Off the Shelf

June brings the return of our popular adult summer reading program!  Wheaton residents with a current Wheaton library card may register beginning June 1.  You can read or listen to some great books of your choice to qualify for weekly prize drawings.  For every book you read, bring in your log and we will stamp it and give you a drawing slip.  We draw two winners each week.  Complete five to nine books by August 10 and you will be entered into a final drawing for a $75 gift card for shopping and dining in downtown Wheaton.  Finish nine books and you will also be entered into the grand prize drawing for a Kindle Fire HD 7″ tablet.

Join us Saturday, June 1, for our summer reading kick-off day for all ages.  There will be entertainment, prize drawings and fun for the whole family.

Pick up your player’s card for the adult summer reading program at the Information Desk starting June 1.  Why let the kids have all the fun this summer?!!!

Beth, Reader’s Services

Posted in Events on May 20th, 2013
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Summer is around the corner and with it the time for long road trips is here! As an audio book fan, I love to listen to books while I am driving and road trips give me the opportunity to listen to great books. If you are looking to get started listening to audiobooks here is a list that should have something for everyone’s taste:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

This is an epistolary novel set during the aftermath of WWII in London and the small island of Guernsey.  The audio book is wonderfully narrated by a full cast that makes you feel like you are in the middle of a theater production.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This audiobook is a magical story between two feuding magicians in an eternal game that takes place in a circus.  Jim Dale narrates the audiobook and gives it the magical feel it deserves, he is also famous for narrating the Harry Potter series so you can take a listen to that as well.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s. The movie is coming out this May and there has been many recordings of this audio book, including one done by Tim Robbins so you have a chance to explore how different narrators tell the story.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters

This love story that takes place in a remote Italian island has been on everyone’s best audiobooks list.  Eduaardo Bellerini brings the book to life with his wonderful narration which includes all kinds of accents that help define each character.

-Nancy

Reference Librarian

Posted in Recommendations, Uncategorized on May 14th, 2013
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April is Poetry Month.  The library’s Great Books group has a tradition of discussing poems (usually in December).  The poetry discussion is always one of my favorites.  People come up with very different, often clever and surprising interpretations.

Here is a poem we talked about last December that I particularly liked.  Who is parting in this poem – lovers? A mother and child?  And what is the meaning of the magical sounding gifts?

Parting Gift

by Elinor Wylie

I cannot give you the Metropolitan Tower;
I cannot give you heaven;
Nor the nine Visigoth crowns in the Cluny Museum;
Nor happiness, even.
But I can give you a very small purse
Made out of field-mouse skin,
With a painted picture of the universe
And seven blue tears therein.

I cannot give you the island of Capri;
I cannot give you beauty;
Nor bake you marvellous crusty cherry pies
With love and duty.
But I can give you a very little locket
Made out of wildcat hide:
Put it into your left-hand pocket
And never look inside.

This poem and many others can be found on the wonderful website of the Poetry Foundation at poetryfoundation.org.  The foundation’s renowned POETRY magazine turned 100 last year.  Yes, the library subscribes.  Look for POETRY in the magazine collection on the second floor.

Bev Jirsa

Great Books leader

Posted in Books, Recommendations on April 16th, 2013
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Are you looking for a good book to read?  Do you like to discuss what you read?  If so, then check out our Contemporary Book Discussion Group.  Led by one of our librarians, this group meets once a month, September through June.  We offer a choice of three sessions: the first Thursday evening of the month, the second Tuesday morning or the second Wednesday morning.  Our group has a great mix of ages, backgrounds and interests.  Check out our February through June list of titles.  For more information, please call Beth at 630-868-7533 or email at beth@wheatonlibrary.org .

Beth, Reader’s Services

Posted in Books on January 25th, 2013
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The ladies at the check out desk are always eager to share their favorite books with you!

One of the best books I read this year was The God Box: sharing my mother’s gift of faith, love and letting go by Mary Lou Quinlan.  It is a lovely book and has inspired me to start one of my own.  Phyllis

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker – A wonderful love story.  You won’t be disappointed!  Mary

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt – An unusual, not-your-typical western.  Great characters and interesting story.  I also enjoyed The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen.  This cold case mystery, translated from the Danish, is the second title in the Department Q series.  Laurel

Posted in Books, Recommendations, Uncategorized on December 17th, 2012
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Lost Panoramas: When Chicago Changed its River and the Land Beyond by Richard Cahan is a large, beautiful coffee table book telling the story of the history of the Chicago River in more than 150 never before published photographs. The negatives, recently found by accident, are historically valuable because they come with detailed descriptions and are dated. Taken between 1892 and 1930, the photos show how the river reversal was done, why it was necessary and its impact on the Illinois River all the way to the Mississippi River.

Donna, Reference and Genealogy Librarian

Posted in Books, Recommendations on December 15th, 2012
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Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein is a historical adventure, thriller and story of friendship during WWII. The unexpected ending had me reading it a second time to see how perfectly all the pieces fit together.
Jennifer

NYPD Red by James Patterson – loved this book, lots of action, I liked all of the characters-even the killer!
Low Pressure by Sandra Brown – great mystery, with a couple of twists that I didn’t see coming.
Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri – enjoyable book, it has a different ending.
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult – this book was also different and I learned a lot about wolves.
Wendy

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel-I liked it better than the first book in the series, Wolf Hall.  Lois
Destiny of the Republic: a tale of madness, medicine and the murder of a president by Candice Millar  Leslie

Posted in Books, Recommendations on December 12th, 2012
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My husband and I listened to all of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel audiobooks, since we both enjoy Young Adult Fantasy.  This year, the final book, The Enchantress, came out.  I love Scott’s witty and exciting writing style and the way he incorporated real historical figures, as well as mythology, into his stories.  I am sad the series has ended and really miss some of the characters and relationships found in the series.
Eileen, Computer Systems Assistant

Posted in Books, Recommendations, Uncategorized on December 10th, 2012
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And from the ladies in our Business Office:

I really don’t have a lot of time to read, but I love cookbooks.  So here are two of my most recent finds.  I love them so much I bought them!  The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier by Ree Drummond and  Crockin’ Girls Slow Cookin’ Companion by Nicole Sparks & Jenna Marwitz.  These are a must have or at least a look-through for some great recipes.  Really good for people with families.  Joyce

I just read this small book, A Gift of Hope (128 pages) by Danielle Steel.  I, of course, know Danielle Steel as a well-known author of tons of books, though I’ve never read any of them.  I was intrigued by her story, which only came out after the urging of some of her friends.  In it, she describes her work with the homeless, a decision that came about after a personal tragedy. She did this anonymously for 11 years! It is a very moving story and it will stick with me.  Another book I thought was outstanding was The Scar by Sergey & Marina Dyachenko (translated by Elinor Huntington). An awful act causes the main character to be outcast; as he moves through his life, unpredictable events occur and, up until the very end, the reader is unsure if he will be redeemed.  Lisa

Posted in Recommendations, Uncategorized on December 7th, 2012
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Which books did you enjoy the most this year?  Over the next few weeks, our staff will be sharing books that they enjoyed reading in 2012.

I re-read Gavin Maxwell’s Ring of Bright Water, which I had enjoyed somewhere around eighth grade.  Not really a children’s book, this is a memoir of life in a primitive cottage on a very rugged and isolated part of the coast of northern Scotland.  Of course, Maxwell had for companions his famous otters.  I had forgotten that his first, Mijbil, was not a native of Scotland but of the marshes of Iraq (where his sub-species is now presumed extinct).  I laughed out loud at some of Mijbil’s antics.  Maxwell’s descriptions of the natural world make me want to visit the Hebrides – but not in the winter.
Bev, Periodicals Department and facilitator for library’s Great Books discussion group

My favorite book this year is The Symphony: a Listener’s Guide, by Michael Steinberg.  I’m a huge fan of classical music, and this book has great notes on some of the best pieces of music ever composed.
Nate, Periodicals Department, student assistant
(Nate plays French horn and electric bass and writes music.  He plays in the Wheaton North Jazz and Wind Ensembles, as well as the indie rock band The Onset.)

Posted in Recommendations on December 4th, 2012
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