An end-of-the-year installment of titles our Staff have been enjoying!

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
                                       
At Westish College (Wisconsin) on the shores of Lake Michigan, baseball star Henry Skrimshander has big-league dreams for stardom until an ordinary throw swerves off course thereby altering the lives of five people. Yes, it is a baseball story - but so much more!


The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Engaged in a fierce competition they have prepared for since childhood, magicians Celia and Marco unexpectedly fall in love with each other. They share a beautiful, poignant romance filled  with magical and fateful results. Young Adults may also enjoy.


1105 Yakima Street by Debbie Macomber

In the 10th installment in her Cedar Cove series, skilled author Macomber creates another charming, romantic story with soothing charm and warmth. New fans will be enchanted and loyal ones will not be disappointed.


The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood

Dr. Ellie Sullivan finds herself the target of a shady couple after she witnesses the murder of an FBI officer.  Romance appears when Agent Max Daniels swears to protect her until she takes the witness stand. Garwood's popular style -  a mix of fast pacing, danger and humor - are all in evidence.


Blizzard! The Storm That Changed America by Jim Murphy ( J 974.71 MUR)

Using eyewitness accounts and newspaper articles of the "hurricane" snow storm that hit the Northeast in 1888, author Jim Murphy narrates the devastating impact the cold and snow had on people's lives. A compelling story with solid information suitable for nine-year-olds and up.


Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues: A Jesse Stone Novel by Michael  Brandman

This new installment to Parker's best-selling series finds Paradise, Massachusetts police chief Jesse Stone investigating a series of car thefts in his usually quiet town. The ensuing violence and some personal issues challenge his efforts at returning peace to Paradise and his personal life as well.


Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Though not an easy, quick read, Schiff's rich biography of perhaps the most intriguing woman in history should not be missed! What is exceptional about this tale is its fascinating, informative context in which Schiff reveals her heroine to be a woman who uses her wits, power and wealth to forge political and military alliances rather than her beauteous charms which past biographers have emphasized.


The Surrendered by Chang-rae Lee

What makes Lee's Korean War story so palpable and haunting is not only its horrific portrayal of war but the intertwining stories Lee weaves though his characters lives once the war has ended. The reader is filled with immense sorrow: there is little glory but Lee does explore themes of redemption, honor and forgiveness and offers some hope.

We've unexpectedly received a limited amount of Lawn seat tickets to four performances at Ravinia.  They will be available on a first come/first served basis starting Monday, June 20th and  (limited to 2 per family, please). 

The performances are:

July 12 (Tuesday)      Zukerman Chamber Players (M)                                         8pm

Mozart: Sonata for Piano and Violin in G Major, K. 301; Duo for Violin and Viola in B-Flat

Major, K. 424; Schumann: Adagio and Allegro for Cello and Piano, Op. 70

Brahms: Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34

For nearly a decade, celebrated violinist/violist Pinchas Zukerman has teamed up with his most promising protégés to present chamber music concerts of unusual quality and impeccable musicianship. "The cleanly articulated performance was elevated by an uncommon passion," raved the Chicago Tribune, and the Montreal Gazette concurred, "This was a superb performance that lifted the listener out of everyday worries."

July 24 (Sunday)        CSO: Brahms & Beethoven (P)                                           5pm

Brahms: Violin Concerto Beethoven: Symphony No. 3   in E-flat Major ("Eroica")

In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's formal annual residency at Ravinia, it seemed only fitting to showcase the orchestra's esteemed concertmaster as Robert Chen takes center stage for Brahms's symphonically conceived Violin Concerto. The concert also includes Beethoven's beloved "Eroica" Symphony, which astounded critics at its premiere and marked the beginning of Beethoven's transformation of the entire concept of symphonic composition.

July 26 (Tuesday)      Conlon Showcase (M)                                                           8pm

James Conlon, Host; Jeann Golan, Piano; ARC Ensemble

Continuing his internationally acclaimed quest to restore the forgotten music of composers whose lives were destroyed by the Holocaust, Ravinia Music Director James Conlon has assembled a program of works created by inmates at the internment camp at Terezín. Overflowing with melodic magnificence, these works belie the lamentable conditions under which they were produced, and serve as an inspiring testament to the human spirit and the power of music.

Sept. 7  (Sunday)       Wednesday

(Please accept our apologies - we incorrectly listed the information from August 7th which features Jackie Evancho and Ravinia Festival Orchestra.  We have tickets for September 7th)

Juilliard String Quartet  (M)                                                              8pm

These three string quartets span the history of perhaps the most pristine form of instrumental ensemble from Haydn, who virtually created the genre as we know it, through Beethoven's imposing six-movement Opus 130 (which will be performed with its original "Grosse Fuge" finale, described by Beethoven scholar Joseph Kerman as "transcendent"), to Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer Donald Martino, who wrote his Quartet No. 5 the year before his death in 2005.

It is a somber anniversary that marks150 years since the outbreak of the Civil War.  As we remember this historical event which divided our country and today reminds us of the toxicity of prejudice & discrimination, keep in mind that the library holds some tremendous Civil War reads which will never allow us to forget what occurred not so long ago between brothers...

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara FIC SHAARA

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane FIC CRANE

The Confederate War by Gary W. Gallagher 973.713 GAL

America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation by David Goldfield 973.711 GOL

One Man Great Enough: Abraham Lincoln's Road to Civil War by John C. Waugh 973.7 WAU

The Ordeal of the Union (Series) by Allan Nevins 973.6 NEV

The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote 973.7 FOO

 

Jill

Stop by the Library on Saturday, April 16 between 1 and 3pm and meet some local authors!  We're already loving the book trailer for Cloudette by best-selling illustrator Tom Lichtenheld:




Mystery writer D. C. Brod, local gardening guru Fran Manos, and several others will also be here. Some authors may have copies of their books available for sale on the day of the event. More information is on our website. 

marlise

There certainly are a lot of book-related events taking place during the rest of March and into April!  Here are just a few highlights:

March 18-20 : Used Book Sale - The annual Spring book sale at the Library is this weekend.  This is a great way to find bargains and support the Friends of the Library.  Doors open at 2:30pm on Friday and everything ends at 2pm on Sunday. Find additional details on our website

April 12: Author Visit - Henry Kisor (two-time Pulitzer nominee, retired book editor of the Chicago Sun Times, author and blogger) will discuss his memoir, What's That Pig Outdoors? - an engaging account of his life as a deaf person in a hearing culture.  More details are available on our Special Events page

April 1 - 23: Tuesdays with Morrie - this popular nonfiction title is being presented on stage at the Steel Beam Theatre.  Please visit their website for more information.

marlise

Are you planning to hop on your Nimbus 2000, Firebolt, or whatever broomstick model you may own and fly on over to the catch the latest and (almost) final Harry Potter movie release this Thursday?  Why not revisit the book series, too, and bring back to mind all of those fabulous details about Hogwarts that may have been forgotten?  Or, consider listening to the stories this time and enjoy them from a new vantage point.  However you take your Harry Potter "potion", it's always magical.  

Join poet and author Elizabeth Rosner on Wednesday, October 13, at 7 PM in the Carnegie Community Room for a discussion of her latest novel, Blue Nude, as well as her acclaimed debut novel, The Speed of Light -- which was a 2nd Tuesday Book Discussion 2010 selection.

The daughter of Jewish holocaust survivors, Rosner's writing is greatly influenced by her parents' experiences. Indeed, the central theme of The Speed of Light examines the effects of holocaust on the descendents of its survivors. Translated into nine languages, the novel was the recipient of the Harold U. Ribalow Prize administered by Hadassah Magazine, and judged by Elie Wiesel, among others.

Her second novel, Blue Nude, depicts an encounter between a post-war German painter and his Israeli artist's model. Blue Nude was selected as a Book Sense Notable Pick and was named by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the Best Books of 2006.

Rosner's poetry chapbook, Gravity, was one of the Select Poets Series published by Small Poetry Press and is currently in its fourteenth printing. Her prize-winning poems have been published by numerous literary journals, such as Poetry, Poetry East, and Southern Poetry Review.

A resident of Berkeley, California, Rosner is a full-time writer, having been an instructor of creative writing at the college level for eighteen years. She is a graduate of Stanford University, the MFA Program at the University of California/Irvine, and the University of Queensland in Australia.

Her extensive travels have included long-term stays in the Philippines, Israel, Australia, Sweden, and Mexico.

Books by Elizabeth Rosner will be available for purchase and autographing following her presentation.

How many more days until school starts? If you know the answer to that question, chances are you've probably got some last-minute reading requirements to meet by then. Looking for suggestions or a current reading list? Try your individual school's website. Just need some recommended titles? Our Reader Services Staff will be happy to assist you.

Looking for something to do this weekend? The 26th Annual Newberry Library Book Fair runs through this Sunday, August 1st from 10am to 6 pm. Per their website:

"Join us for Chicago's most popular book binge. Browse through more than 120,000 used books in 70 categories. Scour the sale for amazing deals on cookbooks, music, fiction, art books, children's literature, collectibles, and much, much more. Most books are under $2."

Let the treasure-hunting begin!

jdc

It seems that my children have been anticipating Mother's Day this year. When Sunday comes up in conversation, they are eager to share with me that they have "plans" for me and that, in the words of my youngest, "...will cost at least a dollar, maybe five or ten." How does a mom express that expense is not what matters, but rather that it is the everyday experiences that are valued the most?

I found my answer, by chance, in my daughter's online school newsletter today and have to share what I read:

"Some of us think a gift has to be a thing….a material thing…preferably an expensive thing wrapped in pretty paper with a big bow. But the greatest gift we can give is not a thing. It can’t be touched. It’s invisible to the eye. It has no price tag….
The greatest gift is the gift of love.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, a day set aside to honor the women in our lives who mother us. Maybe it’s a mom, or stepmom, or grandmother or aunt.

This Mother’s day give the person who mothers you something really special. Sit down with her and talk from your heart. Tell her how much she means to you. Tell her how much you appreciate all the things she does for you. Tell her what you love most about her. Tell her why she’s special. Then wrap it up with a big hug and seal it with a kiss. "

A couple of books written in honor of moms and motherhood you might enjoy are:

The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir
Katrina Kenison
306.8743 KEN

Mothers: A Celebration in Prose, Poetry, and Photographs of Mothers and Motherhood
Alexandra Towle
808.80352 MOT


Happy Mother's Day!

jdc