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Readers' Night Out
Monday, February 4, 7:00 pm
Quigley's Irish Pub 43 E. Jefferson
Socialize with other readers at Quigley's Irish Pub in downtown Naperville and share recent reads and favorite titles. Arrive at 6:15 p.m. to purchase dinner or join the group at 7 p.m. for the discussion only. *Registration required.
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Readers' Rendezvous Daytime Book Club (NIC)
Tuesday, February 5, 11:00 am
Program Room
"Soy Sauce for Beginners" by Kristin Chen
Gretchen Lin, adrift at the age of thirty, leaves her floundering marriage in San Francisco to move back to her childhood home in Singapore and immediately finds herself face-to-face with the twin headaches she’s avoided her entire adult life: her mother’s drinking problem and the machinations of her father’s artisanal soy sauce business. Surrounded by family, Gretchen struggles with the tension between personal ambition and filial duty, but still finds time to explore a new romance with the son of a client, an attractive man of few words. When an old American friend comes to town, the two of them are pulled into the controversy surrounding Gretchen’s cousin, the only male grandchild and the heir apparent to Lin’s Soy Sauce. In the midst of increasing pressure from her father to remain permanently in Singapore—and pressure from her mother to do just the opposite—Gretchen must decide whether she will return to her marriage and her graduate studies at the San Francisco Conservatory, or sacrifice everything and join her family’s crusade to spread artisanal soy sauce to the world. Soy Sauce for Beginners reveals the triumphs and sacrifices that shape one woman’s search for a place to call home, and the unexpected art and tradition behind the brewing of a much-used but unsung condiment. The result is a foodie love story that will give readers a hearty appreciation for family loyalty and fresh starts.
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Out of this World Book Club (NIC)
Wednesday, February 6, 7:00 pm
Program Room
"Artemis" by Andy Weir
Jasmine Bashara never signed up to be a hero. She just wanted to get rich. Not crazy, eccentric-billionaire rich, like many of the visitors to her hometown of Artemis, humanity’s first and only lunar colony. Just rich enough to move out of her coffin-sized apartment and eat something better than flavored algae. Rich enough to pay off a debt she’s owed for a long time. So when a chance at a huge score finally comes her way, Jazz can’t say no. Sure, it requires her to graduate from small-time smuggler to full-on criminal mastermind. And it calls for a particular combination of cunning, technical skills, and large explosions—not to mention sheer brazen swagger. But Jazz has never run into a challenge her intellect can’t handle, and she figures she’s got the ‘swagger’ part down. The trouble is, engineering the perfect crime is just the start of Jazz’s problems. Because her little heist is about to land her in the middle of a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself. Trapped between competing forces, pursued by a killer and the law alike, even Jazz has to admit she’s in way over her head. She’ll have to hatch a truly spectacular scheme to have a chance at staying alive and saving her city.
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Great Decisions Discussion Group (NBL)
Thursday, February 7, 14, 21, & 28, 7:15 pm
Conference Room
This national program reviews current foreign policy issues. Each week a different topic will be discussed, providing historical background, examining the subject impartially, exploring options facing citizens and policymakers, and debating the implications. To purchase the required book and to get a detailed list of topics, visit www.fpa.org.
For more information and to register contact Becky Glimco at beckyglimco@aol.com or 630-881-4948. Sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association.Thursdays, Jan. 24 - March 21
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Read Aloud Book Club (95th)
Thursday, February 14 & 28, 10:00 am
Lookout Room
Reading aloud is a long-standing social tradition. This club is for those who wish to enjoy and explore the written word in this historical format.
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Criminal Spines (NBL)
Thursday, February 14, 7:00 pm
Program Room
"Pandemic" by Robin Cook When an unidentified, seemingly healthy young woman collapses suddenly on the New York City subway and dies upon reaching the hospital, her case is an eerie reminder for veteran medical examiner Jack Stapleton of the 1918 flu pandemic. Fearful of a repeat on the one hundredth anniversary of the nightmarish contagion, Jack autopsies the woman within hours of her demise and discovers some striking anomalies: first, that she has had a heart transplant, and second, that, against all odds, her DNA matches that of the transplanted heart.
Although the facts don't add up to influenza, Jack must race against the clock to identify the woman and determine what kind of virus could wreak such havoc--a task made more urgent when two other victims succumb to a similar rapid death. But nothing makes sense until his investigation leads him into the fascinating realm of CRISPR/CAS9, a gene-editing biotechnology that's captured the imagination of the medical community. . . and the attention of its most unethical members. Drawn into the dark underbelly of the organ transplant market, Jack will come face-to-face with a megalomaniacal businessman willing to risk human lives in order to conquer a lucrative new frontier in medicine--and if Jack's not careful, the next life lost might be his own.
Criminal Flix (NBL) Thursday, February 7, 6:30 pm Program Room
Join us for a screening of the movie "Contagion" staring Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Laurence Fishburne. This high-drama, multi-narrative medical thriller – praised by scientists for accuracy and film buffs for its plot and acting - is a great companion to "Pandemic."
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Great Books Reading and Discussion Group (NBL)
Tuesday, February 19, 7:00 pm
Conference Room
"The Persian Wars" by Herodotus from The Great Books Reading and Discussion Program, Second Series, Volume 2 & 3.
One of the masterpieces of classical literature, the Histories describes how a small and quarrelsome band of Greek city states united to repel the might of the Persian empire. But while this epic struggle forms the core of his work, Herodotus' natural curiosity frequently gives rise to colourful digressions - a description of the natural wonders of Egypt; an account of European lake-dwellers; and far-fetched accounts of dog-headed men and gold-digging ants. With its kaleidoscopic blend of fact and legend, the Histories offers a compelling Greek view of the world of the fifth century BC.
For more information contact Les Pierce at les.pierce2484@yahoo.com. Tuesday, Feb. 19
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Readers' Choice Book Club (95th)
Wednesday, February 20, 10:30 am
Lookout Room
"Shadow Warriors of World War II: The Daring Women of the OSS and SOE" by Gordon Thomas and Greg Lewis
In a dramatically different tale of espionage and conspiracy in World War II, Shadow Warriors of World War II unveils the history of the courageous women who volunteered to work behind enemy lines. Sent into Nazi-occupied Europe by the United States’ Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and Britain’s Special Operations Executive (SOE), these women helped establish a web of resistance groups across the continent. Their heroism, initiative, and resourcefulness contributed to the Allied breakout of the Normandy beachheads and even infiltrated Nazi Germany at the height of the war, into the very heart of Hitler’s citadel—Berlin. Young and daring, the female agents accepted that they could be captured, tortured, or killed, but others were always readied to take their place. Women of enormous cunning and strength of will, the Shadow Warriors’ stories have remained largely untold until now.
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