The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Set during a remarkable time, the same period as Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast and The Sun Also Rises, Paula McLain's New York Times Bestselling novel, The Paris Wife, brilliantly captures the voice and heart of Hadley Hemingway as she struggles with her roles as a woman-wife, lover, muse, friend, and mother-and tries to find her place in the intoxicating and tumultuous world of Paris in the twenties. Paula McLain will offer a glimpse into her research and the compelling characters that inspired The Paris Wife when she visits the library district in July.

The Young Man and The Sea by Rodman Philbrick
Working from a theme made famous by Ernest Hemingway, The Young Man and The Sea follows the thrilling boy-against-the-sea adventures of twelve-year-old Skiff Beaman, who risks his life to save his family by venturing far offshore in a small boat in search of the fabled giant bluefin tuna.

Each year, library staff members search for the perfect book to designate as the One Book Two Villages adult selection. It is always a struggle to find the perfect book until the book emerges. After reading an advanced copy of Siobhan Fallon's book "You Know When the Men Are Gone", we knew it was the book. Fallon's tales of life on a contemporary American military base were inspired by her own experiences as an army wife living at Fort Hood, Texas, while her husband was deployed to Iraq for two tours of duty.  Fallon's book, an electrifying collection of interconnected short stories about domesticity and war, will be published on January 20, 2011.

With fidelity, compassion, and stunning honesty, Fallon's eight loosely linked stories take readers inside the homes, marriages, and families of that small segment of our society that deals daily with the emotional consequences of our ongoing wars. As in civilian life, there are extramarital affairs, health crises, teenage angst, financial stresses, and scrapes with the law, but all are heightened and distorted by the knowledge that the person you depend on most in the world is 5,000 miles from home and in harm's way.

"You Know When The Men Are Gone" has been showered with advance praise, included in Publisher Weekly's Spring 2011 First Fiction round-up of ten promising fiction debuts, and featured on NPR's "Talk of the Nation." The Winnetka-Northfield Public Library is excited to add a new honor to the book, as the 2011 One Book Two Villages title.

The Library District is pleased to welcome Ms. Fallon to The Book Stall at Chestnut Court at 7 p.m. on January 31. The event is free and open to the public.

Don't miss your opportunity to meet Ms. Fallon before her family is deployed to the Middle East.

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"You Know When the Men Are Gone" will be available on January 20.  Reserve your copy today!

Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District: www.winnetkalibrary.org/cgi-bin/branbist.pl?isbn=9780399157202

The Book Stall at Chestnut Court: http://bookstall.indiebound.com/book/9780399157202

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When it came time to make a decision, our choices were unanimous. Without further ado, it is my pleasure to announce the 2010 One Book Two Villages selections...

The Help

By Kathryn Stockett

In 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, there are lines that are not crossed. With the Civil Rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women-black and white, mothers and daughters-view one another.

Kathryn Stockett's wildly popular debut novel The Help is the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District's 2010 One Book Two Villages selection. Kathryn will be visiting us next July to lead discussions and talk about her writing.

Find The Help in the Library's catalog

Yankee Girl

By Mary Ann Rodman

The year is 1964, and Alice Ann Moxley's FBI-agent father has been reassigned from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi, to protect black people who are registering to vote. Alice finds herself thrust into the midst of the racial turmoil that dominates current events.

Mary Ann Rodman's award-winning children's book, Yankee Girl, is the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District's 2010 One Book Two Villages selection. Mary Ann will be joining us in May for discussions and fun.

Find Yankee Girl in the Library's catalog

One Book Two Villages

One Book Two Villages is a program designed to inspire the Winnetka-Northfield community to read and discuss great books. The program includes author visits, reading discussions, and activities to enrich your reading experience. We encourage parents not only to read the adult book, but to read and discuss the youth book as a family. For more information, visit www.onebooktwovillages.org.