In This Issue
	Trends to Watch for in 2004 Notable Reads Forthcoming Titles On Display This Month Literary Events This Month

Notable Reads

Looking for a good read to start the New Year off right? Look no further than Notable Books: The List for America's Readers. Every year since 1944 the American Library Association has compiled a list of notable or outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The 12- member Notable Books Council - which includes one of our very own librarians, Iva Freeman - has an ambitious goal: "to make available to the nation's readers a list of 25 very good, very readable, and at times, very important fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books for the adult reader." The Notable Books Council has taken the guesswork out of choosing a good book. Titles that make it onto the final list were initially suggested to the council based on criteria such as literary merit, readability, and date of publication. Through a year-long process of suggestion, nomination, withdrawal and voting, the initially large list is reduced to 25. The 2004 Notable Book List is being finalized this month at the American Library Association's midwinter meeting in San Diego. After each of the 25 titles is annotated by the members of the council, the list will be published on the Notable Books website (see below) and in the journal Booklist. Some previous Notable Books include: Sailing Alone around the Room: New and Selected Poems, by Billy Collins; The Hours, by Michael Cunningham; The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession, by Susan Orlean; and The Coast of Good Intentions, by Michael Byers. To see the current and previous Notable Books lists, or to learn more about the criteria for selection, go to http://www.ala.org, type "notable books" in the search box in the upper right corner of the page, and choose the first link in the list. If you need help finding Notable Books, ask a librarian!

Forthcoming Titles

FICTION The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler An exploration of a marriage made in haste just as World War II begins. The Sight of the Stars by Belva Plain A novel of a man's life as he moves out West in the early 1900's and then faces the struggles that come with success. The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson When Olivia Huntfinds out her sister has leukemia she returns home to help out while trying to keep her career afloat in this humorous novel of sisterly love. The Zero Game by Brad Meltzer A simple wager between friends turns deadly in this political thriller. The Last Juror by John Grisham Grisham returns to the law. NON-FICTION 1968: The Year that Rocked the World by Mark Kurlansky The author of Salt and Cod takes a look at a pivotal year in American history. Hollywood Animal: A Memoir by Joe Eszterhas The writer of "Basic Instinct" gives readers an inside view of the Hollywood scene.

On Display This Month

Don't miss these displays in the library this month: Losing It! (Weight loss and diet) Blood, Sweat, and Fears (Suspense fiction) Fiction Set in India Jazz In January Authors on display: E.M. Forster Benjamin Franklin J.R.R. Tolkien There is also a mini-display on Walt Disney and Disney animation next to the Rental books.

Literary Events This Month

@ the Library This Month Monday January 12, 2004 Monday Evening Book Discussion GPL Conference Room, 7:00 pm Face of an Angel by Denise Chavez. Glenview and Chicagoland Thursday, January 15 Book Talk Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Evanston, 2:00 PM When The Legends Die by Hal Borland Information available at: The Mitchell Museum. Saturday, January 17 Author Reading Newberry Library,60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610, 1:30 p.m. Author: Brian Hall, I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company: A Novel of Lewis and Clark For information call 312-255-3520 or e-mail newberrybooks 1@msn.com. Tuesday, January 27 Author Reading Newberry Library,60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610, 6 p.m. Author: Nicholas Basbanes, A Splendor of Letters: The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World For information call 312-255-3520 or e-mail newberrybooks 1@msn.com. Thursday, January 29 Author Reading and Book Talk NSLS Literary Circle, Glenbrook South High School, 4000 West Lake Avenue, Glenview, 7:30-9 pm American Book Award Denise Chavez. For more information, call (847) 353-7143. Continuing The Chicagoland Nextbook Writers Series The 2003-04 series includes appearances by Amos Oz, Myla Goldberg, and Rebecca Goldstein, as well as dramatic performances of stories by Delmore Schwartz and I.B. Singer. Nextbook Chicagoland is a project of Nextbook, the Chicago Public Library, and the North Suburban Library System. http://www.nextbook.org/localprogra ms/chicago_writersseries.html.