Saturday, January 31, 2015

While You are Waiting for "The Girl on the Train"...

While you're waiting for the hot, new psychological thriller, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, consider some of the following psychological suspense titles.

The Devil You Know by Elisabeth De Mariaffi  (2015)
In 1993, rookie crime beat reporter Evie Jones is obsessed with solving the 11-year-old murder of her best friend and, as she gets closer and closer to an unimaginable conclusion, she is convinced that the killer is still out there--and is coming for her. 

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison  (2013)
Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage: he is a committed cheater, she lives and breathes denial. But when Todd decides to play for keeps she has nothing less to lose as the couple heads for catastrophe.

Cartwheel by Jennifer Dubois  (2013)
College student Lily Hayes is an accident waiting to happen. While studying abroad in Buenos Aires, she becomes the prime suspect in her roommate Katy’s murder. DuBois’s haunting story captures a family shattered by their young daughter’s imprisonment. A well-written novel highly recommended for book clubs. -- Karen Kilbride for LibraryReads.

Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey  (2014)
Maude sinks into a confusing world in this gripping psychological mystery written in the voice of an aging woman with Alzheimer's. She can't remember what she's doing or where she is, but she is obsessed with one thought-her good friend Elizabeth is missing.. .-- Mary Campanelli for LibraryReads

In the Blood by Lisa Unger  (2014)
A master manipulator and compulsive liar, Lana Granger, with her trust fund almost depleted, takes a job babysitting a troubled boy named Luke, who accustomed to controlling the people in his life, threatens to reveal the truth about her involvement in the disappearance of her closest friend.

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica  (2014)
Inner-city art teacher Mia Dennett is taken hostage by her one-night stand, Colin Thatcher, who, instead of delivering her to his employers, hides her in a cabin in rural Minnesota to keep her safe from harm.

The Circle of Wives by Alice LaPlante  (2014)
When prominent plastic surgeon Dr. John Taylor is found dead, the police investigation uncovers his secret polygamous life. As the narration alternates between Taylor’s three wives and a young female detective, the story explores the characters’ motivations and relationships. Part psychological thriller and part literary mystery, the end result is wholly captivating reading. -- Melissa DeWild for LibraryReads.

Losing You by Nicci French  (2008)
Preparing to leave for a vacation, Nina Landry awaits the return of her fifteen-year-old daughter, Charlie, who had spent the night at a friend's house, but Nina begins to worry when Charlie does not come home and no one takes the disappearance seriously.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Broadway Lights in Chicago (Winter/Spring 2015)


Bank of America Theatre, Chicago

The Book of Mormon - February 20 - May 24
Winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book, Best direction, Best Featured Actress, Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design and Best Orchestrations.

Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles - May 20 - May 24
Live multi-media spectacular that takes you on a musical journey through the life and times of the Beatles.

Cadillac Palace, Chicago

Beauty and the Beast - March 25 - March 29
The classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress

Jersey Boys - May 12 - May 24
The Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning hit is a story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.  This is the story of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time.

Drury Lane, Oakbrook

West Side Story - January 15 - March 22
A modern retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story tells the tale of two star crossed lovers caught between rival gangs.

Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire

La cage aux Folles - January 28 - March 22
Set against the glitter of a Saint-Tropez nightclub, a middle-aged gay couple agree to hide their relationship when their son returns home with his fiancee's ultra-conservative parents.

Anything Goes - April 8 - May 31
Winner of three 2011 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival.  Madcap fun on the S.S. american with an unusual array of passengers including a gangster, a wealthy debutante, a charismatic nightclub singer and a lovesick stowaway.

Oriental Theatre, Chicago

Beautiful - The Carole King Musical - December 1, 2014 - February 21, 2015
Tells the inspiring true story of Carole King's remarkable rise to stardom

First Wives Club - February 17 - March 29
Based on the smash hit 1996 film and Olivia Goldsmith's bestselling.  Three former college friends reunite to find that they have more in common than their alma mater!


Friday, January 23, 2015

Sleuth for the New Door County Detective Series!

Door County, Wisconsin is a place like no other. It boasts 300 miles of spectacular shoreline and five majestic parks. It has a lot of history, 11 lighthouses, unique villages, arts & entertainment, galleries & boutiques as well as delicious local cuisine. It's a favorite destination of mine as well as many Glenview/North Shore families for generations. I have been vacationing there since childhood and although there have been many changes, one thing that hasn't changed is the natural beauty found there.

So, I was beyond excited to spy a book entitled, Death Stalks Door County by Patricia Skalka. It introduces a new detective series, "The Dave Cubiak Door County Mysteries." According to the author there is this one and there will be more. Though I am not an avid thriller/mystery reader and typically don't gravitate toward this genre, I am enjoying this one set in the stunning landscape and picturesque waterfront villages of Door County. The author, Patricia Skalka , is a former staff writer for Reader's Digest and has worked as a magazine editor, ghost writer, and writing instructor. She is a native of Chicago, lives in the city and takes time off at her cottage in Door County. She acknowledges, "During one of my first visits to Door County, Wisconsin, I sat on the Lake Michigan shore as a deep mysterious quiet settled over the peninsula. Anything can happen here, I thought. Indeed much did. Cozy Thanksgiving celebrations. Summer days of long walks and kayaking and creating castles and candles in the sand. Beach fires with wine and good friends. Nights tracking the moon's silvery path across the rumpled surface of the water." She goes on to say, "When I began to write this book, there was no question of the locale. It had to be set in Door County. Door County is real. While I used the peninsula as the framework for the book, I also altered some details and added others to fit the story.  The spirit of this majestic place remains unchanged."

So, what's her first book about? Six deaths mar the holiday mood as summer vacationers enjoy Wisconsin's beautiful Door County peninsula. Murders or bizarre accidents? A troubled former Chicago cop is pitted against a clever killer. In a desperate search for clues, he uncovers a tangled web of greed, betrayal, bitter rivalries, and lost love beneath the peninsula's travel-brochure veneer.
Befriended by several locals but unsure whom to trust or to suspect of murder, the one-time cop tracks a clever killer.  It's a smart, hard-edge detective story of greed, revenge and lost love set in the "Cape Code of the Midwest."

I plan to finish this book on my next weekend getaway to Ephraim in front of a roaring fire!
Patricia has authored four more books in her crime series. So, be on the lookout! I know I will!


Thursday, January 22, 2015

The Magic of Reading

Writers, like magicians, invoke enchantment out of thin air, captivating the reader with their supernatural powers. In the last thirty years there has been a barrage of magic-related fiction. Magic has long been an integral part of fantasy fiction, a mainstay from the days of Homer to contemporary authors like Tolkien, Rowling, and Lackey. Within a work of fantasy, magic can function to move the plot forward, providing both power for the protagonist of the story and power for those who oppose him/her.  Pick up one of these spellbinding novels and unleash the magic.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susanna Clark
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Night Magic by Thomas Tyron
The Prestige by Christopher Priest


Wednesday, January 21, 2015

2015 Edgar® Awards nominees announced today

In celebration of the 206th anniversary of Edgar Allen Poe's birthday, the Mystery Writers of America announced the nominees for the 2015 Edgar Awards. The shortlist includes works of fiction and nonfiction for both adults and children. Awards will be announced and grand master authors James Ellroy and Lois Duncan will be honored at a gala ceremony in New York City on April 29th. A selection of nominated works follows. For a complete list of nominees in all categories, www.theedgars.com/nominees.html.

Best Novel
This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
Wolf by Mo Hayder
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
The Final Silence by Stuart Neville
Saints of the Shadow Bible by Ian Rankin

Best First Novel by an American author
Dry Bones in the Valley by Tom Bouman
Invisible City by Julia Dahl
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
Bad Country by C.B. McKenzie
Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh
Murder At the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver

Best Fact Crime
Kitty Genovese: the murder, the bystanders, the crime that changed America by Kevin Cook
The Savage Harvest: a tale of cannibals, colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's tragic quest for primitive art by Carl Hoffman
The Other Side by Lacy M. Johnson
Tinseltown: murder, morphine and madness at the dawn of Hollywood by William Mann
The Mad Sculptor: the maniac, the model and the murder that shook the nation by Harold Schechter



Monday, January 12, 2015

Fast action films


We are now in the throes of winter, although fingers crossed, it won't be as bad as last year. Some of us are lucky enough to be able to get away and go South or West for some fun in the sun. For those of us who can’t, we’ll just have to crank up the furnace to stay warm, or watch these action movies to get us going:


If you like car racing, watch  the Fast & Furious series, of which there are six. These DVDs  will keep you busy for a while. The first two in the series are  The Fast & the Furious, and 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Another action packed movie is Unstoppable, about a runaway freight train loaded with toxic chemicals that will derail in a populated town unless it is stopped.

From cars to trains to The Hunt for Red October, about a Russian nuclear submarine that's headed for the United States and whose intentions are not known. The A-Team is about a group of  former Special Forces soldiers who have been accused of crimes they did not commit. And for a little bit of fun, watch Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines.

I hope these movies will see you through the winter doldrums and into spring.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Best of Romance in 2014 - Some Lists


In Your Dreams-2
heroesaremyweaknessBB2014
Sometimes in the hectic rush around the holidays, the avid reader misses seeing the various end of the year book lists that come out seemingly everywhere.

Maybe the best time to take a look at these titles is really in January and February - when the season and the weather can sometimes bring a little down time or aka extra reading time.

I don't always agree with the various book lists that are put out there - but for Romance titles - these two sources do a fine job with their lists and feature some great titles (and authors.)


Library Journal's Best Romances of 2014

Bollywood Affair-3Kirkus Reviews' Remembering Best Romances of 2014


Take a chance on one of these books - and discover a new Romance author or  a genre for you!

Or if the specific title is checked out - look to see if these ladies' have back-list titles. ( Most do!) Just ask at the Reader Services desk if you need assistance.


Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Forthcoming Fiction in February

Here are some Fiction titles coming out in February. You can reserve them by searching our Online Catalog, or give us a call at 847-729-7500.

The Alphabet House by Jussi Adler-olsen
Mightier Than the Sword by Jeffrey Archer
Tortured Souls: The Legend of Primordium by Clive Barker
Death of a Liar by M.C. Beaton
Darned If You Do by Monica Ferris
Double Fudge Brownie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman
Crash & Burn by Lisa Gardner
Phantom Angel: a Mystery by David Handler
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Funny Girl by Nick Hornby
Doctor Death: a Madeleine Karno Mystery by Lene Kaaberbol
Motive by Jonathan Kellerman
Dreaming Spies: a Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes by Laurie R. King
Hush Hush by Laura Lippman
The Chessmen by Peter May
In Plain Sight by Fern Michaels
The Cat, the Devil and the Last Escape by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Where Trust Lies by Janette Oke
Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb
Blood Infernal by James Rollins
Prodigal Son by Danielle Steel
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler