Book Club Fiction: MWF Seeking BFF

Many works of fiction deal with the topic of women’s friendships – the emotional drama, the depths of connection, and the betrayals. However, a recent non-fiction book, MWF Seeking BFF, looks at women’s friendships in a more analytical way. Rachel Bertsche, the author, dedicates a year of her life to finding her new BFF. It’s an interesting premise. For 52 weeks, she goes on a series of “friend-dates” with women she meets in a variety of ways: at work, through other friends, even through a personal ad. Besides providing a play-by-play of her friend-dates, Bertsche intersperses many bits of research about friendship. Did you know there’s something called Dunbar’s Number? It states that humans can have a social network consisting of 150 people. (How does that compare with the number of friends you have on Facebook?)

My book club read this book, and it raised some great discussion about friendships: how easy (or hard) it is to make new ones, or to sustain old ones. Rachel is 27 in her book, but everyone in the book group has at least 10 years on her, so our take on friendship was a little more, shall we say, mature. (As in: how on earth does she have time for so many friends?) MWF Seeking BFF is a quick read, and it will make you think about your own friendships. It might even inspire you to pick up the phone and call that good friend you haven’t spoken to in years!

-Andrea Larson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

P.S.  Meet Rachel Bertsche at Bliss Wine and Gifts in Wauconda on Thursday, May 25 at 7:00 pm.  For more information, go to http://www.lakeforestbookstore.com/event/rachel-bertsche-bliss-wine-and-gifts.

Check out our new library displays!

Come and see our new displays at Cook Park and Aspen Drive.  You never know what you might find!

Interested in baseball?  Even if you're not, you'll probably find a good book or movie on the Batter Up! display in the Cook Park Fiction Room.

Also in the Fiction Room, you'll find The Story Continues.  This highlights collections of short stories and also books in series.

Looking for a DVD for Mother's Day?  Take a peek at our Movies to Watch with Mom display in the Cook Park Adult DVD area.  Or for a different Mother's Day twist, Aspen Drive has a book display called Mother Dear or Mommie Dearest?  From sweet to creepy, you'll find something that interests you.

The library has lots of "how-to" books. From cooking to playing poker, we've got it covered!  Check out a few on the Cook Park non-fiction display, Learn from the Pros.

May is Latino Books Month, so Latino authors are highlighted at Aspen Drive.  Find an old favorite or discover a new writer, and get a taste of a different culture.

Last but not least, there are two displays on the Lower Level at Cook Park.  All in the Family showcases many of our Book Club selections.  Or find a page-turning mystery on the Get Caught Reading display!

 - Andrea Larson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Music Picks- 4 Albums Currently in High Rotation on Nate's iPod

Looking for some new music? Give these albums at your library a try!

Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Check out catalog

White Rabbits- Milk Famous
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Gotye- Making Mirrors
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Bill Ryder-Jones- If...
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--Nate Gass
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Authors Coming to Your Library

Some amazing authors are coming to Cook and Vernon Hills Libraries in the coming weeks, and we hope you can join us for one or more of them. If you are interested in registering for any of these events, you can click on the Register link, call the library, or ask us at the reference desk to sign you up.

“Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir’’,  7 p.m. Monday, April 23, Libertyville Civic Center
In “Mrs. Kennedy and Me,’’ Clint Hill gives a firsthand account of the four years he spent as First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s Secret Service Agent. He was by Mrs. Kennedy’s side for some of the happiest moments as well as the darkest. He was there for the birth of John Jr., and was the agent who courageously ran onto the back of the presidential limousine in the midst of the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event, courtesy of Lake Forest Book Store. Register

Lauren Fox, author of “Friends Like Us’’, 7 p.m. Monday, April 30, Cook Library
Join us as we welcome author Lauren Fox to Cook Library! She'll read from her latest novel, "Friends Like Us" which People Magazine has called "a strikingly wise exploration of the bonds people forge and break." Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event, courtesy of Lake Forest Book Store. Register

Aunt Dimity Mystery Author Nancy Atherton,   1 p.m. Friday, May 11, Cook Library
Meet Nancy Atherton, author of the popular cozy mystery series featuring Lori Shepherd and her ghostly Aunt Dimity. Books, including her latest, “Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch.’’ will be available for purchase and signing at the event, courtesy of Lake Forest Book Store. Register

Book Goodie Bag Giveaway With Author Deborah Michel! 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, Cook Library Register
Meet author Deborah Michel, a seasoned magazine editor and freelance writer who has written her first novel, “Prosper in Love’’.  Her publisher, Penguin Publishing, is donating several book bags filled with books, which will be given out randomly to patrons attending the evening. In “Prosper in Love,’’ Jamie and Lynn Prosper are one of those magical couples who seem to find in each other all they need. Neither questions the safety of their rock-solid marriage. But when F.X. Donahue, an old college friend of Lynn’s turns up at one of her work-related cocktail parties, tiny chinks in the marriage’s previously unassailable armor start to open. Books will be available for sale courtesy of Lake Forest Book Store.

Lunch with Ann Packer, Noon Wednesday, May 16, Aspen Library
Have lunch with award-winning writer Ann Packer, author of several novels, including "The Dive from Clausen's Pier.” An optional box lunch from Cafe Pyrenees will be provided for $8.00, which must be paid in advance and in person at either Cook Park or Aspen Drive Library. Lunches may be ordered through May 9th. Books for sale and signing will be provided by Lake Forest Book Store. Register

“Nothing Daunted’’ author Dorothy Wickenden, 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 29, Cook Library

Dorothy Woodruff was the grandmother of New Yorker executive editor Dorothy Wickenden. Nearly one hundred years later, Wickenden found the buoyant, detailed, colorful letters her grandmother wrote to her family. Through them, she has chronicled their trials in the classroom, the cowboys and pioneering women they met, and the violent kidnapping of a close friend. Books for sale and signing will be provided by Lake Forest Book Store. Register