this November. You can reserve these by going to our Online Catalog, Bibliocommons, or by calling the Reader Services Desk at 847-729-7500 x7600!Cloudburst by V.C. Andrews

A Dark and Lonely Place by Edna Buchanan
The Wedding Quilt: an Elm Creek Quilts Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Drop by Michael Connelly
Prince of Ravenscar by Catherine Coulter
Micro by Michael Crichton
Devil’s Gate by Clive Cussler
The Alpine Winter: an Emma Lord Mystery by Mary Daheim
Templar Magician by P.C. Doherty
Coffin Man by James D. Doss
The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Echo
Lost December by Richard Paul Evans
Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
Kill Shot: An American Assassin Thriller by Vince Flynn The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon
Come a Little Closer by Dorothy Garlock
V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Longing by Karen Kingsbury
Christmas Treasures by Thomas Kinkade
Out of Oz: The Final Volume in the Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire
Three-day Town by Margaret Maron
Cat Telling Tales by A Joe Grey Mystery by Shirley Murphy
The Corn Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates
Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin
Hotel Vendome: a novel by Danielle Steel

Spanish language movies for Hispanic Heritage Month

2011-09-30T07:51:00.000-05:00

Sept. 15-Oct. 15 Hispanic Heritage Month

Looking for ways to celebrate? Why not host your own Spanish Language Film Festival for Hispanic Heritage Month? You can spend time with friends while brushing up on the arts and pop culture. Here are a few good movies to help plan your event. And of course, don't forget the popcorn.

Mar adentro
Ramón Sampedro wants to end his life because a diving accident 28 years ago left him a quadriplegic. For most of those years he made the most of it: he has come to see his life as frustrating and pointless and wishes to die with what remains of his dignity. He enlists the help of Julia, a lawyer he hopes will help him persuade the courts to let him end his own life. As Ramón and Julia work together on his case, Ramón finds himself falling in love with her.

Volver
Raimunda lives in Madrid with her daughter Paula and her drunk husband Paco. Her sister, Sole, is separated and works clandestinely as a hairstylist for women. Years ago they lost their parents in a tragic fire. Superstitious villagers claim that the girls' departed mother has been seen wandering around their Aunt Paula's home. The sisters begin to investigate the possibility.

Y tu mamá también
Two teens from Mexico City set off on a wild cross-country trip with a seductive, 28-year-old Luisa. Luisa schools them in the finer points of passion, but will their mutual desire for her destroy their friendship forever?

Jamon jamon
Hilarious, sexy, and complex, this is a story of two young lovers, the Sylvia and Jose Luis. When they announce their plan to wed, his mother hires the town's sexiest man to break up their plans. Naturally, nothing goes as planned.

Banned Books Week, September 24-October 1

2011-09-26T15:23:00.017-05:00

Last week we celebrated International Talk Like a Pirate Day. I hope you were able to get your "arrrrrrrg" on. This week, much less trivial affairs to talk about (but you can still talk like a pirate if you like). It's Banned Books Week , an annual event that celebrates the freedom to read (whatever the heck we choose) and the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States. Come to the library this week and check out our display, it's around the corner from the Information Desk and adjacent to the fireplace. You might be surprised by some of the titles propped up there, from children's and young adults titles to adult books, all have been the subject of bannings or attempted bannings.

Better yet, come to the library and pick up a banned or challenged title this week and remind yourself of the importance of the freedom to read.

Great Ideas for Book Discussion Groups

2011-09-22T18:25:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite resources for uncovering interesting titles for book discussion groups is Great Group Reads. For the past 3 years, the organizers of National Reading Group Month have selected a list of fiction and memoir titles that they feel will have strong appeal for reading groups. Books chosen have compelling narratives and fully realized characters that are intended to promote lively discussions about timely and provocative topics. The 2011 list has just been released. If your book group is looking for a good book discussion title a bit outside the mainstream, consider one of the new Great Group Reads titles below.

The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb

Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

Dance Lessons by Aine Greaney

Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War by Annia Ciezadlo

The Good Sister by Drusilla Campbell

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell

If You Knew Then What I Know Now by Ryan Van Meter

The Memory Palace: A Memoir by Mira Bartok

My Name Is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy

The Summer Without Men by Siri Hustvedt

Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away by Christie Watson

To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal

Under the Mercy Trees by Heather Newton

When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman

Wingshooters by Nina Revoyr

The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson

You Know When the Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon

Lyric Opera of Chicago 2011-2012

2011-09-20T09:08:00.000-05:00

When you think of opera what comes to mind? 'Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music.' ... or, as George Bernard Shaw put it: '{Opera is when} a tenor and soprano want to make love, but are prevented from doing so by a baritone.'

All operas have interesting facts beyond their stories. Take for instance, Offenbach wanted to write one serious opera, The Tales of Hoffmann, before he died. Unfortunately, he never got to see the show; he died during rehearsals. "Someone else finished the rehearsals, doing major restructuring, omitting an act, and generally messing with the thing." (Opera for Dummies)

Lucia di Lammermoor is based on a novel called The Bride of Lammermoor by Sir Walter Scott. The first names have all be Italianized, but the last names remain Scottish. Australian soprano Nellie Melba inserted a lengthy cadenza with solo flute.

Boris Gudunov is Mussorgsky's only completed opera in about ten attempts. Mussorgsky stated, "Her's what I would like: that my characters speak on stage as living people speak.

Ariadne auf Naxos is a comic opera about a serious opera being presented in a rich guy's house. This opera was designed as a thank-you note, a mini-mini-opera for the producer of the composer's previous opera.

Come hear the stories, music and more in the Multipurpose room, given by a docent from the Chicago Lyric Opera Lecture Corps on Thursdays from 7-8:30 pm. You can register online or by calling the Reader Services Desk at 847-729-7500.

The Tales of Offmann by Jacques Offenbach - September 22

Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti - October 6

Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky - October 27

Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss - November 3

Booker Prize Final Six

2011-09-17T09:58:00.001-05:00

The Man Booker Prize shortlist of titles was recently announced in London. This literary award has been given for 40+ years to recognize the works of contemporary fiction writers from the British Commonwealth and Ireland. Last year's winner was The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobsen. Other titles that have won in the past have been Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. When the winner is announced on October 18, the author will receive a prize of £50,000. Which one of these titles will win this award in 2011?

Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
Recruited by a famed importer of exotic animals to capture a fabled dragon during a three-year whaling expedition, former street urchin Jaffy Brown and his friend and rival, Tim, successfully capture the beast only to find themselves targeted by superstitious sailors.

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
Set against the backdrop of the great California Gold Rush, this darkly comic novel follows the misadventures of the fabled Sisters brothers, two hired guns, who, under the order of the mysterious Commodore, try to kill Hermann Kermit Warm, a man who gives them a run for their money.

Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman
When a basketball-playing classmate is killed in what seems to be a senseless act of violence, eleven-year-old Ghana emigrant Harrison Opuku and his best friend, Dean, apply detective skills gleaned from popular television shows to gather clues only to stumble on the actual killer.

Snowdrops by A.D. Miller
Witnessing the progression of regional corruption in his work as a British lawyer in early 2000s Moscow, Nick Platt rescues two sisters from a purse snatcher and pursues a glamorous romantic relationship with one of the sisters before he is asked to help with a dubious family endeavor.

Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan - tentative US release date of May 6, 2012
The aftermath of the fall of Paris, 1940. Hieronymous Falk, a rising star on the cabaret scene, was arrested in a cafe and never heard from again. He was twenty years old. He was a German citizen. And he was black. Fifty years later, Sid, Hiero's bandmate and the only witness that day, is going back to Berlin.

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes - tentative US release date of January 24, 2012
Tony Webster and his clique first met Adrian Finn at school. Sex-hungry and book-hungry, they would navigate the girl-less sixth form together, trading in affectations, in-jokes, rumour and wit. Maybe Adrian was a little more serious than the others, certainly more intelligent, but they all swore to stay friends for life. Now Tony is in middle age. He's had a career and a single marriage, a calm divorce. He's certainly never tried to hurt anybody. Memory, though, is imperfect. It can always throw up surprises, as a lawyer's letter is about to prove.

Real People In Fiction

2011-09-14T08:46:00.002-05:00

It’s always fun when writers incorporate real historical figures in their books. This allows us to become familiar with a bit of history while enjoying a good story. Here are a few titles you might consider:

Paris Wife by Paula McClain.
Follows the life of Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley, as she navigates 1920s Paris.

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin.
Mid-nineteenth-century little person Mercy Levinia Warren Bump comes of age in the antebellum south before being invited to join the P. T. Barnum circus, through which she meets her future husband, General Tom Thumb, and pursues limitless international opportunities.

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland.
Hoping to honor his father and the family business with innovative glass designs, Louis Comfort Tiffany launches the iconic Tiffany lamp as designed by women's division head Clara Driscoll, who struggles with the mass production of her creations.

The Road to Wellville by T.C. Boyle.
A snobbish wife and her henpecked husband travel to Dr. Kellogg's spa in turn-of-the-century Battle Creek, where the youth-crazed affluent succumb to quackery.

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan.
Fact and fiction blend in a historical novel that chronicles the relationship between seminal architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney, from their meeting, when they were each married to another, to the clandestine affair that shocked Chicago society.

Arthur and George by Julian Barnes.
Chronicles the lives of two boys--one who is forgotten by history, and one who becomes the creator of the world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, as they pursue their separate destinies until they meet in a remarkable alliance.

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth.
In a novel of alternative history, aviation hero Charles A. Lindbergh defeats Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940 presidential election, negotiating an accord with Adolf Hitler and accepting his conquest of Europe and anti-Semitic policies.

Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell.
A vividly rendered portrait of both the rise of Impressionism and of Monet, the artist at the center of the movement. It is, above all, a love story of the highest romantic order.

Forthcoming Fiction for October

2011-09-12T02:19:00.001-05:00

Here are some titles coming out this October. You can reserve these by going to our Online Catalog, Bibliocommons, or by calling the Reader Services Desk at 847-729-7500 x7600!

Cloudburst by V.C. Andrews

Well-Tempered Clavicle by Piers Anthony
As the Pig Turns by M.C. Beaton
The Night Strangers: a novel by Chris A. Bohjalian
Murder Unleashed: a novel by Rita Mae Brown
Headstone by Ken Bruen
Skeleton Letters by Laura Childs
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
Lost December by Richard Paul Evans
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
The Litigators by John Grisham
Ed King by David Guterson
The Dove Keepers by Alice Hoffman
Nanjing Requiem by Ha Jin
Bonnie by Iris Johansen
Changes by Mercedes Lackey
Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey
City of Whispers by Marcia Mullers
The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
A Christmas Homecoming by Anne Perry
Snuff: a Novel of Discworld by Terry Pratchett
Shock Wave by John Sandford
The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

A Tribute to 9/11 - AV Titles

2011-09-09T08:49:00.002-05:00

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the horrific attacks on September 11th, 2001. Keep the memory alive with the following AV titles that preserve the memory of the events and those that were lost on that day:

Rebirth follows the transformation of five people whose lives were forever altered on 09/11/2001 and tracks, via time lapse photography, the evolution of the space where the Twin Towers once rose. (2011)

Fahrenheit 9/11
When the treachery hits with the 9/11 attacks, Michael Moore explains how Bush filed to take immediate action to defend the nation. (2004)

Hijacking Catastrophe 9/11, Fear & the Selling of American Empire
This film places the Bush Administration's original justifications for war in Iraq within the larger context of a two-decade struggle by neo-conservatives to dramatically increase military spending while projecting American power globally. (2004)

Reign Over Me
Alan has a great job, wife, and children, but finds that managing it all is too hard and has no one to talk to about it. Charlie lost his family on 9/11 and quit his job. The two randomly meet and rekindle a friendship they once shared. (2007)

The Dark Side
The United States has been waging a war against terror for years. There has been a constant internal struggle for control of the intelligence agencies, labeled "the dark side." (2006)

World Trade Center
The unforgettable true story of the courageous rescue and survival of two Port Authority policemen who were trapped in the rubble on September 11, 2001, after they volunteered to go in and help the victims. (2006)

Building on Ground Zero
Look back at the events of 9/11 and review the major investigations into the collapse of the World Trade Center. This is the follow-up to the Emmy Award-winning documentary Why the Towers Fell. (2006)

United 93
This powerful film about September 11th, one of the darkest days in our history, paints an unforgettable and inspiring portrait of the 40 passengers and crew who sat down as strangers and found the courage to stand up as one. (2006)

9/11 Fiction

2011-09-07T07:34:00.001-05:00

After 9/11, as America turned to remember that day, many authors did so in their own way. As a result, with many novels written with the September 11 terrorist attacks as either the plot, subject or setting were published. Here are just a few of many:

Foolproof – Barbara D’Amato
September 11 survivors Brenda and Daniel establish a secret anti-terrorist division within their new software security firm and expose a terrorist plot to rig a presidential election.

Falling Man – Don DeLillo
Escaping from the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks, Keith makes his way to the uptown apartment where his ex-wife and young son are living and considers how the day's events have irrevocably changed his perception of the world.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer
Oskar Schell, the nine-year-old son of a man killed in the World Trade Center attacks, searches the five boroughs of New York City for a lock that fits a black key his father left behind.

The Whole World Over: a novel – Julia Glass
Hired as the personal chef to the governor of New Mexico, Greenie Duquette leaves behind her Greenwich Village pastry business and her husband to head west with her four-year-old son, prompting a period of upheaval and reflection for herself.

Once in a Promised Land: a novel – Laila Halaby
Jassim Haddad, a Jordanian, has come to Arizona to pursue his career as an hydrologist, but after the events of September 11th, he and his wife are investigated by the FBI as their marriage unravels.

Home Boy – H.M. Haqvi
Three young Pakistani men in New York City at the turn of the millennium have the guts to claim the place as their own. But when they embark on a road trip to the hinterland weeks after 9/11 in search of the Shaman, a Gatsbyesque compatriot who seeminglydisappears into thin air, things go horribly wrong. Suddenly, they find themselves in a changed, charged America.

A Disorder Peculiar to the Country – Ken Kalfus
On September 11th, a couple in the midst of a divorce, each believing the other has been killed in the attack, discover that they both have survived and continue on with their fierce battle over assets.

The Good Life – Jay McInerney
A revelatory novel of family, love, conflict, and loss chronicles the lives of diverse characters--including Luke McGavock, a man searching for a sense of purpose in life; Corinne Calloway, a mother of twins; and her husband, Russell--whose world is forever transformed by the catastrophic events of September 11th.

L’America – Martha McPhee
Meeting on a small Aegean island, Beth, an American dreamer raised in a commune, and Cesare, the cosseted Italian scion of a prosperous family, embark on a love affair that spans two decades, two continents, and two lifetimes.

A Day at the Beach – Helen Schulman
In an insightful novel that takes place over the course of an eventful twenty-four hours, the troubled marriage of famed choreographer Gerhard Falktopf and his dancer wife Suzannah is profoundly affected by the events of September 11, a national tragedy that suddenly brings to light their hidden desires, dreams, conflicts, and differences.

The Writing on the Wall – Lynne Sharon Schwartz
In a tale of emotional survival in post-9/11 New York City, thirty-four-year-old Renata deals with the effects of the bombings on her personal life, in light of the trauma she has already experienced.

Ground Zero – Paul F. Wilson
Jack finds the secret behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in the new dark thriller in the bestselling 'Repairman Jack' series.

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious and Perplexing City

2011-09-03T09:39:00.002-05:00

David Lebovitz was a pastry chef for Alice Waters at Chez Panisse. He decided at one point to move to Paris. His adjustment to living in a foreign country became the material for his blog. His book, The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious and Perplexing City is based on some posts from that blog and more.

While Lebovitz offers some lovely recipes and advice on where to go in Paris, the book is really not a travelogue. It is more of an expat's love letter to his adopted city, even when he thinks it is a wacky place. Some points of fun: he earns more respect from his neighborhood vendors after it is found out he is a pastry chef, how customer service is non existent in certain shops, giant French supermarkets vs local markets, and the joys of French cheese and chocolate.

Written with gentle humor, Lebovitz encourages the reader to come over to his side of the pond to experience it all for themselves. Or at least buy some French cheese and chocolate to munch on while reading it! A Francophile's dream and a fun read.

Eye of the Storm

2011-08-30T21:17:00.000-05:00

It's hurricane season! Of course we don't have hurricanes in the midwest (but what a stormy summer it's been!), though many of us have had encounters with these storms, whether on vacation, through relatives, or just watching on TV. Here are some novels (and some nonfiction) that you may want to read up about these strong, potentially life-threatening, storms.

Hurricane Punch by Tim Dorsey
Returning to his home in Florida only to face the state's worst hurricane season and a pair of serial killers vying for "most wanted" status, Serge A. Storms and his companion, Coleman, tackle the most challenging case of their careers.
Part of the suspenseful, humorous Serge Storms series.

Damaged: a Maggie O'Dell novel by Alex Kava
When the Coast Guard finds a murdered body in the Gulf of Mexico while preparing for a Category 5 hurricane, Special Agent Maggie O'Dell places herself in the path of the deadly storm to track down the victim's identity and killer

The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh
After a hurricane causes a shipwreck off the Carolina coast, newlyweds Laura and John are separated and desperate to find each other

Elysiana by Chris Knopf
As a strong storm approaches the shore, residents interact and clash with each other on the island of Elysiana, New Jersey during the summer of 1969.

Moon Tide by Dawn Clifton Tripp
A novel set in a small Massachusetts fishing town chronicles the lives of three women--Eve, a beautiful artist; her eccentric grandmother, Elizabeth; and Maggie, an exotic stranger--from 1913 to the Great New England Hurricane of 1938.

Logan's Storm by Ken Wells
Logan LaBauve and Chilly Cox, a black teenager who had rescued Logan's son Meely from a bully, are on the run from the law, escaping into the bayous where they encounter a Mississippi grifter, predatory locals, and a killer hurricane.

Nonfiction:
Hurricane Watch: Forecasting the Deadliest Storms on Earth by Bob Sheets
The ultimate guide to the ultimate storms,Hurricane Watch is a fascinating blend of science and history from one of the world's foremost meteorologists and an award-winning science journalist.

Sudden Sea: the Great Hurricane of 1938 by R.A. Scotti
Draws on period newspaper accounts, eyewitness testimony, and archival footage to recount the Great Hurricane of 1938, which left a trail of death and destruction across seven states and obliterated entire communities and families.

Isaac's Storm: a Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Eric Larson
Provides an account of the hurricane which struck Galveston, Texas, in 1900 and killed ten thousand people.

ACT Prep Test Kicks Off School Year Programming

2011-08-28T08:33:00.001-05:00

Many great programs are in store for the high school crowd, starting this September. For the third time, we are having professional tutors from College Tutors and Nannies to guide high school teens through the process of taking the ACT test on Saturday, September 24th from 1-5PM. This is a great way to gain valueable experience in a relaxed atmosphere. Teens will be able to take an actual ACT test, and go over the answers. College Tutors then take the test back to their center and will analyze scores and let teens know where the weak points might be, so they can concentrate on working on those before the actual test.

The ACT Prep Test will be just one of our upcoming college workshops. In the future, the Glenview Public Library is planning to host topics classes, focusing on time management, as well as specified sections of the ACT test, like math, reading and language, and writing. Details of these programs will be coming at a later date.

All teens in grades 9-12 are welcome to register for the ACT Prep Test at any time between now and September 22nd. Limit is 40 students, so don't delay! Registration is online on our website under Calendar and Events, or call 847-729-7500 and ask for the Reader Services Desk. A staff person would be happy to assist.

Television on DVD

2011-08-23T09:39:00.000-05:00

Yes, summer is almost over and the kids are back in school, so it must be time to catch up with your favorite TV shows. Did you watch an old episode or two of a series and now are hooked? Did you miss last season's final episode and now would like to watch it before the start of the new season? In that case, here's a list of current television series that's available at the Library:

Breaking Bad              Seasons 1-3
Curb Your Enthusiasm  Seasons 1-7
Doc Martin                   Seasons 1-4
Doctor Who                  Seasons 1-5
Downton Abbey            Season 1
Entourage                   Seasons 1-6
Foyle's War                  Seasons 1-6

Mad Men                      Seasons 1-4
The Office                    Seasons 1-6
Psych                          Seasons 1-5
True Blood                   Seasons 1-3

Other popular TV series that have ended but still in the Library's collection are: 24, Tudors, Sopranos, Sex and the City, Six Feet Under, House of Eliott, and more.

Stop by the Audiovisual Room and check it out!

Spotlight on International Fiction: Puerto Rico

2011-08-18T14:02:00.000-05:00

Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago
Historical fiction drawn to the exotic island of Puerto Rico by the diaries of an ancestor who traveled there with Ponce de Leon, Ana Cubillas becomes involved with enamored twin brothers Ramon and Inocente before convincing them to claim a sugar plantation they have inherited.
Also try Esmeralda Santiago's memoir: When I Was Puerto Rican

The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico by Sarah McCoy
It is 1961 and Puerto Rico is trapped in a tug-of-war between those who want to stay connected to the United States and those who are fighting for independence. Verdita has always been safe and secure in her sleepy mountain town, but she must find the strength to decide what sort of woman she'll become.

The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
When Consuelo notices a disturbing change in her little sister Mili, Consuelo must decide if she will rise to the occasion and fulfill the expectations of her family and culture or risk becoming an outsider.

Caribe: a Novel of Puerto Rico by Evangeline Blanco
Dr. Rafael Rodriguez hates the racial prejudice of the white Puerto Ricans, and he, a black physician, sires illegitimate children in hopes of causing a revolution against the prevailing attitudes.

Captain of the Sleepers by Mayra Montero
Andres Yasin has held a grudge against J.T. Bunker for half a century, but as Bunker nears the end of his life, he tells his side of the story, delving deeply into the Puerto Rican Independence Movement's past.

Eccentric Neighborhoods by Rosario Ferre
Elvira Vernet describes her mother's family of landed gentry and sugar plantation owners and her father's family of politically ambitious builders who tried to rebuild Puerto Rico when Americans gave money for housing projects.

August days

2011-08-18T09:38:00.000-05:00

Fall is almost upon us, bringing cooler air and fresher minds. It’s a time when many of us turn our thoughts to a new school year. As a student, parent, and teacher, I have always looked forward to the promise of a new beginning. Some books about the academic world that I’ve enjoyed are:

Straight Man by Richard Russo:
English professor Hank Deveroux turns his English Department upside down when he is elected interim head during deep budget cuts in this humorous and compassionate academic satire with fully developed characters and great dialogue. All the quips and attempts at humor he uses to hide his sense of desperation turn everyone around him into “straight men” in his routines. But his defensive strategy is wearing thin for colleagues, friends, and family members. This is an entertaining book by one of my favorite writers!

Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
Grady Tripp is an aging writer who struggles to live up to his early promise but is clearly failing. Meanwhile, he is busy creating chaos in wildly inappropriate and humorous adventures with family members, colleagues, students and friends.(Note: You can also check out the DVD with Michael Douglas in the role of Tripp and the CD, with music from Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, John Lennon, Clarence Carter, and others.)

Moo by Jane Smiley
This is another humorous look at the absurdities of the academic world, written by a professor a large state university who knows the terrain well. The book is a fun read for those who enjoy a slightly irreverent take on esteemed institutions.

White Noise by Don DeLillo

DeLillo won the National Book Award for this academic satire that takes place in a small Midwestern town. The darkly humorous story is amazing in its presentation of modern life as a media-obsessed age of rampant materialism, experimental drugs, health warnings, a “toxic event,” and information overload. What’s surprising is that this thought-provoking, seemingly current book was published in 1985, and applies even more today.

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

Lee Fiona from South Bend, Indiana wins a scholarship to a fancy prep school where she uses her superior powers of observation to try to fit in. Her relationship with a star athlete is surprising, confusing, and in the end, not what she had hoped. Surrounded by classmates she sees as snobs, she begins to be embarrassed by her own family and upbringing. However, Lee looks back with sympathy and insight as shares her story of being a teenager trying to fit in.

New Audiobooks at the Glenview Public Library

2011-08-15T08:25:00.000-05:00

Iron House by John Hart

Betrayal of Trust by J.A. Jance

Quinn by Iris Johansen

The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin

Merciless by Diana Palmer

Cold Vengeance by Douglas J. Preston

Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons

Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva

French Lessons by Ellen Sussman

Nowhere Boy Trailer

2011-08-11T10:45:00.000-05:00

Nowhere Boy

2011-08-11T10:43:00.002-05:00

We wrap up a Glenviewings summer-long British film series next Friday (August 19th) with the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy. This acclaimed film, inspired in part by the memoir of Lennon's half sister Julia Baird, stars Aaron Johnson as Lennon and Kristen Scott-Thomas as the influential Aunt Mimi. The period drama recounts the rarely told story of Lennon's youth growing up in Liverpool and provides considerable insight into, as J.R Jones of the Chicago Reader writes "how Lennon came by all the exuberance and melancholy".

Nowhere Boy screens at 2:00 and 6:30 in the Community room on Friday August 19th. We hope to see you then!

Smile while Reading

2011-08-09T07:35:00.001-05:00

Because sometimes I want to read a book that will make me laugh out loud or at least make me smile while reading, here is a list of titles, in no particular order, that did just that. The recession has made things a bit serious and we all need to feel a little lighter.

Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
Dumas and her family moved from Iran to Southern California, arriving with no firsthand knowledge of this country beyond her father's glowing memories of his graduate school years here. More family soon followed, and the clan has been here ever since. Funny in Farsi chronicles the American journey of Dumas's wonderfully engaging family

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
Welcome to Chelsea's world -- a place where absurdity reigns supreme and a quick wit is the best line of defense. In this hilarious, deliciously skewed collection, Chelsea mines her past for stories about her family, relationships, and career that are at once singular and ridiculous.

Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks
An international bestseller, this hilarious travel
adventure narrated in Hawk's ready sense of the absurd, his self-deprecatory charm, and his warm appreciation of the Irish and their traditionally immoderate characteristics combine to make this a resoundingly good read, offering a tantalizing glimpse of grassroots Ireland captured in a wonderful blend of perception and humor.

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
With her completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Ephron speaks frankly and uproariously about life as a woman of a certain age. Utterly courageous, wickedly funny, and unexpectedly moving in its truth telling, it is a book of wisdom, advice, and laugh-out-loud moments, a scrumptious, irresistible treat.

The Adrian Mole Diaries by Sue Townsend
British teenager Adrian Mole excruciatingly details every morsel of his turbulent adolescence. Delightfully self-centered, Adrian is the sort of teenager who could rule a much better world--if only his crazy relatives and classmates would get out of his way.

Forthcoming Fiction for September

2011-08-07T14:53:00.002-05:00

Here are some titles coming out this August. You can reserve these by going to our Online Catalog, Bibliocommons, or by calling the Reader Services Desk at 847-729-7500 x7600!

The Tale of Castle Cottage by Susan Wittig Albert

Getting off: a novel of Sex and Violence by Lawrence Block
Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen
Lethal by Sandra Brown

Feast Day of Fools: a novel by James Lee Burke
Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman
The Affair: a Reacher Novel by Lee Child
The Blood Roya: a Joe Sandilands Murder Mystery by Barbara Cleverly
The Perfect Suspect by Margaret Coel
The Race by Clive Cussler
The Lunatics Ball by Kaye Gibbons
The Lost Women of Lost Lake by Ellen Hart
Prey: a novel by Linda Howard
Pirate King: a Novel of Suspense by Laurie R. King
The Mercy by Beverly Lewis
1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber
Trick of the Dark by Val McDermid
A Lawman’s Christmas by Linda Lael Miller
The End of the Wasp Season: a novel by Denise Mina
Second Nature: a Love Story by Jacqueline Mitchard

The Vault by Ruth Rendell
New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb
Ghost Hero: a Lydia Chin/Bill Smith Novel by S.J. Rozan
Son of Stone by Stuart Woods

Broadway Chicago

2011-08-04T08:46:00.000-05:00

What better way to spend a summer day or evening and beat the heat then going to a musical. You can also watch and listen in the comfort of home.

Broadway Playhouse, Chicago

Pinkalicious - July 8-September 3
Colin Quinn: Long Story Short - August 24-September 10

Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago
West Side Story Through August 14
Check out the CD or DVD at the library.

Chicago Tribune Freedom Center North, Chicago
Peter Pan - Through August 21
Check out the CD at the library.

Drury Lane, Oakbrook
Sweeney Todd - August 11-October 9

Ford Center/Oriental Theatre, Chicago
Beauty and the Beast - Through August 7
Check out the CD at the library.

Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire
Shout! - Through August 14
For the Boys - August 17-October 16

Recent Staff Favorites

2011-08-02T07:37:00.004-05:00

One of the most popular places in the library to grab a good fiction title is a small area just to the right of the Reader Services desk known as "Staff Picks". Books fly off these shelves almost as quickly as we can replace them. Titles selected for these shelves typically are not newly published books. So I decided to do an informal survey of some of the library staff 's more avid readers in order to uncover a few of their most recent fiction favorites. Listed below are titles that just may find themselves on the "Staff Picks" shelves in the near future.

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland, 2011
Janet (Reader Services)

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman, 2010
Linda (Reader Services)

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See, 2011
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, 2011
So Much for That by Lionel Shriver, 2010
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier, 2010
Cynthia (Reference Services)

Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson, 2011
Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, 2011
Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb, 2011
Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick, 2010
Nancy (Reference Services)

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, 2010
Jake (Reference Services)

Vaclav & Lena by Haley Tanner, 2011
Becky (Reader Services)

The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel, 2011
Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane, 2010
The Host by Stephenie Meyer, 2008 (older, but highly recommended!)
Deena (Reference Services)

Good People by Marcus Sakey, 2008 (an overlooked Chicago author)
Karen (Reader Services)

Interestingly, the most frequently mentioned staff favorites were Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (2010) and Room by Emma Donoghue (2010)--titles that have already become favorites among Glenview residents, too.

Books That Crack Into Art Theft 2.0

2011-07-31T07:26:00.001-05:00

Last month I blogged about books devoted to the real-life adventures of missing art and noted that my next post would cover fiction titles and authors who write about art and crime, as I continue to be fascinated by the subject of art theft. Genres such as crime fiction often portray fictional art thefts as glamorous or exciting. In literature, a niche of the mystery genre is devoted to art theft and forgery. In film, a caper story usually features complicated heist plots and visually exciting getaway scenes.

Author Noah Charney is a pioneer who started the academic field of the study of art theft. He currently works at the American University of Rome as a professor of art history. His newest book is a 2009 nonfiction work entitled Art and Crime: Exploring the Dark Side of the Art World. His fiction book, The Art Thief (2007), is based on facts and is a twisty and complicated who done it! In the wake of the thefts of three priceless art treasures from Rome, Paris, and London, an art detective and an art historian team up to investigate a series of false leads, forgeries and bizarre clues. Some plots are based on the real theft of missing Carvaggio from Palermo. Through a character's mouth the author also gives his conclusion as to how to narrow the circle of suspects for the famous robbing of the Boston Gardner Museum.

Loot (1999) by Aaron Elkins is another fiction title where ex-curator Ben Revere stumbles across a rare painting from the fabled Nazi truck that disappeared while transporting looted treasure in 1945. He then must journey to Europe and discover the truth about the Nazi truck before a half-century of hatred, revenge, and betrayal destroy him.

Author Iain Pears has a series of novels known as the Art History Mysteries, each of which follows a fictional shady dealing in the art history world. They are quite amusing.

Author James Twining has written a trio of novels featuring a character called Tom Kirk, who is/was an art thief. The third book, The Gilded Seal is centered around a fictional theft of Da Vinci works, specifically, the Mona Lisa.

Author Eoin Colfer's book, Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception features the theft of a painting from a highly guarded Swiss bank.

In the Tenth Chamber by Glenn Cooper, a fictional town hijacks a train and steals, amongst other artifacts, the Portrait of a Young Man by Raphael (missing in real life), offering a fictional explanation as to its disappearance.

The Man Who Stole the Mona Lisa by Robert Noah is a historical fiction speculating on the motivations behind the actual theft.

Inca Gold by Clive Cussler is a Dirk Pitt adventure about pre-Columbian art theft.

St. Agatha's Breast by T. C. Van Adler follows an order of monks attempting to track the theft of an early Poussin work.

Heist Society by Ally Carter is a young adult fiction novel depicting teens who rob the Henley.

Hope you enjoy investigating these art theft tales.

Spotlight on International Fiction: Canada

2011-07-28T15:22:00.012-05:00

Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast by Bill Richardson
Hector and Virgil are the kindly and slightly eccentric hosts at a rustic retreat on a beautiful island in British Columbia. The bed and breadfast is the perfect refuge for guests who find that the ratio of books available to time available to read them is terribly skewed. Brief biographical sketches of these bibliophiles alternate with stories from Hector and Virgil on their growing up, their neighbors, the vicissitudes of running a Bed and Breakfast, and, of course, lists of books for various occasions.

Still Life by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec is called to Three Pines, a tiny hamlet south of Montreal, just north of the U.S. border, to investigate the suspicious hunting "accident" that claimed the life of Jane Neal, a local fixture in the village. First in the Inspector Armand Gamanche mysteries series.

The Outlander by Gil Adamson
Fleeing the law in 1903 after killing her husband, Mary Boulton races toward the mountains while being tormented by visions of the cold-blooded brothers-in-law who pursue her, forcing her to retreat deeper into the wilds of the Western Canada and her own imagination.

Too Much Happiness: stories by Alice Munro
Includes the stories of a grieving mother who is aided by a surprising source, awoman's response to a humiliating seduction, and a nineteenth-century Russian emigre's winter journey to the Riviera.

Midnight at the Dragon Cafe by Judy Fong Bates
Su-Jen Chou, a Chinese immigrant growing up in 1950s Ontario, finds herself shouldering the weight of her mother's hopes and dreams as her isolated family attempts to forge a life for themselves in a small town.

Nebula Awards: Outstanding Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels

2011-07-25T05:58:00.000-05:00

The Nebula Awards were established in 1965 by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) and are awarded to outstanding works of science fiction or fantasy novels and are voted on by members of the SFWA. The Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy is also awarded by the SFWA, and it was established in honor of prolific science fiction and fantasy author Andre Norton (1912 – 2005).

Nebula Award: Best Novel
• 2010 – Black Out by Connie Willis and All Clear by Connie Willis
• 2009 – The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
• 2008 – Powers by Le Guin, Ursula K.

Andre Norton Award: Best Novel
• 2010 – I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
• 2009 – The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
• 2008 – Flora’s Dare by Ysabeau S. Wilce

Beat the Heat!

2011-07-21T10:00:00.032-05:00

Read one of these books that will transport you to a much cooler place!

Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg - If you're hooked on Scandinavian crime books like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, you might be interested in this thriller set in Denmark, published back in 1993.

Light on Snow by Anita Shreve - Twelve-year-old Nicky and her father discover an abandoned baby in the snowdrifts of their rural New Hampshire home, further altering Nicky's understanding of adults and the world around her.

Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak - Pasternak brings to life the harsh Russian winters through the story of Yuri Zhivago, a poet and doctor, as he lives through the Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War. Watch the movie to see a visual interpretation of this literary classic.

Snow in August by Pete Hamill - Despite the blizzard, an eleven-year-old boy tries his best to make his way to church to serve mass. On the way he becomes acquainted with an Orthodox rabbi, but as their friendship grows over time, an Irish gang shows their disapproval.

Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell - Chilling, but in dark way, this novel set in the Ozarks was the basis for the critically acclaimed movie of the same title.

Into Thin Air: a personal account of the Mount Everest disaster by Jon Krakauer - Krakauer tells the true story of how his dream of climbing Everest turned horrific with 8 other climbers meeting their demise on the trek. Also made into a movie.

Winterdance: the fine madness of riding the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen - Popular young adult author Gary Paulsen describes his personal experience of completing the Alaskan Iditarod despite life-threatening disasters and harsh conditions.

Mama Does Time - A Humorous Southern Mystery

2011-07-18T11:32:00.002-05:00

Florida native, Deborah Sharp does her home state proud with her book Mama Does Time. Mama's home town of Himmarshee is not necessary the touristy part of the state, but she makes news when a body is discovered in the back of her car when she is at the Dairy Queen. When Mace, her middle daughter gets her Mama's phone call, she tries to spring into action, even though she had just settled down to "wanting to see if she could spot any of her ex-boyfriends on Cops."

Now Mama is southern damsel in distress - what is she going to do in jail (besides making friends with her purple haired cellmate)? With the help of her cousin, the lawyer, Mace gets Mama out and shows the new detective in town (the one from Miami) what chaos really is. Mace and her sisters try to get Mama out of her mess and manage to involve most of the town, including Mama's latest fiance (a Northerner!) who is wanting to be spouse number five!

Filled with southern humor, quirky characters, and goofy family dynamics, Sharpe takes us along for a roller coaster ride of fun. And there is a pretty good mystery too! I'm looking forward to the sequels! A fun and frothy read at its finest.

Nantucket Summer Reads

2011-07-15T03:22:00.000-05:00

Many times when I'm looking for a good "beach read" I'm often led to novels by authors like Elin Hildenbrand and Nancy Thayer - they tend to write books that take place in Nantucket. These are novels about women and friendship (though not always!)and usually focus around the lives of the locals who live on the island year-round.

Here are some titles to get you started.

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
Facing homelessness and a loss of social standing after her husband cheats rich investors out of billions of dollars, Meredith and her best friend, Connie, who has troubles of her own, escape to Nantucket to heal.
Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer
Reuniting on Nantucket to start a business and keep an eye on their father's new romance, three sisters work, gossip, and squabble while struggling with respective approaches to their responsibilities and losses.
The Beach House by Jane Green
Disregarding local gossip that pegs her as an eccentric, sixty-five-year-old Nantucket widow Nan skinny-dips in unattended pools and steals her neighbors' flowers before her dwindling funds force her to take in boarders, a change that brings an unexpected visitor.

Art in Fiction

2011-07-11T09:05:00.002-05:00

Having read Shop Girl by Steve Martin, I was curious about his latest book, An Object of Beauty. Right from the beginning I am struck by how much talent Martin has, writer, musician, comedian/actor, and those are the ones of which we know. It almost seems unfair for one person to have so much. While the characters are likeable they are not overly developed, I felt as though it was because the art itself is the object of beauty here, the story is not about Lacey and Daniel, but about the art and the art world in New York. Martin himself is clearly quite adept on the subject and almost seems to want to impart that knowledge. I learned a bit about paintings and the artists that created them, there are some pictures of works which I appreciated. I love fiction with reference to real things and places.

Forthcoming Fiction for August

2011-07-08T04:31:00.000-05:00

Here are some titles coming out this August. You can reserve these by going to our Online Catalog, Bibliocommons, or by calling the Reader Services Desk at 847-729-7500 x7600!

House of Holes: a Book of Raunch by Nicholson Baker

Death in High Places by Jo Bannister

Back of Beyond by C.J. Box

Measure of the Magic by Terry Brooks

Cold Vengeance by Lincoln Child

Bye Bye Baby by Max Allen Collins

Brute Strength by Susan Conant
Cat in a Vegas Gold Vendetta : A Midnight Louie Mystery

by Carole Nelson Douglas

The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood

Victory and Honor by W.E.B. Griffin

Flowering Judas : A Gregor Demarkian Novel by Jane Haddam

King’s Gold by Michael Jecks

Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Northwest Angle: a Novel by William Kreuger

The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman

The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb

Saint’s Gate by Carla Neggers

Kill Me if you Can by James Patterson

The Cut by George Pelecanos

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

Acceptable Loss by Anne Perry

Flash and Bones: a Novel by Kathy Reichs

A Bitter Truth: a Bess Crawford Mystery by Charles Todd

The Sixes by Kate White

40 Love: a Novel by Madeleine Wickham

Scrapbooking for Teens

2011-07-05T13:08:00.002-05:00

Ever want to learn to scrapbook? Have a lot of vacation photos you don't know what to do with? Then don't miss the Glenview Public Library's Scrapbooking for Teens on July 22nd from 2:00-3:00pm.

Teens ages 13 and up are asked to bring at least 5 photos to work with, and all supplies and embellishments will be provided. Make a beautiful scrapbook page and make a memory! Scrapbooking is a great way to organize photos by theme and tell stories with photos. Different papers and many decorations will be available to choose from, so get creative!

Light refreshments will be provided in a relaxed atmosphere. Bring a friend or come solo. Registration may be done by going to http://www.glenviewpl.org/ and clicking on Calendar and Events, or by calling 847-729-7500. A Reader Services Staff member would be happy to assist you. Register no later than July 15th.

Another British Invasion

2011-07-01T11:09:00.029-05:00

Former Beatle Paul McCartney might be playing shows at Wrigley Field in July but this summer's GlenVIEWINGS film series brings a British Invasion of a different sort: Three top-notch films from our good friends across the pond. Please consider joining us on July 15th for the cheeky Made in Dagenham featuring the always brilliant Sally Hawkins. If that's not your cup of tea, how about visiting the library on Friday July 29th for Mike Leigh's elegiac Another Year which features amazing performances from Jim Broadbent and Lesley Manville. Another Year is, for my taste, the best film that came out in 2010 that I didn't see until 2011. We'll close out this summer series of British films with the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy on August 19th. All films screen at 2:00PM and 6:30PM. Hope to see you there!

Summertime, Summertime

2011-06-29T13:31:00.001-05:00

It's finally summer! The warm weather is here and school's out, so is it time for some rest and relaxation? Will it be off to Europe, a road trip, the beach, or somewhere close? If a '"staycation" is it, there are plenty of places to visit right here in our neighborhood. Be a tourist at home. For ideas, the following DVDs can help you discover places to visit right in your own backyard!

The following explores the architectural and historical treasures of Chicago:

7 Wonders of Chicago

Chicago's Lakefront

Chicago by Boat

Chicago by L

If you don't want to go to Chicago, then check out the following: Fox River Valley and Chain O'Lakes, Chicago's North Shore, and Northwest of Chicago.

Last but not least, do you want to spend a day at Brookfield Zoo, Chicago Botanic Garden, or Morton Arboretum to name a few? Because you are a GPL library cardholder, you will be eligible for a Museum Adventure Pass to one of these attractions. For more information, please visit http://www.museumadventure.org/ and next time you're at the Library, stop by the Reader Services Desk.

Whatever you do, enjoy the summer!

New Audiobooks at the Glenview Public Library

2011-06-27T09:15:00.005-05:00

Be sure to check out the following new audiobooks that have recently become available at the Glenview Public Library!

Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson

20 Years Younger by Bob Greene

Tabloid City by Pete Hamill

22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

Trader of Secrets by Steve Martini

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
The Devil’s Light by Richard North Patterson

Books That Crack Into Art Theft

2011-06-23T19:26:00.004-05:00

What is one of the greatest crimes occurring in the world today? Terrorism, corruption, money laundering? Would you believe ... art theft?

According to the FBI, art theft, "fraud, looting, and trafficking across state and international lines" costs about $6 billion every year - it's big business. Since I recently led a book discussion of the title, Museum of the Missing by Simon Houpt, I have become obsessed with the crime of art theft. This book offers an intriguing tour through the underworld of art theft. The volume is beautifully written and generously illustrated and tells a story as fascinating as any crime novel. It's a gripping page-turner featuring everything from wartime plundering to modern-day heists, from examining criminals' motivations to a look at the art detectives who spend their lives hunting them down.

One art detective, Robert K. Wittman, who was mentioned in Museum of the Missing, often risked his life as the FBI's chief art hunter and undercover art agent for many years. He takes readers along on the hunt for stolen masterpieces in his own book entitled Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures. To help solve the theft of 18 paintings worth $50 million stolen from the home of a Spanish billionaire, he writes:
"I'd be entering another hotel room across town.
To meet a desperate, possibly homicidal gangster eager to close a $10 million deal.
Unarmed.
Dangling a million euros cash as bait.
Working with an FBI partner in his first undercover case.
Negotiating in French, a language I didn't understand.
Swell."
The bait worked.

Everybody loves a mystery, so after reading these books, what really intrigues me is the mystery of who stole $500 million in art from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on March 18, 1990 and it is just plain maddening. A journalist, Ulrich Boser, took up the chase after inheriting the case files of art-theft-detective Harold Smith of Lloyds of London, who pursued the Gardner "caper" for years until his death in 2005. Boser became as obsessed as Smith and wrote The Gardner Heist which does not solve the case, but comes very close. He found an important but long-ignored witness in a persuasive case against the man he thinks did it. Boser believes the Gardner paintings will reappear - stolen masterpieces have turned up after decades, even centuries.

I enjoyed these books because, as I said, I'm obsessed. However, if you have only a passing fancy in art theft and art crime and only want to read one book on the topic, I recommend, The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick. This book focuses on the famous art theft of Edvard Munch's The Scream, one version of which was pilfered from the National Gallery of Norway in Oslo in 1994. This famous heist is the centerpiece, but Dolnick interweaves other fascinating stories of famous art thefts including the Mona Lisa stolen from the Louvre in 1911. Dolnick goes out of his way to give us a portrait of Charley Hill, the most famous art detective in the UK, a former Fulbright scholar and cop. The Rescue Artist also offers readers a biography of the artist Edvard Munch and explores the issues of why thieves steal art. So, if you are an art lover, a true crime reader, or like me, fascinated with the dark world of art theft and museum thievery, this is the book for you!

Visit the Readers Services desk for additional art caper titles. Even though it's hard to beat the real-life adventures of missing art, check out my next blog for a wealth of fiction titles and authors who write about art and crime.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra - 75 years at Ravinia

2011-06-21T15:31:00.003-05:00

The Chicago Symphony orchestra celebrates its 75th anniversary at the Ravinia Festival this year from July 7 through August 14.

The program this year fills everyone's taste in music and features such artists as Deborah Voigt, Patricia Racette, Bryn Terfel, Yo-Yo Ma and The 5 Browns.

The orchestra's first concert on July 7 celebrates the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt with Lang Lang performing his works on piano. On July 8 Andre Watts was also perform on piano. The conductor for both concerts will be Ravinia's past music director Christoph Eschenbach. Both are at 8 p.m.

Deborah Voigt, soprano, will sing arias by Wagner and Richard Strauss, including music from "Tannhouser," "Die Walkure," "Elektra," and "Salome." Music from "Sigfried's Rhine Journey" from "Gotterdammerung" and "Dance of the Seven Veils" from "Salome" will also be performed. This program is July 9 at 7:30 p.m.

If you enjoy listening Rachmaninoff, then come and hear the composer's "Vesna" ("Spring") cantas and Romanovsky playing "Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini on July 21 at 8 p.m.

On July 30 at 7:40 p.m. Maestro Conlon will conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a concert version of Puccini's "Tosca," sung by Patricia Racette in the title role and Bryn Terfel as the evil Scarpia.

Well-known cellist Yo-Yo Ma will play Tchaikovsky's "Andante Cantabile" and "Variations on a Rococo Theme" with Conlon on August 8 at 8 p.m.

The 5 Browns, siblings and Juilliard graduates will play various keyboard works and will present "The Edge of the World" for five pianos and orchestra by Nico Muhly. This is a world premier and a Ravinia commission.

Finally, on August 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m., the orchestra, under the conductor Ludwig Wicki, will play Howard Shore's score for "Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring."

A special display featuring music being performed this season at Ravinia will be in the Audiovisual Room.

Get Out Your Hankie

2011-06-19T16:19:00.001-05:00

Recently, a patron asked me for suggestions for a really sad love story. She’d been going through a breakup with her boyfriend and wanted to read something that reflected what she was feeling. So I set out to find some real weepers and came up with the following titles. So have you Kleenex handy when you take these on, because you’re going to need them!

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

Passionately in love, Clare and Henry vow to hold onto each other and their marriage as they struggle with the effects of Chrono-Displacement Disorder, a condition that casts Henry involuntarily into the world of time travel.

The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller.

On assignment shooting the covered bridges in Iowa, photographer Robert Kincaid falls in love with Iowa native Francesca Johnson during four days of love, magic, and beauty.

Fireworks Over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff.

Eighty-four-year-old Lily Davis Woodward looks back at a turning point in her life, when she had to choose between her World War II soldier husband and the poor Italian immigrant planning the fireworks display to celebrate the soldiers' return.

Suzanne’s Diary For Nicholas by James Patterson.

Kate Wilkerson found her perfect man at last, then one day, without explanation, he disappears leaving behind only a diary for her to read. The diary is written by a new mother for her baby son, Nicholas. Soon it becomes clear to Kate that the man who left is the husband and father in this young family

Atonement by Ian McEwan.

Three children lose their innocence--as the sweltering summer heat bears down on the hottest day in 1935--and their lives are changed forever.

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern.

Holly has always depended on her husband's practical advice to keep her going and despairs when she loses him to brain cancer, until a package arrives filled with advice for carrying on with her life without her beloved husband.

Romeo And Juliet by William Shakespeare.

The classic play in which two children from warring families fall in love, with a tragic result.

Shadow Patriots by Lucia St. Clair Robson.

Her family torn between her parents' loyalist stance and her brother's decision to join Washington's forces, Philadelphia Quaker Kate Darby finds herself falling for a handsome major who is being sheltered in her home and turning spy for the patriot forces.

Love Story by Erich Segal.

A bittersweet contemporary love story chronicles the romance and marriage of Oliver Barrett, IV, a wealthy Harvard ice hockey player from a stuffy aristocratic family, and Jenny Cavilleri, a poor Radcliffe music student from a working class background.

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.

After Inman escapes from a war hospital in 1864 and starts walking to Cold Mountain, Ada struggles to save her mountain farm with the help of Ruby, an illiterate but efficient farmer.

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje.

In Cairo, a man meets a married woman with whom he falls in love, but the war keeps them apart and destroys her while he, severely burned, lives to tell their story to a nurse caring for him in an abandoned Tuscan villa.

Waiting for the new Erik Larson book?

2011-06-13T11:54:00.001-05:00

In the Garden of Beasts is the new book by the author of The Devil in the White City and is looking as though it will be another non-fiction bestseller. If you find yourself on the waiting list for this book at the library, here are several other suggestions you may enjoy if you like non-fiction that reads like fiction.

Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott

Set at the dawn of the 20th century, Abbott tells the story of two sisters, Ada and Minna Everleigh, and the opulent brothel they opened in Chicago.

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

After murdering his wife, Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen tries to escape to the US via ship, but his plan is foiled due to the newest wireless technology used on board.

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman

The true story of how the director of the Warsaw Zoo sheltered over 300 Jews and Polish resisters in the zoo during the Nazi occupation.

A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger

The author of A Perfect Storm revisits the Boston Strangler case and it's connection to a murder that took place in his hometown of Belmont in which a Black man was wrongly convicted.

Scandinavian Crime Wave Revisited

2011-06-10T14:47:00.001-05:00

The Nordic crime wave continues. Try one of these new additions.

Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg
Writer Erica Falck returns to her hometown after her parent’s funeral to learn that her friend, Alex, was found dead in an ice-cold bath with her wrists slashed. Her death is initially ruled a suicide. Disturbed by her friend’s death Falck decides to write a memoir about the remote and beautiful Alex, one that will help her with a bad case of writer’s block. She joins forces with Detective Patrik Hedstrom, who has his own suspicions about the case.

Red Wolf: a novel by Liza Marklund
Stockholm journalist Annika Bengtzon turns independent reporter, mostly pursuing terrorism stories. While she’s investigating in the northern town of Lulea, a fellow journalist and source dies in a hit-and-run accident, which turns out to be the first in a series of murders. Annika traces these murders to a deadly act of sabotage on a Swedish military base in 1969, and begins to suspect that the man behind the present-day slayings and the army base attack is a man that goes by the code name “Ragnwald”. As Annika delves deeper into the murder and sabotage her marriage begins to falter, can she juggle a demanding career, two children and a marriage in trouble?

Last Rituals by Yrsa Siguroardottir
Lawyer Thora Gudmundsdottir and her new partner, Matthew Reich, journey to a remote corner of Iceland to investigate how the murder of a German student may be connected to the victim’s interest in witchcraft.

Last Fix by Kjell Ola Dahl
After recovering drug addict Katrine Bratterund is found dead on the shore of a serene lake, detectives delve into the case, which holds a web of secrets and lies that stretches back generations.

Forthcoming Fiction for July

2011-06-07T09:31:00.000-05:00

Here are some titles coming out this July. You can reserve these by going to our Online Catalog, Bibliocommons, or by calling the Reader Services Desk at 847-729-7500 x7600!

Bannon Brothers by Janet Dailey

The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies by Susan Wittig Albert

The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews

The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh

The Gap Year: a Novel by Sarah Bird

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Jill Churchill

Split Second by Catherine Coulter

All the Pretty Hearses by Mary Daheim

Undead and Undetermined by Mary Janice Davidson

Escape by Barbara Delinsky

The Night Train: a Novel by Clyde Edgerton

The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen

The Woodcutter: a Novel by Reginald Hill

Betrayal of Trust : A J. P. Beaumont Novel by J.A. Jance

Quinn by Iris Johansen

Hotwire : A Maggie O Dell Novel by Alex Kava

Robert Ludlum s The Bourne Dominion by Eric Lustbader

Justice by Karen Robards

Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons

Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva

Happy Birthday: a Novel by Danielle Steel

Monument to Murder : A Capital Crimes Novel by Margaret Truman

The Big Switch by Harry Turtledove

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

Infernal Angels by Loren D. Estleman

Read Books -- Win Prizes! A Midsummer Knight's Read Summer Reading Program

2011-06-04T13:01:00.006-05:00

Reading Programs aren’t just for kids! Come and join A Midsummer Knight's Read - the summer reading program for adults and teens!

Celebrate the first summer reading program in the new Glenview Library, at the Summer Reading Program Kick-off festival on Saturday, June 11 from 10 am to 4 pm. Take the time to sign the whole family up - adults, teens and children for their Summer Reading Program.

There will be activities, entertainment, prizes, and refreshments too. Only adults registering at the Kick-off Festival have the extra chance to enter a raffle for Ravinia Lawn passes. Otherwise sign up at the Reader Services desk from June 11 through July 31. Read five books to win a Knight in Shining Armor flashlight and get a raffle ticket for the Grand Prize drawings.

Want more of a challenge? Join us for A Midsummer Knight’s Quest - A Library Scavenger Hunt on Friday July 22 from 6:30-8:30pm. Sign up your valiant team of four or have staff find a team for you. Wander the stacks of the Library in search of clues. Winning teams receive prizes and refreshments will be served. Participants must be at least 19 years old and register by Wednesday July 20. To reserve your place in the Quest, call 847-729-7500.

Come join us for some fun at the library this summer!

The Love Goddess' Cooking School

2011-06-03T19:57:00.003-05:00

When Holly's Grandmother Camilla dies, she inherits her business - a cooking school, and her house, but does she inherit her 'second sight'? In The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate, that is the question her small Maine town neighbors want to know. But Holly has had problems in her own life, and can't make a marinara sauce. She's not too sure that continuing the cooking school is such a good idea after all. But when she has four students sign up for classes, she decides to give it a try.

Senate does a great job at creating a small town community where everyone knows about everyone else's business. And Holly discovers that her grandmother's life was not all joy and roses. Filled with great characters and greater descriptions of food (you will be craving Italian after this one - trust me), the reader will enjoy reading about Holly's struggles in the kitchen, glimpses of Camilla's strength, and their cooking students growth, both in the kitchen and in their personal lives.

Makes one want to take an Italian cooking class if they are going to be that cool! A fun summer read.

MF

Gamers Paradise

2011-05-24T16:02:00.000-05:00

I love video games - from the original Atari, Intellivision, and Nintendo, to the handheld DS. I started with Pong, Pac Man, Mario Brothers to Golf and Bowling. I've tried my hand with Guitar Hero and the piano keyboard … even sing with the band. So I was thrilled when the Library decided to purchase them for the Nintendo Wii, XBOX360, and PS3!!

You can borrow one for a week, free of charge. Some of the games we offer are: Marvel vs. Capcom 3; Topspin ; Final Fantasy XIII; NBA 2K11; Need for Speed; Prince of Persia and Major League Baseball 2K11.

Aside from these games that you can borrow, the Library also offers a program for Young Adults called Gamer’s Paradise. Teens can play with the Library’s Nintendo Wii, XBOX360, and PlayStation 3. It is held in the Community Room, with big screens and boomchairs. How much more fun is that? The next date is May 27. You can either register online or call the Reader Services Desk. Perhaps we’ll see you then, but if not, keep an eye on the Library's calendar as there will be other dates.

New Pull-Out Bins And New Release Round-up

2011-05-18T20:11:00.000-05:00

Yes, you're gazing at our beautiful new pull-out drawers for the music CD collection. Transfixed? It's hard to avert your eyes, I know. Ok, beautiful might be a small stretch, but beauty's in the eye of the beholder, right? We love them. Hopefully they will greatly improve your browsing experience as you peruse the growing collection of music CDs in the AV room. We have all kinds of sounds at your fingertips. And speaking of 'growing' there are lots of new titles hitting the Pop/Rock shelves this month so stop by and check out a few OR call the Audiovisual Desk to place a hold. If you don't find what you're looking for, please let us know about that too.

Here's a small selection of some recent Pop/Rock (and Rap/Hip-Hop, etc,) additions to the catalog collection:

Panda Bear - Tomboy
Frank Black - The Golem
Kahlifa Wiz - Rolling Papers
Snoop Dogg - Doggumentary
tUnE-yArDs - Whokill
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part II
Robbie Robbertson - How To Become Clairvoyent
Gorillaz - The Fall
Stevie Nicks- In Your Dreams
Crystal Stilts - In Love with Oblivion
John Oates - Mississippi Mile
Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave
Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What
Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong
Emmylou Harris - Hard Bargain
North Mississippi Allstars- Keys to the Kingdom
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps
Raekwon - Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang
Alison Krauss - Paper Airplane
Lykee Li - Wounded Rhymes
Disappears - Guider
Stever Miller Band - Let Your Hair Down
Toro y Moi - Underneath the Pine
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Beans - End it All
Adele - 21
Rise Against - Endgame
The Kills - Blood Pressures
Travis Barker - Give the Drummer Some
K.D. Lang - Sing it Loud
Times New Viking - Dancer Equired
Sade - Ultimate Collection
The Cars - Move Like This

There are lots of classical musical titles being added to the collection as well!

Civil War Fiction

2011-05-17T13:12:00.002-05:00

2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Is this a period of time that you'd like to learn more about? Maybe you've attended one of the many events in your community commemorating the anniversary, or maybe you've been brushing up on your history by doing some reading. Don't forget that there's lots of fiction that captures this historical era. If you like historical fiction set in this period of time, you may want to try one of the following titles:

March by Geraldine Brooks. Inspired by the father in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, this novel depicts the experiences of a man who leaves behind his family to serve in the Civil War and how he is challenged during the war.

The March by E.L. Doctorow. The story of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's devastating march through Georgia and the Carolinas during the final years of the Civil War and the impact this journey had on the outcome of the war.

The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks. A story based on the true experiences of a Civil War heroine finds Carrie McGavock witnessing the bloodshed of the Battle of Franklin, falling in love with a wounded man, and dedicating her home as a burial site for fallen soldiers.

Savannah, or, a Gift for Mr. Lincoln by John Jakes. Jakes, a popular and prolific writer of Civil War fiction, recreates the spirit of the times as he tells a story of Sherman's army marching from Atlanta to the sea in 1864. The city of Savannah lies directly in its path, threatening the livelihood of widow Sara Lester and her twelve-year-old daughter Hattie, who struggle to save the family plantation.

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. In this gripping novel about the four days during the battle at Gettysburg, Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet tell the Southern view of the battle while Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and General John Buford present the Northern view.

Download Some May flowers!

2011-05-16T12:42:00.003-05:00

So the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers, so after the rains we've had we should expect an abundance of flowers this season. So get your gardening groove on, grab your e-reader and get ready to download.

American Rose by Karen Abbott
An expansive story of America's coming-of-age, told through the extraordinary life of Gypsy Rose Lee and the world she survived and conquered.

Mystic Rose by Stephen Lawhead
A tale rich in history and imagination, filled with danger, betrayal, courage, and faith, as the third generation of a Scottish noble family continues its eternal quest to secure the divine on earth, and preserve humankind's last true hope for salvation.

The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne
England's top spy has a score to settle with her family. But as they're drawn inexorably into the intrigue and madness of Revolutionary Paris, they gamble on a love to which neither of them will admit.

Marrying Daisy Bellamy by Susan Wiggs
There are days on Willow Lake... Daisy Bellamy has struggled for years to choose betweet two men - one honorable and steady, one wild and untethered.

The Daisy Club by Charlotte Bingham
Daisy, Jean, Freddie and their friends Aurelia and Laura are devoted to their quaint village Twistleton, so that when war breaks out it becomes the embodiment of everything for which they are fighting. With death haunting every moment, love is their one all-too-fleeting consolation--and also their final triumph.

Blues Hall of Fame

2011-05-09T06:01:00.002-05:00

The 32nd Blues Hall of Fame induction will be held Wednesday, May 4, at the Memphis Marriott Downtown in Memphis, Tennessee. Those being inducted include:

- Soulful singer/songwriter/guitarist Robert Cray

(Born August 1, 1953 in Columbus, Georgia)

Cray started playing guitar in his early teens and loved blues and soul music. By age 20, he decided to start his own band and began playing in college towns across the West Coast.

By 1982 he was the opening act for Eric Clapton. He generally played Fender guitars (Telecasters and Stratocasters). Cray continues to record and tour. Cray supported Eric Clapton on his 2006-2007 tour and joined Clapton on backup guitar for the Cream song "Crossroads".

- Acoustic blues artist, singer, guitarist, and harpist John Hammond
(Born November 13, 1942 in New York City, New York)

Hammond began playing guitar in high school and has recorded with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, The Hawks/The Band, Dr. John and Duane Allman.

He usually plays acoustically, choosing National Reso-Phonic Guitars and sings in a barrelhouse style, an early form of jazz. Hammond earned one Grammy Award and was nominated for four others. He provided the soundtrack for the film, Little Big Man, starring Dustin Hoffman.

His most recent album, Push Comes to Shove, was released in February 2007.

- Singer/songwriter, the Queen of Soul Blues Denise LaSalle
(Born July 16, 1939 in Belzoni, Mississippi)

LaSalle was raised in Belzoni, Mississippi and sang in local churches before moving to Chicago in the early 1960s. She was greatly influenced by country music as well as the blues. Her first recording contract was with Chess Records in 1967.

In 1971, she and her then husband Bill Jones, established an independent production company, Crajon. Her first major success was "Trapped By A Thing Called Love", released on Westbound Records. It made #1 on the national R&B chart and #13 on the Billboards Hot 100 chart.

She continues to work as a live performer at festivals.

- Big Maybelle, one of the most important R&B vocalists of the 1950s
(Born May 1, 1924 in Jackson, Tennessee-Died January 23, 1972 in Cleveland, Ohio)

Big Maybelle sang gospel as a child and in her teens switched to rhythm and blues. She started singing with Dave Clark's Memphis Band in 1936 and toured with the Sweethears of Rhythm.

She made the sang on the stage of the Spollo Theater in New York City and the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. She appeared in Jazz on a Summer's Day (1960 filmed at the Newport Jazz Festival. Her last hit single was in 1967 with a cover of "96 Tears" by Question Mark & the Mysterians.

Big Maybelle's final album, Last of Big Maybelle, was released after she died in 1973.

- Singer/songwriter, Alberta Hunter

(Born April 1, 1895 - Died October 17, 1984)

Hunter was an American blues singer, songwriter and nurse. Her career started in the early 1920s in Chicago and later she became a successful jazz and blues recording singer. In the 1950s she retired from music and became a nurse only to resume her singing career in her eighties.

She got her first break in New York City where she performed with Bricktop and Louis Armstrong. Hunter preferred performing in Europe where racism was not prevelant as it was in the United States.

- Singer/songwriter J.B. Lenoir

(Born March 5, 1929 in Monticello, Mississippi-Died April 29, 1967 in Urbana, Illinois)

Lenoir was greatly influenced by the music of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Arthur Crudup and Lightnin' Hopkins.

Om 1949, he moved to Chicago and was intoduced to the local blues community by Big Bill Broonzy. He became an important part of the city's blues scene. In 1951 he began recording on the J.O.B., Chess Records, Parrot, and Checker labels. His most successful songs included "Let's Roll", "The Mojo" and "Tax Paying Blues."

Lenoir was known for his showmanship, his zebra-patterened costumes and his high-pitched vocals in the 1950s. In 1963 he developed an interest in African percussion. During the Vietnam War, he wrote about racism.

John Mayall wrote "I'm Gonna Fight for You, J.B." and "Death of J.B. Lenoir". The 2003 documentary film The Soul of a Man, part of Martin Scorsese's series The Blues, explored Lenoir's career.