June  2003

Summertime Reads Everyone's approach to summer reading is a bit different.  Some people seek easily skimmed light fiction filled with attractive characters in exotic locales pursuing wealth, fame, and romance (but not necessarily in that order).  Others imagine that in their few weeks off they will finally find the time to finish that epic novel that has been gathering dust at their bedside for so long.  Or maybe they plan to catch up on all those popular books that eluded them when they were on the bestseller list.  Whatever your summer reading plans, the library has what you need.  Here's a few suggestions to put on your summer reading list: FICTION Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella Just in time for the June wedding season comes the latest in the saga of unabashed shopaholic Becky Bloomwood.  Becky's life looks perfect: a dream job, a rich and handsome fiance, and all those wedding things to buy.  What could go wrong?  Two mothers fighting over wedding plans for a start. Like your summer reading light and breezy? This one's for you! Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Among the hostages taken at a birthday party for a visiting Japanese industrialist are a renowned soprano, an assortment of European diplomats, the host who is the vice-president of the unnamed South American country, and two local clergy. Joined by no common language except music the 58 international hostages and their captors forge unexpected bonds. This is a lyrical story of love, natural talent, and possibilities.  The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara Few books, fiction or non-fiction, have more compellingly recreated the events that took place at the battle of Gettysburg.  The winner of the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, this novel shows the battle through the eyes of Confederate Generals Lee, Longstreet, and Armistead and Federal General Buford, Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain, and many more.  NON-FICTION In the Wake of Madness: The Murderous Voyage of the Whaleship Sharon by Joan Druett Readers who like adventure stories and tales of seafaring will be riveted by this true life drama of the 1841-45 voyage of the whaleship Sharon.  Captain Howes Norris was murdered by his crew of South Pacific Islanders in the same desolate tropical seas that Captain Ahab met his end.  Druett uses recently unearthed ships journals to explore the causes of the crew's discontent. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson Non-fiction doesn't have to mean dense or difficult, as Bill Bryson has proved many times.  Bryson's natural  humor, compassion, and curiosity about the most mundane aspects of everyday life make him the perfect guide in this journey around Australia.

In This Issue: On Display in the Library Featured Resource: Contemporary Authors Movies for Book Fans Spotlight on Reading Lights! Camera! Read! Forthcoming Books Literary Events This Month   On Display in the Library  Look for these displays in the library in June: Everyone Loves Roamin' Travel Books Fictional Fun & Games Fiction involving games and puzzles Where There's a Grill There's a Way  If You Like Jan Karon, Try. . .  Look for these author displays: William Butler Yeats Lillian Hellman Barbara Pym  Look for this special display: Mount Everest Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary's Ascent

Movies for Book Fans Look for these adaptations coming soon to a theatre near you!  July Seabicuit The 1930s racehorse was first featured in a bestselling book by Laura Hillenbrand, now he is the star of a feature film starring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, and Chris Cooper. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Famous heroes from classic literature, like Dr. Jekyll, Captain Nemo and Allan Quartermain join forces in this adventure film based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore, starring Sean Connery. August Le Divorce Diane Johnson’s novel about Americans in Paris becomes a Merchant Ivory film starring Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts, Stockard Channing and Bebe Neuwirth Matchstick Men A pair of con artists are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the teenage daughter of one arrives and disrupts things. From the book of the same name by Eric Garcia. This Fall   Ted and Sylvia The ill-fated love affair of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath form the basis of this bio-pic starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig. Master and Commander Russell Crowe stars as Captain Jack Aubrey in this adaptation of the tenth novel in Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander series, set during the Napoleonic wars.

FEATURED RESOURCE Contemporary Authors: One-Stop Shopping For Book and Author Information Contemporary Authors (CA) is a multi-volume print series located in the reference room.  Actually, a “mega-series” would be a more accurate description, since nearly 200 separate series or volumes compose the entire set, published by the Gale Group.  Glenview Public Library owns many of these titles.  If you’re looking for literary criticism or biographical information about an author, CA is the place to start.  In your ramblings in the reference book stacks (frequent, I hope!) you may have noticed CA or some of its many cousins: Shelf upon shelf of books all the same color and size with scary-sounding titles like Dictionary of Literary Biography and Nineteenth Century Literary Criticism. Don’t be intimidated!   The secret to using these books is a slim blue paperback located near Contemporary Authors at call number R928/CON-N.  This is the index to all of the series and volumes in the mega-series, including the above-mentioned titles.  It is VERY EASY TO USE. For example, if you were looking for information on Tony Hillerman, you would find the following entry in the blue index under Hillerman: CANR-97. Looking at the handy list on the second page of the index, you would discover than CANR stands for Contemporary Authors New Revision, a series located very close to CA in the Reference room. The 97 refers to the volume number. Other cryptic “See also” entries under Hillerman include AAYA, BPFB, CPW, and DLB, all of which the library owns. If you’re looking for literary criticism in particular, the entries CLC (Contemporary Literary Criticism), and TCLC (Twentieth Century Literary Criticism) should hold particular interest for you. For biographical information, Dictionary of Literary Biography, Beacham’s Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction Biography Series, and Contemporary Authors Autobiography Series are all good choices. So, by looking in one index, you are able to locate information in many books at once. Just in case you are unable to locate the slim blue paperback, each of the series or volumes comes with its own index as well. And remember, if you need help, ask a librarian!

What's in the Spotlight? This summer the spotlight is on reading!  The Adult Services Department features its Adult Summer Reading Adventure.  Just read six books in 8 weeks (June 16 - August 9) and win a library tote bag.  Two audiobooks may be included, and at least one book should be from our suggested lists:  books that became movies, best beach books, fascinating non-fiction, and more.  Whatever you read, make a reading a highlight of you summer.  The first 50 GPL cardholders to complete the program will be give a new totebag!  Sign up at the Information Desk.     Lights! Camera! Read! Hey, teens!  Here's your opportunity to keep up your reading during the summer and win valuable prizes! Glenview teens aged 13-18 are invited to participate in this summer's Teen Summer Reading Program.  Just read five books in any genre and one book about the performing arts (six books total) between June 16 and August 11 to be eligible to win the grand prize. Books on tape and graphic novels are allowed.  Additional raffles will be held each week

Forthcoming Books Look for these titles coming this month: FICTION Say When by Elizabeth Berg After 10 years of marriage, a couple must decide if their relationship is worth saving or if it would be better to move on. With humor and insight, Berg tells a memorable story of marriage from the husband's point of view. The Pursuit of Alice Thrift by Elinor Lipman The story of Alice Thrift, a surgical intern at a Boston hospital who is intelligent, but seriously lacks bedside manner. Written with Lipman's trademark humor and wit this book should not be missed. The Lake House by James Patterson The sequel to "When the Wind Blows (1998)," one of Patterson's most successful novels to date. Dead Ringer by Lisa Scottoline Philadelphia lawyer Bennie Rosato's life is turned upside-down when her long lost identical sister comes back to town posing as Bennie and creating havoc. [See Literary Events for June 18th] NON-FICTION Living History by Hillary Clinton The former First Lady chronicles her life before, during and after the White House years, and her continuing role as a Senator and public figure.   The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People by Jonathan Schell An examination of the role of warfare in the modern era, by the author of the 1982 bestseller The Fate of the Earth.

Literary Events in June @ the Library Thursday June 5 GPL Conference Room, 7:00 pm The Quarterly Mystery Discussion Group  Join Chicagoland mystery writers Eleanor Taylor Bland, Libby Fischer Hellman and Linda Mickey in a lively discussion hosted by Librarian Mary Van Dyke. The authors will sell and sign their books following the discussion. Refreshments will be served.Please sign up at the Info Desk. Monday June 9 GPL Conference Room, 7:30 pm Monday Evening Book Group  Discuss How I Came Into My Inheritance and Other True Stories by Dorothy Gallagher. Tuesday June 10 Maynard Room, 7:00 pm A Dramatization of A Gift from the Sea  Mary McClenahan Fielding interprets Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s classic book of wise and timeless meditations on solitude, relationships, age and love, with staging and music -- just in time for summer.  Register at the Info Desk or call 847-729-7500 ext. 112. Friday June 20 Maynard Room, 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm Film: "The Hours" based on the novel by Michael Cunningham retells the story of Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway from three different perspectives. Around Chicagoland Saturday June 7 & Sunday June 8 South Dearborn Street, Congress to Polk, 10 am to 6 pm Printer's Row Book Fair 190 Booksellers; New, Rare and Used Books; Literary Programs on Seven Stages For Children and Adults.  Free Admission. For more information call (312) 222-3986. Tuesday June 10 Museum of Contemporary Art, 7:30 pm WBEZ Stories on Stage: What am I Now? In this day and age, in which we all feel more vulnerable, this evening of stories examines how we respond to life-altering events. http://www.wbez.org/storiesonstage or (312) 948-4704 Friday June 13 Downtown Club, 11:30 am Bestselling author David Halberstam speaks about his new book, The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship, the story of four members of the famed '40s Boston Red Sox: Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky.  Call the store at 847-446-8880 for reservations. Monday June 16 Washburne School Theater, 515 Hibbard, Winnekta, 7:30 pm Sidney Blumenthal, former senior aide in the Clinton White House, speaks about his new book, The Clinton Wars. Mr. Blumenthal will also address a luncheon at a downtown club at 11:30 a.m. For luncheon reservations, please call The Book Stall at Chestnut Court at 847-446-8880. Wednesday June 18 The Book Stall at Chestnut Court, 811 Elm St, Winnetka, 12:00 pm Meet bestselling suspense author, Lisa Scottoline who will be in the store to speak about her latest, Dead Ringer, a legal thriller set against the backdrop of an emotional family story. ($5 for a light lunch). Thursday June 19 Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Kendall College, Evanston, 2:00 pm Book club discussion of books about the Cherokee (847) 475-1030 or http://www.mitchellmuseum.org Tuesday June 24 Uncommon Ground Coffeehouse, 1214 W. Grace in Wrigleyville, 8:00 open mic, 9:00 - Jim Pfitzer Featuring Jim Pfitzer   Info: Jim at 773-271-3417 or jpfitzer@mindspring.com Continuing Now— 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.

Previous Editions of "Read All About It"

January 2003
February 2003
March 2003
April 2003
May 2003

To receive a copy of this newsletter monthly in your e-mail, 
send a message to 4readers@glenview.lib.il.us with the word "Subscribe" in the subject line
To see all the available library e-mail services, go to http://www.glenview.lib.il.us/lns.html

"Read All About It" was created by the Reader's Advisory staff of the Glenview Public Library.

Glenview Public Library