Thursday, January 12 or January 26 at 10:00 a.m.
The Year We Left Home
Jeane Thompson

A sweeping and emotionally powerful story of a single American family during the tumultuous final decades of the 20th century.
 

Thursday, February 9 or February 23
In the Time of the Butterflies
Julia Alvarez

A tale of courage and sisterhood set in the Dominican Republic during the time of the Trujillo dictatorship.

Friday Non-fiction Book Discussions

Friday, January 6 at 10:00 am
Empire of the Summer Moon
S.C. Gwynne

The epic sago of a pioneer woman and her mixed-blood son, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches.

Friday, February 3 at 10:00 am
The Panic Virus
Seth Mnoonkin

The true story of how a “perfect storm” of angst, deception, and reckless media fanfare led to years of backlash against childhood vaccines.

Wednesday Evening Book Discussions

The evening book discussion now meets every month and rotates between the best classics of yesterday and the hot books of today.

Wednesday, January 11 at 7:00 p.m.
A Visit from the Goon Squad
Jennifer Egan

A startling, exhilarating novel of self-destruction and redemption.

Wednesday, February 8 at 7:00 p.m.
Wuthering Heights
Emily Bronte

The classic tale of intense love and revenge on the Yorkshire Moors.

To search this collection, click here, or follow the link for  downloadables found on the Park Ridge Library homepage.

Would you like to share your opinions and recommend movies and music you’ve discovered with other users? With the new catalog, you have the option to add reviews and rate what you’ve been reading, watching and listening to.

Would you like to have a way to save the titles that interest you so that you can read them at a later date? The new catalog will allow you to save titles so that you’ll always be able to go back and refresh your memory.

Along with these, and many other features, you will be able to follow the Park Ridge Library and read about the books, movies, and music, that we’ve been enjoying.

To create an account and follow us:

1. Go to the Library catalog at http://parkridgelibrary.bibliocommons.com/
2. Log in (you will need your library card number and the initial password is: patron)
3. Follow the steps to create an account (create username, enter email, accept terms)
4. Once registered, go to the “Search Catalog” box on the top of the page.
5. Find the dropdown menu that shows, “Keyword,” and change it to, “User.”
6. Type in, “ParkRidgeRS” in the search box (where you’d search catalog) and then select, ‘Search’
7. You will then see, “ParkRidgeRS’s Completed Shelf” in the middle of the screen
8. Select the green button that shows, “Follow”
9. Select the types of reviews you would like to follow, or choose to follow all selections
10. You are now following the Park Ridge Public Library!

To review your own titles:

1. Go to the “My PRPL” tab
2. Under “My Shelves,” select, “Completed”
3. Select the green button that shows, “Add New Title”
4. Search the catalog by title, format, etc. and select, “Search”
5. Once the title is located, select the green button to, “Add”
6. Rate the title by selecting the “stars” and/or “Add Details,” which will be your review
7. Repeat these steps to add more titles
8. You can also use these steps to add titles, “In Progress” or “For Later” to your Shelf.

To create your own lists:

1. Go to the “My PRPL” tab
2. Under “My Lists,” select, “My Lists”
3. Select the green button that shows, “Create a New List”
4. Add the list’s title, a description (optional), and select, “Create List”
5. Note: You also have the option of making your lists private (Check the box next to “Make this list private” if you don’t want other users to see it)
6. Select the green button on the left-hand side, “Add an item” and choose, “Add a Catalog Item”
7. Search for title, format, etc. and then select, “Search”
8. Once item is located, select, green button “Add”
9. Continue searching for titles, and selecting “Add,” until you’re list is completed
10. Close window by clicking the red button on the top right side
11. You can now add annotations, move items as you wish, or edit your list as necessary

In this breathtaking and beautiful novel, #1 New York Times bestselling author Anna Quindlen creates an unforgettable portrait of a mother, a father, a family, and the explosive, violent consequences of what seem like inconsequential actions.  Here’s a summary of the book:

Mary Beth Latham has built her life around her family, around caring for her three teenage children and preserving the rituals of their daily life. When one of her sons becomes depressed, Mary Beth focuses on him, only to be blindsided by a shocking act of violence. What happens afterward is a testament to the power of a woman’s love and determination, and to the invisible lines of hope and healing that connect one human being to another. Ultimately, as rendered in Anna Quindlen’s mesmerizing prose, Every Last One is a novel about facing every last one of the things we fear the most, about finding ways to navigate a road we never intended to travel.

The Park Ridge Public Library reserves the right to limit the number of book clubs that it serves.

If a book club is inactive (does not order a book for 4 months), the book club will be removed from our roster and will be required to re-register at the time that the club wishes to begin receiving service from the Library. Based on availability, the club may be placed on a waiting list.

Currently we have 61 book clubs on our roster. It has gotten to the point that we can no longer accept any new book clubs. Any club who does not order within a four month period, as noted above, will be dropped from our roster. If you are a new club, you can contact us either through the blog, or you can call us at 847-720-3280. We will take a waiting list for now until we have groups leave the roster.

We’re sorry for any inconvenience and we thank all our clubs for their support.

Lynn and Valerie