Sometimes we all need to move outside our comfort zones, and what better way to do that than through reading? Of course, the library is ready and willing to help! So this winter, we offered our patrons the Reading without Walls Challenge. It asked them to: Read about a character who doesn’t look like or…
Whenever I get invested in a series, I start to worry. What if the author does a terrible job with the final book? What if they can’t wrap it up in a way that feels true and satisfying – leaving me wanting more, while making sure that the characters find resolution? What if they can’t…
While many of us can probably recall a heart-stopping moment when we narrowly averted a serious injury or even death - seventeen times? That is about sixteen more close calls than any one person should have to endure. And yet, that is how many times Irish novelist Maggie O'Farrell has dodged the bullet. Best known…
Writing a post about the Native American peoples who originally lived in the vicinity of Libertyville is something I've been meaning to do for a while, but kept putting off. This was in large part due to the fact that, unlike other topics I've posted about, there aren't many written records I can use for…
I have always been fascinated by Alaska and the people who choose to live in the remotest parts of the state. This fascination drew me to Kristin Hannah’s memorable new book, The Great Alone, where a girl comes of age in such an unforgiving, breathtaking environment. Ernt Albright is a restless Vietnam War veteran and…
Susie, Andrea, and Nate recommend a powerful new memoir. They try to put into words why the book had such an impact on each of them. Read Andrea's original Educated blog post on Shelf Life. Check out Educated from the library http://traffic.libsyn.com/cooklib/Book_Pick_-_Educated_by_Tara_Westover.mp3…
Sometimes you read a book and it affects you so much that you just have to talk about it with someone. That’s how it is for me with Educated, and I’m lucky that one of my colleagues has also just read it and can’t stop talking about it either. We might be boring all the…
I’m not saying that Matt Haig’s HOW TO STOP TIME is guilty of false advertising, exactly. But if you were hoping for an instruction manual for pressing a giant cosmic pause button, this is probably not the book for you. (To be fair, we’re shelving it in the fiction section. It’s not like you weren’t…
Nate and AV Librarian Becky King meet up once again to talk about the past year in film and last Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony. They discuss the night's hits and misses plus share a few personal favorites they hope aren't forgotten. Find out what movies you may have missed and how you can use your…
In the second installment of our profiles of World War I veterans from Libertyville, we focus on four young men all from the same family. Brothers Harold, Wendell, Clarence, and Kenneth, the sons of local druggist Frank B. Lovell, owner of the predecessor to today's Petranek's Pharmacy, all served during World War I. Front: Harold…
