Eye of the Storm

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

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

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

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

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

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. 

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

Nowhere Boy

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

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

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

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

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.