“Books won’t solve my problems, Harriet.”  

“No, but they give your problems perspective. They allow your problems to breathe.”  – Monica Wood, How to Read a Book 

Chances are if you are a regular library visitor that you are a booklover. I know that I love books. They provide not only an escape, but a way to develop empathy; to live other people’s experiences; to travel to foreign lands; to run amok in different eras. Books expand our minds and our lives.  

How to Read a Book is a story of second chances; redemption and the secrets and lies that we tell ourselves and others. Violet Powell is a young woman imprisoned for a drunk driving offense that resulted in the death of a kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson is a widowed, retired English teacher leading a weekly book club in the women’s penitentiary where Violet is serving her sentence. And Frank Daigle is a retired machinist who works as a handy man at a local bookstore and is the husband of the woman Violet accidentally killed.  

Violet is released from prison and is dropped off by her older sister (who wants nothing to do with her) in Portland, Maine, home to Harriet and Frank. Violet wanders into the bookstore where Frank works and Harriet is picking new books for her book club. Frank sees Violet and experiences a meltdown (not for reasons one would think). Harriet comes to the rescue and helps Violet secure a job at the local university studying parrots (who knew they were brilliant and hilarious?). Frank and Harriet begin a romance which helps Frank come to terms with his not so perfect marriage. And the three form a friendship with Harriet and Frank acting as Violet’s parents.  

As she lives on the “outside” Violet faces a host of problems and issues, including an ill-advised romance and an ex-boyfriend dilemma. Harriet and Frank’s relationship blossoms, proving that retirement does not mean finished with love or life. I found myself empathizing with these characters and rooting for them; hoping that they could give themselves the time and space to breathe.  

A heartwarming tale of found family and forgiveness, that proves again the beauty of books and what they offer – a chance to begin again every time we open a new book. Pick up a copy of How to Read a Book if you were a fan of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt or A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Bachman. And remember to breathe.  

Wednesday, May 15 – 1:00-2:00 pm – Cook Park Library, Libertyville

(ages 3-5 w/adult)

Explore hands-on activities with your preschooler through play in a group setting at the Library! Preschoolers and their caregivers will have an opportunity to explore through play at the Library.

Questions? Please contact Deena Gillespie dgillespie@cooklib.org

Register each child attending – adults do not need to register.

Register

Tuesday, May 14 – 10:00-11:00 am – Aspen Drive Library, Vernon Hills

(13-35 mos w/adult)

Celebrate and support your toddler’s physical growth and development at this program for toddlers and their favorite grown-ups! Toddlers and their caregivers will have an opportunity to explore through play at the Library in a group setting.

Questions? Please contact Deena Gillespie dgillespie@cooklib.org

Register the Child Only.

Register

Do you think that you may descend from a Scottish clan? Are kilts, tartans, and bagpipes particularly appealing? Then, you may want to explore Scottish genealogy resources. This month is a great time to do so, as April is Scottish American Heritage Month! 

Begin your search by checking out the library’s Scottish genealogy resources. These include great guides to starting your search for Scottish ancestors as well as more specific publications about Scottish soldiers, ships, and surnames. Also, check out our NEW Genealogy eBook Collection which contains even more relevant resources. Use keywords like Scotland, Scottish, and other regional distinctions to find these resources. 

After exploring the library’s options, you may want to expand your search to other online resources. The National Records of Scotland is a great place to look, and they have excellent research guides to help you navigate their tools. Another superb online option is ScotlandsPeople which allows you to search the index and view non-indexed images for free. You can pay for any records that you find which may be of interest. When it comes to free resources, the FamilySearch Scotland Genealogy wiki is a good option, particularly the clickable Scotland Map and Counties links. Also, the Scotland Online Genealogy Records and Scotland Online Learning pages are comprised of many invaluable links. If you have not had enough with the links, consider the Scotland Cyndi’s List page. 

If you have found Scottish ancestors, you may want to consider joining the Genealogy Society of Chicago Scots. The Society “is open to everyone on the path of discovering their roots. The group convenes lectures, presentations and discussions to educate and promote the identification of Scottish roots through speakers and special programs.” If you prefer an online community, you may want to consider joining groups like Scottish Genealogy or Scotland’s Genealogy and Family History. Working on genealogy with others, even strangers, can be so rewarding! You may even find a relative in the process. 

The newest episode of Nonfiction Book Report is available on the Library’s YouTube Channel. This April, Natalie and I chat Newish Noteworthy Nonfiction (but make it poetry) with our special guest, Kristina. To celebrate National Poetry Month, we each report on a book of poetry.  Kristina gets meta with her own poetry-notes-poem while sharing Remember Love by Cleo Wade. Wade is a former professional model, a creator of public art, and is a NYT Bestselling author of four books.

I talk “greatest hits” while sharing Weaving Sundown in a scarlet light: 50 Poems for 50 Years by Joy Harjo. Harjo served as the 23rd United States Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2022. Her long career as an author, poet, musician, and playwright has won her a storied number of awards. 

Natalie talks about poetry that reads like fiction with Couplets: A Love Story by Maggie Millner.  Millner’s poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, POETRY, The Nation, and other publications.

You can find all episodes of Nonfiction Book Report on the Library’s YouTube Channel. Be sure to subscribe, like, and share!

Izzy is a frustrated Pitbull impersonator trying to make his way in modern-day Miami until the real-life rapper threatens him to cease and desist.  Having come to America as a seven-year-old from Cuba, he fights to carve out a sense of identity.  Is he a Cuban, or is he an American?  Like many immigrants before him and in the American spirit of reinvention, he decides to emulate another Cuban-American, Tony Montana from Al Pacino’s Scarface.  Employing the assistance of a high school acquaintance as his sidekick, Izzy creates a list of the necessary steps toward his goal in a spiral bound notebook, but his chief concern is how to recreate Tony’s acquisition of a tiger to intimidate his enemies.  Izzy decides to do Tony one better, and that’s where our other main character comes in.  

Lolita is an orca who performs at an aquatic amusement park.  Her chapters are just as amusing and moving as Izzy’s as their destinies inevitably collide.  The author writes from the whale’s perspective with a gimlet eye; she doesn’t anthropomorphize and never lets us forget that Lolita is an apex predator.  “So much of the human brain is devoted to language.  How limiting, how pathetic even, to have evolved toward speaking rather than sensing.  An evolutionary wrong turn: the limits of talking, the circling and circling in a tank too small-in a tank at all”. (69)  Limitations, self-imposed and societal, become the overwhelming focus in this book as the characters each confront roadblocks that become increasingly heartbreaking and tragic.

Ultimately, Crucet’s book becomes a treatise on immigration and all its complications.  Izzy has so many questions about his mother and what made her climb aboard that raft to leave both her life in Cuba and the work she did for the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution. His mother, Alina, was a supporter of Castro who distanced herself from her sister Teresa when Tere came to America.  Izzy becomes curious about his beginnings-like who else was aboard the raft that day when he, like Lolita, was plucked from the ocean.  Tia Tere finally gives him a small list of other people who survived but beyond that, is hesitant to give any more information.  She warns him “Leave that wound alone, Ismael.  That scab is protection.” (107)  Leave behind your preconceptions when you open this book; it’s like nothing else you’ll read all year.

“Is this a test?” she asks. “For me?” 

“I’d say it’s more for us,” he says gently. “Or me, maybe. You’ve been good Annie. You’ve been wonderful, actually. It’s been over a month since you were grounded. And even that was for a mistake. I ought to give you more credit.” 

– Sierra Greer, Annie Bot, pg. 77

Annie is a woman of the future – kind, curious, beautiful and made of a bespoke AI neural network designed to please her human owner, Doug. Her libido, a metric scale from one to ten, is set to his whim and when Doug’s displeased for any reason, Annie feels an unimaginable physical pain deep within her computer intelligence unit.  

Essentially, she’s the perfect girlfriend. 

But though she was created for and by Doug (with an eerily similar design to Doug’s human ex-wife), Annie is somehow…different from the other Cuddle Bunnies, Abigails, Hunks and other AI companions created to serve, salve, and seduce their human counterparts. She’s never left the ‘safety’ of Doug’s apartment, yet she studies her own programming in secret. Annie explores the actions and interactions that make one human, a trait that Doug claims to love most about her. But human women are imperfect, and Annie starts to realize the cost of creating her own inner world comes with startling consequences. 

In equal parts terrifying and humanizing, Annie Bot is a sci-fi investigation into feminism, power, relationships, and what it means to feel (and be) alive. A fast-paced and engrossing read, there were times in which I needed to read through my fingers because I was so afraid of what was going to happen next; the suspense had me in a choke-hold. Greer crafts a timely, enraging narrative that’s filled with plenty of philosophical ideas to chew on. 

If you’re interested in the similar themes of power and pleasure in Piglet by Lottie Hazel or Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon, or if you want to read a book that author Sheena Patel has called “Barbie for girls who like Aphex Twin,” then I recommend Annie Bot. 

Tuesday, April 2 – 4:00-4:45 pm – Cook Park Library, Libertyville

Thursday, April 11 – 4:00-4:45 pm – Aspen Drive Library, Vernon Hills

(ages 4-5 w/adult)

In our Story Stretchers program, children and their favorite grown-ups embark on exciting adventures through stories and hands-on activities. Come along and stretch your imaginations!

REGISTERED PROGRAM. Registration opens Saturday, March 2 at 4 pm. Register each child attending – adults do not need to register.

If you have any questions, please contact Deena Gillespie at dgillespie@cooklib.org

Register

Sunday, April 7–Saturday, April 13

National Library Week is the annual celebration of the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. The Library is a space for everyone, fostering inclusivity and offering endless possibilities.  It’s a place where you can find your thing. No matter where you are on the roadmap through life’s journey—preparing for a new career, launching a business, or raising a family—the Library provides an inclusive and supportive community where everyone belongs.

Get ready to explore, become inspired, and connect with the Library! View the schedule below.

Pop-Up Schedule

Stop by any day during National Library Week for pop-up demos showcasing materials, services, and resources you may not be familiar with. Learn something new, ask questions, and discover all the possibilities at the Library.

Pop-up events take place at both libraries at various times of the day. No registration required.

Sunday, April 7

eNewsletters & Book List Emails

2–4 pm • Aspen Drive Library

Stay informed about Library events and sign up to receive genre-specific book lists directly in your inbox. Plus, find out how to customize your email preferences to receive only the topics that interest you.

Library Apps, Text Notifications & Freezing Holds

2–4 pm • Cook Park Library

Never lose track of your library card, miss a due date, or overlook a hold again! Discover these convenient and powerful library features to stay organized and informed.

Monday, April 8

Behind the Scenes: Book Processing

9–11 am • Cook Park Library

What does it take to prepare a new book for the library shelf? There are more steps than you may think!

Digital Studios & Circulating Equipment

5–7 pm • Aspen Drive Library

Learn about the amazing free audio and visual tools available in the Digital Studios. Experiment with an analog synthesizer and explore the range of tech items you can borrow, such as Rokus, mobile hotspots, and gaming systems.

Tuesday, April 9

Bookmobile BINGO

2–4 pm • Aspen Drive Library

Find the Bookmobile in the parking lot and hop aboard for a fun game of BINGO.

Database Deep Dive

2–4 pm • Cook Park Library

Research topics or learn new skills with help from our robust list of 80+ online databases, including Consumer Reports, Creativebug art classes, LinkedIn Learning, and so much more — all free with your CMPLD card.

Wednesday, April 10

Library Apps, Text Notifications & Freezing Holds

11 am–1 pm • Aspen Drive Library

Never lose track of your library card, miss a due date, or overlook a hold again! Discover these convenient and powerful library features to stay organized and informed.

eNewspapers & eMagazines

2–4 pm • Cook Park Library

No paywalls here! Learn how to use your Library card to access online subscriptions to popular newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Real Simple, The Atlantic, and more.

Thursday, April 11

Book Club Basics

11 am–1 pm • Aspen Drive Library

Find out more about our 11 in-house book clubs for adults. We’ll also show you how our local book club service can help select, schedule, and acquire a variety of well-reviewed titles for your club, including cookbooks!

Digital Studios & Circulating Equipment

5–7 pm • Cook Park Library

Learn about the amazing free audio and visual tools available in the Digital Studios. Experiment with an analog synthesizer and explore the range of tech items you can borrow, such as Rokus, mobile hotspots, and gaming systems.

Friday, April 12

Library Home Delivery

11 am–1 pm • Aspen Drive Library

The Library can deliver materials to seniors and people with disabilities that keep them homebound. Let us tell you how.

Genealogy Services at the Library

11 am–1 pm • Cook Park Library

Don’t get stuck behind a brick wall — Unravel your roots with help from these powerful (and free!) genealogy tools available at the Library.

Saturday, April 13

Kids & Caregivers: Fun Activities & Helpful Resources

11 am–1 pm • Cook Park Library &
2–4 pm • Aspen Drive Library

Drop in for fun kids’ activities while you learn about resources to spark your child’s imagination and encourage their reading habits over the summer.

As a seasonal reader, I find spring challenging. I’m not ready for the effervescent reads of summer, but I’m also not looking for the big literary titles of the colder months. Instead, I want something that balances substance and charm, something both engaging and offbeat.. Something fresh and fun and a little bit bracing – an admittedly tall order.

Enter The Framed Women of Ardmore House by Brandy Schillace – a not-quite-cozy mystery featuring an unconventional sleuth, a delightful supporting cast, and a thoroughly modern puzzle of a crime. It’s a perfect fit for fans of The Marlow Murder Club, The Maid, or Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge.

Jo Jones has lost a lot in the last few years. Her marriage. Her publishing company (and hence, her job). Her mother. Her confidence. Her sense of belonging. So when she inherits a long-lost relative’s English country estate, the broke and bereft Jo finds it easy enough to pick up and move across the pond. She also finds it easy enough to fire Sid, the estate’s smarmy caretaker, especially given the falling-down state of the property.

More difficult? Convincing the police she’s innocent of murder when Sid turns up dead and a potentially priceless painting disappears. She’s an outsider, after all – a fish out of water, and not just because she’s an American. Jo is neurodivergent; her autism made her an outstanding book editor, but it also makes her self-conscious around other people. The police don’t appreciate her idiosyncrasies, but she quickly befriends the village innkeeper and a Welsh antiques dealer, and eventually, the lead detective. Jo’s desperate to clear her name – and to find the missing painting, a portrait of an unknown woman. The problem is that the killer seems equally interested in the painting…and Jo. 

This is a tightly constructed whodunit, full of humor and engaging characters, including Jo, her newfound allies, and McAdams, the sad-sack detective who finds Sid’s case unexpectedly challenging. Red herrings and likely suspects abound, giving the story the feel of a Golden Age mystery; the contrast of classic tropes with contemporary issues is both refreshing and realistic.

While Sid’s murder is solved by the last page, Ardemore House holds enough secrets that readers will look forward to a return visit.