“I never would have picked up this book to read if it had not been for this group.” “I found another wonderful author, thanks to our group.” “I didn’t enjoy the book, but I appreciate it more after listening to what others in the group have said.” Carolyn and I have been leading the Contemporary Book [...]
We’ve cooked up a “wow!” schedule for Great Books, and you are invited to the feast. First course will be one of the best of Ernest Hemingway’s Nick Adams stories. In Hemingway’s classically simple language, “Indian Camp” recounts a traumatic and formative event in young Nick’s life. According to critics, Hemingway develops themes from this [...]
“Bank on Your Library,” our adult summer reading program, has over 500 people registered and reading for prizes! It ends August 14 but you can still join. For each book you read, or have read since June 1, you get an entry slip for the weekly drawings. Check here for more details. Beth, Reader’s Services
Today is the first day of spring. Well, maybe. It’s also snowing today. Yesterday was warm and beautiful. I went to the Art Institute in Chicago to see the new exhibit, “”Matisse: Radical Intervention, 1913-1917.” It was such a nice day to be walking around! The exhibit examines a little-studied time in the artist’s career [...]
This Sunday, Masterpiece is airing a new production of John Buchan’s mystery, The Thirty-nine Steps. It stars Rupert Penry-Jones, he of recent Persuasion fame! Beth, Reader’s Services
She was a friend of Galileo Galilei, worked for the Medici family, was a single mom, a rape and torture victim, a scorned wife and the first woman ever to be elected to the Accademia dell’Arte. She was one of the first female artists to paint strong, heroic women as she struggled to reconcile her [...]
J. D. Salinger died on Wednesday. He was famous for not only his small but enduring collection of writings, but for his solitude for over 5o years. I read Catcher in the Rye in the mid-70′s. I believe my parents had to sign a permission slip for me to do so in my high school [...]
A new dramatic adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma will air this Sunday on Masterpiece. It is a three-parter and then last year’s adaptations of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion will be shown again. I very much enjoyed Sally Hawkins’ portrayal of Anne Elliott in Persuasion. Beth, Reader’s Services
I had a really nice experience with a book discussion group yesterday. I wasn’t a leader, I was a participant! I didn’t have to bite my tongue when I had an opinion; I didn’t have to bring the strays back into the fold when the conversation veered away from the book; I didn’t have to scan [...]
Our summer reading program for adults begins June 1 and runs through August 15. For every title you read, a librarian will stamp your player’s card and give you an entry form for the weekly prize drawings. Two names will be drawn each week. Read nine books to complete the contest and qualify for the [...]