As of Tuesday morning, the Main Library continues to experience an Internet outage. No computers, printing, or phones. You must have your library card to check out materials. The Crown Branch is fully operational. Thank you for your patience.
August 27, 2010
I always feel a little strange reading collections of correspondences by famous authors, artists, or other persons of interest. It feels a bit like snooping, like peering in on private words and lives that were not meant for me. I often find myself wondering what the author of the letters would have thought of having words […]
August 26, 2010
For almost three decades beginning in 1936, many African-American travelers relied on a booklet to help them decide where they could comfortably eat, sleep, buy gas, find a tailor or beauty parlor, shop on a honeymoon to Niagara Falls, or go out at night. In 1949, when the guide was 80 pages, there were five […]
August 24, 2010
Do you need to be able to “deep read” to be a world leader? Following the interview mentioned below, this segment on “All Things Considered” featured producer Brent Baughman speaking with Yale University’s Charles Hill on the reading choices world leaders are making, and the vanishing popularity of seeking guidance from the so-called “classics.” My instant reaction […]
August 24, 2010
You might think it surprising that Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, is really worried we’re losing the special ability to do so-called deep reading. After all, as NPR’s Audie Cornish pointed out, Google has been pegged as the gateway drug for short attention spans. In an interview with developmental psychologist Maryanne Wolf on the potential loss of a […]
August 23, 2010
Check out Forbes’ list of the highest paid authors. Who’s at the top? James Patterson. You can read more about James Patterson Inc. in a profile featured in the New York Times in January (a link to which was also posted earlier on this blog).
August 21, 2010
Bookslut Jessica Crispin provides an intelligent and eloquent defense of Elizabeth Gilbert and her books in this thought-provoking article.
August 20, 2010
If there’s one thing we knew about J.D. Salinger, it was that he was a man who valued his privacy. The man was as famous for his status as literature’s number one recluse as he was for any of the brief novels and stories he published in his lifetime. And so what better way than […]
August 19, 2010
The Chicago History Museum is altering the nature of its book offerings to focus more on Chicago topics. This article explains the new strategy. They have exhibits about Chicago-based books, such as Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, the comprehensive Encyclopedia of Chicago, and events like the Great Fire. Keep an eye out […]
August 17, 2010
For those of us of a certain age, ahem, this book will evoke warm memories of time spent with the always bubbly and energetic Bozo the Clown. The book focuses on the way Larry Harmon built up the business end of the show, which originated out of Chicago’s own WGN. Unfortunately, Larry Harmon passed away […]
August 17, 2010
Or maybe it’s the bonnet and the buggy. Whatever the reason, Amish romances are the newest “hot” genre in romance fiction. Check out these titles in EarlyWord and make sure to look at the highlighted USA article. -Laura
