It's Shakespeare Day! Which Shakespeare Character are You?

Posted by Staff

Many historians believe April 23 to be Shakespeare's birthday in 1564 as well as the date he died in 1616.  In order to celebrate The Bard, we took a fun, completely unscientific quiz to find out which Shakespeare Character we were.  If you'd like to take it is well, here's the link:

 https://www.wqxr.org/story/quiz-which-shakespeare-character-are-you/
 

Romeo from Romeo and Juliet

You have a fire of passion and of loyalty that burns inside of you. Your first choice is never conflict, as you prefer a peaceful life, but like Romeo, you are strongly protective of those you hold close.
Devin, Katherine, Mary

Juliet from Romeo and Juliet
 
You are driven by pure love and operate with strong moral compass. The ones you love are the most important to you — which sometimes comes with a cost.
Jake, Gwen, Allie, Megan J., Robin



Lorenzo from The Merchant of Venice

Although a small role, Lorenzo is responsible for the most purest words in the play and some of the most gorgeous imagery Shakespeare ever wrote. Lorenzo is speaking to his true love, describing a beautiful scene by the riverbank and listening to music. Like Lorenzo, you are pure at heart and love passion, nature and the arts.
Kristen, Dawn









Desdemona from Othello

The female protagonist in the Othello tragedy is often seen as timid, but there are strong and smart attributes that Shakespeare granted her, and Verdi subsequently articulated in his opera Otello. She is the figure that best fits your personality, from standing firm in an impossible situation, to recognizing the strengths of those around you. Like Desdemona, you know how to stay on course during great drama.
Tirzah, Joyce, Sam

Prospero from The Tempest

Often considered Shakespeare’s most mystifying play, the work centers around a Duke, Prospero, who has been stranded on an island with his daughter for 12 years. Prospero has learned magical powers and gained much knowledge during this time. You relate to him, as you are deeply philosophical and serious, but also quite clever. You tend to get absorbed into some things easily, but you return from them as a master.
Amanda, Jill, Mason, Emily








Puck From A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Puck is one of the most-beloved Shakespeare characters of all time. He is witty and charming and, like you, believes it is always the right time to have fun. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is full of comedy and love. Although Puck is mischievous, he means well. You always look on the bright side and, like Puck, have a softer side that is quite deep.
Gerry, Sally, Cassandra, Megan P.

We Are Thankful For Authors!

Posted by Staff

We decided to take a minute this Thanksgiving to share our appreciation for our favorite authors.  In most cases, it has become very simple to find contact information for an author.  Many authors have websites that give a contact email address or another preferred form of communication. A large number of authors have Facebook pages and can be contacted through their pages.  It has become so easy to contact authors that we think we'll all be doing more of it!


Tamora Pierce via email (Amanda E.) Her books were, and still are, a formative part of my life. Great stories led by strong adventurous multifaceted ladies. I haven't heard anything back from her yet, but her website has a disclaimer that due to volume, she may take awhile to respond.





J.K. Rowling via regular mail (Devin G.) I loved the Harry Potter series as a child and I still do. It brings back so many memories of my family sitting and reading it together. Her writing was an integral part of my life. I haven't hear back from her yet, but she does live in England, so it may take awhile for her to get back to me.

Carolina De Robertis via email (Jill S.) I was incredibly moved by her book, Perla. The story was breathtaking and beautifully written. As soon as I finished this book, I knew I had to thank her for sharing her story with me and for writing this book. I did hear back from her!  She thanked me for my moving letter and told me that I had truly made her day. I love her last sentence - "Above all thank you for being a fellow lover - and champion - of books!"




Carl Hoffman via email (David R.) This author has risked life and limb to catalog a wealth of perilous adventure stories; his book,Savage Harvest, about the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, is a must read. I haven't heard back from him yet.


Erin Kelly via Facebook (Cary H.)  She is an up-and-coming author whose books like The Poison Tree & The Burning Air reminded me of the psychological suspense I love with one of  my favorite author Ruth Rendell (who is also British).  She also wrote an accompanying book for the very popular Broadchurch TV Series from England.  I follow her on Facebook and she takes the time to personally respond to her readers on Facebook. She was thrilled and honored to be compared to the "great" Ruth Rendell and told me that I made her day. I told her I was very happy to have a new author whose books I looked forward to reading.



Francine Rivers via regular mail (Gwen B.) Every year since 2002 I have re-read the book Redeeming Love and every year I learn something new either about the story or about myself. I appreciate that she took the time to rewrite it for the Christian market.  Her website is currently down so I have been unable to get an address to send my letter. As soon as the website is back up, I'll be able to send it off.




Sarah J. Maas via email (Kelcey H.) She's a phenomenal writer who has some really awesome, strong-willed characters. She is also really amazing at world building. I just love her books. I haven't heard anything back yet.  

We Follow Authors, Do You?

Posted by Staff:

There are many reasons to follow authors on social media.  Want to find out what your favorite author is currently working on or when his/her next book will be published?  Want to find out more about the author's life and who they are?  We wanted to share with you some of the authors we follow and why we enjoy keeping up with what they are posting. Maybe you'll decide to look for some of your favorite authors too!

Sarah J. Maas (Kelcey H.) Throne of Glass Series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Starkillers Cycle 

She's super funny!








John Sandford (Cary H.) The Prey Series, Virgil Flowers, The Kidd Series, The Singular Menace

His son posts for him and shares details about his Dad's daily writing, routine, etc.

Neil Gaiman (Megan J.) American Gods, Anansi Boys, Coraline, Good Omens, MirrorMask, Neverwhere, Stardust, Ocean at the End of the Lane, Trigger Warning, Unnatural Creatures


Funny, intelligent, and great connection with fans.







Anna Lee Huber (Jessica W.) Lady Darby Series

She share insights into the next book and she polls fans on how the next book should work out.






Tahereh Mafi (Kelcey H.) Shatter Me Series
and
Ransom Riggs Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Series

They are a power couple!  She is the queen of fashion and posts the best pictures.

Erin Kelly (Cary H.) The Ties that Bind, Broadchurch, The Burning Air, The Poison Tree, The Sick Rose

She loves to answer fan questions personally and have conversations.

John Green (Megan J.) The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines 

He's on Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, and more! He's both funny and thoughtful

Illustrator/Author of the Month: Jennifer Ward

Posted by Staff

Jennifer Ward has written almost two dozen books for children and adults.  There Was an Old Monkey Who Swallowed a Frog was a recipient of the IRA/CBC Children's Choice Award, and a #1 ebook best-seller.  She holds a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona.  Her books are often inspired by nature and are crafted with rhythmic language that begs to be read aloud again and again.  She writes full-time from her home in Illinois, and will be at the Edwardsville Public Library on Saturday May 17th for a fun family event during Children's Book Week.  There will be stories, hands-on fun and books!

Two of her best known books are:

There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea  There was a coyote who swallowed a flea, Plucked from his knee, that tickly flea. Yippee-o-Ki-Yee! Skinny ol' Coyote delights readers of all ages as he swallows his way through this delicious southwestern-flavored retelling of a well-loved rhyme. As Coyote gets bigger, the story gets zanier as a bird, a bull, and even an entire cactus end up as dinner. It's pure fun for everyone--even that little flea. Call him silly to swallow a chile! Yippee-o-Ki-Yee!

I Love Dirt!  52 Activites to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature  I Love Dirt! presents 52 open-ended activities to help you engage your child in the outdoors. No matter what your location—from a small patch of green in the city to the wide-open meadows of the country—each activity is meant to promote exploration, stimulate imagination, and heighten a child's sense of wonder. 

It was the best of birthdays...

Charles Dickens, age 49; George Watkins, photographer

Posted by Alana T. and staff

He had but one eye, and the popular prejudice runs in favor of two. From Nicholas Nickleby, ch. 4.

Nearly everyone has read at least some portion of a Dickens novel and most readers have some memory associated with the writer.  Three things stand out for me: 1) the best character names ever (Wackford Squeers? Luke Honeythunder?, wow), 2) the idea that what goes around comes around, and 3) an amazing facility with the English language. 

This year, on February 7th, Charles Dickens would be 200 years old. Celebrations are planned around the world (for more info visit the official Dickens 2012 site).  You may not be able to travel to London and visit a real Victorian workhouse, but you can revisit the authors works.  Don't forget the abundance of excellent film adaptations!

Following is a list of Dickens' titles, along with staff votes for favorite novel and best film adaptation:

A Christmas Carol (3 votes for favorite novel, A Muppet Christmas Carol 3 votes, A Christmas Carol [w/ George C. Scott 1 vote]; A Christmas Carol [w/ Patrick Stewart 2 votes])
A Tale of Two Cities (3 votes)
Barnaby Rudge
Bleak House (3 votes best film adaptation [2005]) 
David Copperfield (2 votes)
Dombey and Son
Great Expectations (8 votes)
Hard Times (1 vote)
Little Dorrit
Our Mutual Friend
Oliver Twist (2 votes)
Martin Chuzzlewit 
Nicholas Nickleby (1 vote)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
The Old Curiosity Shop

My all-time favorite McCaffrey book

Posted by Alana T.

A few weeks ago, Anne McCaffrey passed away at the age of 85 (see her obituary in the New York Times here).  She wrote many books that incorporated elements of both fantasy and science fiction, and is best known for her Dragonriders Series.  Her main characters were often strong-willed adolescents or young women who beat the odds to save the day.  There was lots of adventure, tricky politics, and dragons!  Not only were they fierce and fire-breathing, they were intelligent, emotional individuals who had complicated relationships with humans. The current and very popular dragon-based stories (e.g. TheTemeraire Series by Naomi Novik or The Inheritance Cycle by C. Paolini) owe a great debt to McCaffrey who initiated the idea of telepathic dragons who have positive interactions with humans.

Her first books were published in the late 60's and she continued to write until recently.  She won both a Hugo and a Nebula Award for her Dragonriders works.  For a list (and it's a long one!) of all her works available through the ILHS, click here.

Books in the News: Michael Hart

Posted by Alana T.

On September 6, Michael Hart, the founder of Project Gutenburg died of a heart attack in his home in Urbana, IL.  It is certainly possible that you may not have heard of  Micahel Hart or Project Gutenburg, but both have had a profound influence on the status of publishing and availability of information over the internet.  We take many technological innovations for granted, and although e-books seem to be new on the scene and wildly popular, they have been around for a while.

"Michael invented the eBook (electronic book) in 1971 when he typed the U.S. Declaration of Independence into the Xerox Sigma V mainframe at the University of Illinois in celebration of the American Bicentennial. Just six out of the then 100 users on the network downloaded the file, but it was from these humble beginnings that Michael founded Project Gutenberg, which is now recognized as one of the earliest and longest-lasting online literary projects"- Michael Cook at gutenburgnews.org.  For more information about Michael Hart, read his obituary or visit his wikilink

Thousands of books in many languages are available for download from Project Gutenburg - totally free!  These e-books are available in many formats and can be downloaded to a Kindle, mobile phone, iPad and many other electronic devices, as well as your computer.  Most books have copyrights that have expired and are now in the public domain; they tend to be older titles.  Don't  be discouraged!  There are numerous gems in the catalog and I always find something new and amazing to read.  As you can tell from the top 100 e-books and authors, there are a lot of classics here, too.  You can keep the files as long as you like, share them, even redistribute them.  This is a wonderful resource for all readers.

Our new Poet Laureate

Philip Levine. Photo © Geoffrey Berliner

Posted by Staff.

Last week the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, announced the appointment of Philip Levine as our 18th National Poet Laureate.  Mr. Levine has been described as one of our nation's greatest narrative poets and has won numerous literary awards including the Pulitzer Prize and The National Book Award.  For more information about Mr. Levine and his works visit the Library of Congress' website.  If you visit The Writer's Almanac, you can listen to Garrison Keillor read a selection of poems. 

A Sleepless Night
   by Philip Levine


April, and the last of the plum blossoms
scatters on the black grass
before dawn.  The sycamore, the lime,
the struck pine inhale
the first pale hints of sky.
                          An iron day,
I think, yet it will come
dazzling, the light
rise from the belly of leaves and pour
burning from the cups
of poppies.
                           The mockingbird squawks
from his perch, fidgets,
and settles back.  The snail, awake
for good, tremble from his shell
and sets sail for China.  My hand dances
in the memory of a million vanished stars.


A man has every place to lay his head.

Request more of  Philip Levine's works here. 

An excerpt from Areopagitica

Jost Amman, Printer's Workshop, 1568.

Posted by staff

"....Books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them.  I know they are as lively, and as vigorously productive, as those fabulous dragon's teeth; and being sown up and down, may chance to spring up armed men.  And yet, on the other hand, unless wariness be used, as good almost kill a man as kill a good book.  Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were in the eye.  Many a man lives a burden to the earth; but a good book is precious life blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life...."  from Areopagitica by John Milton

Most people today think of John Milton only as the author of Paradise Lost, but he was also a civil servant and scholar.  Milton's works are extensive and cover subjects in philosophy, politics, and theology as well as poetry.  He wrote Aeropagitica in 1644 during the English Civil War.  The speech was in response to The Licensing Order of 1643 that would 1) require pre-publication licensing of all written materials, 2) registration of all printed materials, 3) search, seizure, and destruction of any printed materials offensive to the government, and 4) arrest and imprisonment of any writer, printer, or publisher.  The speech is considered to be one of the most influential defenses of press freedom ever written.

If you would like to read the entire speech, request the item here.

If you would like to request any other of John Milton's works from the library system, request them here.