The Big Read is Back!
Dream When You’re Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg is the selection for the fourth-annual Big Read, an area-wide program that seeks to connect communities through literature. Berg’s novel takes a warm, nostalgic look at the World War II home front, focusing on the experiences of three Irish-Catholic sisters living in Chicago. We invite you to read and discuss the book, as well as others on the bygone era it depicts, with friends and neighbors. You can attend the library’s book discussion and other related programs, including a visit by the author. Copies of the book and Big Read resource guides are available at the library. In addition, local reading groups can arrange to have a librarian lead a private book discussion.

Life on the Home Front
Monday, April 14 at 7 p.m. Jackie Jefferson, who was a pre-teen in the Hinsdale area during World War II, describes daily life on the home front, including rationing, clothing and the music of the era.

Book Discussion
Thursday, April 17 at 1:30 p.m. Read Dream When You’re Feeling Blue and share your thoughts at the library’s book discussion.

Garbo to Mid-Century: Dresses from the 1930s and 1940s
Tuesday, April 29 at 7 p.m. Clarendon Hills Public Library, 630.323.8188 7 N. Prospect Ave., Clarendon Hills View more than 20 dresses, along with accessories, from this era, as Ruth Thomas discusses how fashion trends of the time related to women’s history.

Special Event: An Evening with Elizabeth Berg
Thursday, May 8 at 7 p.m. Ashton Place, 341 75th St., Willowbrook The author of Dream When You’re Feeling Blue talks about her book and takes questions from the audience. Phone registration is required—walk-ins will not be permitted. Please call the Downers Grove Public Library at 630.960.1200 beginning Wednesday, April 16 to register.

Patrons must have a library card from a participating Big Read library to attend. Four tickets per patron are allowed. Tickets may be picked up at the Hinsdale Public Library the week of April 27.

Adult Book Discussions
The Brief History of the Dead
by Kevin Brockmeier
Thursday, March 20 at 1:30 p.m.
In an afterlife world inhabited by the recently departed who remain in the memories of the living, Marion and Philip Byrd fall in love again, while on Earth, their daughter, Laura, is stranded alone in an Antarctic research station.
The book discussion will be held in the library’s Storytime Room on the lower level.

BookTalk
Have your last few book group selections been duds? Do you think Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a gardening catalog? Don’t despair—schedule a BookTalk instead! In our BookTalk program, a librarian visits your Hinsdale book, church or community group for a 20-minute presentation on a selection of books available at the library. Sample topics include:
• Book Club Best Bets—Hand-picked suggestions for books that are certain to spark lively discussions
• New and Notable—The scoop on recent releases, tomorrow’s bestsellers and great books you may have missed
• Book Discussion 101—Tips and tricks on leading and having effective book discussions
While we can’t lead individual book discussions, we’re happy to take requests for BookTalks on particular topics and genres in both fiction and nonfiction. Contact the Reference Desk at 630-986-1976 for details.