Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Free Comic Book Day!

All teens are invited to pick up a free comic book in the Teen Scene on Saturday, May 5th in honor of Free Comic Book Day!

Free Comic Book Day is celebrated each year on the first Saturday in May.  There are several comic books available for the taking each year, and this year Glenview will have 5 to choose from.  The selection will be:  DC Comics: The New 52 Special Ed., Peanuts /Adventure Time, Star Wars/Serentiy, Transformers, and Sonic the Hedgehog. 

To find a complete listing of what other places might have available, check out the official web site at http://www.freecomicbookday.com/ for details and store locator.  There are also many independant comic book shops that will have comic authors and illustrators on hand to sign copies. 

This is a great way to become familiar with the comic format and to try out some of the latest comics for free! 

Any questions about the May 5th Free Comic Book Day selection can be directed to Nicole M. Mills, Young Adult Librarian, at 847-729-7500.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Printers Row Lit Fest

Before you know it, summer will be upon us and it will be time for the largest free outdoor literary even in the Midwest. Booklovers of all kinds have been enjoying the Printers Row Lit Fest since 1985, when it was established to promote the Printers Row neighborhood that replaced Chicago’s bookmaking center. This year’s event will be held on June 9th and 10th.
Last year, writers who spoke at the festival included Richard Ford, Elizabeth Berg, Meredith Baxter, Edwidge Danticat, Pete Hamill, Ursula Hegi,, Terry McMillan, John Sayles, and many others.

The list of authors scheduled to participate this year is still in flux, but at this point includes Elizabeth Berg, Jane Hamilton (A Map of the World), Marianne Malone (The Sixty-Eight Rooms - a story that takes place in the Thorne Miniature Rooms of the Art Institute of Chicago), Jesmyn Ward (Salvage the Bones - Winner of the 2011 National Book Award), Edith Pearlman (Binocular Vision - Winner of the 2011 National Book Critics Circle award), and many others. The schedule of speakers will be finalized a week before the festival.

You can find more information on the website at:

There you can choose from a multitude of fun activities for people of all ages. Admission to all festival events is free, but you will need to get tickets for some of the events.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Stories was Everthything: RIP Harry Crews



It might seem alright to diminish the swath of considerable influence, the sheer force of impact the fiction of Harry Crews has left in its wake given he hasn't published a novel since 2006. It ain't. Sure, his last book An American Family was his first in eight years, published quietly by the Los Angeles small press Blood and Guts. Yes, somehow that name is appropriate. Blood and Guts. He was a prolific writer, over twenty novels, a few short story collections--and some non-fiction--his writing was all blood and guts. Not in violence, per se (though his books were often violent), but as an expression of the innards, the real, the grim insides. Harry died March 28 2012 from complications of neuropathpathy and while his name may not be as familiar to readers in the Midwest, living in Gainesville, Florida in the late 1990s and early 2000s he was surely a towering literary presence of near mythic proportions. Fledgling writers would relocate to Gainesville to enroll in the University of Florida's Creative Writing Program to be schooled, to learn from him.





He cajoled and berated many of them. He terrified others, the poor unsuspecting undergrad who unknowingly registered then stumbled into his class. In Gainesville, the stories abound about Harry. Not all of them good. They were set in the humid Florida air like some hazy folklore. But as Harry mentions in the film clip (below) from the documentary Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus: "stories was everything and everything was stories". If this doesn’t make him sound so appealing, then maybe that’s ok too. His fiction certainly isn’t for everyone. A Southern writer, both blunt and grotesque, in the great tradition of Flannery O’Connor with the grace, perception and the heart of Eudora Welty. I sure hope Harry had been working on another book before he shuffled off this mortal coil.



Check out some of his books from our collection, I'd recommend A Feast of Snakes or All We Need of Hell to get started.

For more information, there's a really great remembrance here.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Doggy DVDs

 Who let the dogs out? When the weather warms up, out come the dogs. Everywhere I go I see dogs, dogs and more dogs. The dog friendly parks are sprouting up everywhere, there are weekly appeals for dog adoptions on morning TV, the heroic dog stories make headlines, and photos and video of just plain cute dogs are all over the internet. Here is a list of DVDs in which the dogs are either playing the lead or best supporting role or maybe they just have dog in the title.



Marley and Me
John and Jen are journalists who are a newly married couple. Marley is their adopted puppy that no one wanted. In the turmoil of career changes and raising a family, Marley remains the constant high-spirited companion for all.

Year of the Dog
Peggy is a happy-go-lucky secretary who is a great friend, employee, and sister. She lives alone with her beloved dog Pencil. But when Pencil unexpectedly dies, Peggy must find meaning in her life.

Best in Show
The Mayflower Kennel Club competitors vie for the top prize at a dog show in this hilarious and quirky sort of mockumentary about show dogs and their owners.

Eight Below
An American geologist flies to Antarctica, once there, he teams up with arctic guide Jerry Shepard and his best friend, Cooper. The scientist also meets Shepard's other valuable friends
--a pack of sled dogs, who have rescued him from a number of tight spots. As the three men explore a frozen mountain region, an unexpected accident forces them to fly to safety, leaving the dogs behind. See how extraordinary the dogs are as they struggle to make their way home.

My Life As a Dog
In this Swedish film, 12 year old Ingmar is shipped off to live with his uncle for the summer, where he finds unexpected adventures with the help of the town's warmhearted eccentrics. These experiences give him a sustaining inner strength to accept his life and to eventually enjoy childhood. I saw this movie in the 90's and I also remember it being a bit sad, so be prepared.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Is There Life After "The Hunger Games"?

If you devoured the Hunger Games trilogy and were among the throngs who saw The Hunger Games movie on opening weekend, you may be desperately seeking something to read similar to the popular trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Look no further! Featured below are a few recently published titles that may appeal to teen readers who simply can't get their fill of books like The Hunger Games.


The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsh
Twenty years after the start of the war that caused the Collapse, fifteen-year-old Stephen, his father, and grandfather travel post-Collapse America scavenging, but when his grandfather dies and his father decides to risk everything to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down.

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
Seventeen-year-old Alex is on a solo camping trip in the woods (and playing hooky from her seemingly pointless chemo treatments) when a series of electromagnetic pulses renders all technology useless, kills most of Earth's population, and turns many of those left alive into ravenous, bloodthirsty cannibals. But Alex isn't entirely alone; she teams up with an eight-year-old girl and a young soldier on leave who, like her, weren't transformed by the pulses, and the three of them fight together for survival. Terrifying and exhilarating, this rather gruesome read is one that fans of the darker bits of The Hunger Games will devour.



Legend by Marie Lu
In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.




The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Nineteen-year-old returning champion Sean Kendrick competes against Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to ride in the annual Scorpio Races, both trying to keep hold of their dangerous water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.





Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Far into Earth's future, 18-year-old Saba ekes out a hardscrabble existence with her father, twin brother, and younger sister on a dry, dusty, used-up scrap of land. Saba cares about very little besides her family, so when Lugh, her twin, is kidnapped, she immediately sets out to save him. Little does she know the dangers she'll face on her journey--or the powerful secrets she'll learn. 





Variant by Robison Wells
After years in foster homes, seventeen-year-old Benson Fisher applies to New Mexico's Maxfield Academy in hopes of securing a brighter future, but instead he finds that the school is a prison and no one is what he or she seems.





After the Snow by S.D. Crockett
Fifteen-year-old Willo Blake, born after the 2059 snows that ushered in a new ice age, encounters outlaws, halfmen, and an abandoned girl as he journeys in search of his family, who mysteriously disappeared from the freezing mountain that was their home.




The Way We Fall by Megen Crewe
Sixteen-year-old old Kaelyn challenges her fears, finds a second chance at love, and fights to keep her family and friends safe as a deadly new virus devastates her island community.





Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Ostracized or incarcerated her whole life, seventeen-year-old Juliette is freed on the condition that she use her horrific abilities in support of The Reestablishment, a postapocalyptic dictatorship, but Adam, the only person ever to show her affection, offers hope of a better future





Ashfall by Mike Mullin
After the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano destroys his city and its surroundings, fifteen-year-old Alex must journey from Cedar Falls, Iowa, to Illinois to find his parents and sister, trying to survive in a transformed landscape and a new society in which all the old rules of living have vanished.




Divergent by Veronica Roth
In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomoly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all. While Divergent, published last spring, already has a strong following, look for its sequel, Insurgent, scheduled to be released this May.



Wither by Lauren DeStefano
After modern science turns every human into a genetic time bomb with men dying at age twenty-five and women dying at age twenty, girls are kidnapped and married off in order to repopulate the world. The second title in The Chemical Garden trilogy, Fever, was just released in February.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Book Discussion Crasher!

I have been a book discussion facilitator for many years, and I prepare for each discussion in the same manner; I read the book, prepare discussion questions, locate biographical information about the author and buy refreshments. Unbeknownst to me this past April 2nd Page Turners book discussion would be one to remember.

A few minutes before the book discussion was scheduled to begin I noticed two new members in the crowd, a man and a woman. The man approached me and politely asked if he and his wife could participate in the discussion; I replied “of course.” He then introduced himself as Robert Kurson the author of the book we were just about to discuss. Surprise, shock and fear were all pulsating through my veins and then a terrifying thought; how was I supposed to facilitate a book discussion with the author in the room? After I regained my composure; Mr. Kurson’s warm and friendly manner quickly became apparent. He was able to put myself and the group at ease and we went on to have a wonderful discussion about his book Crashing Through: a true story of risk, adventure, and the man who dared to see. Robert and his wife greatly enriched our discussion with their insights into the writing process and offered us tasty bits of information that only the author would know. Mr. Kurson is also the author of the book Shadow Divers: the true adventure of two Americans who risked everything to solve one of the last mysteries of World War II.

The Glenview Public Library offers five different book discussion groups. Give one a try you never know who may show up!

Forthcoming Fiction for May

Here are some titles coming out this May. You can reserve these by going to our Online Catalog, or by calling the Reader Services Desk at 847-729-7500 x7600!
The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer
The Lost Ones by Ace Atkins
Robert B. Parker’s Lullaby by Ace Atkins
The Proposal by Mary Balogh
The Columbus Affair by Steve Berry
Lady, Go Die! by Max Allan Collins
The Storm by Clive Cussler
Honor by Janet Dailey
The Emerald Storm by William Dietrich
Road to Grace by Richard Paul Evans
Dead Level: A Home Repair is Homicide Mystery by Sarah Graves
Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
In One Person by John Irving
Death’s Door by Jim Kelly
Born of Silence by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Beautiful Sacrifice by Elizabeth Lowell
Breaking News by Fern Michaels
Home by Toni Morrison
The Gift of Fire/On the Head of a Pin: Two Short Novels from Crosstown to Oblivion by Walter Mosley
The Body in the Boudior by Katherine Hall Page
11th Hour by James Patterson
Stolen Prey by John Sandford
A Blaze of Glory: A Battle of the Shiloh by Jeff Shaara
Dark Magic by James Swain
Murder on
Fifth Avenue
by Victoria Thompson
Don’t Cry Tai Lake: an Inspector Chen Novel by Qui Xiaolong

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - 2012


The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on April 14, 2012 at the Waldorf Asteria in New York City. Inductees include the Beastie Boys, Donovan, Guns N' Roses, Laura Nyro, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Faces. Artists are eligible for inclusion twenty-five years after their first recording is released.

Check out the display in the Audiovisual Room.

Beastie Boys are an American, Jewish hip hop trio from Brooklyn, New York City. The Beastie Boys began as hardcore punk band in 1979. They released their first EP, Polly Wog Stew, in 1982. In 1984 they made the transition to hip hop after their release of 12" Cooky Puss. As of 2010, they have sold 22 million albums in the United States and 40 million albums worldwide.

Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. He began in the British folk scene and developed his own distinctive style that bleneded folk, jazz, opp, psychedelia and world music.Donovan was one of the leading British recording artists of his day. He started playing in the United Kindgdom in early 1965 and influenced both John Lennon and Paul McCarney by teaching them his finger-picking guitar style in 1968. He was scorned in the 1970s and 1980s because of his folk and hippie image. In 2004, he released a new album, Beat Cafe.

Guns N' Roses are an American hard rock band, started in 1985 in Los Angeles, California. Members of the band were vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler. Axl Rose is the only member remaining in the group. The band has released six studio albums. Guns N' Roses revived the popularity of rock 'n' roll. Dance music and pop metal were popular at the time. In the late 1980s and early 1990s they rebelled much like the early Rolling Stones.

Laura Nyro (October 18, 1947 - April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. Song from her abums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry were sung by Barbra Streisand and The 5th Dimension. The 5th Dimension scored with "Stoned Soul Picnic" and "Sweet Blindness" in 1968, "Wedding Bell Blues" in 1969 and "Blowin' Away" in 1970. Barbara Steisand charted with "Stoney End," "Time And Love" and "FLim Flam Man." Elton John acclaimed her influence to Elvis Costello: "The soul, the passion, the out-and-out audacity of her rhythmic and melody changes was like nothing I'd ever heard before."

Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American alternative rock band, formed in Los Angels in 1983. Their style is rock with funk and elements from punk, rock, hip hop and psychedelic rock. The band's members are anthony Kiedis (vocals) and Michael Balzary (bass) with drummer Chad Smith and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

Small Faces were English band from East London. The group began in 1965 with Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston. They wrote "Itchycoo Park", "Lazy Sunday", "All or Nothing" and "Tin Soldier". By 1969, when they disbanded, they were a psychedelic band. After they disbanded, they were joined by Ronnie Woods and Rod Stewart in the 1970s and became The Faces. They broke in 1975 when Rod Stewart went solo.Small Faces are one of the biggest influences on the Britpop movement of the 1990s. Their music is still among the most famous British mod and psychedelic of the mid to late sixties.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Tickling Your Funny Bone

April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. The day is marked by good-humoured or otherwise funny jokes, hoaxes, and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, and work associates. The origins of the holiday are fuzzy, with many theories but no definitive explanation.  But one thing is for sure - these books will cause a few chuckles.  No foolin'!


Big trouble by Barry, Dave
Describes the lives of the troubled denizens of Coconut Grove, including a career-threatened adman, an alcoholic embezzler dodging a couple of hit men, and their dysfunctional families.  Laugh-out-loud funny!

Mr. Maybe by Jane Green
Libby Mason has found the almost-perfect guy--Nick is good looking, fun to talk to and great in bed--but he's always strapped for cash and allergic to commitment. Then there's Ed--wealthy, longing for stability--but stodgy, awkward, and lousy in bed. It's the classic story of what happens to a girl when her heart and her head aren't looking for the same thing. What will Libby do?.

Can't Wait to Get To Heaven by Fannie Flagg
Strange things begin to happen when Mrs. Shimfissle, an eighty-year-old woman, falls out of a fig tree in her own front yard, in a novel about one woman's offbeat experiences in the hereafter.

The Blow-Off by Jim Knipfel
When his crime-blotter yarn about a Bigfoot-like creature incites a wave of hysteria in a New York City neighborhood, a newspaper reporter's attempt to set the record straight results in exponentially incredulous tales about murders, robberies and pie thefts.

Undead and Undermined by Mary Janice Davidson
Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor thought she couldn't die. So what's she doing in the morgue? It could have something to do with a time-traveling trip she made, and a foe with a wicked agenda that could finally be the real death of Betsy--if she's not careful.

Getting Sassy by D.C. Brod
In an attempt to avoid having her aging and forgetful mother move in with her, Robyn Guthrie and her accountant Mick Hughes hatch a scheme that targets the man who defrauded Robyn's mother and involves kidnapping a goat named Sassy.

Trust Me On This by Jennifer Crusie
Reporter Dennie Banks will do anything to get her story, even pull out all the stops to convince Alec Prentice to help her, in a romantic comedy that proves everyone is guilty of something--especially love.While managing the Virgin Birth Home for Unwed Mothers, Sam Callaham finds his life spinning wildly--and hilariously--out of control as he deals with his daughter's nervous breakdown, his mother's release from prison, an adoptive son trying to discover his parentage and a raging psychopath.