Are you ready to ride the sparkling new Ferris wheel coming to Chicago next year? If you've been to Navy Pier recently, you've seen all the construction taking place in honor of Navy Pier's centennial celebration in 2016. Among the changes will be a new 196-foot Ferris wheel. That's almost 50 feet taller than the Ferris wheel…
What Does the Tooth Fairy Do with Your Teeth?
Do you know the Tooth Fairy has lots of secrets? As she was checking my mouth for loose teeth, she let me in on one of those secrets — her favorite books featuring the Tooth Fairy at the library! In Andrew's Loose Tooth, Andrew is faced with a very tough question — how is he…
Anything but Standard
This season there are an unusual number of albums from major artists covering classics rather than new songs. These songs cover the gamut from 1930s show tunes to 1960s pop, but the overall vibe is nice and easy. Cheek to Cheek by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. They're one of the more unexpected pairings in recent memory, but…
Impending Doom: Earthquake
This post is the third in the series Impending Doom, nightmarish visions of the coming apocalypse. This is the way the world ends: everything turned upside down, buildings swallowed by the gaping maw of the earth as the ground shakes and shudders. There's no doubt earthquakes will have a role to play in the end times since they're already devastating cities…
Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and the Queer Blues
"I went out last night with a crowd of my friends, they must have been women cause I don't like no men."—Ma Rainey, Prove It On Me Blues In the recently aired Bessie, the HBO film starring Queen Latifah about the "Queen of the Blues," Bessie Smith, it's apparent from the first scene that Smith's…
DIY: 4 Resources for Readers
Need help finding the next good book to read? Long line at the reference desk? Library closed? Chicago Public Library has resources for readers young and old, readers of both fiction and nonfiction. NoveList is my go-to resource for adult and young adult fiction. In addition to reviews, it provides links to readalikes for the most popular bestsellers…
We’re Going to the Zoo (or Aquarium)
June is the perfect month to go outside and spend some time at a zoo! It's also National Zoo and Aquarium Month, and we have some world-class zoos and aquariums in Chicago. I love the lions at the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Brookfield Zoo. Did you know that a lion's roar can be heard from five…
What Exactly Is Juneteenth Anyway?
Have you ever heard of "Juneteenth"? Juneteenth celebrates the day Texas slaves found out they were free. When the Civil War ended, there were no Union soldiers in Texas to deliver the news that slavery had ended. The news didn’t make it to Texas until June 19, 1865. “Juneteenth” became a Texas state holiday in 1980 and has become a…
The Literary Legacy of Waterloo
Imagine you're standing in a wet, grassy field on a small hill. From this hill, you look over a large camp. There is smoke from the campfires, or is it from the artillery? Soldiers are mustering themselves under the blue, white and red banners. 26,000 of them will be dead by dusk. June 18 marks the…
Just Like Dear Old Dad: Famous Authors and Their Author Children
Everybody inherits something from their father—whether it's eye color, sense of humor or a special talent—but it's rare to do the exact same job as your father. In celebration of Father's Day, let's take a look at some authors who not only inherited talent from their dads, but are using that talent to establish literary careers…
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