Blog Category: Director's Notebook

Posted by KChin on Mon, May 02
                   Library Director’s Notebook               May, 2011 Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, with its delicate cover painting of a  man and a woman, standing apart, engulfed by their umbrellas, might at first glance appear to be a simple, predictable romance or classy example of “chick lit”.  However, this novel, written by Jamie Ford is as much about the quest for personal identity as it is about the search for love. Set both in the mid-1940’s...
Posted by KChin on Wed, Mar 30
Library Director’s NotebookApril, 2011 Most readers, no matter how voracious their reading appetites, tend to choose the same types of books to read.  Some like to read mystery and suspense, others like history and biography.  Some prefer mostly fiction; others won’t bother with a book unless it’s non-fiction.  Then there are some readers whose tastes are fairly eclectic; those who will pretty much read anything as long as it’s well written.  I usually put myself in...
Posted by KChin on Fri, Feb 25
Library Director’s Notebook March, 2011 Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English, by Natasha Solomons might seem at first glance to be a light- hearted and amusing novel.  Certainly there is plenty to smile about in the story of Jack Rosenblum, his wife Sadie and their baby daughter Elizabeth who as Jewish refugees from Germany in 1937 find themselves in London, grateful to have found sanctuary.  From the very beginning Jack is eager to fit in, to learn everything he can about...
Posted by KChin on Fri, Feb 18
THE E READERS ARE COMING! Ever wondered what it would be like to read a book on one of the new E Readers? Well, Barrington Library wants you to find out!  We’ve purchased E Readers for you to try out in the library.  Right now we have a Kindle and a Sony Reader. The Nook and the Ipad will soon be available to “test drive” as well. For more information, please ask at the library circulation desk or at the reference desk.
Posted by KChin on Fri, Feb 18
Barrington Library will be closed on Presidents’ Day, Monday February, 21, 2011
Posted by KChin on Mon, Jan 31
Library Director’s Notebook February, 2011 Since February is the month for Valentine’s Day, it seems appropriate to write about a romantic book.  Yet the book I have chosen for this month, Bel Canto by Ann Patchet, while deeply and stirringly romantic, is much more than a love story. In fact, considering how the story begins, with the hostage-taking of the members of an exclusive, upper class dinner party by a band of reckless and inexperienced terrorists, it’...
Posted by KChin on Wed, Dec 29
Library Director’s Notebook January, 2011 Sometimes I’m in the mood for a very proper, witty, literate– in short, a very British-- story.  I found one recently when I borrowed Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson. Although set in modern day Britain in the small village of Edgecombe St. Mary, the book is redolent with the atmosphere of the formerly dominant British Empire.  Class consciousness, xenophobia, stiff upper lips, and British...
Posted by KChin on Wed, Dec 01
Library Director’s Notebook December, 2010 Fifty years is a long time for a book to stay in print, particularly in today’s world of cheaply printed books and online publishing. It’s a rare book that lasts even a few years after its initial publication, as all the remaindered books found in book store sales can attest.  Yet there are some books so powerful and so memorable that fifty years of continuous publication can well be called only the beginning of its long and...
Posted by KChin on Mon, Nov 01
Director’s Notebook November 2010 As someone who loves both good movies and good books, I know that it’s very easy to be disappointed by a movie adaptation of a much-loved book. In my experience, there’s less disappointment if a person sees the movie first, rather than reads the book first.  Why? Well, since movies are almost certainly going to have to cut or modify lots of interesting parts from the books they adapt, if we see the movie first we won’t immediately be...
Posted by KChin on Fri, Oct 01
Library Director’s Notebook October, 2010 Like many people who are avid readers, I turn to books for a variety of reasons. Sometimes I like to read books that will make me laugh; other times I intentionally choose books that will make me sit up and pay close attention to some complex philosophical treatise or psychological insight. There are books I read primarily to learn new information, and others I read just because they comfort me. One of the most comforting series of books I’ve ever read...

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