Grrreat Sewing Guides!

There is a growing trend, which has been dubbed "The Maker Movement", which is encouraging people to learn many of the almost forgotten skills of our recent past. Sewing and needle crafts are just two of the many skills that have enjoyed some revival with the Maker Movement.
Sewing is a skill that is making a comeback among people of all ages across the nation. From teens who want to make a tote, hat or mittens to Gen-Xers who want to personalize and decorate their first home with drapes, pillows and table runners. People want to make a connection with their creativity and their environment. It hasn't hurt that women's fashions now favor personalization: encouraging people to sew appliques on their jeans and vintage looks, which inspire hipsters to up-cycling thrift-store finds.

These two awesome books will provide support and solutions to your sewing questions.

If you are looking for a great sewing guide check out the Reader's Digest New Complete Guide to Sewing. This book is completely illustrated to help you when you find yourself stuck on a technique like pivoting at corners, how to sew gathers or how to put in a center zipper. The book also includes hand sewing techniques, selecting a pattern size and sewing vocabulary.

Another great sewing book that is well illustrated is Simplicity's Simply the Best Sewing Book. It is on a spiral so its easy to view and you can keep close when you are working. Every topic is covered in this how to sew book. From using interfacing to straightening fabric its all here. It really is the best sewing book.

There's A Riot Going On!

Record of the week in my house is the brand new album by veteran New Jersey rock band Yo La Tengo. And while there may be a RIOT in the album's title, a head fake to Sly and the Family Stone's 1971 masterpiece, it bears absolutely NO sonic resemblance to its namesake predecessor. If there's any rioting go on here it's all internal turbulence, the sound of a band reckoning with its own longevity, looking inward, and searching for answers in troublesome times. They make it seem effortless, but that's not unexpected for a band's that's been recording and touring for thirty-four years. Their fifteenth studio album has a warm, assured, enveloping sound, tranquil throbbing fuzz bass and blurry organ drone, hushed vocals and pulsing guitar thrum. It might take a couple listens for the layered, sprawling songs to take shape in your head, but a little bit of time and effort is worth it, just like catching up with an old friend again. Yo La Tengo play two SOLD OUT shows in Chicago this week at Thalia Hall. You can place a hold on the CD here.

Like Historical Fiction?

The Glenview Public Library is honored to host an author discussion highlighting the historical fiction genre. On Thursday, April 19th from 7-8:30 p.m., three historical fiction authors will explore their love of the genre. Come "Step into the Past" with us, meet these Chicago-based authors and hear the stories behind their own exceptional historical novels.

Glenview's own Elizabeth Blackwell publishes her newest book this April. On a Cold Dark Sea focuses on the dramatic events surrounding the sinking of the Titanic. The Titanic tragedy haunts a group of survivors who managed to escape in a lifeboat. When a sudden death 20 years later brings three of these survivors together, they are forced to confront decisions made on that tragic April night.

Susanna Calkins is the author of the Lucy Campion historical mystery series set in 17th century England. Lucy Campion, chambermaid turned printer's apprentice "doesn't seek out crime, and yet death and murder always seem to find her". The Masque of the Murderer, the third book in the series, won a Macavity Award from Mystery Readers International and was nominated for other esteemed mystery honors. Most recently, Calkins has begun work on a new mystery series set in a 1929 Chicago speakeasy.

Renée Rosen is the bestselling author of several Chicago-based novels: Windy City Blues, White Collar Girl, What the Lady Wants: a Novel of Marshall Field and the Gilded Age and Dollface: a Novel of the Roaring Twenties. Windy City Blues, Renée's most recent novel, explores one woman's journey of self-discovery in the world of the Chicago blues, set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement. She is currently working on a new novel about Helen Gurley Brown to be published in 2019.


Join us on April 19th for some lively conversation!

Please register for this event by calling 847-729-7500 x7600 or visit the Reader Services desk. 

The 2017 Bram Stoker Awards Ballot Results

The Horror Writers Association announced the 2017 Bram Stoker Awards Final Ballot. HWA is the premier organization for writers of horror and fantasy.  Named in honor of the horror novel
Dracula, these awards are presented annually for superior writing in eleven categories including traditional fiction of various lengths, cinema, nonfiction and poetry. Previous winners include Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin, Joyce Carol Oates, and Neil Gaiman. Below are some of the nominated titles in certain categories that we own at GPL.


Superior Achievement in a Novel
Ararat - Christopher Golden
Sleeping Beauties - Stephen King and Owen King
Black Mad Wheel - John Malerman

Superior Achievement in a First Novel
In the Valley of the Sun - Andy Davidson

Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel
The Door to January - Gillian French
Hellworld - Tom Leveen
When I Cast Your Shadow - Sarah Porter

Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel
Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation - Damian Duffy and Octavia E. Butler
My Favorite Thing is Monsters - Emil Ferris
Monstress Volume 2: The Blood - Marjorie Liu

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection
Strange Weather - Joe Hill

So, if you're in the mood for a little horror, take a read of one of these talented nominees!

Ireland: It's History And Culture In Film

March is Irish-American heritage month and is celebrated to honor the achievements and contributions of Irish immigrants and their descendants. Pick up one these documentaries and journey to the Emerald Isle  and explore a beautiful land with a rich and vibrant culture all from the comfort of your couch.

Out of Ireland: the Story of Irish Emigration to America (1997)
This film examines the history of the seven million Irish who emigrated to America in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries including the causes of the mass emigration and the immigrant experience in the United States.

Older Than Ireland (2016)
The story of a hundred years of life as seen through the eyes of thirty Irish centenarians; from their birth at the start of Irish independence to their life in modern day Ireland.

The Story of Ireland (2012)
A five-part landmark history presented by Fergal Keane. Ireland is living through a significant period in its cycle of history, since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the island has been at peace. Take a look back at Ireland long and complex history.

Daniel O'Donnell at Home in Ireland (2007)
Daniel O'Donnell shares the sights and sounds of his homeland in this wonderful concert special taped at the Letterkenny performance hall in county Donegal.

Celtic Woman (2004)
The musical group Celtic Woman presents renditions of popular Irish songs.

Patrick: He Ignited A Flame of Faith in Ireland (2011)
A docudrama about Saint Patrick, his life and his work to save the people who enslaved him.

A Proper Pint: O'Lacklainn's Bar, Ballyvaughan, Ireland
This film takes the viewer to O'Loclainn's, a traditional pub in Ballayvaughan, Ireland. Owners, staff, and regulars discuss O'Loclainn's roles as a community center.

Rick Steves' Europe. Ireland and Scotland (2013)
Join European travel guru Rick Steves as he takes you to; Dublin---Best of South Ireland--Best of West Ireland--Belfast and the best of Northern Ireland---Scotland's islands and Highlands--Edinburgh.

Irish Reads

With St. Patrick's day coming up soon, here some great reads featuring both Irish and Irish American characters. Enjoy!

The Ninth Hour - Alice McDermott

A portrait of the Irish-American experience is presented through the story of an Irish immigrant's suicide and how it reverberates through innumerable lives in early twentieth-century Catholic Brooklyn.









Saints for All Occasions - Courtney J. Sullivan

Nora and Theresa Flynn are twenty-one and seventeen when they leave their small village in Ireland and journey to America. Nora is the responsible sister; she's shy and serious and engaged to a man she isn't sure that she loves. Theresa is gregarious; she is thrilled by their new life in Boston and besotted with the fashionable dresses and dance halls on Dudley Street. But when Theresa ends up pregnant, Nora is forced to come up with a plan--a decision with repercussions they are both far too young to understand.



Haunted Ground - Erin Hart

When farmers cutting turf in an Irish peat bog make a grisly discovery—the perfectly preserved head of a young woman with long red hair—Irish archaeologist Cormac Maguire and American pathologist Nora Gavin must use cutting-edge techniques to preserve ancient evidence. Because the bog’s watery, acidic environment prevents decay, it’s difficult to tell how long the red-haired girl has been buried—two years, two centuries, or even much longer.




The Wonder - Emma Donoghue

Lib Wright, a young English nurse trained by the legendary Florence Nightingale, is sent to rural Ireland to observe Anna, a young girl who is said to have eaten nothing for four months. Lib fully expects to expose Anna's "fast" as a hoax, but her long hours with the girl erode all of her earlier assumptions about Anna, the Irish, and herself.





The Girl in the Castle - Santa Montefiore

Kitty Deverill, the daughter of a wealthy Anglo-Irish family, enjoys a life of privilege in Ireland's wild countryside at the side of an increasingly resentful best friend and the vet's son she loves, until the Irish rebellion threatens her beloved home.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - 2018

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on April 14, 2018 in Cleveland.  Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twenty-five years after their first recording.

Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey and was formed in 1983.  Their genres include hard rock, glam metal, arena rock and pop rock.  Members include Jon Bon Jovi (leaad singer and namesake), David Bryan (pianist and keyboardist), Tico Torres (drummer), Phil X (lead guitarist), and Hugh McDonald (bassist). Alec John Such and Richie Sambora will play with the band at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

They have released 13 studio albums, plus six compilations and three live albums.  The band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.  They have been inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and were also honored with the Award of Merit at the American Awards in 2004.  In 2009 Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were inducted into the Sonwriters Hall of Fame.

The Cars are an American rock band that originated in Boston, Massachusetts in 1976.  The band included Ric Ocasek (singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter), Benjamin Orr (bassist), Elliot Easton (lead guitarist), Greg Hawkes (keyboardist, and David Robinson (drummer).  The band merged 1970s guitar-oriented rock with the new synthesizer-oriented pop (combo of new wave and classic rock).

They were named "Best New Artist" in the 1978 Rolling Stone Readers' Poll and won "Video of the Year" for "You Might Think" at the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984.  The Cars have sold over 23 million albums in the United States.

Dire Straits were a British rock band that mixed with blues and a dash of country.  They were formed in Deptford, London, England in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals0, John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion).

Their first hit single was "Sultans of Swing."  According to the Guiness Book of British Hit Albums, Dire Straits have spent over 1,100 weeks on the UK albums chart.  They have won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards - winning Best British Group twice, and two MTV Video Music Awards.

The Moody Blues are an English rock band formed in Birmingham, England in 1964.  Their members included Mike Pinder, Graeme Edge, Justin Hyward, Ray Thomas, and John Lodge.  Their genres include progressive rock, art rock, psychedelic rock, pop rock, symphonic rock, proto-prog and R&B.  They were established as pioneers in the development of art rock and progressive rock with Days of Future Passed in 1967.

The band became internationally known with singles including "Go Now," "Nights in White Satin," "Tuesday Afternoon," and "Question."  They have been awarded 18 platinum and gold discs and have sold 70 million albums worldwide.

Nina Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina and died on April 21, 2003 in Carry-le-Rouet, Bouches-du-Rhone, France.  She was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and activist in the Civil Rights Movement.  Her music genres included R&B, jazz, blues, folk, soul, classical, and gospel.  She attended the Julliard School of Music in New York and was awarded her an honorary degree.

Simone recorded more than 40 albums, mostly between 1958 and 1974.  She had a hit in the United States in 1958 with "I Loves You, Porgy."

Getting Psyched for Ready Player One

Preparing to see Ready Player One on the big screen?  Try these read a likes to get you in the mood for the popular sci fi novel.

Armada: a novel

by Ernest Cline

Struggling to complete his final month of high school only to glimpse a UFO that exactly resembles an enemy ship from his favorite video game, Zack questions his sanity before becoming one of millions of gamers tasked with protecting the Earth during an alien invasion.

Neuromancer 

by William Gibson

The Matrix unfolds like neon origami beneath clusters and constellations of data. Constructs, AIs, live here. Somewhere, concealed by ice, Neuromancer is evolving. As entropy goes into reverse, Molly's surgical implants broadcast trouble from the ferro-concrete geodesic of the Sprawl. Maelcum, Rastafarian in space, is her best hope of rescue. But she and Case, computer cowboy, are busy stealing data from the almighty Megacorps. If the Megacorps do not get them both, perhaps Case will fall prey to the cheap treachery of Linda Lee, someone as lost as himself.

Red Rising 

by Pierce Brown

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

Ender's Game

by Orson Scott Card

Six-year-old Ender Wiggin and his fellow students at Battle School are being tested and trained to determine whether they possess the abilities to remake the world -- if the world survives an all-out war with an alien enemy.

Arena 

by Holly Jennings

The Shape of Water - Best Picture Winner at the 90th Academy Awards

Guillermo del Toro's Cold War fantasy took home the Oscars for Best Picture - along with Production Design,  Original Score, and Director. The DVD is set to be released next Tuesday, March 13th, while the novel is set to be released tomorrow, March 6th. Place a hold on both today:

The Shape of Water on DVD

The Shape of Water novel by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus

While you're waiting, check out the rest of the Best Picture nominees:

The Post

Lady Bird

Darkest Hour 

Phantom Thread

Call Me By Your Name 

Get Out 

Dunkirk

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 



And stop by our original blog post about The Shape of Water for more movie recommendations.