I love getting a glimpse of what happens before I receive the final product of something. Case in point, this time-lapse video that shows how a book cover was designed. It goes by so fast, it is almost hard to take in, but you can tell how much thought goes into not only catching the reader's eye but capturing a true sense of the book's setting and protagonist:

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p.s. We own the first in this series, Soulless, if you want to check it out!

I have come to the conclusion that it is much more difficult for me to select books to listen to than those I read in print. I wonder if others have the same dilemma? Here are two of the things I find myself dealing with when choosing audiobooks (and the ways I get around them!):

* The types of books I enjoy listening to are often very different from the ones I sit down and read. I have always been primarily a reader of fiction (especially thrillers, suspense, science fiction and fantasy), but I have found I enjoy listening to nonfiction. Since I'm not usually paying attention to nonfiction reviews, etc. I have to work harder to find ones that have some appeal. In addition to reviews and recommendations, I suggest keeping track of which audiobooks you enjoy most to look for recurring themes that you can use when browsing the nonfiction audiobook section (for me that means primarily memoirs, travel narratives and history). You might also want to note the readers you enjoy and use that as a guide. For example, I know some people will listen to literally anything read by George Guidall, and that has led them to listen to a wide variety of books. I am hit or miss on this system as I find a certain reader can become so strongly associated in my mind with a certain story that I am a bit disoriented when they are suddenly the "voice" for a completely different set of characters. Fortunately, after a certain amount of time I find that association diminishes and I can go back to readers I've enjoyed.

* There aren't as many reviews for audiobooks - or at least there didn't seem to be to me! I've since found there are a lot out there, you just have to search a bit harder. One nice new review source is AudioFile Magazine which the Library now has in the Reader Services area (and note that they have a great website as well). The Library also has complimentary copies of BookPage which reviews a few audio each month and I use the various resources on the "Audio" page of the Library's website for links to several different review sources. Last, but certainly not least, I've realized that many people are getting into audiobooks, so now in addition to asking whether they have read anything enjoyable lately, I ask if they've LISTENED to a good book!

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p.s. I can think of other issues as well - what are yours? More importantly, if you ever feel "stuck" please talk with us at Reader Services. We're happy to brainstorm new book ideas with you - both in print and audio!

I caught the end of a radio program the other day that featured movies guaranteed to get the waterworks going. Some real "tear jerkers" were mentioned, including:

Love Story * The Champ * Mask * Ghost * Rudy * An Affair to Remember * The Way We Were * Jerry Maguire

I started wondering about some of my own personal favorites that require a box of tissues and just how many of these films were based upon books. Here's a list of some of their original titles with authors & dates of publication:

Sophie's Choice -- William Styron, 1979
Terms of Endearment -- Larry McMurtry, 1975
Dying Young -- Marti Leimbach, 1989
The English Patient -- Michael Ondaatje, 1992
Brian's Song -- Based upon the book "I am Third" by Gale Sayers & Al Silverman, 1970
Beaches -- Iris Rainer Dart, 1985

Can anyone offer their opinions as far as how some of these films compare to the print version? It would be interesting to hear if the books inspire an equally-emotional response!

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Chicago-area author Jim Kokoris will be speaking about the writing life and reading from his latest novel at a program on Thursday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m., sponsored by the St. Charles Public Library Foundation. A dessert reception at 6:30 p.m. precedes his presentation. The program is free and open to the public, but if you plan to attend the reception, we request your reservation in advance. Tickets are $10 for the reception, and checks can be made payable to the St. Charles Public Library Foundation and either mailed to the library or dropped off at the Business Office with Virginia Tsipas.

Kokoris writes with wit, warmth, and wisdom about some of society's more hapless, but thoroughly lovable, individuals, from a newly widowed lottery winner to a newly unemployed ad executive. His treatment of the compromised "everyman" has won him exuberant and insightful critical praise.

In its review of his 2002 debut novel, The Rich Part of Life, Publisher's Weekly found a "subtle sense of humor as sweet as it is wicked," and The Dallas Morning News called Sister North (2004) "a compelling story of forgiveness and spiritual awakening." Booklist Magazine found Kokoris to be "a shrewd and compassionate observer" of the human condition in its analysis of his most recent work, The Pursuit of Other Interests (2009).

With such popular reviews, it is no wonder that Kokoris has also been the recipient of numerous awards. The Rich Part of Life received the Friends of American Writers Award for Best First Novel, and was translated into fifteen languages, while The Pursuit of Other Interests was named "an Indie Next List Notable" in December, 2009, by the Independent Booksellers of America.

The president and general manager of Oakbrook Terrace-based JSH&S Public Relations, Kokoris has also written humorous and keenly observant essays for The Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine; USA Weekend; Chicago Sun-Times; and Reader's Digest. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Kokoris's early writings caught the attention of 1980's television producer Grant Tinker, who offered him a job writing sitcoms. Kokoris passed on Hollywood, choosing to settle down in Chicago's south suburbs, where he lives with his wife and three sons.

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A Friend of the Family Lauren Grodstein FIC GRODSTEIN

Pete is an internist living a reasonably content life in New Jersey. He has prestige, an established practice, and good friends. But he begins his story by explaining that he is living in a studio apartment above the garage, exiled from his lovely suburban home and alienated from family and friends. The reader discovers the reason in bits and pieces which are tied together with a steady, unceasing tension.

At the core of Pete’s dilemma is his 20-year-old son’s association with his friends’ 30-year-old daughter. That daughter has a troubling past and Pete just cannot accept this relationship. The pages keep turning until the very end in this suspenseful novel. With memorable characters and identifiable family crises, A Friend of the Family will appeal to readers who appreciate contemporary family drama.

Published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, this is one of St. Charles Public Library's featured "Small Press Month" selections.

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