“No one needed a magic wardrobe that opened to Narnia if they had a library card; if you had a library card, you had a thousand magic wardrobes to choose from, ten thousand….A library card was as good as a sword drawn from a stone” - King Sorrow, by Joe Hill Warning: This book…
How Did Our Ancestors Connect with Their Ancestors? Join Daniel Smith, Genealogy Librarian, as he explores the ways that our ancestors may have connected with their ancestors in the latest Cook Memorial Public Library Podcast episode! In the middle of the nineteenth century, a movement known as Spiritualism captured the attention of millions, with large…
“I think it’s the only form of hope we have. For our survival, I mean. What good is any other virtue without love?” - Lily King, Heart the Lover There are novels that affect you, and then there are novels that move you. I can say with certainty that, for me, Heart the Lover belongs…
"The land in Alabama is made up of layers of soil tinted red and brown and black, enriched with clay, sand, iron, and the remains of whoever lived on and fought to stay on it at the time. A primary reason hazard-yellow and hell-red signs gleam from the creamy earth and from the peeling bases…
Happy Family History Month! October is a perfect time to learn more about your family’s history! Families often have very rich histories that can help inform your own sense of self and give you a deeper claim to your identity. Maybe you are just getting started, or maybe you have been researching your genealogy for…
To be honest, Patrick Ryan’s Buckeye did not initially strike me as a page turner. The book follows two families in small-town Ohio from World War II through the early 1970s. On V-E day, a spontaneous celebratory kiss between Cal Jenkins and Margaret Salt – each married to someone else – sets off a chain…
If you've looked through early Libertyville telephone books or browsed the newspapers, you may have come across some unfamiliar street names. Maybe you've searched Google Maps and they're not there. Here's a few long forgotten street names from the downtown area: Sprague Street (now East Cook Avenue) 1897 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4104lm.g019731897/?sp=1&r=-0.021,0.395,1.098,0.686,0 Sprague…
Julie Olivia's latest novel, If It Makes You Happy, is a heartfelt romance infused with small-town warmth, emotional depth, and just the right dose of '90s nostalgia. Set against the backdrop of Copper Run, Vermont—a town that could easily stand in for Stars Hollow—this cozy fall book is certain to charm romance readers and just…
Have you taken the time to write down key details about yourself? Are your personal records and documents organized in a way that your ancestors will be able to find, understand, and use them? If not, there is no time like the present to begin this important step in your genealogy! Many times, we only…
It’s getting to be that time of year again. No, not Pumpkin Spice Latte season; horror season. And have I got a creepy, eerie, spine tingling (with just a touch of blood) read for you. Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest, The Bewitching, is a multi-generational horror, history, and culture lesson. Spanning nearly 100 years and narrated…
