Did you know that TikTok can be a great resource for learning more about genealogy? That’s right! The same place where you can watch fun, silly videos also provides excellent educational content. So, take time away from the cat videos and watch vintage footage or listen to family stories. You don’t even need a TikTok…
"Alferez Antonio Sonoro was born with gold in his eyes." So, begins The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James. Westerns, even ones with sparks of magical realism, are new reading territory for me. Usually, when I think of Westerns, my mind conjures up cattle drives, little houses on prairies and stagecoaches. I do not think of…
Find out the who's who of national celebrities and historical figures that have made appearances in Libertyville through the years. Enjoy part two of the series. Mentioned in the Podcast: October 25, 1960 - Senator John F. Kennedy's Remarks at Liberty Mall, Libertyville, Illinois (YouTube) Local History page Catch every episode! Subscribe to the Cook…
While The Kingdom of Sweets begins much like the beloved Nutcracker ballet, Erika Johansen has taken the characters and setting to make this story uniquely her own. Godfather Drosselmeyer’s gifts are soon revealed to be curses endured by Clara and her family - including the fact that the traditional heroine Clara has a twin sister,…
The Library Board of Trustees recently approved to permanently expand operating hours on Sundays at both Library locations. Beginning January 7, 2024, Cook Park Library and Aspen Drive Library will open an hour earlier at 12 pm instead of 1 pm. Why? Because Sundays are very popular. We see you, Weekend Warriors! Weekday visits don’t…
Santa Claus arrives in 2015. Copyright Bob Leavitt. Each year Libertyville residents gather in Cook Park for the holiday tree lighting the Friday night after Thanksgiving. Santa’s arrival by fire truck is the highlight of the evening for children of all ages. But in the late 1940s Santa arrived by another mode of transportation –…
Are you looking for an enslaved ancestor? We know that this can be challenging, due to many factors; however, we have good news about a potentially helpful, free resource! Recently, we discovered the Slave Voyages website, which includes several databases that may be useful to those engaging in genealogical research that intersects with the slavery,…
If you were to construct a list of story elements that do not entice me, it would include: Pandemic stories (I am ready for some precedented times.) Bird stories (I like my pets with fur.) Autofiction (novels where the author is also a character) So at first glance, The Vulnerables, Sigrid Nunez’s pandemic novel about…
Our Annual Design-a-Bookmark Contest has begun! The contest is for students in grades K-8. Kids wishing to participate should take a blank bookmark and return it with their design based on their favorite book, book series, or character. Bookmark blanks and copies of the rules available at the Chidlren's Reference Desk at Cook Park, the…
Books about climate disasters are usually not my thing. Floods, blizzards of massive proportions, heat waves, etc. generally do not appeal to me. But...disrupt my food chain? Bring the earth to the brink of global starvation? Now you have got me hooked. I become the living definition of "hangry" if my snacks are taken…
