Thursday, March 31, 2011

Elise Barack Leads Book Discussion April 7

Please join Elise Barack for a discussion of The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi Durrow Thursday, April 7 at 7:15 pm in the Lake Forest Library’s programming room.

Inspired by an actual event, Durrow’s debut novel is an exploration of race, identity, and racism. It tells the story of Rachel, the daughter of a white Danish mother and a black American G.I. In the early 1980s she becomes the sole survivor of a family tragedy after her mother throws herself, Rachel, and two other children off the rooftop of their Chicago home.

Afterwards Rachel is sent to live with her paternal grandmother in a black neighborhood in Portland, Oregon where her light skin and blue eyes make her the subject of constant scrutiny. Rachel relies on her inner strength and intelligence as she faces these new challenges and grows into her own. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky is the winner of the 2008 Bellwether Prize for best fiction manuscript addressing issues of social justice. Critics have called Durrow’s writing “compact” and “taut,” and have recommended her provocative book with its controversial conclusion to readers interested in contemporary social issues.


Thursday, March 24, 2011

Spring Break Reading Suggestions



Need a book to take along on your vacation?  Staying home, sleeping late, and catching up on your reading?  Add one (or more) of these titles to your reading list and enjoy some of the newest titles in fiction, mystery, memoirs and history.

 Binchy, Maeve  Minding Frankie (FICTION BINCHY)

 Bradley, Alan B. A Red Herring with Mustard (MYSTERY BRADLEY)


Coben, Harlan, Live Wire (MYSTERY COBEN)

DeWaal, Edmund The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss
 (BIOG EPHRUSSI DEW)

Frazier, Ian Travels in Siberia (914.7 FRA)

McCall Smith, Alexander, The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party
(MYSTERY MCCALL SMITH)

McLain, Paula The Paris Wife
(FICTION MCLAIN)

Oates, Joyce Carol A Widow's Story: A Memoir
(BIOG OATES OAT)

Picoult, Jodi, Sing You Home
(FICTION PICOULT)

Winspear, Jacqueline A Lesson in Secrets (MYSTERY WINSPEAR)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Book Lust

Have you ever listened to Nancy Pearl on NPR’s "Morning Edition"? Pearl is a former librarian and bookseller, and an energetic reading advocate known for her broadcasts from KUOW in Seattle. Librarians cannot get enough of her recommendations. Her wonderful bibliographies are great places to look for suggested books for you and your children. These titles offer personal, eclectic, maybe even idiosyncratic compilations of good reading material in a variety of categories. Check them out the next time you’re at the library:

Book Lust -- Adult titles are organized into 175 thematic entries.

More Book Lust -- A companion to the 2003 Book Lust.

Book Lust to Go -- Pearl’s most recent book. Nonfiction and fiction reading recommendations for travelers, including armchair explorers.

Book Crush -- Contains lists of recommended titles for children and teenagers divided into three age groups. The entries are subdivided into more than 118 categories, including animals, folktales, autobiographies, and comic books.

For more information visit Nancy Pearl's website

(Photo available thanks to a-birdie photo stream)