Art work of Claude Monet

Here is a 10 minute slide show of the works of Money set to lovely classical music. Enjoy!

Art works of Claude Monet

Willowbrook: the Last Great Disgrace

Many years ago, at a conference about Down syndrome, we were shown a horrific documentary film about how life was in an institution for those who were mentally retarded. I do not remember the name of the film, but I do remember the shock I felt as I watched it. The film went on to explain how this undercover documentary and the efforts of the Kennedy administration completely and forever eliminated this sort of institutionalization.

Tonight, I was trying to find the film and I stumbled across this short clip from a 1972 Geraldo Rivera documentary from 20/20. I'm not sure if it's the same film I saw so long ago, but it certainly paints a grim picture of the lives of those living in institutions in the U.S. until the 1970s.

I know it's difficult to watch, but if you are able, it will give a better understanding of the sort of place where Lynnie and Homan were living.

Here's the link to the short clip (less than 3 minutes):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_sYn8DnlH4

Dubai to Build Replica of Taj Mahal

After reading Beneath a Marble Sky last month about the building of the Taj Mahal, I thought you might find this news article of interest!

Enjoy!

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19825332

Virtual Tour of the Taj Mahal

I thought you might enjoy browsing this site which takes you on a narrated virtual tour of the Taj Mahal and explains some of the design elements as well as the cultural importance of this amazing structure.

http://www.taj-mahal.net/blackLarge.htm

Tana French Profile from NY Times

Tana French, author of In the Woods, and other Irish murder mysteries was recently profiled in the New York Times.

I just got the fourth book in her series, Broken Harbor, on audio and can't wait to get into my car and listen to it. I'm wishing I had a LONG trip coming up!

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/books/tana-french-finds-her-niche-in-dark-themes.html?_r=2&ref=books

Interviews with Tom Franklin

Here are a couple of insightful interviews with Tom Franklin, writer of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter.


Http://selu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=294887&sid=2421008

Jill Bolte Taylor's talk at TED

This is definitely worth watching. http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

It is quite emotional and quite powerful.

Jane Eyre Discussion and more

What a great discussion we had last night of Jane Eyre.  Bravo to all of us who read (or re-read) the entire 453 pages! It helped that most of us liked the book which was reflected in the rating of an 8 that the group gave the book.

I jotted down some of your questions so I could find the answers today and here they are:

Wasn't there a movie about the Bronte sisters?

Yes, in fact I found two movies about the famous literary sisters:
In Search of the Brontes was a 2003 BBC production that might have been on WTTW, but I'm not sure.

Also, there is a docu-drama produced by the BBC called The Brontes of Haworth which was only just released in the US and the first part is available here via YouTube.

What was the book written by Ann Bronte called?

The Tenant at Wildfell Hall was written by Ann Bronte and is available from Cook Library as a book or a DVD. Since Barb said she had enjoyed it, I thought others might as well.

Before we started discussing Jane Eyre, we talked about Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand which tells the amazing story of WWII veteran Louis Zamperini, who survived being shot down by the Japanese and then interned as a POW. Someone mentioned a great program about him available via YouTube. I found clips from that interview at a site called Awesome Stories. Enjoy.

Lastly, for those of you who are interested (hopefully everyone!) in contributing to the Cook Library district's new cookbook project, here is a link with the essentional instructions. The cook book is scheduled for an early November release---just in time for the holidays---and proceeds will go toward things the library needs, but can't quite fit into our tight budget. (The link also allows for electronic submission of your recipes!)

We'll be discussion The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein on Wednesday, May 23rd. Let me know if you need a book, can't join us or if you just have a general question about anything!

Greg Mortenson's Case Heads to Civil Court

Greg Mortenson, embattled author of Three Cups of Tea, will appear in civil court in Montana next week. I sure hope that all the good that he has accomplished isn't forgotten and left unfinished.

YA Literature in the New York Times today

Remember last night when I told you how cool you all are for reading and discussing Hunger Games last March? Well, they confirmed your cool-ness in today's NY Times. Enjoy!

Authors Taking Risks Isn't Kids Stuff

Chris Cleave and Little Bee

If you're interested in learning more about author Chris Cleave, the issues behind his books or his newest book about to be published, check out his website. It's chock-full of fascinating information.

http://www.chriscleave.com/little-bee/

Tana French responded to our question!!

Dear Ellen,

First of all, sorry it’s taken me so long to reply to your email – life got away from me for a while!  Thank you so much for taking the time to e-mail me.



Here’s the story on the ending: it was the only possible honest ending for In the Woods. Rob is the kind of person who, whenever he comes close to taking some irrevocable leap, runs as fast as he can in the other direction. He’s so badly damaged that he can’t risk taking that leap, in case it smashes him into a million pieces. So when I got towards the end of In the Woods, I had three choices: turn my narrator into a totally different person in the last chapter, in order to force in a solution (cheap and cheesy); do a deus ex machina and have someone else pop up with the solution (cheap and cheesy); or stay true to the character and just write the best book I could, even if it didn’t fit the genre conventions.



I do know that endings are very much a matter of personal taste. Some people would be absolutely furious at an ending that betrayed the character in order to stick to the formula, while other people prefer endings that follow the conventions and provide closure. There was no way in the world I could write something that would suit both of those tastes. I figured the only thing I could do was make the book as good as I possibly could...and then duck!



About the mystery of what happened to Rob, Peter and Jamie... I’m genuinely not sure if it’ll end up getting resolved at some stage. I’m hoping to keep writing about the same general bunch of main characters for a while, though – I’ve got interested in them! I don’t have a concrete plan, or anything, but who knows what loose ends might get tied up along the way...



All the best,

Tana



--

This email was received from your DynaForm located at

name:
Ellen Jennings

email:
e.jennings@comcast.net

query:
My book club discussed In the Woods last night and we had a great discussion. The ONE problem we couldn\'t get past was the lack of resolution about what happened to Peter and Jamie in the woods in 1984. I promised the group I would contact you to see if you were planning to write a book wrapping up the Adam/Rob Ryan 1984 mystery. Some of our group were convinced that Adam was somehow involved in their disappearance, but most of us couldn\'t imagine that he, with all his faults, would be capable of hurting his little friends.
I really hope to hear back from you.
Thanks,
A HUGE Fan
Ellen Jennings
Readers\' Advisor
Cook Memorial Public Library District
Libertyville IL

Update on Greg Mortenson, author of 3 Cups of Tea

One of the best book discussions we had in the past several years (and we've had MANY) was the evening we talked about Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. Mortenson's story of how he came to build schools for girls in Afghanistan was inspiring and Cathy's slide show and her connections to the author really added to our understanding.
Recently, you may have read that he's under suspicion of mismanaging the money his Central Asia Institute raised for more schools. 60 Minutes did a big expose about this and very little has been heard from Mortenson himself.
This is a great (long) update which I found fascinating and thought you might also enjoy.  http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/celebrities/greg-mortenson/The-Trials-of-Greg-Mortenson.html

Henrietta Lacks Foundation

After the publication of her book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, author Rebecca Skloot used some of the proceeds from its sales to establish a foundation to educate members of the Lacks family or others who suffered similar fates.
Here is the link to the Henrietta Lacks Foundation.