Did you guess that we were talking about ETHAN FROME?

Classics 2.0 continues today with A Focus on Edith Wharton,

Today at 2 p.m., we'll screen the film (the one from 1993 starring Liam Neeson, Patricia Arquette, and Joan Allen). 

We'll save you a seat.

On Thursday, December 10th at 3 p.m., we'll gather in the Classics Room on the second floor for tea and book discussion.

You'll find all the 2.0 details right here.

Friday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m.

It's hard to believe that we've reached the end of our Foreign Film Series!

We began in October with a French language film (The Class), and we'll conclude this Friday with another film from France. It's been quite a journey! For a list of the films from the series, click here. Please join us on Friday evening for another great film. 

 December 4 - A Christmas Tale -- France (2008) Not rated; In French with English subtitles; 152 minutes

A dysfunctional family's matriarch (played by Catherine Deneuve) brings everyone together at Christmas to inform them she needs a bone marrow transplant from a blood relative in order to survive. The family's shared history of physical and mental illness, estrangement, self harm, and loss doesn't lend itself to the idea of a cheerful holiday season. But can a Christmastime reunion, a scheme concocted by three of the youngest family members, finally bring peace to their clan?

Showtime is at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is free.

On Exhibit December 1, 2009 - January 4, 2010

ART ON VIEW

Rural Remembrances: Barns in Our Landscape

December 1 - January 4

Though our town may be just an hour out of midtown, there are many reminders that in many ways we are still "the country." The winding roads. The beautiful vistas. The slower pace. The quiet. The roaming critters and wildlife. And the barns. What better image is there to recall the town's rural history?

The new exhibit in our Art Gallery, Rural Remembrances: Barns in Our Landscape, reflects on the rural origins of Darien. Paintings by local artists include realistic landscapes, en plein air, folk scenes, and abstractions, and reflect barns throughout the seasons. Celebrating barns, one of the elements that make Darien a special place to live, the artists desired to show the strong visual qualities of barns and carry the message that barns are worth saving.

Please visit the Art Gallery on the Lower Level to view this special exhibit.

Dr. Mark Schenker of Yale University to speak on December 1st at 7PM

Tuesday, December 1st at 7 PM

Over the past few months, you have joined Darien Library's staff as we have visited England, Nigeria, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China, and France - and even found a bit of time to have some truly inspiring conversations about books! Though there were a lot of differing opinions about the characters, the authors' intents, the plots, and even the book covers, all who participated in this year's Fall Book Discussion Series, Adventures for the Armchair Traveler, were able to settle on one single idea - that there is nothing quite like experiencing other cultures...other ideas...other lives...through a beautifully written word.

And whether or not you have read our selections for this series (Little Bee, A Golden Age, The Painter From Shanghai, and the one that seems to have generated the most love/hate relationships of them all - The Elegance of the Hedgehog), you won't want to miss out on the conclusion to our adventures in travel; it will surely be a treat for us all!

Our final destination is home - Darien Library, in fact! We welcome back one of our favorite speakers, Dr. Mark Schenker of Yale University, who will visit us on December 1st at 7:00 p.m.  to give a fascinating lecture, "Imagined Travels to Real Places: How Fiction Connects Us to Places We've Never Been." We will learn about how fiction, more than simply visiting a country as a tourist, allows us to experience another place or culture so that we really understand...we "get it" and not just "get there." It will surely be a treat for us all! 

Mark J. Schenker has been at Yale College since 1990. He is currently an associate dean of the College and dean of academic affairs. Born and raised in New York City, he received his Ph.D. in English Literature from Columbia University and has taught at Columbia, New York University, and Trinity College (Hartford). He was the recipient of the 2001 Wilbur Cross Award for Outstanding Humanities Scholar, presented by the Connecticut Humanities Council.

2009 may be hurdling toward the end, but we are taking our sweet time wrapping things up. We still continue to bring you the best and newest news and items, and (as long as we're talking "wrapping things up") we can help you reach the finish line with great gift ideas, great IDEAS, a huge dose of holiday cheer, and some wonderful memories.

Let's look at the December calendar together:

Tuesday, December 1 at 7 p.m. --  Guest Lecture by Dr. Mark Schenker of Yale University
Imagined Travels to Real Places: How Fiction Connects Us to Places We've Never Been (Click here for all the details.)

Tuesday, December 1 -- Art on View - Rural Remembrances: Barns in Our Landscape
This exhibit will be on view until January 4, 2010. (Click here for more information.)

Wednesday, December 2 at 11 a.m. -- Holiday Helpers -- Wondering what books to buy for the readers on your list? Our Holiday Helpers presentation will feature suggestions that will be sure to...well...help. (I can already hear the sighs of relief. You're welcome.) (You can find out more about it right here.)

Friday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m. -- Our Foreign Film Series concludes with A Christmas Tale. It's French. It stars Catherine Deneuve. It's a holiday film. Where else would you want to be? (Click here for more information.)

Saturday, December 5 (through noon on Friday, December 11) -- Darien Library Book Sale! (Details here!)

Classics 2.0 returns in December with A Focus on Edith Wharton

     Monday, December 7 at 2 p.m. -- Classics 2.0 (Part 1): Film Screening of "Ethan Frome"

     Thursday, December 10 at 3 p.m. -- Classics 2.0 (Part 2): Tea and book discussion of Ethan Frome (Click here for all the details.)

Sunday, December 13 at 3 p.m. and at 5:30 p.m. -- Music for the Holidays featuring The Yale Whiffenpoofs (All the details are right here.)

Wednesday, December 16 at 7 p.m. -- One Page Poetry Circle meets again with Marge McKeithen. (Click here for more information.)

Thursday, December 17 at 7 p.m. -- Meet the Author: Norb Vonnegut, author of Top Producer. (Click here for more information.)

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON!

Norb Vonnegut

Coming to Darien Library on Thursday, December 17th at 7 p.m.!

NORB VONNEGUT

Author of Top Producer

Norb Vonnegut built an extensive career in private wealth management, most recently as Managing Director with a finance boutique in New York City and previously with Morgan Stanley, Paine Webber, and Kidder, Peabody. Now he brings the reader into the world of Top Producer, a sharp and twisted thriller that moves at breakneck pace.

Let's set the scene:

TOP PRODUCER takes readers into the world of Grove O’Rourke, a rising star at the brokerage firm of Sachs, Kidder, and Carnegie, who has buried his recent personal losses in an adrenaline-fueled pursuit of wealth for his clients. Grove is no stranger to rough patches, but now his life appears to be heading into a real tailspin. After he—along with several hundred other people—witnesses his close friend Charlie Keleman die in the most gruesome way imaginable, Grove sets out to help Charlie’s widow. And help is just what she needs; Charlie was a financial wiz and the genius behind a fantastic hedge fund, but the money he was managing seems to have vanished. And Alex Romanov, a friendly competitor on Wall Street (as if there could possibly be such a thing), has expressed a very keen interest in any information on Charlie’s assets that Grove can turn up—information that, as Grove starts to piece it together, makes him a much-sought-after man in certain homicidal circles.

Here's what people are saying:

"The Gold Standard for financial thrillers." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Norb Vonnegut's Top Producer begins where Liar’s Poker and The Bonfire of the Vanities left off and puts an electrifying spin on the winner-take-all culture of Wall Street. Turn to the first page and plunge into the shark-infested waters of high finance and greed."  - Brent Ghelfi, ITW Award-nominated author of Volk’s Game and The Venona Cable

Here's what Norb is saying:

 "A funny thing happened during my 60-hour weeks as a wealth adviser. I discovered the joy of writing. For years I wrote about investment decisions, why we bought this stock or sold that one. I loved the wordplay, but the letters never quite sated my appetite. I addressed stiff, technical issues like free cash flow or capital adequacy. Frankly, the ratios made my teeth hurt. I longed to write stories about Wall Street's people, the crazy things that percolate through trading floors and broker bullpens. So I wroteTop Producer. My debut Wall Street thriller was published [in] September 2009. My characters hail from the trenches of finance. Brokers. Traders. Sales assistants. There is the occasional CEO, or the bigger-than-life hedgie. But I care most about the rank and file, the everyday Joes that come with warts and canker sores. In Top Producer they find themselves thrust into uncomfortable worlds by forces far beyond their control."

Here's what we're saying:

Please join us for this fun and fabulous author event!

A book signing will follow the presentation. Books will be available for purchase.

Refreshments will be served.

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

The Yale Whiffenpoofs

The holidays are fast-approaching and we have the perfect (and perfectly-timed!) gift for you --.Music for the Holidays --pure and glorious entertainment! On Sunday, December 13th, we will present The Yale Whiffenpoofs. There will be a 3 p.m. performance and a 5:30 p.m. performance (details below).

The Yale Whiffenpoofs are the world's oldest and best-known collegiate a cappella group. Founded in 1909, they began as a senior quartet that met for weekly concerts at Mory's Temple Bar, the famous Yale tavern. Every year, 14 senior Yale men are selected to be in the Whiffenpoofs and the group has become one of Yale's most celebrated and hallowed traditions. 

The Yale Whiffenpoofs have been entertaining audiences acorss the globe with their diverse repertoire for over a century. Jazz standards, classic ballads, traditional Yale songs, and recent popular hits continue to delight audiences all over the world. They have performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and on Saturday Night Live. They have preformed for Presidents and dignitaries. Their schedule includes over 200 concerts a year and they will set off in May 2010 for a three-month World Tour, set to span all seven continents. We are delighted that Darien Library will be one of their stops! Please don't forget to make us your destination on Sunday, December 13th!

3 p.m. Performance - Tickets will be available at 2 p.m. at the Welcome Desk. One ticket per person. Tickets will he handed out only to those present on the line. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m.TICKETS ARE LIMITED.

5:30 p.m. Performance - Tickets will be available at 4:30 p.m. at the Welcome Desk. One ticket per person.Tickets will be handed out only to those present on the line. Doors will open at 5 p.m. TICKETS ARE LIMITED.

A limited number of Standing Room Only tickets will be available for each performance.

Latecomers cannot be admitted.

This event is free and open to the public.

CDs will be available for purchase.

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

Poetry & Light - Wednesday, December 16th at 7PM

Over the past few months, we have been having a wonderful time reading, sharing, and discussing poetry in our new program, One Page Poetry Circle, led by discussion leader Madge McKeithen, faculty member of The Writing Program at The New School. And whether you can recite Mary Oliver and Robert Frost in your sleep, or you feel that poetry oftentimes has you intrigued but a bit bewildered, I have no doubt that you will find our poetry circle a wonderful way to explore this unique literary form. Reading poetry aloud can be an enlightening experience and sometimes makes all the difference in one's interpretation of the writer's words. You will find a very welcoming and encouraging setting, and it will leave you with inspiration to browse our amazing poetry collection and check out some new authors.

For each session, we will always have a theme to guide you in your selections. Simply bring along a single page of poetry (by an established poet) that means something to you - perhaps a poem that you remember from childhood, one that you find interesting or unusual, or one that you might not quite understand. Everyone has an opportunity to read and share their choices with the group, and then we'll have some lively discussions about them. It's a great way to discover new writings, hear others' thoughts, and share your own.

Mark your calendar for our next session:

Wednesday, December 16 at 7 PM
Poetry & Light

Also, check out the following online resources for further inspiration when choosing your poem:

The Academy of American Poets (www.poets.org)
You can browse for poems by specific subject, read about your favorite american writers, and find essays on topics such as poetry & music, form & technique, and how to read a poem. Click here for some Poetry & Light suggestions.
The Poetry Foundation (poetryfoundation.org)
Use the Poetry Tool to find poems according to poet, category, occasion, title, first line, or keyword. Your search results will contain a mix of poems, news, articles, audio, and video. To narrow your result to poems only, click the “Poems” tab at the top of your search listings.

Flickr photo courtesy of applejan.

Showing Friday, November 27

Don't worry. We will be here at 7:30 on Friday night for our Foreign Film Series, however, please note that our film destination has changed. The next stop in our series has been diverted from Mexico to Israel.

Friday, November 27, 7:30 p.m. --For My Father* -- (2008) Israel; Not rated; In Hebrew with English subtitles; 96 minutes.

Terek, a Palestinian forced on a suicide mission in Tel Aviv to redeem his father's honor, is given a second chance when the fuse on his explosive vest fails to detonate.  Forced to spend the weekend in Tel Aviv awaiting its repair, Terek must live amongst the people he was planning to kill.  To his surprise he connects with several Israelis on the outskirts of society, including the beautiful Keren, who has cut off contact with her Orthodox family and upbringing.  With nothing to lose, Terek and Keren open up to one another, and an unlikely love blooms between two isolated and damaged individuals, raised to be enemies.

Please click on the image to watch a preview.

*The film originally scheduled was "Rudo y Cursi."We apologize for any inconvenience.

Just in case you missed one of our Meet the Author events...or want to watch it again...and/or wish to share the experience with a friend, you'll be head-over-heels happy that our videocasts for some recent authors are now on our website. Click on the images below to watch Chris Welles Feder, David Baldacci, A.J. Jacobs, and Jayanti Tamm. To see all available videocasts from Darien Library, click here.