Forest Park Public Library discussion

Hello all!

Please take the chance to introduce yourself here. Tell us what brings you to the library, your favorite kinds of books to read, and an interesting fact about yourself. We look forward to getting to know you!

Hi! I'm Emily, one of the library assistants at Forest Park Public Library. Usually you can find me reading non-fiction: memoirs, biographies, religion, political commentary, and history. I dabble with historical fiction, classics, and the occasional fantasy, and I once played The Sims for 16 hours straight.

Hello! I'm Skye and I manage the services for adults here at Forest Park Public Library. A little about me and the printed word: the act of reading is my compass in a storm, and I look forward everyday to my redemptive moments with the books. I love to read fiction, non-fiction, poetry... as a librarian, I am surrounded by all the latest books at the library and love to pick and choose current books to read that both appeal to me and may appeal to Forest Park patrons as well. Right now I am looking forward to reading Dan Egan's The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes He'll be speaking here at the library on June 20th at 7pm. I hope to see many readers there!

Hello all! I work at the reference desk as an Adult Services Desk Assistant. I would say that the genres I gravitate to most when I find time to read between work and school are nonfiction history, high fantasy, and memoirs. An interesting fact about me is that I studied abroad at Oxford during a semester of my sophomore year of college and for the big final paper of my program I wrote about medieval dragons.

Hello all! I am a recent resident of Forest Park. Most of my reading is actually done on my commute in audio form. Right now I am in the throes of several series (Elizabeth Peters' Amanda Peabody, Linda Fairstein's Alex Cooper, Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen, Bernard Cornwall's Saxon series [I think it has been updated to Warlord series]), as well as belonging to a very informal book club with sci fi/fantasy leanings.

Mona wrote: "Hello all! I am a recent resident of Forest Park. Most of my reading is actually done on my commute in audio form. Right now I am in the throes of several series (Elizabeth Peters' Amanda Peabody, ..."

Hello Mona!
First off, welcome to the library! We actually have a quite a significant collection of Hannah Swensen's mysteries, and I've personally had my eye on a couple of Bernard Cornwell's books for my to-be-read shelf. If you're interested, we have a Speculative Fiction book club that meets every second Thursday of the month at 7pm in our Conference Room. This month we will be discussing The Rook by Daniel O'Malley, and during the month of March we will discuss Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews. For more information, feel free to contact the group's organizer, Walt, at wal736@yahoo.com.

Hi! I've lived in Forest Park for about 4 years now and I've used the library quite often. I love reading and most of my reading is done at home via my kindle. I read all kinds of books but my favorite kinds include non fiction, suspense, and science fiction/fantasy.

Michelle Harris wrote: "Hi! I've lived in Forest Park for about 4 years now and I've used the library quite often. I love reading and most of my reading is done at home via my kindle. I read all kinds of books but my favo..."

Hi Michelle! I'm glad you've been able to make great use of the library! If you are interested and haven't already, you should check out our elibrary resources Hoopla and MediaOnDemand on our website. You can read books, watch movies, and listen to audiobooks for free by signing up with your Forest Park Public Library card and creating a username/password. If you need any help figuring these resources out, feel free to drop by the reference desk or give us a call.

Hello, everyone. As you can tell from the name above this post, my name is Matt. I'm a librarian in the adult services department of the Forest Park Public Library. I will occasionally wander over to areas like non-fiction or thrillers, but the vast majority of the titles I "read" (in quotations cause I mostly listen to books) are from Science Fiction and Fantasy. Authors that I will read a book as soon as they release one include: Claire North, John Scalzi, and George R.R. Martin.

If you're looking for a narrator recommendation in Audiobooks, Peter Kenny is absolutely my favorite that I have listened to, so far. He narrates most of Claire North's stuff and The Witcher series, as well as some other books.

Hi I am Dan. I grew up in Forest Park and used to frequent the old library before this one. I moved away for about 12 years and now I have been back about 5 years. I am currently in the middle of a 7 year reading plan for the Gateway to the Great Books and the Great Books of the Western World. I have always wanted to do this and find find many of the readings absolutely fascinating. My favorite author of all time is J.R.R. Tolkien. I also enjoy science fiction as well. I wish everyone the best and enjoy your reading!

Hi Dan, Glad to hear from you. It sounds like you are plunging deep into the classics at this time. How wonderful! What has been your favorite read so far in your 7 year syllabus? I like to plumb the depths of literature, history, and philosophy too. Lately I've been reading Robert Lowell's poems. My interest in Robert Lowell was stimulated by a really great new biography of him by Kay Redfield Jamison: Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire: A Study of Genius, Mania, and Character He was a great lover of the classics, and his poems are moody and magnificent. Skye

Forest Park wrote: "Hi Dan, Glad to hear from you. It sounds like you are plunging deep into the classics at this time. How wonderful! What has been your favorite read so far in your 7 year syllabus? I like to plumb t..."I would have to say that some of Plutarch's Lives have been my favorite readings so far. I have barely scratched the surface of it, but I enjoy reading about the big names in ancient history from the perspective of an ancient writer.

Is it too late for an introduction?

I'm Kimberly and I've lived in Forest Park for 7 years now. I'm in a book club and we only read books written before 1950. Because of that, most of the books I read are older, some classics, some lesser known books by classic authors. Because of Hoopla (thanks Forest Park Public Library!) I've been listening to some newer non-fiction recently, too. In addition to reading, I enjoy gardening, letter writing, and planning theme parties.

Kimberly wrote: "Is it too late for an introduction?

I'm Kimberly and I've lived in Forest Park for 7 years now. I'm in a book club and we only read books written before 1950. Because of that, most of the books I..."

Hello Kimberly and welcome to our group!
We love to hear that our patrons use and enjoy our electronic resources. Tools such as Hoopla, OverDrive, and OneClickdigital have certainly helped me personally become a more avid reader in both fiction and nonfiction. Your book club sounds absolutely fascinating! We’re pleased we can provide print and/or electronic titles by turn of the century writers including Edith Wharton, Ford Madox Ford, Willa Cather, and more.

Hello friends!
So pleased to be here! Please allow me to introduce myself. Living in Chicago since 1994, originally from Iowa, I am endlessly in love with both. My interests are always churning in a never ending pursuit of information largely about people, music, art, language, thought and expression! I am a record store owner, DJ, radio program host, and advocate for English learners and Persons with Disabilities. I love meditation, nature conservation, spiritual connection and exploration into the mind/brain.
I am a visual arts lover, movie buff and poetry reader. I enjoy reference materials and spiritual teachings presented in digestible doses. Always learning and curious about world cuisines, I adore all that Chicago has to offer for ethnic restaurants and grocery stores. Given the chance I would spend all day at the beach.