Playing in our Community Room November 16.

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. Check out the rest of our Friday Night Features in November.

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

By Jaqen (Niccolò Caranti) (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons]

Saturday, November 17 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Join us in our tech center to create and improve Wikipedia articles related to Darien. Drop-in for an hour or two or stay for the entire day! We'll have a reference librarian on hand and pertinent resources from our local history collection available for users.

What is Wikipedia?

Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation.

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

Get Your Financial House in Order

Tuesday, November 6 at 7 p.m.

There’s no better time like the present to start thinking about funding your child’s education. This presentation will address different vehicles for educational savings and explain in detail the importance of life insurance for young families, how to start saving for retirement, and the differences between a 401 (K), Traditional IRA, and a Roth IRA.

Presented by Luke Massetti, insurance services professional and local business owner.

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

Emma Straub

Monday, October 22 at 7 p.m.

Emma Straub, author of Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures, will be our featured speaker.

Ambitious and richly imagined, this novel begins in 1929 and follows Elsa Emerson from her childhood in Door County, Wisconsin where her family owns the Cherry County Playhouse, to the glamour and excess of Hollywood, where she is remade into movie star Laura Lamont. Exploring the power of illusion and the possibility of escape, the expectations placed upon us by others and the identities we create for ourselves, Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures is a timeless story of a woman trying to balance career, family, and personal happiness, all while remaining true to herself.

Advance Praise for Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures

"At once iconic and specific, Emma Straub's beautifully observed first novel explores the fraught trajectory of what has become a staple of the American dream: the hunger for stardom and fame. Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures affords an intimate, epic view of how that dream ricochets through one American life." — Jennifer Egan, author of A Visit from the Goon Squad

“Emma Straub is a magician, full of brilliance and surprise.” — Lorrie Moore

About the Author

Emma Straub is from New York City. Her fiction and non-fiction have been published by Tin House, The Paris Review Daily, Time, Slate, and The New York Times, and she is a staff writer for Rookie. Emma lives with her husband in Brooklyn, where she also works as a bookseller.

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

First Look Darien is our debut author series designed to spotlight first novels handpicked by our staff.

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

Singapore fling!

Join Barbara Monin for a Singapore Fling!  Our intrepid traveler has recently visited the exotic land of Singapore with its fascinating mixture of cultures and architecture.  Her photos and commentary will transport you to another world.  Find us at the Darien Senior Activities Center on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at 12:30 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user The Big Lunch.

Wednesday, November 7th at 7:00 p.m.

What's older than storytelling? It's the way family lore is passed from generation to generation, it's the connecting bond between a parent and child, it's how we define ourselves to others. Stories are folktales, lump-in-the-throat memories, funny anecdotes, legends from around the world -- anything that has been crafted and shared in the oral tradition.

Darien Library will host a storytelling circle that revives this ancient artform. If you have a prepared story to share, we'd love to hear it! If you're coming as a listener, we welcome you. Please pull up a chair and join our circle -- no chargers, generators, or batteries required!

Playing in our Community Room November 9.

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.

"Some of the strongest writing in any movie so far this year." -- Richard Roeper, RichardRoeper.com

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

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

image courtesy flickr user hellojenuine

Tuesday, November 20 at 7 p.m.

Come to our group discussion where we will discuss marketing ideas and strategies for your Etsy shop. We'll conduct as many shop reviews as we can so you leave with information relevant to your work. This is a friendly environment where we want everyone to succeed.

Presented by Jennifer St. Jean, graduate of Etsy's June 2012 Educator training will share what has helped her become a successful shop owner. In addition to shop critiques we'll discuss elements of photography, marketing strategies, and share resources to help you become a better seller. We'll revisit the four keys to success to selling your work online. Jen has been selling on Etsy since 2009, has had thousands of sales both on and off Etsy and has sold her items all over the world.

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

Starring Will Smith

Wednesday, October 24 at 1:30 p.m. - The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Starring Will Smith, Thandie Newton, and Jaden Smith; Rated PG-13; 117 minutes; Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

Chris Gardner is bright and talented but is struggling to make ends meet. When he and his five-year-old son are evicted from their apartment Gardner takes a chance with a prestigious stock brokerage firm. They endure many hardships but he follows his dream to make a better life for the two of them in this inspirational true story.

"As cynical as I am, I have to admit I was completely won over by Smith's sincere and deeply effective work as a guy who was knocked down again and again, but refused to stay on the canvas." - Richard Roeper, Ebert and Roeper

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

Logo courtesy of National Novel Writing Month

Sunday, November 11th from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Do you need some encouragement as we enter the second full week of this grueling challenge to write your heart out for  National Novel Writing Month? We are here for you! Come to the library for our second Write-In! We'll be serving coffee and have lots of table space, power outlets, and room for you to push your imagination to the limit!

We'll see you in third floor's conference room on Sunday as you write to 18,337 words and beyond!