My kind of thriller

I was reading the Chicago Tribune this weekend and there was a review for Michael Harvey's new book The Third Rail. I have not read the book yet, but something in the review intrigued me (and I reserved the book). It said, "Harvey... does for the Windy City what Michael Connelly did for Los Angeles". It got me thinking who is the quintessential Chicago crime writer.

Do you look for books based on where they take place? I love to read books set in Chicago when they are accurate. But when I find a little mistake here or there it drives me nuts. If something happens at an intersection of two streets that in the real world don't intersect, I will put the book down and I probably won't read anything else by that author.

Here are a few authors who have written thrillers set in Chicago:

Sara Paretsky
Hugh Holton
J. A. Konrath
Max Allan Collins
Marcus Sakey

Who am I forgetting?

De-clutter - Don't you love that word?

It's that time of year again when thoughts turn to ... cleaning? Yes, once upon a time we did heavy duty house cleaning in the spring. Now I'm not so sure. Do people do that anymore? I sure don't. Not that my house doesn't need it, but there are so many other things I'd rather be doing. Anyway, today the trend seems to be more about getting rid of clutter and excess "stuff" rather than actually scrubbing everything clean. And who doesn't have clutter? Everything from toys, collectibles, office supplies, and yes, even books and DVD's can be counted as clutter if you have too many and don't have the room to store them. If you need help busting your clutter we have a great collection of books here at the library to help you de-clutter your home and your life. Here's just a few titles to help you get started:

Clutter Busting by Brooks Palmer (648.5 PAL)
The Clutter-Busting Handbook by Rita Emmett (648.7 EMM)
When Organizing Isn't Enough by Julie Morgenstern (648 MOR)
Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy Frost (616.85227 FRO)

So what's cluttering your life these days?

Linda K.

I could use a laugh.

Ever had one of those days? ...or weeks?

Adult life can be serious business, full of responsibilities and deadlines, checklists and consequences. But woven among the worries and the burdens we carry are shining moments of glee -- chuckles and giggles, snorts and guffaws to lighten the load and remind us why we work so hard.

Like my mother before me, I find comic relief in my children. America's Funniest Home Videos has twenty seasons of recorded evidence to support the position that, most times, there is nothing so hilarious as family.

Sometimes, though, baby escape artists and fashion model five-year-olds fail to tickle my funny bone. When I've got a lot on my plate and life seems to get a bit more complicated at every turn, I can lose my sense of humor.

Where do I turn when I could use a laugh?

When I take a look around, here at the library, side-splitting opportunities abound.

Choose the format you prefer. For example, my husband laughed all the way to work, and home again, listening to the audiobook of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on CD, but it can also be found in the DVD section and among the books. Absurdistan is another humorous selection available in multiple formats.

Among the audiobooks, I came across offerings like English Majors with NPR legend Garrison Keillor, and Old Time Radio Comedy Favorites -- including greats like Jack Benny and Eddie Cantor. I took home Abbot & Costello on a digital playaway so I could chuckle while I sat in a hospital waiting room.

Into funny fiction? Try Wild Ride by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer or The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore.

Memoirs like Sarah Silverman's The Bedwetter and Howie Mandel's Here's the Deal Don't Touch Me can show insight into the lives of comedians.

Check out the Comedy section in the CDs on the third floor. You can find recordings of performances like Chris Rock's Cheese and Crackers and Tailgate Party by Larry the Cable Guy.

If the funny pages make you grin, head upstairs to the fourth floor to reminisce over Calvin and Hobbes or The Far Side. We've got Doonesbury, too.

Right here on this very website, One-Click DVD Searches under the heading Read/Watch/Listen will take you right to our latest selection of Comedy DVDs, like Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Men Who Stare at Goats, and The Great Buck Howard, just to name a few.

Milton Berle said that "laughter is an instant vacation," so take a moment to think about it -- what makes you laugh?

Now go ahead and treat yourself, check out a free laugh from the library!