We're screening The Magic of Belle Isle November 30 at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.

Friday, November 2 at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. – Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding (2012) Starring Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan; Rated R; 92 minutes; Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

For uptight Manhattan lawyer Diane, crazy means driving her teenage son Jake and daughter Zoe to Woodstock to visit their grandmother Grace. The crazy part is that the kids have never met Grace. In fact, Diane hasn’t spoken to her mother in twenty years. Grace is the epitome of the term “hippie”: she stages protests and hootenannies in the town square, smokes (and sells) a lot of dope, and howls at the moon once a month with her goddess-worshipping girlfriends. But what’s meant to be a weekend getaway turns into a summer adventure of romance, music, family secrets, and self-discovery.

For more information, please watch the film's trailer.

Friday, November 9 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. – People Like Us (2012) Starring Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, and Michelle Pfeiffer; Rated PG-13; 114 minutes; Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

This smart, intimate drama features Sam, a twenty-something, fast-talking salesman, whose latest deal collapses on the day he learns that his father has suddenly died. Against his wishes, Sam is called home, where he must put his father's estate in order and reconnect with his estranged family. In the course of fulfilling his father's last wishes, Sam uncovers a startling secret that turns his entire world upside down: He has a 30-year-old sister he never knew about. As their relationship develops, Sam is forced to rethink everything he thought he knew about this family—and re-examine his own life choices in the process.

For more information, please watch the film's trailer.

Friday, November 16 at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. – Undertaking Betty (2003) Starring Brenda Blethyn, Alfred Molina, Christopher Walken, and Naomi Watts; Rated R; 94 minutes. Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

Boris is a funeral director in a small town in Wales. His mundane life is thrown for a loop when his business is threatened by a flashy new American funeral parlor that has moved into town. Boris must fight off this new threat to his livelihood but his plans are thrown off course when he falls madly in love with a local woman. He must get his business back… and get the girl.

For more information, please watch the film's trailer.

Friday, November 23 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. – Girl in Progress (2012) Starring Eva Mendes, Matthew Modine, and Cierra Ramirez; Rated PG-13; 91 minutes; Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

Grace is a single mom. She is too busy juggling work, bills, and the very married Dr. Hartford, to give her daughter, Ansiedad the attention she desperately needs. When Ansiedad's English teacher, Ms. Armstrong, introduces her students to classic coming-of-age stories, Ansiedad is inspired to skip adolescence and jump-start her life without mom. While Grace becomes preoccupied with the increasing affections of her co-worker, Ansiedad enlists the help of her loyal friend, Tavita, to plot her shortcut to “adulthood.” But as her misguided plan unravels, Ansiedad and Grace must learn that sometimes growing-up means acting your age.

For more information, please watch the film's trailer.

Friday, November 30 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. – The Magic of Belle Isle (2012) Starring Morgan Freeman and Virginia Madsen; Rated PG; 109 minutes; Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
Monte Wildhorn is a famous Western novelist whose passion for writing has hit an impasse. He takes a lakeside cabin for the summer in picturesque Belle Isle, befriending the family next door. An attractive single mom and her young daughters help him find inspiration again.

For more information, please watch the film's trailer.

All films are free and open to the public.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).

Marcelle Soviero

Sunday, November 18 at 2 p.m.

Introduction to Memoir: Telling Your Life Stories

Join us as we discuss the best ways to begin writing your memoir, either as a full-length book or as individual essays. We'll learn how to focus on our life experiences, write a descriptive summary with plot points, and use the techniques of fiction -- setting, character, dialogue -- to enrich the storytelling process so readers will want to read your book.

Marcelle Soviero is the author of An Iridescent Life: Essays on Motherhood and Stepmotherhood. Her award-winning essays have been published in numerous publications and radio programs including The New York Times, Salon.com, Eating Well, New York Metro, Babble.com, Literary Mama, Upper East Side, Wilton, StepMom, Anderbo, Tiny Lights: A Journal of Narrative Nonfiction, and featured on The Story on National Public Radio. In August 2012, Marcelle became the Editor-in-Chief of Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).

Eric Asimov

Thursday, December 13 at 7 p.m.

Eric Asimov, author of How to Love Wine, will be our featured speaker.

For most, choosing the right wine comes with strong feelings of anxiety—the sense of inadequacy when you find yourself, clueless, scanning the shelves of your local wine store, or when a restaurant sommelier approaches you to taste the bottle for your table. Do you twirl the glass? Inspect it carefully? Drink the full amount or just take a sip? New York Times chief wine critic Eric Asimov knows that while wine anxiety is normal, it’s also the greatest obstacle to deriving pleasure from this incredible yet complex beverage. Part manifesto, part memoir, How to Love Wine isolates and diminishes the sense of anxiety that so burdens would-be wine lovers.

About the Author

Eric Asimov is the chief wine critic of the New York Times. His weekly column appears in the Dining section and he contributes to the Diner’s Journal blog on the Times’s website. Before he started writing full-time about wine in 2004, Asimov wrote primarily about restaurants and food. He created the “$25 and Under” restaurant reviews in 1992 and wrote them through 2004. He is co-author of five editions of The New York Times Guide to Restaurants, and published four editions of $25 and Under: A Guide to the Best Inexpensive Restaurants in New York. Asimov is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut and did graduate work in American Civilization at the University of Texas at Austin. He is married to Deborah Hofmann, has two children, Jack and Peter, and lives in Manhattan. Naturally, he is on Twitter, you can follow him @EricAsimov.

Eric Asimov's appearance is made possible by Barrett Bookstore.

Books will be available for purchase at this event. Wine will be served courtesy of Nicholas Roberts Fine Wine.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).

Playing in our Community Room December 14.

Friday, December 14 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. – Hope Springs (2012) Starring Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carell; Rated PG-13; 100 minutes; Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION! Parts of this movie were filmed right here in Darien and we will have the homeowner whose house was used and her neighbor participate in a Q&A session following the 6:30 p.m. screening. Find out what Meryl and Tommy Lee are really like!

Kay and Arnold are a devoted couple, but decades of marriage have left Kay wanting to spice things up and reconnect with her husband. When she hears of a renowned couple’s specialist in the small town of Great Hope Springs, she attempts to persuade her skeptical husband, a steadfast man of routine, to get on a plane for a week of marriage therapy. Just convincing the stubborn Arnold to go on the retreat is hard enough - the real challenge for both of them comes as they shed their bedroom hang-ups and try to re-ignite the spark that caused them to fall for each other in the first place.

"A genuinely sweet, perfectly acted, remarkably brave little movie that should make audiences swoon for something they thought was gone - a smart dramedy for grown-ups." -- Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

For more information, please watch the film's trailer. Check out the rest of our Friday Night Features in December.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).

Showing Wednesday, December 19 at 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, December 19 at 1:30 p.m. - The Holiday (2006); Starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black; Rated PG-13; 138 minutes.

Amanda is an American woman with the same man troubles as Iris who is across the pond. When they meet online they decide to swap houses for the Christmas holiday and discover that a change of address really can change your life.

"It is a fizzy champagne cocktail that provides a pleasant buzz, many smiles, and Jude Law with the role of his career." -- Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

For more information, please view the film's trailer.

Photo courtesy of flickr user suZen.

Saturday, January 5th through Friday, January 11th at 12 Noon

Looking to stuff your bookcases with new books, audiobooks, and DVDs this Winter? Then come to the Darien Library Winter Book Sale! Hardcover and softcover books, audiobooks, and DVDs are $1. New this year is a special selection table. 

Special Deals

On Tuesday, January 8th and Wednesday, January 9th, books will be half priced.

On Thursday, January 10th, items will be a dollar a bag.

On Friday, January 11th everything is free until we close the book sale at 12 Noon.

Logo courtesy of National Novel Writing Month

Sunday, December 9th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Join us on Sunday to discuss what's next in the year ahead in your writing life. We will be joined by the Fairfield County Writers who will talk a bit about how their group supports writers throughout the year. They will discuss their workshops, writing challenges, and more for 2013.  We will meet on the third floor in the Mezzanine Conference Room. Just take a left from the stairs or elevator and come to the last room on the right. 

Congratulations to all of the 2012 NaNoWriMo participants!

Disney's Landy and the Tramp will show in our Community Room at 10 a.m.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Join us in our Community Room for a movie marathon!

10 a.m. - Lady and the Tramp (1955) Rated G; 76 minutes.

That's amore! Disney's Beloved Classic, Lady And The Tramp tells the story of the adventures of Lady, a lovingly pampered cocker spaniel, and Tramp, a freewheeling mutt with a heart of gold. This is the night (or day!) to share a special bella notte with your family and introduce them to the film.

12 p.m. - The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) Rated G; 94 minutes.

The Clock family are four-inch-tall people who live anonymously in another family's residence, borrowing simple items to make their home. Life changes for the Clocks when their daughter, Arrietty, is discovered.

2 p.m. - Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) Rated PG; 93 minutes.

On a quest to find out what happened to his missing brother, a scientist, his nephew and their mountain guide discover a fantastic and dangerous lost world in the center of the earth.

4 p.m. - Star Wars (1977) Rated PG; 121 minutes.

Luke Skywalker, a spirited farm boy, joins rebel forces to save Princess Leia from the evil Darth Vader, and the galaxy from the Empire's planet-destroying Death Star.

6 p.m. - Big Miracle (2011) Rated PG; 114 minutes.

Set in Cold War-era 1988, Big Miracle tells the true story of a small-town news reporter and a Greenpeace volunteer who enlist the help of rival superpowers to save three majestic gray whales trapped under the ice of the Arctic Circle.

8 p.m. - The Hunger Games (2012) Rated PG-13; 142 minutes.

In a not-too-distant future, North America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss' young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives.

This event will take place in our Community Room.

Wednesday, December 5 at 11 a.m.

Darien Library librarians share with you their recommendations for gifts that are fun, classic, memorable, and diverse - for any relative and any occasion.

Right before our weekly Meet Us On Main Street program takes a holiday hiatus, we'll bring you the best books, DVDs, games, and technology to help spread the holiday cheer this year. We'll offer up choices for adults, children, and teens, and provide handouts so that you can take notes.

Michael J. Mauboussin

Thursday, December 6 at 7 p.m.

Michael J. Mauboussin, author of The Success Equation, will be our featured speaker.

Much of what we experience in life results from a combination of skill and luck. A basketball player’s shot at the final buzzer bounces out of the basket and his team loses the national championship. An investor earns a windfall when he buys the stock of a company shortly before it gets acquired at a premium. A person wins a huge lottery using numbers they’d dreamt about. Different levels of skill and of luck (both good and bad) form the realities that shape our lives. And yet, we aren’t very good at distinguishing the two.

In The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing, Michael Mauboussin deciphers the difference between skill and luck, and provides useful frameworks and concrete suggestions on how to use this understanding to your advantage.

About the Author

Michael J. Mauboussin is an investment strategist and has been in the financial services industry for more than twenty-five years. He has also taught at the Columbia Graduate School of Business since 1993, and is on the board of trustees at the Santa Fe Institute. He is the author of two previous books, Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition and More Than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places, and is coauthor, with Alfred Rappaport, of Expectations Investing: Reading Stock Prices for Better Returns.

Books will be available for purchase at this event. Refreshments will be served.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).