Photos

GLEN ELLYN READS

Share your favorite reading moment with us by entering the
SUMMER READING PHOTO CONTEST AT THE GLEN ELLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY
Get caught reading your favorite book in your favorite place during your favorite time of the day.
Email photo to AHarrell@gepl.org accompanied by a unique title that describes the photograph
PRIZES
1st prize winner's photo will be featured in a Summer Reading Poster for Glen Ellyn Library, the Glen Ellyn website and a given a $50 gift certificate. Finalist' photographs will be exhibited on the Glen Ellyn Library website and receive a $25 gift certificate. All entries will be included on our online photo gallery.
PHOTOGRAPH
must be in digital format in order to appear online
must be an original work
must never have been copyrighted
title must interpret photo and relate it to the photograph
By submitting your photo, you grant the GEPL the right to exhibit and reproduce the photograph.
All entries must have the following information.
name, address, phone number, e-mail, title of photo

HOW AND WHEN TO VOTE

ONLINE or come in and vote where photographs will be on display

PICTURES MUST BE SUBMITTED BY JULY 31. Winners will be anounced August 10, 2008.

PAY THE DEVIL by Jack Higgins

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HIGGINS

As the Civil War is ending, Confederate Colonel Clay Fitzgerald learns he has inherited a fortune and estate from an Irish uncle. Weary of war, the Colonel and his black aide and friend, Josh, set off to claim this inheritance. Despite his wish to remain neutral, Clay is shocked by the English government's treatment of the Irish. He cannot help but become involved in the resistance. The colonel also falls in love with the sympathetic daughter of an English landlord.
The tale of Colonel Fitzgerald's adventures, while at times melodramatic, will appeal to t hose with an interest in history, particularly Irish history, and to readers wanting action and a plot that moves briskly.

THE SIXTEEN PLEASURES by Robert Hellenga

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HELLENGA

Margot Harrington is on leave from her job as a book conservator at the Newberry Library. She has volunteered to help Florence, Italy after the flood of 1967. A convent has found a unique book of Renaissance erotica. They would like Margot to help them sell the item-discreetly.

The book, The Sixteen Pleasures, becomes the adventure that Margot has been looking for. She finds romance and professional fulfillment, and herself.

A wonderful book with lots of details about the rare book trade.

EYE OF THE NEEDLE by Ken Follett

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FOLLETT, K.

Eye of the Needle is a terrific spy/espionage/romance, appropriate for men and women readers, because unlike many espionage writers, Follett is savvy enough to create admirable, sympathetic female characters.

Die Nadel (the Needle) is a cold calculating German spy, quick to kill and utterly ruthless. He is sent to a remote British island in order to determine whether the Allies are planning an invasion from that point. His boat is wrecked, and he is taken in by David and Lucy Rose, a young couple with a small child. David is paralyzed from an accident that occurred on their wedding day, and consequently become embittered and hateful. Lucy is valiant, but love-starved. The end is thrilling and one is left wondering - was it lover or part of the game?

GRANGE HOUSE by Sarah Blake

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BLA

Though Maisie has always spent her summers in Maine at Grange House, the summer of 1898, when Maisie is seventeen, is different. The girl's parents are pushing her toward marriage, and the owner of Grange House, Miss Grange, hopes Maisie will have the mysterious "gift." She tries to show Maisie some of the Grange family history, real or imagined.

A terrible accident, however, kills Maisie's father, prompting Maisie to write about him after she returns home. On receiving Maisie's biography of her father, Miss Grange sends Maisie her own diaries.

Only when Maisie and her mother return to Grange House can Maisie sort fact from fiction and learn who she herself is and who she wants to be. This very Victorian telling of Maisie's story should appeal to women and girls who enjoy a Gothic atmosphere, beautiful detailed writing, and complex characterization.

INDEPENDENCE DAY by Richard Ford

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FOR

Not to be confused with the movie, this novel won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize. The main character, Frank Bascombe, spends a contemplative Fourth of July weekend. He is a realtor trying to find housing for some difficult customers, a man dealing with women problems-- his ex-wife and current girlfriend-and a father, treating his son to a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Somehow this well-intentioned fellow ends up in the hospital.

This decent and bewildered man is gradually, inevitably and humorously wrenched out of his private existence to a new awareness of the world and people around him.

A LESSON BEFORE DYING by Earnest Gaines

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GAINES

Jefferson, a poor and uneducated black man, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now he is in jail, convicted of murder. Jefferson's godmother does not want him to go to the electric chair like the ignorant hog is white lawyer says he is, so Grant Wiggins, the black schoolteacher, is under pressure to visit Jefferson. Grant's job is to make Jefferson a man before he is executed.

Grant Wiggins worried that he is not making a difference in the lives of his students. How he will make a difference in Jefferson's life in the short time he has Grant has no idea. He does know that the sheriff and Mr. Giteau, for whom most of the black people in the Quarter work, want him to fail. They do everything they canto take away the teacher's dignity. Grant Wiggins succeeds in a way he could never have foreseen, however, teaching not only Jefferson, but himself, a lesson before dying.

BEE SEASON by Myla Goldberg

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GOLDBERG

Eliza Naumann, usually an indifferent student, wins the 5th grade spelling bee, surprising her somewhat dysfunctional family and herself.
There are many themes in this amazing book, including parents' expectations of their children, mental illness, and the search for God.

A surprising twist in the plot will have readers going back in the text to search for clues.

COLD MOUNTAIN by Charles Frazier

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FRAZIER

A love story and adventure featuring Inman, a wounded Confederate soldier who walks out of a hospital ward, tired of war and senseless killing. He begins a long journey to see Ada, his sweetheart. Ada too has seen some hard times since her father's death. She has not a clue as to making the farm work and seems destined for failure until the arrival of Ruby.

Inman's trip back to his true love is long and treacherous, filled with solitude and savagery. Like Ada, Inman acquires the courage and tenacity to reach the end of his goal.

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME by Mark Haddon

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HADDON

Christopher Boone is an exceptional 15-year. He is blessed with a genius for math and an exceptionally logical mind, but is autistic and has no understanding of human emotions. As the narrator of this story his world begins to fall apart after finding the neighbor's dog impaled by a garden fork. He makes it his mission to find the murderer, modeling his investigation after his favorite character, Sherlock Holmes. Christopher embarks upon a journey that forces him to deal with his parents' divorce and his father's lies. The novel, told in the format of a murder mystery, is the honest and sometimes funny account of what might go on in the mind of an autistic child.

ELLEN FOSTER by Kaye Gibbons

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GIBBONS

Ellen's heart-wrenching descriptions of life in her very dysfunctional family would make unbearably depressing reading if they were not interspersed with revelations of her present life with her delightful new foster family.

Until she arrived at her "new mother's" home, Ellen had suffered the suicide of her mother, threats of murder, sexual abuse, and a variety of dreadful homes.

Her only respite was a brief stint living with her art teacher and visits to her African American friend's family. Fortunately, Ellen's sturdy good sense and strong spirit carry her through to a decent life.

GODS IN ALABAMA by Joshilyn Jackson

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JACKSON

Arlene Fleet is a graduate student living in Chicago. For reasons unbeknownst to the reader. Arlene had left home in Alabama at the age of eighteen, and promised God to never return, to remain celibate and to never tell a lie.

She has been able to keep her promises until her African-American boyfriend wants to accompany her to Alabama to meet her lily-white family. Arlene would rather die. Not only is Arlene reluctant to introduce him to her crazy and bigoted family, but she has a deep dark secret that threatens to come out. Arlene finds she is no longer able to keep her promises.

EVENTIDE by Kent Haruf

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HARUF

In the previous novel Plainsong the bachelor McPheran brothers taken in pregnant teenager Victoria Rubido. When she at last delivers her baby, the brothers are enthralled. In this sequel Victoria and baby move away from the small town of Holt, Colorado, leaving the brothers alone again.

Other Holt residents come into their lives. Raymond meets Rose Tyler, a social worker. Through her he becomes aware of the Betty and Luther Wallace and their two children who live in a trailer on the edge of town. When Betty's uncle moves in, he beats the children and the parents, weak and dispirited, do nothing to stop the abuse. Enter Rose and the brothers.

Other sad situations touch the lives of Holt's residents, including the McPheran household itself. The novel ends, leaving a sense of more to be told.

WHEN MADELINE WAS YOUNG by Jane Hamilton

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HAMILTON

This novel is set in 1950's Chicago with Aaron and Julia McIver and their two children, Timothy (Mac) and Louise. What sets their family apart is the presence of Madeline who has the mental capacity of a seven-year-old since a bicycle accident left her with a traumatic brain injury. Mac gradually becomes aware that Madeline, his adult "sister," is actually his father''s first wife.

Mac tells the story looking back from middle age and a life spent in medicine. Preparing to attend the funeral of a cousin's son, killed in combat, Mac reflects on the complexities and tensions, the relationships, rivalries and regrets within his own family.

This is a fascinating book about a family dynamic that is intriguing and unusual.

MIDWIVES by Chris Bohjalian

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BOHJALIAN,C.

Vermont midwife Sybil Danforth performs an emergency Caesarian to save a baby's life when the mother, Charlotte Bedford, dies during a difficult labor in her home, unable to get to a hospital because of an ice storm.

In the aftermath a question arises: Was Charlotte Bedford really dead when Sybil performed the caesarean? Midwives is a gripping story of the ensuing trial from the point of view of Sybil's 14-year old daughter.

CRAZY IN ALABAMA by Mark Childress

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CHILDRESS, M.

Peter Joseph, a successful screenwriter, remembers the summer of 1965 when he lived in Alabama and was known as Peejoe. His Aunt Lucille goes crazy and kills her husband and takes off for Hollywood. Back in Alabama, everyone else goes crazy as integration hits Peejoe's town and violence follows.

A good story with eccentric characters and a surprise ending.

BARCHESTER TOWERS by Anthony Trollope

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TRO

To the modern reader, this Victorian novel is reminiscent of those of Barbara Pym with its keen interest in the lives and foibles of the Anglican clergy. It is also full of humor and romance and characters who remain fresh and real after 150 years.

CHARMS FOR THE EASY LIFE by Kaye Gibbons

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GIBBONS

Charlie Kate was a strong southern woman. A successful midwife and self-educated doctor of the needy, she put more conventionally trained doctors to shame. She was not so successful in her marriage, however, and her husband left her and her beautiful daughter, Sophia. Sophia also married a weak man, despite her mother's advice, but he died prematurely. Fortunately, he had already fathered Margaret, the narrator of the stories of these three generations of women.

Margaret shares the stories of all three, including their doctoring adventures and their experience of World War II. Despite her own unsuccessful marriage, Charlie Kate has excellent advice for Sophia and Margaret regarding men.

Women who enjoy southern writers, humorous stories, and recent historical fiction are likely to be charmed by the no-so-easy but most interesting lives of Charlie Kate, Sophia, and Margaret.

MR. IVES'S CHRISTMAS by Oscar Hijuelos

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HIJUELOS,O.

This touching book details the life of Mr. Ives, a foundling in New York. From his modest beginnings he finds love and spiritual fulfillment.

One Christmas tragedy strikes: his son is senselessly murdered. Mr. Ives questions his faith in God and man. He contacts the family of the murderer and in time begins a correspondence with the man who killed his son. Eventually he reconnects with his life and his God but the Journey is not easy.

A very good read at any time of the year.

CRISIS, by Robin Cook

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COOK

Dr. Craig Bowman is "on call" 24/7 for his patients. He is a partner in a "concierge" medical practice serving wealthy clients. He thinks he is also practicing medicine the way he was trained in medical school. When one of his problem patients dies, her husband initiates a malpractice suit against Dr. Bowman. Craig's estranged wife ask her brother, medical examiner Jack Stapleton, to come to the defense of his brother-in-law.

Although Jack has never cared for his brother-in-law, he decides that the plaintiff's lawyer is trying to railroad his career. Jack believes an autopsy may help the case.

When Jack gets permission to perform and autopsy, nothing unusual is found...at first. But further toxicology test reveal a starting result.

THE ECHO MAKER, by Richard Powers

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POWERS

Twenty-seven year old factory worker, Mark Schulter flips his truck over in a remote area of Nebraska's Platte River country and goes into a coma. The accident brings his only sibling, Karin, out of her well-structured life and to his bedside.

When he finally comes back to consciousness, doctors discover that he is suffering from Capgras syndrome, a rare brain disorder whereby one is unable to connect visual and intellectual identifications with emotional ones-he thinks Karin is an imposter. Dismayed, she summons a well-known neurologist. In addition to her brother's condition, there are mysteries surrounding the accident, including a cryptic condition, there are mysteries surrounding the accident, including a cryptic note left at the hospital bedside, Even Mark's nurse's aide seems to conceal more than she reveals. This gripping book won the 2006 National Book Award.

THE WEDDING OFFICER by Anthony Capella

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CAPELLA

British officer Captain James Gould arrives in Naples in 1944 charged with task of discouraging soldiers from marrying Italian women thought to be of low moral character. In truth, many are starving widows who have turned to rostitution in utter desperation. Straight-laced and rigid, Capt. Gould will not condone these unions.

One day beautiful widow Livia comes to Naples seeking work. A restaurant owner befriends her and sends her to the British/American officers' club where she signs on as a cook. The officers soon learn that Livia knows her way around a kitchen. James is smitten with Livia's fiery personality and mouth-watering dishes. He begins to understand that she is passionate not only about food but life itself. Ultimately, joy infuses every dish and love ranks highter than military orders.

Especially for fans of Chocolat. Delicious!

PROTECT AND DEFEND by Vince Flynn

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FLYNN

Another thriller from CIA operative, Mitch Rapp. When Iran's secret nuclear facility implodes, the Iranian leadership blames the United States. In order to make their point clear to other countries, fanatical Iranian officials give their navy the authority to sink one of their own ships, thus incriminating the U.S.

CIA Director Irene Kennedy and Mitch Rapp travel to Iraq to meet with a more level-headed Iranian government official. Little do they know that a member of Hezbollah will ambush, abduct and torture Irene Kennedy.

A fast-paced political thriller.

ON CHESIL BEACH by Ian McEwan

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MCEWAN

The setting is England in 1962. The novel opens in the wedding suite of Edward Mayhew, age 23 and his wife of a few hours, Florence, age 22. They are eating a post-ceremony dinner in a beautiful resort on Chesil Beach. They are strangely quiet, each consumed with thoughts of the remainder of the evening. Edward is anxious to consummate their relationship, while Florence is repelled at the idea. Because of the social mores of the time and their repressed English upbringings, neither one can discuss his feelings and apprehensions. The situation is almost unbearably tense. McEwan's description of the conflict is insightful and compassionate.

BEYOND the GATHERING STORM by Janette Oke

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OKE, J.

Before the gathering storm of World War I breaks, young Christine and Henry Delaney, the adopted children of a loving evangelical couple, set out into the world of Alberta, Canada. Christine takes a secretarial post in Edmonton, where she misses the wilderness. She soon falls for the boss's son, who is an unbeliever. Henry, a Royal Canadian mounted policeman, still worries about the fate of the young mother he had to inform of her husband's death five years earlier. Posted to a small town in the north, he is shocked to find the same woman is his barber. Henry is soon head over heels, but the widow keeps all men at bay. Both Henry and his sister trust God for the resolution of their romantic dilemmas.

Those who enjoy this story seem likely to be rewarded with a sequel.

JULY, JULY by Tim O'Brien

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O'BRIEN, T.

For all you "Big Chill" Fans out there, this novel goes beyond the thirty-something folk to look at their fifty-something counterparts.

A group of graduates of a small college in Minnesota are celebrating their 30th reunion. The novel moves between the present and their college years during the tumultuous 60s.

Baby boomers will relate to the characters and the myriad paths their lives have taken.

ABUNDANCE by Sena Jeter Naslund

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NASLUND

This novel begins when 14-year old princess Toinette sheds her Austrian identity and is "reborn" as the French Marie Antoinette on an island in the middle of the Rhine. Initially, Marie is much beloved by the French people, particularly after finally producing an heir to the throne, but as economic conditions worsen, she is made a scapegoat for the dissatisfaction with the royal regime.

There are many exciting scenes involving the attempted escape of the royal family and poignant ones from her years in prison.

JANE and PRUDENCE by Barbara Pym

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PYM

Jane, a clergyman’s wife, and Prudence, a rather
foolishly romantic young working woman, were tutor and student at Oxford, but they have continued their friendship into the lean years following WWII.
Jane, a dreamy and usually dowdy woman, is entirely unsuitable as a vicar’s wife. Nonetheless, she hopes she can match the fashionable Pru with an appropriate
husband. Unfortunately, Prudence’s interest in her married employer is only too typical of her romantic disasters. While the plot is amusing, the development of the characters is the main focus. The book’s appeal lies in that characterization and in Pym’s sharp wit.

DOG DAYS: DISPATCHES from BEDLAM FARM by Jon Katz

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KAT

Jon Katz, author of A Dog Year,has more stories to tell from his home in upstate New York,Bedlam Farm. The farm is a cross between a working farm and a hobby.
His beloved dogs are his constant companions, —especially Rosie, the border collie who runs the place. There is also Izzy, another border collie with a troubled past who is Katz’s “soulmate.” Not to mention two Labradors, Pearl and Clementine. His goal is to achieve a balance —of nature, of humans, of animals. His struggle to attain this is entertaining reading e. g., Jeanette the donkey, who arrived seemingly overweight but in reality pregnant!
Katz’s storytelling ability is charming yet he has unique views about
animal life that provide many surprises.