events @ the Library

Book jackets representing the authors appearing at the Rabbit Hill Festival of Literature.

Often referred to as the worst movie of all time, this Ed Wood sci-fi film tells the story of aliens attempting to take over the Earth (for the 9th time) with an army of zombies. (c1959, not rated, 198 minutes)

More about the film

Sunday, November 4
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Elliot Aronson, co-author of Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts, will talk about what The Wall Street Journal calls "a ramble through the evasive tactics we employ when we've done something wrong and don't want to face up to it."

Books available for purchase and signing.
Book Review

Enjoy a late afternoon of gaming and snacks. Ages 12 and up.

Staples graduate Mike Krysiuk will talk about his personal memoir,
Why Me Why Now? based on a near fatal drunk driving accident during his senior year of high school. Appropriate for middle-school students and adults.

Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Barbara Quick, author of Vivaldi's Virgins, an enthralling new novel that re-creates eighteenth-century Venice at the height of its splendor and decadence unveiling a story of longing and intrigue, half-told truths and toxic lies. Publisher's Weekly writes, "Quick creates a hauntingly authentic setting rife with cruel punishments and brief moments of grand rewards."

Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Book Review

Hear Yale Law professor Jed Rubenfeld on An Interpretation of Murder, his psychological thriller that is also a literary tale set in 1909 New York City with a cast that includes Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Library Journal writes that the book is "filled with period detail, an historical thriller that challenges the reader to reason out the mystery."

Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Book review

Certified Feng Shui consultant Ned Farrell will provide insights into what Feng Shui really is, using slides and real-life stories to show an accessible approach to make the best use of your environment.

Based on the popular book by Ann Brashares, this film tells the story about a special summer in the lives of four lifelong friends who are separated for the first time. The young women find a pair of jeans that fits each of them perfectly and they decide to use the pants as a way of keeping in touch. (c2005, PG, 119 minutes)

Sunday, November 11

2:00 pm
McManus Room

The Connecticut Chamber Orchestra, featuring conductor Sayard Stone with violin soloist Bernice Stochek Friedson return to perform a variety of pieces ranging from classical to selections from My Fair Lady.

Enjoy a late afternoon of gaming and snacks. Ages 12 and up.

Attorney turned author, Susan Schaab, on her book Wearing the Spider, which Book Review Journal calls "a high-tech thriller that cracks open the inner workings of a large law firm and leaves one wondering just how often sexual harassment and hostile work environments are tolerated in the corporate world."

Books will be available for purchase and signing.

More about the author

This seminar covers valuable company, industry and other jobseeker information. Email sschulman@westportlibrary.org to ask how your resumé can be reviewed by a CT Dept. of Labor career specialist.

Robert Steven Williams, a former music-biz executive and Vice President of Business Development at HMV Records, will lead a songwriting workshop for teens. His company "Against the Grain" has recently established a joint venture with 615 Music in Nashville to create a song library targeted at the film and TV industry. Some music background helpful, but no songwriting experience or music background necessary. Registration required. Email jlewis@westportlibrary.org. Limit 12.

Noted Yale Law School professor and author Stephen Carter on New England White, the eagerly awaited, electrifying new novel from the author of The Emperor of Ocean Park. The Boston Globe calls the book "relentlessly suspenseful and galvanizing in its exploration of the profound difference between allegiance to ideas and to people."

Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Book Review

Howard Roughan and co-author James Patterson have authored another thriller to keep you up late. Roughan will be on hand to talk about their latest book, You've Been Warned, about a single mother who has few cares in the world, and is on the verge of a breakthrough as a professional photographer when she is jolted by a chilling, murderous dream.

Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Book Review

Certified Feng Shui consultant Ned Farrell will go into more detail on the elements and bagua of Feng Shui. Participants are asked to bring a hand-drawn floor plan of their home.

In this classic comedy, when ghosts go on a rampage, only three men can save the world. Soon every spook in the city is loose and our heroes face the supreme challenge. If you want your spirits raised, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! (c1984, PG, 107 mins.)

In this session, Robert Steven Williams will talk about how to write a song, a chorus or a verse on any subject. No songwriting experience necessary; some music background helpful, but not necessary. Registration required. Email jlewis@westportlibrary.org. Limit 12.

William Krasilovsky, an attorney specializing in music and copywriting, will talk about his career using musical selections from artists he has represented over the years and the issues of copywriting their material. He is co-author of The Business of Music, the definitive guide to the business and legal issues of the music industry. Chuck Berry wrote, "The wealth of information in this book has been the most advantageous thing that happened in my business experience."

Discussion of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. Hercule Poirot must solve an unusually complicated crime which is resolved in one of the most famous plot twists ever. New participants always welcome.

Bliss Broyard spoke at Westport Library on Monday, November 19, 2007 to an overflow crowd about her vivid, compassionate portrait of her complex father, the writer and critic Anatole Broyard, in her new book, One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life-A Story of Race and Family Secrets. Photo credit: Larry Untermeyer


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Bliss Broyard has written a vivid, compassionate portrait of her complex father, the writer and critic Anatole Broyard, in her new book, One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life-A Story of Race and Family Secrets. The book raises the question, "What is the deepdown cost of living a lie?" One critic writes that "this extraordinary book is meticulously researched, written with a crystal precision, and honest especially where it hurts."

Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Book Review

A discussion of The Whale Caller by Zakes Mda, a most enchanting and accessible book, yet a romantic comedy in which the changing face of post-apartheid South Africa is revealed. For copies of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.

FILM'S RELEASE ON DVD POSTPONED

Film shown will be Hairspray

Tue., Nov. 20

Be the first to see Hairspray starring John Travolta on the day it is released on DVD! So slick back your hair, get out your teasing comb and come prepared to have fun and suspend just a little bit of disbelief. 115 min long; rated PG.

Cold beverages will be available in case you work up a sweat tapping your foot to the beat.

Movie Review

Please note the change in movie. The release of Namesake on DVD has been postponed.

A Community Conversation was held on Iran with participants Dr. Gary Sick (l), who served on the National Security Council staff under Presidents Ford, Carter and Reagan. The principal White House aide for Iran during the Iranian Revolution and the hotages crisis, he is now at Columbia University. He was joined by Westporter Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group in New York City, a political risk consultancy, and author of The J-Curve, A New Way to Understand Why Nations Rise and Fall.

Community Conversations are sponsored by The Smilow Family.

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Enjoy a late afternoon of gaming and snacks. Middle school students.

Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group in New York City, the world's largest political-risk consultancy, will lead a panel discussion on Iran. Bremmer is author of The J-Curve: A New Way to Understand Why Nations Rise and Fall, a columnist for The Financial Times, contributing editor at The National Interest, and a political commentator on CNN, Fox News, and CNBC.

Also on the panel will be Dr. Gary Sick. Dr. Sick served on the National Security Council staff under Presidents Ford, Carter and Reagan. He was the principal White House aide for Iran during the Iranian Revolution and the hostage crisis and is the author of two books on U.S.-Iranian relations.

More about Ian Bremmer.

More about Dr. Gary Sick.

Sponsored by The Smilow Family.

NPR critic Maureen Corrigan predicts that O'Nan's literary celebrity will grow in the wake of what she calls "a little book that's making a big splash."

Book Review

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Last Night at the Lobster is a bittersweet tale of honest work, poignant love and a man on the verge of losing himself. Hear Connecticut author Stewart O'Nan on his latest deeply moving novel.

Books will be available for purchase and signing
Book Reviews

November 1 through November 30
The Great Hall
Regular Library Hours

"Paintings and Poetry," the art of Dick Rauh and Ann Holmes.