Anthony Awards

The Anthony Awards are literary awards given out each Fall at the annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. This year, Bouchercon is being held in Cleveland on Oct 4-7.

In 2012, awards will be given for Best Novel, Best First Novel, Best Paperback Original, Best Short Story, and for Best Critical Nonfiction Work. And these titles will be voted on by the Bouchercon attendees.

The Anthony Awards are among the most prestigious awards in the world of mystery writers and have helped boost the careers of numerous recipients.

Here are the list of nominees for Best First Novel:

Learning to Swim—Sara J. Henry

Nazareth Child—Darrell James  

All Cry Chaos—Leonard Rosen

Who Do, Voodoo?—Rochelle Staab

The Informationist—Taylor Stevens

Purgatory Chasm—Steve Ulfelder 

Before I Go to Sleep—S.J. Watson 

For the other nominees check out the full awards page - http://bouchercon2012.com/awards.php 

For more information about the 2012 Bouchercon - http://bouchercon2012.com/

Try a new author today!

BookBites: Reading Social

Unwind in the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere of the Glenview House with a bite to eat and drink, good company, and a lively book discussion. Must-read contemporary titles will be specially selected for BookBites discussions. Even if you haven’t finished the book selection, just come meet new people and share ideas.

Our first meeting will be Thursday, October 4 at 7pm. Join us as we discuss Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. Complimentary appetizers will be served at the inaugural meeting. Co-sponsored by the Niles Public Library.  For further details and book descriptions, visit our Facebook page.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

September, October. Summer is winding down, the days and evenings are getting cooler. It's time for the Monsters of the Midway and the Junkyard Dogs to come out of hibernation.

We've come a long way since those days, and for those who were not around then, you can watch Chicago Bears, The Complete History - a 2 disc DVD which  includes the story of the 1985 world champion Chicago Bears.

          Other DVDs to watch are: A Tradition of Defense, Soldier on the C, and Chicago Bears 2006 NFC Champions.

           And then there's Brian's Song, the fictionalized story of the real-life friendship between Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers.

            If nothing else, watch The Super Bowl Shuffle, a video that was recorded by the 1985 Chicago Bears. They were the first team to do this, and many others subsequently followed, but none to the same level of success and popularity.
            Another season, new hope!
           

Writers Portraying Writers

While reading Hilma Wolitzer’s recent book An Available Man, I was reminded of a book I’d been meaning to read. Starting Out in the Evening by Brian Morton is mentioned as the favorite book of Wolitzer’s main character’s deceased wife. Morton’s book is about an aging writer who is revered by a young female graduate student working on a thesis about him. The novel proceeds to investigate the nature of fame, ambition, art, and personal connections.

Many works of fiction feature a writer as the main character. If you’ve ever wondered how writers portray their own kind, some of the following titles could be of interest:

What Happened to Sophie Wilder – Christopher Beja

The Wife – Meg Wolitzer

Thinks – David Lodge

Old School – Tobias Wolff

How I Became a Famous Novelist – Steve Hely

Wonder Boys – Michael Chabon

The Ghost Writer – Philip Roth

The Biographer’s Tale – A. S. Byatt

Unless – Carol Shields

Bech: A Book – John Updike

The History of Love – Nicole Krauss

2666 – Roberto Bolano

For film lovers:

Ask the Dust (DVD) (based on a book by John Fante)

Starting Out in the Evening (DVD) (based on the book by Brian                                                             Morgan)

Going Global

Our Glenviewings film series resumes next Friday (September 21st) for a new fall season.  We break away from our extended "Year's Best" series and turn our focus to some global themes.  Please join us this fall as we journey from southern California and the Mexican border to urban Iran to a small village in South Africa.  In September, A Better Life , selected for Hispanic Heritage Month, chronicles the painful story of a hardworking illegal immigrant father and his son as they embark on a physical and spiritual journey that teaches them both that family is the most important part of the American dream.

In October, 2012 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language, A Separation tells the story an Iranian couple that plans to flee the country with their young daughter, but finds their marriage suffering after their plans fall through due to an unforeseen complication.  Alissa Simon of Variety magazine said, "the provocative plot casts a revealing light on contemporary Iranian society taking on issues of gender, class, justice, and honor, as a secular middle-class family in the midst of upheaval winds up in conflict with an impoverished religious one."

With the last film in the series we travel to South Africa in November for Life, Above All.   Follow twelve-year-old Chanda as she desperately tries to hold her family together against prejudice, disease, and ignorance, as this harrowing film, adapted from a young adult novel by Allan Stratton, was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

All films screen at 2:00 and 6:30, September 21, October 19 and November 16. We hope to see you at the movies!

Wine and Wine Country on DVD

I am not that knowledgeable about wines, if I find one I like, I can barely remember the name of it next time I go to the store, but I do enjoy a glass from time to time and I am partial to reds. I recently checked out the movie Bottle Shock and I really enjoyed it.  I am more interested than ever to visit wine country in California which is where the movie is set.  It tells the story of California wines emerging as a reputable player in the international wine community.  Here is a short list of other wine DVDs.  Enjoy!

Bottle Shock


Sideways


A Taste of California   

A Good Year

Forthcoming Fiction for October

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

Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories by Sherman Alexie

Sea Glass Summer by Dorothy Cannell

The Giving Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

Postcards from the Dead by Laura Childs

The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell

The Panther by Nelson DeMille

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

The Perils of Sherlock Holmes by Loren D. Estleman

A Winter Dream by Richard Paul Evans

Dark Storm by Christine Feehan

The Woman who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde

Dick Francis’s Bloodline by Felix Francis

The Racketeer by John Grisham

The Snow White Christmas Cookie: a Berger and Mitry Mystery

by David Handler

Peaches for Father Francis by Joanne Harris

What the Cat Saw by Carolyn G. Hart

Goldberg Variations by Susan Isaacs

Sleep No More by Iris Johansen

The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury

Redoubt: a Valdemar Novel by Mercedes Lakey

Live by Night by Dennis Lehane

The Jewels of Paradise by Donna Leon

Angels at the Table: a Shirley, Goodness and Mercy Christmas Story

by Debbie Macomber

The Shadow Girls by Henning Mankell

The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds by Alexander McCall-Smith

Merge/Disciple: Two Short Novels from Crosstown to Oblivion

by Walter Mosley

Bowl of Heaven by Larry Niven

NYPD Red by James Patterson

A Christmas Garland by Anne Perry

Mad River by John Sandford

The Sins of the Mother by Danielle Steel

The Walnut Tree: A Christmas Tale by Charles Todd

Darkness Rising by Lis W. Wiehl