January 24, 2012
January 24 is the 150th anniversary of Edith Wharton’s birth. A native New Yorker, her birthday is being celebrated throughout the city. Some of her most well-known work includes The House of Mirth, Ethan Frome, and The Age of Innocence. Yesterday’s New York Times has a wonderful article about her and her connection to the popular BBC […]
January 24, 2012
This book examines the lives of some figures who manage to study and master not one or two foreign languages, but dozens. The reviewer claims that what might sound like dull material is actually quite fascinating as Michael Erard looks back to discuss prominent language masters of old, such as Cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti, who could […]
January 15, 2012
The author of the beloved Alex Rider series will be in the Chicago area April 11-13 when he joins the Naperville Reads Book Festival. If you look at Anthony Horowitz‘ website his author appearances are listed after some other exciting facts and features, such as Alex Rider gadget apps! Shira S.
January 14, 2012
Writer’s Relief has a great article about 7 authors who are inspiring examples of how it’s never too late to become a professional writer. If you’re interested in reading their books, feel free to browse our catalog at the links below: Richard Adams Raymond Chandler Harriet Doerr Frank McCourt James Michener Mary Wesley Laura Ingalls Wilder
January 12, 2012
The abruptness of the announcement that Chicago Public Libraries will close all day on Mondays seems to have caught people off guard. As reported in various media, after negotiations were heading toward closing Friday and Monday mornings and laying off close to three hundred staff, the mayor switched to less layoffs and the Monday closures. […]
January 11, 2012
One of the more noteworthy devices from the CES (Consumer Electronic Show going on right now in Las Vegas) is a winner of the Hot Stuff Awards handed out by Stuff magazine. I was not surprised to see attention given to an e-reader, although the JetBook’s features are certainly cutting edge. The vivid colors are […]
January 9, 2012
According to a recent report in a Swedish newspaper the jury for the 1961 Nobel Prize in literature rejected J. R. R. Tolkien as a possible candidate citing that “the result (of his work) has not in any way measured up to storytelling of the highest quality.” Tolkien was nominated by his friend and Oxford […]
January 9, 2012
When an old book seems beyond any useful task, too old and yellow to read, with a crumbling cover or a loose binding, most of us will sigh and put it out to book pasture, either through a donation to Amvets (who can even make money off rags) or reluctantly throw it in the trash! […]
January 5, 2012
The author of A Game of Thrones has just published the first chapter of his next book, Winds of War, on his own website. He says that another chapter will be available with the paperback edition of A Dance with Dragons, out in July. Check here for some reviews of his work. Slate and NY […]
January 3, 2012
Parents of toddlers might find themselves pondering the deeper mysteries of children’s books after reading a favorite story night after night seventeen bedtimes in a row. They want to get beyond the obvious plot and characters. Questions come to mind: Why is George curious? Are monkeys really that curious? What kind of monkey is he? Are some monkeys […]
