Only around three percent of the books published in the U.S. each year are works in translation. This means many American readers miss out on some great reads—even from our closest Spanish-speaking neighbor. Here are just three Mexican novelists whose work has recently been translated into English. I chose to highlight these authors because their… Read More
Dark Side Of The Moon Music Discussion
Please join us for our Summer Music Discussion on Saturday, July 30 at 1 p.m. as we listen to and talk about one of the greatest albums of all time, Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”. When it was released in 1973 it became an instant classic and stayed on the billboard charts for… Read More
Staff Picks: Lily and the Octopus
When you think about a summer read, maybe you expect something with thrills, romance, or gut-busting laughs? Maybe you wouldn’t usually consider a story about a man and his dachshund that very well might serve up a big helping of emotions. I wouldn’t blame you, as I know what’s usually in my beach bag. It’s… Read More
3 Teams, 2 Olympics…1 Sportswriter
Do you like sports? Do you love Chicago sports? On July 28th, Chicago Tribune beat writer K.C. Johnson will share fascinating, behind-the-scenes stories about his career covering the Chicago Bulls, Bears, and Blackhawks, as well as both the Beijing and London Olympics. Johnson has covered many athletes over the years, including Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose,… Read More
National Disability Voter Registration Week
Taking part in the electoral process is one of our most basic and important rights as American citizens. It gives us a say on crucial issues that may affect us, and allows us a voice in choosing our representatives in local, state, and federal government. This can be especially important for individuals with disabilities. According… Read More
Real People, Real Stories: Helping the Court Case Dogs of Chicago
Hope. Love. Opportunity. Partnership. These are just a few of the many amazing things to come from the success of Safe Humane Chicago, an organization that connects youth, military veterans, and at-risk dogs with community volunteers in interactive, educational programming to create safer, more humane communities. The organization's Court Case Dogs program, created in 2010, is the… Read More
Staff Picks: Race, Slavery, and Mysteries of Imagination
Earlier in June I had the great fortune of attending Book Expo America (BEA) in Chicago. BEA is a librarian’s dream. We were able to meet authors, hear about upcoming book releases, and even snag advance copies of some of the titles. I picked up many titles that I’m excited to share with readers, but… Read More
Some of the Strangest Books in Our Collection!
Sometimes, the library feels like a big popularity contest. We have entire shelves of titles by James Patterson and Stephen King. And right now, everyone wants to read The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. But there are thousands of items in our collection, and it’s about time someone gave some love to the more obscure… Read More
Staff Picks: An Ember in the Ashes
When “An Ember in the Ashes” by Sabaa Tahir was released last spring, the library world was abuzz about this exciting new YA fantasy title. While at a conference, I had the privilege of hearing the author speak about the book, and I was definitely intrigued. However, despite being touted as a “stand-alone” when it… Read More
Summer Movie Discussions – Watch for the Win!
This year's Summer Reading Program theme is Read For The Win. With that in mind, we'll be showing three of the greatest sports films ever made for our Summer Movie Discussion series. I will give a brief talk before each movie with some fun facts and interesting stories about the film. Please feel free to stay after to talk… Read More
