Events
Friday Night Features in June
Written by Erin S on 04/28/2012
Friday, June 1 at 6:30 and 8:45 p.m. - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) Starring Starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Tom Hardy; Rated R; 127 minutes; Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
Based on the classic novel of the same name, the international thriller is set at the height of the Cold War years of the mid-20th Century. George Smiley, a disgraced British spy, is rehired in secret by his government – which fears that the British Secret Intelligence Service, a.k.a. MI-6, has been compromised by a double agent working for the Soviets.
For more information, please watch the film's trailer.
Friday, June 8 at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. - Tower Heist (2011) Starring Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, and Alan Alda; Rated PG-13; 104 minutes. Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
This comedy caper is about working stiffs who seek revenge on the Wall Street swindler who stiffed them. After the workers at a luxury Central Park condominium discover the penthouse billionaire has stolen their retirement, they plot the ultimate revenge: a heist to reclaim what he took from them.
For more information, please watch the film's trailer.
Friday, June 15 at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. - One for the Money (2011) Starring Katherine Heigl, Daniel Sunjata, and John Lequizamo; Rated PG-13; 91 minutes; Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
Stephanie Plum can’t catch a break. At 30, she finds herself newly-divorced, recently laid-off, and living with her hamster in Trenton, NJ. Broke and desperate, she lands a job working for her slimy cousin his bail bond business. In need of fast cash, she latches on to his biggest case - a local cop wanted for murder - who just happens to be the guy that broke her heart in high school. Stephanie gets resourceful and tough, as she is swept up in a suspenseful world of murder and deceit, with a bit of romance.
For more information, please watch the film's trailer.
Friday, June 22 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. - Carnage (2011) Starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly, and Elvis Polanski; Rated R; 80 minutes; Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
After two boys duke it out on a playground, the parents of the “victim” invite the parents of the “bully” over to work out their issues. A polite discussion of childrearing soon escalates into verbal warfare, with all four parents revealing their true colors. None of them will escape the carnage.
For more information, please watch the film's trailer.
Friday, June 29 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. - The Artist (2011) Starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, and Penelope Ann Miller; Rated PG-13; 100 minutes; Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
Hollywood 1927. George Valentin is a silent movie superstar. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career and see him fall into oblivion. For young extra Peppy Miller, it seems the sky’s the limit - major movie stardom awaits. The Artist tells the story of their interlinked destinies.
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).
Registered: One Book, One Community Scavenger Hunt Grand Finale Party
Written by Erin S on 04/28/2012
Registration for this program is now closed.
Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m.
Gather your team and meet us in our Community Room to receive entry forms and instructions for a very mysterious town-wide scavenger hunt. You will receive a set of clues that will lead you on an adventure to obtain a dozen eggs from all over Darien, just like the characters in City of Thieves. The winning team will receive a very special Grand Prize.
Scavenger Hunt Guidelines:
1. Registration for this series is a lottery and is open to all Darien residents, those who work in Darien full-time, and Friends who have donated $300 or more. Team captains are invited to register online from Monday, April 22 to Friday, April 26 with their Library card. Ten teams will then be chosen at random. Notification via email is Monday, April 29. Only team captains are required to register and then they are welcome to choose their own team members.
2. Length of the program will depend on the team, but it is expected to take approximately two hours from start to finish and should be completed on the same day.
3. Scavenger hunt participants will need access to a vehicle. The hunt will lead teams all over the town of Darien.
4. While there is no limit to the number of participants per team, it is best if they can all fit in one car.
5. This is a family-friendly, all-ages event.
6. The team to retrieve all twelve eggs while logging the least mileage on their vehicle will be declared the winner.
This program is part of our One Book, One Community series. The book selected for the town-wide read is City of Thieves by David Benioff, who will be speaking at the Library Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. The book selected for young readers is Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
Meet the Author - Linda Fairstein
Written by Erin S on 04/27/2012
Monday, July 23 at 7 p.m.
Linda Fairstein, author of Night Watch will be our featured speaker.
New York City’s restaurant scene is known all around the world for being both glamorous and cut-throat. In her new Alexandra Cooper novel, New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein takes readers on a tour of this competitive and renowned industry where the powerful and wealthy often break bread with some of society’s most unsavory characters.
Night Watch opens with Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper visiting her boyfriend Luc in Mougins, France, just as he is gearing up to re-open the famed French restaurant Lutece in New York. The original restaurant in Manhattan, which was created and owned by Luc’s father, closed its doors in 2004 after operating for more than 40 years.
Her vacation is interrupted when a young woman from the village is found dead with a Lutece calling card on her body. Even with Luc’s reassurances that he didn’t have anything to do with her death; something doesn’t sit right with Alex. Before she can fully bring herself to process the predicament Luc might be in, she is summoned back to New York to lead the charge in a separate high-profile case.
Advance Praise for Night Watch:
“Fairstein is in vintage form here, weaving the rape and murder stories together with great detail and clarity. As always, Manhattan becomes a character in itself, with the spotlight shining here on the inner workings of the restaurant industry in all its complexity, splendor, and corruption. A real winner from a legal-thriller master.” --Booklist, starred review
About the Author:
Linda Fairstein was the chief of the Sex Crimes Unit of the district attorney’s office in Manhattan for more than two decades and is America’s foremost legal expert on crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence. Her Alexandra Cooper novels are international bestsellers and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. She lives in Manhattan and on Martha’s Vineyard.
Books will be available for purchase at this event.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s).
Monday Meditation
Written by Erin S on 04/26/2012
Monday, May 6 at 7:45 p.m.
Bring a little quiet meditative space into your daily life with this contemplative start to the week and month. The group will be customized based on participants' experience with meditation so all levels are welcome! Participants are encouraged to bring a throw pillow for their own comfort but no special dress is required.
The program will be led by Julie Punishill, a graduate of the two-year intensive training program at the Institute for Conscious Counseling and Coaching in Essex, MA. This school is owned and operated by Julie's mentor/teacher/therapist April Prita Manganiello. Julie was first introduced to meditation as a client of Prita's. Hence she has attended a meditation intensive retreat, participated in a mediation course and facilitated meditations at workshops all offered by Prita. Julie has also explored further mediation teachings on her own and has cultivated her own daily mediation practice.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
Astronomy Presentation and Hands-On Night Sky Workshop
Written by Erin S on 04/22/2012
Thursday, July 26th at 7:00 p.m.
Join us in the Community Room to learn about what an astronmer does.
Donation Drive: New Toiletry Items for the Darien Domestic Abuse Partnership
Written by Erin S on 04/19/2012
Monday, April 22 through Monday, April 29
The Library will hold a toiletry drive in conjunction with the Domestic Violence Crisis Center. We are accepting donations of new toiletry items such as deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and lotion, which will then be distributed to SafeHouses in the area.
This program is part of our One Book, One Community series. The book selected for the town-wide read is City of Thieves by David Benioff, who will be speaking at the Library Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. The book selected for young readers is Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin.
Tweet Tweet, Tweet Tweet, Yeah! Twitter for Beginners
Written by Erin S on 04/10/2012
Wednesday, July 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The first hour of this class will be devoted to Twitter vocabulary. Learn the meaning of a tweet, retweet, modified tweet, direct message, and more! The second hour will be a hands-on workshop in our Tech Center where the instructor will walk students through the process of setting up a Twitter account and playing around with it.
Students are welcome to attend the first hour before deciding whether to attend the second hour.
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Seminar in the Conference Room
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. Hands On Workshop in the Tech Center (optional)
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
Friday Night Feature - "How to Live Forever"
Written by Erin S on 04/08/2012
Friday, July 20 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. -- HOW TO LIVE FOREVER (2011) Documentary featuring Ray Bradbury, Phyllis Diller, Willard Scott, and Suzanne Somers; Not Rated; 94 minutes.
Director Mark Wexler embarks on a worldwide trek to investigate just what it means to grow old and what it could mean to really live forever. But whose advice should he take? Does 94-year-old exercise guru Jack LaLanne have all the answers, or does Buster, a 101-year-old chain-smoking, beer-drinking marathoner? What about futurist Ray Kurzweil, a laughter yoga expert, or an elder porn star? Wexler explores the viewpoints of delightfully unusual characters alongside those of health, fitness and life- extension experts in this engaging new documentary, which challenges our notions of youth and aging with comic poignancy.
"An expert documentary, a responsible yet lighthearted film about the absurd things that folks do in the face of death." -- Chris Faraone, Boston Phoenix
For more information, please watch the film's trailer. Check out what else we're screening in July.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
Darien Summer Strings' Performance
Written by Amanda G. on 04/05/2012
Friday, July 6th at 11:00 a.m.
Join us tomorrow to enjoy a performance by the Darien Summer Strings in the Library's Courtyard. The Darien Summer Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Jane Minnis, is an ensemble of 20 middle school and high school string players. The group performs classical and popular music favorites at local venues.
We happily welcome them back to Darien Library for this special summertime treat.
Please come by for some great music, linger by the fountain, and enjoy the refreshing sounds of these talented young musicians.
Video of Dr. Ian Ayres
On Monday, May 14, 2012, Dr. Ian Ayres, co-founder of stickK.com gave a guest lecture at Darien Library. He discussed how best to craft incentives to stick to your goals. The new learning of behavioral economics and psychology teaches us that crafting effective incentives is a lot more than just setting the right price. Other people matter. Mindfulness matters. And framing matters.
For more information, please visit the event's listing page.
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