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Darien Library Catalog
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Darien Library Catalog
Written by jenniferd on 02/04/2010
It’s time for the latest installment of what we are reading/watching/listening to! And with a weekend of foul weather ahead we are making sure that we not only have the necessary bread/milk/eggs, but that we also have laid in wonderful books and movies too.
Jen D.
I am loving the latest from Chris Bojhalian Secrets of Eden. From the very beginning you are sure that something is not quite right with the Rev. Stephen Drew and you just can’t put your finger on it. However, if you have ever read Bojhalian before, you know that it will be even more twisted than you ever dreamed.
Barbara M.
It would seem that Barbara is in serious nesting mode! Her pick is Your Home, Your Sanctuary by Clodagh. It is a Rizzoli book so you know it will be beautiful.
She is also reading Enemies of the People: My Family’s Journey to America by Kati Marton. Sure, Marton’s family survived the Nazis but little did they imagine that the worst was yet to come under Communist rule. Everyone who we have spoken with who has read it loves this book.
Abby S.
Abs is slogging through the new Ian Rankin Doors Open. She reports that she does not like it as much as she did the Rebus series but she’s sticking with it.
Bill T.
Bill liked the Hurt Locker a lot. This movie is about the US Army bomb disposal unit stationed in Iraq. Not at all political in nature, this film simply tells of the not so simple job these soldiers do every day.
And I must confess that we are still discussing Game Change and can’t wait to get our hands on The Politician: An Insider’s Account of John Edward’s Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal that Brought Him Down by Andrew Young. Pat T. asked the very thought provoking question at lunch, "would you still vote for the canidate of your choice at the time after reading this book?" I told you that we can be a tad obsessive!
Have a great, safe weekend!
Written by Barbara T. on 02/03/2010
As you may know, Meet Us on Main Street has returned and meets every Wednesday at 11 a.m.!
(In case you didn't know and/or would like to join us, you'll find us just inside the main entrance. Warning: It's habit-forming.)
We've been talking and listening and talking and listening (and talking) and now it's time to catch up. Click below to find out what all the buzz (and talk) has been about.
Written by Sarah Ludwig on 02/02/2010
 If you're like me, you are SO EXCITED for tonight's premier of Lost. I can't wait. I can't wait. I can't wait.
There's lots of speculation about the little hints dropped by the writers of the show, and one thing people like to theorize about is the books that turn up. Here's a list of some of the books that have made appearances on Lost. Maybe if you read them, you'll be able to figure out where the island is?
Written by Erica B on 02/02/2010
There is something inherently addictive and fascinating about the lives of others. Whether we think they are more glamorous and exciting, more tragic and depressing, more adventurous and fulfilling, or just different in a way we can't quite seem to pinpoint, we love every chance we get to imagine or experience the world of another person. . . another couple . . . another family - and know that while it may be as far from our own reality as could possibly be, it's not a far reality for someone else. It's why we share stories - why we meet by the water cooler - why we turn on the evening news - why we flip through tabloids in the supermarket - and why we love to read juicy memoirs.
And so, the theme of our Spring Book Discussion Series is Dysfunction Junction: The Lives of Others. We have chosen four of our favorite, most compelling, and discussion-worthy true stories of people who have been through it all and have lived to brilliantly write about it all. Come by the Library to pick up your copies of each of our selections, and then join us in March, April, and May to discuss it all.
This spring, we'll also be offering a complementary series of sessions, Book Group Savvy & Knowledge @ Noon, to enhance your book group readings and discussions, whether you're joining our series or running your own gathering - or both! We're happy to offer you tips for making the most of your experiences and will demonstrate ways to make use of the Internet, databases, newspapers, webcasts, podcasts, and more!
Book Group Savvy
Monday, March 8 at 12pm
Whether you're interested in starting a book group or just looking to add some pizzazz to your existing book group, we can help! in this workshop, we will explore interesting book group web sites along with some tried-and-true techniques for improving your book selections, including how to find book reviews, criticisms, and author information from our Library databases. Learn how to make discussions more stimulating, and pick up some novel ideas for enhancing your entire book group experience.
Knowledge @ Noon
Monday, March 29 at 12pm
Meet with our librarians in the Main Reading Room, located on the 2nd floor, for an introductory tutorial to three of our most frequently used databases: Biography Index, Culture Grams, History Resource Center. Find out how these can augment and expand your book discussions.
Knowledge @ Noon
Monday, April 19 at 12pm
Join our librarians in the Main Reading Room, located on the 2nd floor, to explore Darien Library's Newspaper databases: Proquest & Historical Newspapers. Learn how these can quickly expand your search for information on a particular date and time.
Written by Erica B on 01/29/2010
All classics have a common trait - they are timeless. It's the essence of being a classic, and the reason that you can read a classic book, watch a classic movie, wear classic fashion, drive a classic car, and play a classic video game (yes, I feel old, too!), and easily see the elements of influence from all of these things represented in the even most contemporary and innovative works of art and technology today. Which is why it can be incredibly fun, enlightening, and satisfying to kick back and enjoy a classic novel or film - whether you'll be reading it on your e-reader, watching it on your iPad, or a simply turning the pages in a book.
Please join us this February, March, and April for our Spring Classics Discussion Series. This time, our selections feature a mysterious death that haunts a marriage, a coming-of-age tale about conformity and independence, a madwoman locked in an attack, and one of the most romantic stories every written. For each selection, we'll begin with a Monday afternoon movie showing. Then, the following Thursday afternoon, join us to chat about the respective books and authors over tea & scones in our cozy Classics room, located on the 2nd floor.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
- Monday, February 22 at 2 PM - Film Screening of Rebecca (1940); Not Rated.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Starring Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sander.
- Thursday, February 25 at 3 PM - Discussion of the book, film, and author
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Monday, March 22 at 2 PM - Film Screening of Little Women (1994); Rated PG.
Starring Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Christian Bale, Gabriel Byrne, Eric Stoltz, Kirsten Dunst.
- Thursday, March 25 at 3 PM - Discussion of the book, film, and author
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- Monday, April 12 at 2 PM - Film Screening of Jane Eyre (1944); Not Rated.
Starring Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine.
- Thursday, April 15 at 3 PM - Discussion of the book, film, and the Bronte sisters.
Written by jenniferd on 01/28/2010
And we cannot tell a lie, the majority of us are working on Game Change still and loving it. When we get something juicy like this we become obsessed. We discuss endlessly and pass it from person to person. We have not gotten this worked up since Never Enough! But some of us do have other irons in the fire and here is this week’s selection for your perusal!
Erica L.
As some of you may know Erica is a huge fan of Katie Arnoldi who wrote one of our departmental favorites, The Wentworths. You should have heard the squeals of delight when Erica was able to score an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of her new novel Point Dume. It is due out in May and she is having lots of fun with it. Erica is having some good guilty fun watching the Gossip Girl series on DVD.
Priscilla S.
Found a delightful movie in Bright Star which tells the story of John Keats and his muse Fanny Brawne. It is a Jane Campion film (we love those!) and according to Priscilla it is a good movie to needlepoint to.
Abby S.
Abs has left Sweden behind for the moment and is enjoying The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guards Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael Tougias. It tells the tale of the dramatic rescue off Cape Cod in 1952 of two ships broken in two by a storm.
Pat T.
Pat is happily listening to The Vagrants by Yiyun Li. It revolves around the execution of Shan Gu during the Cultural Revolution in China and those affected by it. Some rejoice, some mourn but everyone has a story to tell.
Have a lovely, lovely weekend!
Written by Barbara T. on 01/28/2010
Coming soon!
By the time February rolls around, I am so tired of winter. I don't care what the groundhog has to say - one more day of winter is too much, as far as I'm concerned. So, I like to think of February as a short sprint toward spring. Luckily, we have lots to keep our minds busy as we careen wildly toward winter's finish line. Throughout the month, as usual, we'll have the "latest" and the "biggest" DVD releases arriving, but we're also expecting some of the best in weirdness (see Pezheads, at left), wonder, and wow. Please take a few moments and poke the antennas out from inside those cozy winter cocoons - here are some of the DVDs that will arrive soon that are probably not on your radar.
So, now that we've taken care of the unexpected, here are a few of the movies that we know you've been expecting:
February.
Stay warm.
Enjoy.
Watch time fly.
Written by jenniferd on 01/26/2010
Even though February is the shortest month, the foul weather and long dark nights can make it feel like a situation that will go on forever. Hopefully some fabulous new offerings that are making their way towards us will help that situation.
 On February 2nd we have the new Chris Bohjalian to look forward to! In Secrets of Eden was Baptist preacher Reverend Stephen Drew involved in the murder suicide of his two new congregants? What was his involvement with the wife of the pair? We cannot wait to find out the answers to these questions because we know Bohjalian will put a spin on it that we never could have imagined.
One book that several of us have read is a first novel from Sarah Blake entitled The Postmistress and we cannot wait to share it with you. The story begins with the question what would happen if a letter never reaches its intended recipient? Blake then proceeds to spin three stories of three very different women for whom 1940 will be a pivotal year. This wonderful tale takes us from a seemingly simple existence on Cape Cod to a London damaged by the Blitz to a terror filled Europe. We really, really loved this story and we cannot wait to hear what you think. Look for this one around the 9th.
 It's Swedish, it’s a mystery, it's Hennig Mankell. Could Abby get any more excited? The Man From Beijing tells the stories of Jan Andren’s time in America as a foreman helping to build the transcontinental railroad and that of San, who was kidnapped in China in 1863 and shipped to America for the same purpose. How are these two men linked to a village massacre in the present day? On February 16th we all get to find out.
We love William Boyd and Ordinary Thunderstormswhich is due out on the 1st sounds like another wonderful story from a man who has never let us down in that department. What happens when you are forced to go “underground” and lose your identity? And, oh yeah! You have an assassin on your trail. Add a pharmaceutical company, some missing documents, and a couple of dead bodies and you have something we can’t wait to get our hands on!
 Under the non-fiction umbrella we are fascinated by The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Rebecca Skloot tells the story of African American Henrietta Lacks whose cells were harvested months before her death of cervical cancer. What have these cells meant in the world of medicine and research? They have helped find the polio vaccine, shed light on the secrets of cancer, and have aided advances in the world of reproductive medicince. Although these cells are a valuable commodity in the research field of medicine, her family has not only not seen any profit from this but they too have been guinea pigs of a sort. Early reviews are saying this is an eminently readable piece of scientific history. Look for this one at the beginning of the month.
Let’s hope that what feels like the longest month flies by like the shortest month it is!
Written by Barbara T. on 01/26/2010
Today. On DVD.
 Michael Jackson's This Is It is here.
I've seen it. Twice. And the only encouragement I'd need to watch it again is this...the trailer. Watch and reserve. (Repeat.)
It's a great day for DVDs. Here's what else landed on our shelves this morning:
Written by jenniferd on 01/21/2010
Jen D.
The Privileges by Jonathan Dee is keeping me glued to the page! In fact, I accidently left it behind last night and had a panic attack when I realized that I would have to wait over 12 hours to be with these characters again. And what characters! The book opens with the wedding of a charmed couple Adam and Cynthia who are joined in rapid succession by children April and Jonas. Adam climbs the ladder of success as a hedge fund operator and April ends up becoming a full time mom. As the years fly by, we see the seeds of quiet desperation spring to life. What is totally grabbing me is that I know these people. And I think that you too will recognize them also.
Barbara M.
Barbara is reading What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell. It is filled with musings from the New Yorkers’ Gladwell on the quirks of 21st century living.
In her car stereo? Born Round: The Secret History of a Full Time Eater by Frank Bruni. This memoir from the former restaurant critic for the New York Times explores his food-centric life and his struggles with eating disorders.
Pat T. and Babs B.
They are both loving the juicy gossip in Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. This book, while non-fiction, is reading like the best example of political thriller/satire.
Abby S.
Abby has gotten her hands on a copy of The Girl who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest by Steig Larsson. Of course it is Swedish and a mystery, this is Abby we are talking about! It will be released in this country the end of May.
Ann M.
Ann can be spotted driving around Fairfield County listening to A Prayer for Owen Meany. She reports that she while she loves the story the reader is so terrific it is just enhancing the experience. Ann is also working her way through A.S. Byatt’s A Children’s Book.
We wish you a wonderful and peaceful weekend!
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Darien Library, 1441 Post Road, Darien, Connecticut, 06820-5419 · 203-655-1234
