What We're Reading

Not only do we librarians connect library patrons to excellent books, we also are avid readers! If you have ever wondered what we read, here are some of the books that we are currently enjoying:


Kaye, Library Director 

The Secret Pilgrim by John LeCarre.  A paean to George Smiley through the story of one of his protégées.

Speaking fromAmong the Bones by Alan Bradley. Another murder mystery with young Flavia de Luce; if you enjoyed the earlier tales, read this new one. The ending promises another.

The Golden EggMystery by Donna Leon. Featuring the Venetian detective Guido Brunetti with the usual mix of food, family and fraud.

  
Jean, Librarian 

The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. I’ve been recommending this book several times a day. A romantic, atmospheric story set in New York City in the 1930s, with an  interesting plot and empathic heroine. 

Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls by Dorothy Wickenden. A great story about the author’s grandmother and her grandmother’s best friend who left their privileged East Coast lives to become teachers in the Colorado wilderness in 1916.

Matt, Librarian

Both Flesh and Not by David Foster Wallace. After watching the video of Wallace's This is Water commencement address, I needed to read more before trying to tackle his Infinite Jest (again). This collection of essays features the same intellectual criticism framed by an accessible writing style.

The Filter Bubble by Eli Pariser. If you have ever been interested in how Google searching works, this is the right book for you. The filter bubble refers to how the internet uses personalization for recommendations (Amazon, Netflix, etc.) and why this creates differences in our search results and internet browsing experiences.

   
Becky, Librarian

The Dinner by Herman Koch. I enjoyed it because it seemingly started out as a social satire but quickly turned into a much darker tale.  The story involves a great moral and ethical issue which would be fun to contemplate and debate with others.

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini. This book offers an interesting look behind the scenes of the Lincoln White House days -- from the perspective of a confidante to Mrs. Lincoln.  A peek at well-known historical events from a different perspective.

Mother! Mother! I Want Another!

Another what ?  Another mother?  Another toy?  Another helping?  Ah, yes… another kiss, of course.  Children’s books contain no shortage of beloved mothers, although a high proportion are from the animal kingdom.  As Mother’s Day approaches, we offer this selection of storybook moms, each with her own particular eccentricities:

Most literary Mom  

Mom with biggest brood

Most creative Mom

Rhymingest Mom

Most clueless Mom

Most protective Mom

National Depression Awareness Week

 

   The Lake Forest community has many resources for those struggling and for their families and friends. May 5-13, 2013 is National Depression Awareness week.  Those living with or caring about someone dealing with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues know that it is not just a week but a lifetime. There are many resources and organizations available to help.
     A great resource and a good  place to start is The Depression Sourcebook. In an easy to read style,this book helps individuals to identify disorders, learn about common treatments and has a directory of resources and places to start the journey to living with this disease. edited by Amy L. Sutton 616.8527 DEP
Once a proper diagnosis has been made this volume, Breaking Free from Depression by Jesse H. Wright psychiatrist and his family physician daughter Laura McCray describes treatments that are available, and a selection of self-help strategies. 616.8527 WRI
   Keeping Adolescence Healthy: Exploring the Issues Facing Today's Kids and Communities by Aaron White. The facts to help your adolescent through the many stages of these critical years.  305.235 WHI
Family Guide to Mental Healthcare (Sederer) aims to familiarize the reader with all aspects of mental illness: symptoms, treatment, prevention, health-insurance issues, and the law. 616.89 SED  Military Mental Health Care  616.852 LOW  Cheryl Lowhorne-Scott authors this resource for Service Members, Veterans, Families, and Community.

 The library has public use computers to access such sites as: www.erikaslighthouse.org , The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, www.afsp.org and National Alliance on Mental Illness, www.nami.org. 

Why Suicide?: Answers to 200 of the Most Frequently Asked Questions by Eric Marcus offers comprehensive answers to questions such as why suicide, what could I have done to prevent it and how can I start to heal. 616.8584 MAR
Rescuing your teenager from Depression  Norman T. Berlinger 616.8527  BER

Located in our YA section on the first floor, When Nothing Matters Anymore: a Survival Guide for Depressed Teens by Bev Cobain R.N.C. and My Kind of Sad: What It’s Like to be Young And Depressed by Kate Scowen offer first-hand accounts of teenagers suffering from depression and thoughts of suicide.

Our DVDs, located on the middle level of the library may be checked out to watch at home or to share with others. Cry for Help, Depression: Out of the Shadows and When A Loved One Dies: Walking through Grief As a Teenager are just a few titles that were included in a list provided by local authorities in the mental health field. These are just a small sample of the many resources that we can help you with at the library.

                       

Book Your Travel :: Travel Your Book

Whether your travel is real or imaginary, via plane or armchair, these books can help you find literature set in your destination or choose your destination based on the literature and authors you love.


Off the Beaten Page : The Best Trips for Lit Lovers, Book Clubs, and Girls on Getaways by Terri Peterson Smith (Chicago Review Press, 2013).

The author identifies a literary theme for each of fifteen U.S. destination cities and gives background information on the theme, an annotated reading list of the city's literature, and a detailed itinerary appropriate for book groups visiting over a long weekend.  You can visit the author's blog for updates to the cities in the book and for new destinations.




Reading on Location: Great Books Set in Top Travel Destinations by Luisa Moncada and Scala Quin (New Holland, 2011). 

Organized by continent and then by country, this guide lists and briefly describes titles (fiction or non-fiction) set in the countries and their states, major cities, or regions.  It also includes some information about authors' homes and museums.

 Book Lust To Go by Nancy Pearl (Sasquatch Books, 2010).

This guide's similar in scope to Reading on Location but with a narrative approach.  Pearl shares historical tidbits, anecdotes and sometimes personal information while telling about a place and its literature, including fiction and non-fiction titles.  

Traveling Literary America: A Complete Guide to Literary Landmarks by B. J. Welborn (Jefferson Press, 2005).

This guide includes authors' homes and museums, literary monuments, and walks in all 50 states.  For each site, Welborn gives a brief frame of reference and a longer discussion of the significance of the site and its related author or works.  She also includes recommendations for nearby places of interest and further reading for each landmark.