Posted February 26, 2009

For our latest installment of “Around the World with Mysteries,” we’ve decided to take you to the capital city of Scotland. With his 19th entry in the Inspector John Rebus series, Ian Rankin has certainly done his fair share to bring attention to his home city of Edinburgh. The first entry in the series, Knots and Crosses, introduces mystery lovers to Inspector Rebus as he attempts to solve the mystery of a series of murders of young girls. Rankin made quite the impression with his debut, prompting reviewers to name him “a newcomer to watch” because of his writing style and his “…Solidly drawn characters, keen psychological insights and an intriguing, well-knit plot.” In his latest entry, Exit Music, we find Rebus on the verge of retirement when the case of a dead Russian poet lands on his desk. Once again, Rankin received high praise from critics, and while this may be the last entry in the series, at least one reviewer is holding out hope that John Rebus will return.

Another popular series to call Edinburgh home comes from the prolific Alexander McCall Smith. His Isabel Dalhousie series stars Dalhousie as moral philosopher and editor of “The Review of Applied Ethics.” Readers will find a far more civilized Edinburgh featured as the backdrop of this series, but not to worry, there is still some foul play to be uncovered. Kicking off with The Sunday Philosophy Club, we find Ms. Dalhousie drawn into the death of a young man after she witnesses his fatal fall during a concert she’s attending. Booklist noted the “…author’s gentle humor and keen insights into human nature…” as part of the draw of this series, now in its fifth iteration with The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday.

For those who enjoy their mysteries with a little more grit, we turn to Whitbread winner Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series. While it began in Cambridge with Case Histories, the series soon moved to Edinburgh in One Good Turn when PI Brodie follows his girlfriend to an arts festival and becomes embroiled in a case after witnessing an instance of road rage. Atkinson then fully embraces the Edinburgh landscape in the latest and most acclaimed entry to date, When Will There Be Good News? Library Journal practically gushes, “[e]vocative, smart, literary and funny, Atkinson’s third novel…is both complicated and a page-turner.” Sounds like a winner to us, and after three entries in the series we’re looking forward to more Edinburgh intrigue from Atkinson.

81st Oscars

Posted February 24, 2009

Change has come to the Oscars. Gone was the snarky, roast-like tone of yesteryear. Instead, this year’s redesigned broadcast emphasized appreciation over mockery and, for once, its producers seemed to remember that the ceremony should be about this year’s best movies—all of them, including romance, action and comedy pictures that never get nominated. For the acting awards, five stars who had previously won the award paid touching tribute to each nominee, which went a long way towards restoring the honor in the old saying, “it’s an honor just to be nominated.” A quote used during the presentation of a humanitarian award to Jerry Lewis sustained the inspirational tone: “I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” (According to The Home Book of Quotations, the quote has been attributed to various people over the years, including Emerson and Carlyle, but is usually attributed to Stephen Grellet, a Quaker minister born in the 18th century.)

The big winner of the evening, as widely predicted, was Slumdog Millionaire, which took home Best Picture and Director among many other awards. Director Danny Boyle kept an old promise to his children that if he ever won he’d hop on the stage like Tigger, the beloved A.A. Milne character who made his debut in The House At Pooh Corner. (Say, why not read the book to your children and see where you end up?) As with many of the nominees, Slumdog is not yet available on video, but the Library does have the popular book it was based on, as well as the Oscar-winning soundtrack. Meanwhile, if the ceremony revved you up to watch some great movies, here’s a list of this year’s winners and nominees that are currently available:

Winnners available on DVD
The Dark Knight - Best Supporting Actor
The Duchess - Best Costume Design
Man on Wire - Best Feature Documentary
Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Best Supporting Actress
Wall-e - Best Animated Feature

Nominees available on DVD (various categories)
Encounters at the End of the World
Frozen River
In Bruges
Iron Man
Kung Fu Panda
Tropic Thunder
The Visitor
Wanted

Presidents Day: The Women Behind the Men

Posted February 19, 2009

February is a great time to learn about the history of U.S. presidents, as two of our most celebrated, Washington and Lincoln, were both born this month. But the spouses of these great men were pretty interesting historical figures themselves: Dolley Madison donned elaborate turbans, threw fabulous parties and used snuff tobacco; Nellie Taft is responsible for the beautiful cherry trees in the capital; and as a delegate of the United Nations, Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the committee that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. If you think the media frenzy surrounding the Obamas is bad, read something about Frances Cleveland: she was so popular that when the press ran a fabricated story claiming the First Lady had stopped wearing the bustle, scores of American women also stopped wearing it. Even though she had done no such thing, Frances then followed suit. If you are interested in these fun and often surprising facts about the first ladies, check out The Secret Lives of the First Ladies by Cormac O’Brien. For something more substantial on presidential wives, try First Ladies by Margaret Truman, daughter of Bess and Harry. Or why not take a look at a biography of your favorite first lady? The following titles are some of the most popular:

Martha Washington: First Lady of Liberty by Helen Bryan
Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams by Lynne Whitey
A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation by Catherine Allgor
Mrs. Lincoln by Catherine Clinton
Nellie Taft: The Unconventional First Lady of the Ragtime Era by Carl Sferrazza Anthony
Eleanor Roosevelt by Blanche Wiesen Cook
Bess Truman by Margaret Truman
America’s Queen by Sarah Bradford
Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Laura Bush: An Intimate Portrait of the First Lady by Ronald Kessler
Michelle: A Biography by Liza Mundy

51st Grammy Awards

Posted February 17, 2009

The 51st Grammys were presented last week where, among other highlights, Chicagoan Jennifer Hudson gave a moving performance and took home an award for best R&B album for her self-titled debut. Alison Krauss and Robert Plant were the big winners of the night: Their album Raising Sand received five awards. It was no surprise that Coldplay’s Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends won the best rock album or that Lil Wayne won best rap album for Tha Carter III. The British female vocalists didn’t leave empty handed either: Adele, whose album 19 has garnered critical acclaim, won best new artist, and Duffy’s Rockferry won best vocal pop album. Chicagoan Kanye West and Estelle took home an award for best rap-sung collaboration for “American Boy” featured on Shine. In addition to the many awards, there were also some fabulous performances, including hip-hop dream team Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, T.I. and the very pregnant M.I.A. Stevie Wonder joined the Jonas Brothers, and teen superstars Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift sang a duet. Check out some of these Grammy winners:

Contemporary R&B Album: Growing Pains / Mary J. Blige
Country Album: Troubadour / George Strait
Traditional Blues Album: One Kind Favor / B.B. King
Jazz Vocal Album: Loverly / Cassandra Wilson
Latin Pop Album: La Vida - Es Un Ratico / Juanes
Latin Urban Album: Los Extraterrestres / Wisin y Yandel
Electronic Dance Album: Alive 2007 / Daft Punk
Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: Juno / Various Artists
Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: Thy Kingdom Come / CeCe Winans
Traditional Gospel Album: Down in New Orleans / The Blind Boys of Alabama

Lincoln Bicentennial 1809-2009

Posted February 12, 2009

This week kicks off many yearlong celebrations of Lincoln’s 200th birthday. At the Harold Washington Library Center, an exhibit focusing on the many images of our 16th president, “Tall Man of Destiny: Images of Abraham Lincoln,” opened February 9 and will run through February 28, 2010. Lincoln will also feature prominently in this year’s Summer Reading Program, which runs from June through August. In the fall Chicago’s Newberry Library will host “With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition,” the Library of Congress’ traveling exhibition, which opens in Washington, D.C. on February 12. You can already check out the companion book, In Lincoln’s Hand: His Original Manuscripts, edited by Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer. Holzer also recently penned Lincoln: President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861, which describes in great detail the four months between Lincoln’s election and inauguration.

Holzer’s is only the first in a long line of new books being released about Lincoln. Two of the titles getting a lot of early buzz are A. Lincoln by Ronald C. White and Michael Burlingame’s two-volume Abraham Lincoln: A Life. At 2,000 pages we’d have to say Burlingame’s well-reviewed title will put any Lincoln buff to the test. White’s book is also much anticipated and touted by some as the best book on the subject since David Herbert Donald’s Lincoln. Of course, these are just the latest, and it’s yet to be seen if they will top the bestseller lists like some of their predecessors; namely, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin and Manhunt: The Twelve Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson. Below you will find a list of many more titles on arguably the most-written-about president in history.

1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History by Charles Bracelen Flood
Abraham Lincoln: A Presidential Life by James M. McPherson
Angels and Ages: A Short Book about Lincoln, Darwin and Modern Life by Adam Gopnik
Did Lincoln Own Slaves?: and other Frequently Asked Questions about Abraham Lincoln by Gerald J. Prokopowicz
Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln by John Stauffer
Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America by Allen C. Guelzo
Lincoln at Peoria: The Turning Point: Getting Right with the Declaration of Independence by Lewis E. Lehrman
Looking for Lincoln: The Making of an American Icon by Philip B. Kunhardt III, Peter W. Kunhardt and Peter W. Kunhardt Jr
The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics by James Oakes
Re-electing Lincoln: The Battle for the 1864 Presidency by John Waugh
“They have killed Papa dead!”: The Road to Ford’s Theatre, Abraham Lincoln’s Murder and the Rage for Vengeance by Anthony S. Pitch
Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief by James M. McPherson

T.C. Boyle

Posted February 5, 2009

The Chicago Public Library is pleased to host a reading by famed author T.C. Boyle at 6:00 p.m. February 17. Boyle will be reading from his highly anticipated latest novel, The Women, based on the life of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright and told through the experiences of the four women who loved him. Given Boyle’s success in tackling other American icons (John Harvey Kellogg in The Road the Wellville, Alfred Kinsey in The Inner Circle), Wright seems like perfect territory for him, and Booklist reviewer Donna Seaman confirms that expectation, declaring, “Boyle is electrifying in this gorgeous novel of artistic conviction, exalted romance and appalling moral failings.” T.C. Boyle has been writing acclaimed novels and short story collections for 30 years now (The Descent of Man was published in 1979), and he’s especially celebrated for the stunning diversity of his subjects and his sparkling sense of humor. Some of his other well-known novels include Tortilla Curtain, Drop City, World’s End and Talk Talk. Please consider joining us for this exciting event.

D.I.Y. Film Fest: Love Hurts

Posted February 3, 2008

It’s that time of year once again. Love is in the air. Or is it? Anyone who’s tried their hand at love knows that it doesn’t always go how you’d like. In honor of all of those who’ve loved and lost (and who hasn’t?) we’ve come up with a list of movies that capture the highs and lows of love.

Annie Hall
Body Heat
The Break-up
Closer
Dangerous Liaisons
Double Indemnity
Intolerable Cruelty
Lolita
Match Point
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Remains of the Day
War of the Roses