November 19, 2013
This informal article on how to approach reading with your children struck a chord with me because I think it reflects common sense and reality. No parent wants to be the one to turn a child away from reading! The author has grappled with wanting to encourage her children (and also students) to enjoy reading […]
November 19, 2013
The publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary unanimously chose selfie as the 2013 word of the year. The term, meaning a self-portrait typically snapped with a smartphone and shared over social networks, was first recorded in Australia in 2002 when someone posted this after a drunken accident: “I had a hole … right through my bottom […]
November 19, 2013
It’s 272 words long and lasted about 2 minutes. It was delivered 150 years ago today at the height of the Civil War to consecrate a battlefield cemetery in Pennsylvania where over 50,000 slain soldiers from both sides were buried. It followed a speech given by former Congressman Edward Everett which ran over two hours, […]
November 17, 2013
Popular and much-acclaimed author Doris Lessing, winner of the 2007 Nobel in literature, died today in her London home. The prolific author of novels and short stories is most known for her 1962 novel The Golden Notebook, a loosely autobiographical exploration of the inner lives of women. Lessing was a harsh critic of society’s treatment of women […]
November 14, 2013
These remarkable libraries speak for themselves in terms of fun and excitement. Bright colors, slides, and you must check out the “birdcage” in photo number 6! One is even an outside room meant to encourage children to play, grab a book, and get fresh air. I appreciate that some of the designs are meant […]
November 14, 2013
I would disagree with the title of this NYTimes blog post. Books are never secondary at Evanston, but we do have other reasons for using the library. Anyone who visits EPL on a regular basis knows the conference rooms are in big demand. Unlike this post, I doubt we’ve had couples exchange vows in our meeting spaces, but on […]
November 8, 2013
Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, is considered one of the classics of science fiction. It has appeared near the top of any comprehensive list of the best of sci-fi and fantasy since it was originally published, in 1985. It is the winner of both the Hugo and Nebula awards, the highest honors in the […]
November 8, 2013
29-year-old Claire Vaye Watkins has won this year’s Dylan Thomas Prize for her debut story collection Battleborn. “Aimed at encouraging raw creative talent worldwide” the prize is restricted to writers under 30 and is worth 30,000 pounds (about $48,000).” Ms. Watkins also won two other major prizes on the same day: the $10,000 Rosenthal Family […]
November 7, 2013
French writer and philosopher Albert Camus, born 100 years ago today in Algeria is probably best known for his novels The Stranger and The Plague. But as France marks his centennial, “it’s his politics, not his his philosophy, that still makes waves.” Winning the Nobel Prize for literature in 1957 and regarded as a giant […]
November 5, 2013
I heard the interview with Rich Cohen on NPR recently and, lo and behold, he’s touring our area to promote his new book, “Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football.” He was informative about football history and gave quite a bit of background surrounding the famed ’85 Bears. (This is from […]
