April  2003

Works by Jane Smiley  @ GPL FICTION At Paradise Gate, 1981 Duplicate Keys, 1984 Age Of Grief, 1987 Ordinary Love & Good Will, 1989 A Thousand Acres, 1992 Moo, 1995 All True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton, 1998 Horse Heaven, 2000 Good Faith, 2003 NON-FICTION Charles Dickens, 2002 If you like Jane Smiley try these authors: Jonathan Franzen Zadie Smith Larry Watson Seamus Deane Alice McDermott Michael Chabon In This Issue: Revisit the Past @ Your Library Pick a Wallflower This Spring Local Authors Meet @ the Library Forthcoming Books Read Local History Literary Events This Month

Featured Author:  Jane Smiley       Jane Smiley was born in Los Angeles on Sept. 26, 1949 but soon moved with her family to St. Louis where she spent her formative years. After receiving a BA from Vassar in 1971, she traveled in Europe for a year sight-seeing and even worked on an archeological dig. Returning to the United States, she attended the University of Iowa where she received a MA (1975), a MFA (1976), and a PhD (in Old Norse Literature, 1978). She attended the Iowa’s Writers Workshop and taught for many years at the University of Iowa and Iowa University, but she now lives, writes and raises horses in California with her three children. In 1992 Smiley was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel A Thousand Acres, a retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear set in Iowa farm country. Much of her fiction deals with family life and eccentricity, but she has also written on politics, farming, horse training, child-rearing, literature, impulse buying, getting dressed, Barbie, marriage, and many other topics. "I don't write to investigate my own life or sensibility," the author once said. "I write more to investigate the world." She counts Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, George Eliot, and Charles Dickens as the major influences on her writing. This month Good Faith, Smiley’s eleventh work of fiction will be published by Knopf.

Wallflowers You May Have Missed Lawsuits of the Rich and Famous Wanda K. Wilber 347.07/WIL Tipis and Yurts Blue Evening Star 690.81/STA Living With Chronic Illness Cheri Register 362.1/REG Calvin Trillin’s U.S. Journal Calvin Trillin 917.303/TRI   Revisit the Past @ Your Library Sunday April 6 at 2 PM Forties Forever in Music Reminisce with the music sung by Gillian Downey accompanied by Ed Spytek on piano as they perform favorites from the forties - jazz tunes, Gershwin and Cole Porter. Tuesday, April 8 at 7 PM Radio Players Adventures Return to the good old days of radio with Charlie McCarthy and friends like Nelson Eddy, W.C. Fields, and Marilyn Monroe portrayed by radio players from Glenview Methodist Church. Thursday, April 10 at 7 PM Revisit Old Chicago Neighborhoods Authors Neal Samors and Michael Williams discuss their book, The Old Chicago Neighborhood: Remembering Life in the 1940's with slides, maps and stories of life back then. A book signing follows.

Pick a Wallflower This Spring  What is a “Wallflower”? These are really good books that came highly recommended but they seldom get "picked" by library users, so we’re trying to help them get out a little! The Wallflower Books are on the south side of the brick pillar across from the first floor elevator. Why don't they ever go out? No one knows for sure! Maybe they do not have a catchy title or maybe their title does not use words that say what the book is about. That can make it hard for people to find the book in our catalog. Or maybe when the book was cataloged (i.e. given a call number and subject headings) it was hard to find the right heading or number to tell what the book was about. Or maybe the number changed over the years. This means people may not accidentally discover it on the shelf or in the catalog. Occasionally, an error occurs so that the book is not listed in the catalog at all. The Wallflower process helps us discover books that have been on the shelf all along but no one knew it. It is a happy day when they get back into the catalog so people can find them! It is gratifying to see these books blossom with a little attention. Wallflowers are kept on the Wallflower shelf for 3 months: that is enough time for people to notice them, look them over, and realize that they are good books after all. Most of them do get checked out, and sometimes they are even renewed 2 or 3 times before the 3 months are up. The books that have been on display for 3 months, but have not been borrowed, face a final trial. They can be kept, or they can be discarded. If a book is important enough, it will be kept even if it does not get used a lot. But there is a good chance a book that if no one has shown interest, it will be withdrawn and put in the book sale. We keep track of which books are on the Wallflower display, and the date they were put there. If they are not there when we look for them, they are usually upstairs. This means that someone was curious enough to pick them up and take a look, but not enough to borrow them. Sometimes they accidentally get shelved with the regular books instead of with the Wallflowers. According to our records 77% of the Wallflowers get borrowed. Most of the language and literature books get checked out. Science and math, fiction, politics and business, biography, and domestic technology, are also popular.

Glenview Authors @  the Reception Adorjan, Carol Baker, Beverly Braun, Eunice Carleton, Jessica Chan, Ray De la Cruz, Rey Dierbeck, John J. Fox, Herbert C. Frank, Robert Goldberg, Jan Helfand, David Hill, Henry L. Kruse, Karen Lederer, Bill Mabley, Jack Mullenix, Charles W. Offen, Ron Ploss, Thomas H. Podulka, Fran Poirier, Charles C. Pusateri, Carmeline  Reder, Robert Ritt, Michael Roberts, Howard W. Schiappacasse, Chuck Swenson, John F. Swiger, Elinor Porter Truncale, Joseph J. Uslander, Arlene VanBrundt, Vivian Vogel, Constance Ware, James W. Wirth, George Hudson

Glenview Authors Meet @ the Library On Sunday afternoon, March 23, 2003, thirty-three Glenview authors joined over sixty well-wishers at reception given by the Glenview Public Library. Jack Mabley was the Master of Ceremonies and gave a short introduction, followed by a presentation of certificates to all the authors in attendance. Books by the authors were on display, and some authors donated signed copies of their work for inclusion in the library’s collection. Participants enjoyed a tasty snack of chocolate baklava, while chatting together, rekindling old friendships and making new ones. Glenview TV and "What's New in Libraries" from the North Suburban Library System filmed the events. To find books by local authors ask for the "Glenview Authors Notebooks” at the Information Desk, or search the catalog for the term “local author”. The “Glenview Authors Notebooks” contain poems, web pages, biographies, reviews, awards and more about all the local authors the library has found to date. If you know a local author who you think should be included, contact  Merry Weed at 847.729.7500, extension 112, or through email at weed@glenview.lib.il.us

Forthcoming Books FICTION The Second Time Around Mary Higgins Clark When her son disappears, the obvious suspect is her husband who is running from the law. Or is he? All He Ever Wanted Anita Shreve On a long train ride, Professor Van Tassel reminisces and analyzes his marriage of 30 years and the discovery that set tore his family apart. Good Faith Jane Smiley Real Estate agent Joe Stratford is persuaded by an acquaintance to get involved in a development project in the hopes of making a fast buck in this story set in the 1980's. NON-FICTION The Hedgehog, the Fox, and the Magister's Pox Stephen Jay Gould In his last book, the late Gould presents his study on the relationship between the humanities and science. POETRY Poets Against the War Sam Hamill When poet Sam Hamill was invited to the White House in January, he refused because he disapproved of the administration’s policies. He encouraged other poets to write anti-war poems, creating poetsagainstthewar.org. This volume features a selection of the best poems submitted to the website. Contributors include: Adrienne Rich, W.S. Merwin, Robert Bly, Yusef Komunyakaa, Hayden Carruth, Jane Hirshfield, Tess Gallagher, Sandra Cisneros, and Rita Dove.	Revisit the Past @ Glenview Public Library: Read Local History The Gangs of Chicago: An Informal History of the Chicago Underworld Herbert Asbury       364.106/ASB A reprint of the classic study of Chicago gangsters, by the author of Gangs of New York (the basis of the Martin Scorsese film.) First published in the 1920s, this book chronicles the exploits of such notorious criminals as Al Capone, H. H. Holmes, Terrible Johnny Torrio, and the original Mickey Finn. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America Larson, Erik      364.1523/LAR To chart the rise and fall of Chicago’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, Larson weaves together the stories of Daniel Burnham, the architect of the fair, and H.H. Holmes, a mass murderer who used the fair as a means of finding victims. Compelling history! Firestorm at Peshtigo: A Town, its People, and the Deadliest Fire in American History Gess, Denise      977.533/GES Few people know that on the same night in 1871 that Chicago was battling it’s famous blaze, a small town in Wisconsin was being devastated by an even more horrific conflagration. The fire destroyed 2400 acres and took more than 2000 lives. GET CONNECTED The Reader’s Connection is a quirky collection of news, reviews and information about the world of books and reading.  Updated often, it offers an opportunity to glean useful tidbits that you may not see in mainstream media. And your comments are welcome! Log on today and make the connection: http://www.glenview.lib.il.us/RAblog
Literary Happenings @ the Library Monday, April 7, 1:00 pm GPL Conference Room Book Discussion Your Oasis on Flame Lake by Lorna Landvik. Monday, April 14, 7:00 pm GPL Conference Room Book Discussion The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama. Around Chicagoland Monday, April 7, 7:00 pm Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Auditorium Free concert reading of “A Raisin in the Sun” by an all-star company Sponsored by The Goodman Theatre. Call (312) 443-3800. Tuesday April 8, 7:00 pm Sacred Heart School, Winnetka Rosalind Wiseman discusses her Queen Bees and Wannabees: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and other Realities of Adolescence sponsored by the Book Stall, 811 Elm St., Winnetka. Call (847) 446-8880. Wednesday April 9— July 12 Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago Exhibit: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Beyond Sherlock Holmes An exhibit that explores the life and adventures of the man behind the master detective, including magazines, first editions, pirated editions, original illustrations, handwritten correspondence, posters, photographs and artifacts. Free. Call for hours and information: (312) 255-3700. Tuesday April 15, noon The Metropolitan Cafe, 1791 St. Johns Ave., Highland Park Ragdale Foundation hosts Haven Kimmel discussing her new book, A Girl Named Zippy, at a noon luncheon, followed by a book signing, $30 per person. Call (847) 234-1063, ext. 205. Tuesday April 15, 7:30 pm Museum of Contemporary Art. WBEZ Stories on Stage: It Ain’t Necessarily So http://www.wbez.org/storiesonstage or (312) 948-4704 Thursday April 17, 2:00 pm Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Kendall College, Evanston, Discussion of Black Elk Speaks (847) 475-1030 or http://www.mitchellmuseum.org

Previous Editions of "Read All About It" January 2003 February 2003 March 2003

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