Summer Foreign Film Challenge

Take the plunge, now that our foreign films are arranged by country of origin, come and browse the collection and check a few out. One patron I met has started with the Albanian films and hopes to make her way through the entire list. I thought it was a good idea, so I borrowed it. So for those of you that are up for the challenge, here are the Arabic films that were well reviewed. (they were given a 7 or better on imdb.com) Be on the lookout for the next installment which will include Armenian, Bengali and Chinese.

Omar 
A young Palestinian freedom fighter agrees to work as an informant after he's tricked into an admission of guilt by association in the wake of an Israeli soldier's killing.

Wadjda
An enterprising Saudi girl signs on for her school's Koran recitation competition as a way to raise the remaining funds she needs in order to buy the green bicycle that has captured her interest.

Where do we go now?
A group of Lebanese women try to ease religious tensions between Christians and Muslims in their village.

Ajami
Ajami is the religiously mixed community of Muslims and Christians in Tel Aviv. Here are five stories about the everyday life in Ajami.

Gramophone Hall of Fame - 2015

Michael Tilson Thomas (1944- ) Conductor

"Celebrating 20 years at the helm of the San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas has held posts with the London Symphony Orchestra and founded the New World Symphony in Miami.  He has recorded extensively for DG, RCA and the SFS's own label."

Sir Neville Marriner (1924- ) Conductor

"Founder, in 1958, and conductor of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Marriner has also held posts with the Los Angeles Chamber, Minnesota and Stuttgart Radio orchestras.  With the ASMF, he has probably made more recordings than any other conductor."

Angela Hewitt (1958- ) Pianist

"Celebrated for her Bach recordings, Hewitt's repertoire is broad and takes in Mozart's piano concertos, Beethoven's piano sonatas, Schumann and French piano music.  She records for Hyperion."

Sir Andras Schiff (1953- ) Pianist

"The Hungarian pianist (and increasingly often conductor) recorded extensively for Decca before moving to ECM, where he focuses on a repertoire that ranges from Bach to Beethoven and Schubert."

Kathleen Ferrier (1912-53) Contralto

"Though she died at 41, Ferrier established herself as one of the greatest singers of her age, leaving classic recordings of Gluck's Orfeo, Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde and the folksong 'Blow the wind southerly'."

Hans Hotter (19109-2003) Bass-baritone

"The leading Wagnerian bass-baritone of his generation, his finest achievements on disc range from bach cantatas to Strauss and Wagner operas and Schubert Lieder."

Renata Tebaldi (1922-2004) Soprano

"One of the greatest Italian sopranos of the post-war period, Tebaldi was often lined up as the rival of Maria Callas.  She recroded many of her key roles for Decca."

Marc-Andre Hamelin (1961- ) Pianist

"The Canadian player's Hyperion catalogue grows by the month, offering an astounding range of repertoire that embraces music of remarkable virtuosity."

Sir Antonio Pappano (1959- ) Conductor and pianist

"Music director of both the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and Rome's Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale de Santa Cecilia.

Christopher Hogwood (1941-2014) Conductor, keyboard player, scholar and broadcaster

"One of the giants of the early music world, Hogwood is celebrated for his extensive catalogue for Decca's L'Oiseau-Lyre label.

Gramophone - June 2015

If you Like Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander"...

With the recent finale of the first season of the popular Outlander television series on STARZ, a number of fans have stopped by the library to request the book, Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon. Many are surprised (and pleased) to learn that there is an entire series of eight Outlander titles, beginning with Outlander.

This time travel adventure series includes plenty of historical detail, a strong female character and some steamy romance. The first series title is set in 18th century Scotland.

If you have already made your way through the Outlander series or are just looking for more books that have a similar feel to Outlander, you might consider a few of the titles below.

Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati
Elizabeth Middleton, a spinster school teacher, leaves England in 1792 to join her father and brother in a remote, mountainous village in upstate New York. There she falls in love with Nathaniel Bonner, a man torn between white and Native American culture. Book 1 in The Wilderness series.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Discovering a magical manuscript in Oxford's library, scholar Diana Bishop, a descendant of witches who has rejected her heritage, inadvertently unleashes a fantastical underworld of daemons, witches and vampires whose activities center around an enchanted treasure. Book 1 in the All Souls trilogy.

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley
Hired by a once-famous historian to crack codes in a 300-year old journal that once belonged to a Jacobite exile, Sara Thomas encounters complications in the form of the journal's reclusive owner, a charming Parisian neighbor and the the journal's own writer.

The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway
Waking up in a modern London hospital 200 years after meeting his death on a Napoleonic battlefield, Nick Falcott is indoctrinated into a time-traveling society and returned to the side of a woman he love to reclaim a vital talisman.

Overseas by Beatriz Williams
A cynical Wall Street analyst fall uncharacteristically in love with a billionaire with a mysterious past in a romance with mystical ties to a relationship between a World War I British officer and a beautiful young American who held vital information about a fateful reconnaissance mission.

The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Stranded in the 14th century--a time of superstition and fear--time traveler Kivrin becomes an unlikely angel of hope during history's darkest hour and awaits rescue by her comrades. Oxford Time Travel novels, 2.

Anne Frank: The girl who wanted to write

Seventy years ago, 15-year old diarist Anne Frank died in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp of typhus. Her last diary entry was dated August 1, 1944.  Her diary The Diary of a Young Girl was published by Contact Publishing, Amsterdam on June 25, 1947. By 1950 a sixth edition was published. The book is estimated to have sold over 30 million copies and translated into 67 languages. The young diarist dreamed of becoming a writer, dreamed of traveling to Paris and possibly even to Hollywood. She was a bright, vivacious and thoughtful girl who believed she would someday see her words in print. Posthumously, the impact and legacy of her diary is evident in the many editions of the diary, plays, films and books written about her. Want to learn more about this extraordinary young girl check out one these books.

Non-Fiction Books
Anne Frank Remembered: the story of the woman who helped to hide the Frank family by Geis, Miep
Inside Anne Frank's House: an illustrated journey through Anne's world
Anne Frank: the biography by Muller, Melissa
The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank by Lindwer, Willy
Anne Frank: the book, the life, the afterlife by Prose, Francine
The Hidden Life of Otto Frank by Lee, Carol Ann

Films
Anne Frank (2001)

Fiction Books
Margot by Cantor, Jillian
The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Feldman, Ellen

Patriotic Books Perfect to Read for the Fourth of July!

The Fourth of July weekend is fast approaching. If you are staying near and dear to Glenview over the long holiday weekend, then I would suggest checking out one of the following patriotic books and why:

On the Road, Jack Kerouac
This is the bible for hard travelers hitchhiking and driving back and forth across America with spirited friends. It's a poetic and hellbent road trip. In the novel, Kerouac asks and answers, "Whither goest thou, America, in thy shiny car in the night?"

1776, David McCullough
This is McCullough's massive super literal account of the events leading up to the signing of the
Declaration of Independence. You'll learn a ton about the Revolutionary War and key military battles. George Washington is profiled as he led the ragtag American troops to an unlikely victory over the British.

Abraham Lincoln: the War Years, Carl Sandburg
This lengthy two-part biography of Abraham Lincoln is considered to be the most influential book about the man who ended slavery and kept the United States together in the face of the Civil War.
Lincoln: The Prairie Years (1926) and Lincoln: The War Years (1939) are the defining books on Lincoln's life and still the go-to biography of Lincoln and major source of many of the idealistic myths that surround him.

The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner
This novel is frequently cited as one of the great American novels and chronicles how the puritanical morals of the South, racism, greed, and violence ruin an entire Southern family.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
This is one of the most important American novels. It is fixated on the brutal fable that is the American dream. It is a portrait of the post-World War I era in which America lost its innocence and became decadent. It is a great read or re-read for the 4th of July occasion allowing us to think about how achieving the American dream still couldn't bring Gatsby happiness.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
This book is the first major American work to be written completely in vernacular English, capturing Americans as they actually spoke. It is a scathing look at racism and other backward attitudes held in the South on the Mississippi River where it is set. At the same time it is a celebration of unlikely friendship and fierce independence bordering on rebelliousness, both characteristics of our national character.

Come join us on Sunday for the Summer Reading Kickoff Festival!

Register for a Summer Reading Club with your Glenview Public Library card at the Kick-Off Festival Sunday, June 14, 1-4 PM. Enjoy the opening day excitement — prizes, refreshments, and fun for the whole family. Start in the Lobby by spinning the prize wheel and then move into the Community Room to sign up for the program and receive your prize — Ravinia tickets, coupons for free DVD rentals, or an assortment of other fun giveaways. Tap your toes to the lively beat of Jazz in the Lobby, hosted by Terra Sounds School of Music Arts. Light refreshments served. Read more about the Summer Reading Program details here.

Chick Noir

Chick Noir is a new category of fiction featuring bad girls or at least not entirely good ones. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn comes to mind. These are dark, edgy, psychological. Here, things may not always be what they seem.

Dare Me by Megan Abbott

When a new cheerleading coach comes to school, she upsets the team’s dynamic by ousting the reigning captain and befriending Abby, the second-in-command. The team is transformed, but the new coach has a dark side. And what about Beth, the ruthless ex-captain who only wants revenge? You’ll never look at cheerleading the same way again.

A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read

Syracuse, N.Y. newspaper reporter and ex-debutante Madeline Dare tries to find out what really happened in the 20-year-old murder of two young women, the “Rose Girls.” The stakes grow higher when clues start to point to Madeline’s favorite cousin, Lapthorne Townsend.

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

Jodi, a Chicago psychotherapist, and Todd, her cheating husband, alternate in telling their story. When Todd tells Jodi he’s leaving her, she decides she has had enough and decides to get even.

To Have and To Hold: Weddings Can Be Murder

Weddings. A celebration. Families gathering together. Lots of tension. And in mysteries there can be lots of murders. Is it the bride or groom who is lost? A guest at the wedding? Or is it shady Uncle Lou who always had some dicey business connections? As I gathered together titles for the To Have and To Hold: Weddings Can Be Murder book discussion for our book group Much Ado About Mysteries, I did not realize how many wedding mysteries there were. Almost every author seems to have written one.

Some books feature the sleuths themselves getting married. Other sleuths are merely attendees at the event, or are working the event. And in other stories, the murder seems as if it is just a random but tragic accident.

Weddings are a major life event for most people, and I think that is why there are so many stories about the occasion. If you want to join the discussion - come join our book group Much Ado About Mysteries on Thursday June 18th at 7:00 pm. We will be discussing our wedding mysteries and sharing tales of nuptial disasters. Come to the Reader Services desk to grab a bibliography for a list of titles to read or try out the ones below.

Murder With Peacocks  by Donna Andrews - Meg Lanslow, maid of honor for three impending weddings, returns to her Virginia small-town home for the summer in order to arrange the details. Amidst the near disasters, truculent brides-to-be, screwball relatives, and minutiae-filled days, someone kills the rudely annoying sister of her mother's fiance. Meg's divorced but amicable father, an insatiable busybody and doctor, begins investigating--with assistance from Meg.

The Wedding Shawl by Sally Goldenbaum - When Izzy Chambers' wedding plans begin to unravel after her wedding party's stylist is found dead, the Seaside Knitters must not only find some answers, but complete the wedding shawl they made for the bride.

A Curious Indian Cadaver by Shamini Flint - Inspector Singh is sick of sick leave, so when Mrs Singh suggests they attend a family wedding in Mumbai, he grudgingly agrees - hoping that the spicy Indian curries will make up for extended exposure to his wife's relatives. Unfortunately, the beautiful bride-to-be disappears on the eve of her wedding - did she run away to avoid an arranged marriage, or is there something more sinister afoot? When a corpse is found, the fat inspector is soon dragged into a curious murder investigation with very firm instructions from Mrs Singh to exonerate her family. But as he uncovers layer upon layer of deceit, he knows it isn't going to be that easy.

Forthcoming Fiction for June

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

The Darkling Child by Terry Brooks

Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell

The Melody Lingers On by Mary Higgins Clark

The Santangelos by Jackie Collins

Long, Tall Christmas by Janet Dailey

Blueprints by Barbara Delinsky

Ever After: A Nantucket Brides Novel by Jude Deveraux

Wicked Charms: A Lizzy and Diesel Novel by Janet Evanovich

The Fixer by Joseph Finder

All the Single Ladies by Dorothea Benton Frank

Summer Secrets by Jane Green

Cash Landing by James Grippando

Dead Ice by Laurell K. Hamilton

The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand

Finders Keepers by Stephen King

From a High Tower by Mercedes Lackey

Paradise Sky by Joe R. Lansdale

Charlie Martz and other stories: The Unpublished Stories by Elmore Leonard

Death by Tiara by Laura Levine

Wildfire in His Arms by Johanna Lindsey

The President’s Shadow by Brad Meltzer

Untamed by Diana Palmer

Truth or Die by James Patterson

The Long Utopia by Terry Pratchett

Vixen: a Nameless Detective Novel by Bill Pronzini

Invasion of Privacy by Christopher Reich

Purl Up and Die by Maggie Sefton

The Fateful Lightning: a Novel of the Civil War by Jeff Shaara

The English Spy by Daniel Silva

Country by Danielle Steel

Signwave by Andrew Vachss