It's been a while, but we're BACK....!

Exciting stuff for you on the way:

this 

Wednesday, 

March 3rd at 2:30pm

we host the 

Long Island Reads 2020 title: 

The Light From Other Stars 

by Erika Swyler 

and yes, our moderator Carol Ann, will be wearing her NASA jumpsuit!

WATCH THIS SPACE! 

Join us Wednesday, December 4th as we discuss...

Join us at the next

Wednesday Afternoon Book Discussion 

Wednesday, December 4th at 2:30pm 

as we discuss 

Maid by Stephanie Land

“My daughter learned to walk 

in a homeless shelter.”

In the tradition of bestsellers Nickel and Dimed and Evicted, Stephanie Land—a writing fellow for the Economic Hardship Reporting Project (EHRP) and Center for Community Change (CCC)—writes a compassionate, unflinching account of her years scraping by as a housekeeper to make ends meet. 

Book to Movie Discussion!

Join us at the book discussion

Wednesday, October 2nd at 2:30

and then join us at the 

movie screening here at

 Merrick Library

 Friday, October 4th at 1:00pm

 

                           



                                  

Next up! Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.

Join us at the 

Merrick Library Wednesday Afternoon Book Discussion 

Wednesday, October 2nd

at 2:30pm

for a discussion of

Revolutionary Road 

by Richard Yates. 

Hailed as a masterpiece of realistic fiction and as the most evocative portrayal of the opulent desolation of the American suburbs since it's publication in 1961, Revolutionary Road is the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a bright, beautiful, and talented couple who have lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner. With heartbreaking compassion and remorseless clarity, Richard Yates shows how Frank and April mortgage their spiritual birthright, betraying not only each other, but their best selves.

Get ready for our Adult Summer Reading Party!

Join us Thursday, August 15th at 7pm as we host author Jill Santopolo at our Summer Reading Party!

This will be quite the event, so don't miss it!

 

Hello Book Discussion Group! Get ready for Wednesday July 10th @ 2:30pm...

Cannot wait to see you at the next book discussion which brings us: 
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

 

Synopsis:

Lucy and Gabe, two Columbia University students who meet as college seniors, decide they want their lives to mean something, launching a thirteen-year journey of dreams, betrayals, and love that brings Lucy to a point where she must make a life-altering choice. 

Book Discussion will be held on 
Wednesday, July 10th at 2:30pm.

Then come meet Jill in person at the 
Summer Reading Party 
on Thursday, August 15th at 7pm.

Author Visit!

 Author Visit! 

Come and meet

Betsy Carter

at our 

Wednesday Afternoon Book Discussion! 

Wednesday, 

April 3rd at 2:30pm

"Carter's warm and beautiful prose brings us love, tragedy, mystery and hope in a moving celebration of America and the people who have come to it."--Amy Bloom, New York Times bestselling author of Lucky Us and Away

For fans of 

The Nightingale and Brooklyn 

comes an exquisite and unforgettable novel

 about friendship, love, and redemption 

in a circle of immigrants who flee Europe 

for 1930s-era 

New York City.

Copies of We Were Strangers Once are at the Circulation Desk.

The 2019 Long Island Reads winner is here!

Join us at the Wednesday Afternoon Book Discussion 

Wednesday, March 6th at 2:30 pm

as we discuss:

The Female Persuasion

by Meg Wolitzer

A college student finds her perspectives transformed by a mentor activist at the center of the women's movement who challenges her to discover herself in ways that take her far from the traditional life she envisioned.

Welcome again to 2019! Here's some news I think you could use...

***

We lost Pulitzer Prize winning poet Mary Oliver last week at the age of 82. 

Oliver's work was simply astounding- 

she published more than 20 books, including the Pulitzer-winning 

American Primitive National Book Award winner New and Selected Poems.

 The NYTimes noted, "For her quiet, measured observations, and for her fiercely private personal mien (she gave many readings but few interviews, saying she wanted her work to speak for itself), she was likened to Emily Dickinson." She "often described her vocation as the observation of life."

Don't miss out reading this

 body of work.

***

Keep your eyes open for the 

fabulous debut novel, 

The Care and Feeding of 

Ravenously Hungry Girls 

by Anissa Gray. 

I was very fortunate to host 

Anissa Gray on our

 Top Shelf at Merrick Library Podcast

#givealistenreadthebook

***

On her twitter feed two days ago, Celeste Ng shared this news 

about her book, 

Everything I Never Told You .

It's being adapted into a feature film with Julia Roberts attached to 

play Marilyn. 

***

Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple 

has a movie release date 

of August 9th.

This cast gives me hope that one of my favorite books-to-movie treatments will not be disappointing!

***

Great news to discover that Chelsea Cain's One Kick will also get a 12-episode series starring  Chris Noth on the WGN network. 

Find your channel here.

  

***

This week is Edith Wharton's birthday week, 

so why not go back and read some of her books? 

Celeste Ng Retweeted Read It Forwar

Wednesday Afternoon Book Discussion is the hottest ticket in town...and the best part is, you don't need one!

We had 44 patrons show up for our 

January book discussion of 

The Summer Wives 

featuring a wonderful Skype with the delightful author Beatriz Williams!

Don't miss out next month as we read and discuss, Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson.

Wednesday, February 6th at 2:30pm

See you there!

Merry Christmas to all our patrons and a very Happy & Healthy 2019!

Wishing all our patrons a very 

happy & healthy 2019!

We thank you for your continued support.

Looking forward to a year filled with 

fabulous books, films, music and more!

Here come Head of Adult Services Diane's Favorites of 2018!

Click on any title to place a hold!

Born A Crime, Trevor Noah

he host of The Daily Show With Trevor Noah traces his wild coming of age during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed, offering insight into the farcical aspects of the political and social systems of today's world.

Educated, Tara Westover

Traces the author's experiences as a child born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, describing her participation in her family's paranoid stockpiling activities and her resolve to educate herself well enough to earn an acceptance into a prestigious university and the unfamiliar world beyond.

Young Jane Young, Gabrielle Zevin

Branded for her affair with her congressman boss, an intern and blogger changes her name and moves to a remote town in Maine with her young daughter before local prompting to run for public office forces her to reckon with the past.

Home Fire, Kamila Shamsie

Given a chance to resume a deferred dream years after raising her troubled siblings, Isma worries about the influence of a powerful politician's son who drives the family to choose between love and loyalty, with devastating consequences.

Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng
When a custody battle divides her placid town, straitlaced family woman Elena Richardson finds herself pitted against her enigmatic tenant and becomes obsessed with exposing her past, only to trigger devastating consequences for both families.

Pachinko, Min Jin Lee

In early 1900s Korea, prized daughter Sunja finds herself pregnant and alone, bringing shame on her family until a young tubercular minister offers to marry her and move with her to Japan, in the saga of one family bound together as their faith and identity are called into question.

Bright Hour, Nina Riggs

Discussing motherhood, marriage, friendship, and the legacy of her great-great-great grandfather, Ralph Waldo Emerson, the author, who has been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, explores what makes a meaningful life when one has limited time.

Something in the Water, Catherine Steadman

A shocking discovery while on their honeymoon in Bora Bora forces Mark and Erin to make a dangerous choice between speaking out or protecting their secret.

White Chrysanthemum, Mary Lynn Bracht

Having spent her entire youth under Japanese occupation, a young woman in World War II-era Korea follows in her mother's footsteps as an elite female diver, only to be forced into prostitution in order to save her beloved younger sister.

Woman in the Window, A.J. Finn

After the Russells move in next door, Anna Fox, a recluse, finds her world crumbling when she witnesses something she shouldn't.

Here come Librarian Carol Ann's favorites of 2018 in no particular order...

Fiction:

Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Receiving an invitation to his ex-boyfriend's wedding, Arthur, a failed novelist on the eve of his fiftieth birthday, embarks on an international journey that finds him falling in love, risking his life, reinventing himself, and making connections with the past.

There There by Tommy Orange
A novel that grapples with the complex history and identity of Native Americans follows twelve characters, each of whom has private reasons for traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow.

The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo
When a popular middle-school girl is abducted in broad daylight by a masked man, the victim's rival, Meredith, struggles with terror while their community organizes vigils and searches.

Meet Me At The Museum by Anne Youngson
A disenchanted farmer's wife and a widowed museum curator begin a correspondence over their mutual fascination with poet Seamus Heaney's "The Tollund Man" and gradually share details from their lives, forging an unexpected bond along the way.

The Child Finder by Renee Denfeld
Hired by a family that has become desperate to find the young daughter who went missing three years earlier, a talented private investigator embarks on a search in a mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, where she is forced to confront painful realities from her own past as a lost child.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Unexpectedly chosen to be a family manservant, an 11-year-old Barbados sugar-plantation slave is initiated into a world of technology and dignity before a devastating betrayal propels him throughout the world in search of his true self.

The Birdwatcher by William Shaw
Living with the secret that, as a child in Northern Ireland, he may have killed a man, Police Sergeant William South finds his world turned upside down when the only person connecting him to his early crime is murdered.

Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
Faced with a life of menial prospects in the years after high school, Mike Munoz, a young Mexican-American, attempts over and over to change his life for the better and achieve the American dream, only to be stymied by social-class distinctions and cultural discrimination.

The Which Way Tree by Elizabeth Crook
Surviving a panther attack that kills her mother and leaves her with scars, a tenacious young woman resolves to find and kill the unusually aggressive cat with the assistance of a charismatic Mexican-American, a haunted preacher, her traumatized half-brother, and an old hunting dog.

Non-Fiction:

Let's Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco by Jeff Tweedy
The singer and songwriter of Wilco opens up about his past, his songs, the music, and the people that inspire him. Talks about his time with band Uncle Tupelo too.

I'll be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
An account of the unsolved Golden State Killer case, written by the late author of the TrueCrimeDiary.com website and featuring an afterword by her husband, comedian Patton Oswalt, traces the rapes and murders of dozens of victims and the author's determined efforts to help identify the killer and bring him to justice

Beastie Boys Book by Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz 
Featuring contributions by the group's surviving members and complemented by rare visuals, a panoramic chronicle of the Beastie Boys traces their early collaborations, genre-breaking achievements and evolution as musicians and social activists.

Thanks a Lot Mr Kibblewhite: My Story by Roger Daltrey 
The front man of The Who draws on years of careful introspection in an anecdotal memoir of his rise from poverty to rock-and-roll stardom, sharing insights into the creative processes behind iconic hits and his relationship with Keith Moon.

We continue our 2018 favorites with...

...these from Reference Librarian Jill: 

Hotel Silence by Ava Ólafsdóttir

After a lonely divorced man with a compulsion to fix things books a room in the rundown Hotel Silence in a war-torn town, he finds new meaning to his life when he becomes close to the hotel owner and her young son and helps the locals mend their homes.

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

A man with a secret rare condition that has enabled him to survive for centuries moves to London to become a high-school history teacher and considers defying his protective guardians' rule against falling in love when he becomes entranced by a captivating colleague.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

After losing her parents, a young college graduate in New York City spends a year under the influence of a crazy combination of drugs to help heal herself from her feeling of alienation from the world.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara

An account of the unsolved Golden State Killer case traces the rapes and murders of dozens of victims and the author's determined efforts to help identify the killer and bring him to justice. 

Tip of the Iceberg: My 3,000-Mile Journey Around Wild Alaska, the Last Great American Frontier by Mark Adams

Recounts the author's effort to retrace the historic 1899 Harriman Expedition around Alaska by using the state's public ferry system, and discusses how the lessons learned on the 1899 journey relate to Alaska's current environmental situation.

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

A psychological thriller by a former BBC News producer depicts the harrowing experiences of a coma patient with shut-in syndrome who, while unable to move or speak, must listen to those around her to figure out what happened and who is responsible for her injuries.

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy

Chronicles America's more than twenty-year struggle with opioid addiction, from the introduction of OxyContin in 1996, through the spread of addiction in distressed communities in Central Appalachia, to the current national crisis.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain

New York chef and novelist Bourdain recounts his experiences in the restaurant business, and exposes abuses of power, sexual promiscuity, drug use, and other secrets of life behind kitchen doors.

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

When the small community of Beartown learns their amateur ice hockey team may be disbanded, the tensions mount, but a surprising new coach offers a chance at a comeback.

My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper

The comedian and star of The Office and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt delivers a hilarious and uplifting collection of essays about one pale woman’s journey from Midwestern naïf to Hollywood semi-celebrity to outrageously reasonable New Yorker.

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert

Drawing on the work of geologists, botanists, marine biologists and other researchers, an award-winning writer for The New Yorker discusses the five devastating mass extinctions on earth and predicts the coming of a sixth.