events @ the Library

PlayClub is a collaboration between Westport Library and Westport Country Playhouse to allow you to read and discuss a play before you see the live performance, and have a sneak-peek at the set under construction.

On October 6th, come prepared to discuss the enduring masterpiece, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, with a member of the artistic staff of the playhouse. The play is based on John Steinbeck's 1937 tale of two traveling companions, George and Lennie, who wander the country during the Depression, dreaming of a better life for themselves.

Registration required. Call the Playhouse box office at 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529.

To obtain a copy of the play, phone 291-4821.

For copies of the book, phone 291-4821.
New participants always welcome.
Book Review.

Discussion of The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams by Lawrence Block. Paper Chase #3: Bernie Rhodenbarr, burglar-turned-bookseller, must vindicate himself when he is falsely accused of stealing a priceless collection of baseball cards.

For copies of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.
Book Review.

For copies of the book, phone 291-4821.
New participants always welcome.
Book Review.

Discussion of A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King. Paper Chase #2: An archaeologist turns up dead after leaving a papyrus supposedly written by Mary Magdalene with Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell.

For copies of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.
Book Review.

Discuss The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, by Jean-Dominique Bauby, translated by Jeremy Leggatt. An extraordinary book about the author's survival of a paralyzing stroke and his determination to live a rewarding life despite this. Made into a movie.

For copies of the book, phone 291-4821.
New participants always welcome.
Book Review.

Discussion of The Bookman’s Wake by John Dunning. Paper Chase #1: Cliff Janeway, cop-turned-book-dealer, is trying to find “Eleanor Rigby” who has stolen a rare copy of Poe’s "The Raven."

For copies of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.
Book Review.

For copies of the book, phone 291-4821.
New participants always welcome.
Book Review.

Author Karen E. Olsen will be on-hand for the discussion of her book, Sacred Cows, the story about the murder of a Yale student and how the investigation by a New Haven reporter leads to her secret life. For copies of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.

Book Review.

PlayClub is a collaboration between Westport Library and Westport Country Playhouse to allow you to read and discuss a play before you see the live performance and have a sneak-peek at the set under construction.

Come prepared to discuss a sweetly comic play, The Pavilion, by Craig Wright, with a member of the artistic staff of the playhouse. Craig Wright, an award-winning and Emmy-nominated playwright who has also been the head writer and producer for HBO’s “Six Feet Under” and “Lost.” The Pavilion is a story of high school sweethearts, Peter and Kari, voted the class of 1988’s “Cutest Senior Couple.” But, at the end of senior year, Kari becomes pregnant and Peter runs off. After not seeing each other since graduation, they meet again at their 20th high school reunion wondering if they can turn back time.

Registration required. Call the Playhouse box office at 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529. More information on the Playhouse's production.
To obtain a copy of the play, phone 291-4821.

For copies of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.
Book Review.

Discussion of The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rineheart. This 1908 gothic tale of ghostly happenings, murder and mayhem is the first of the type known as the "Had-I-But Known" mystery.
For copies of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.

Discussion of Time of My Life , by Alan Ayckbourn, with a member of the artistic staff of the playhouse. . The comedy is from the playwright, director and company members of last season’s hilarious hit Relatively Speaking. Audience favorite Paxton Whitehead will play Gerry Stanton, family patriarch, who gets together with his sons and their significant others to celebrate their mother’s 54th birthday at their favorite family restaurant. Based on what transpires following the night of the birthday party, time begins to flow differently for each couple.

To obtain a copy of the play, go to the Playhouse website, www.westportplayhouse.org or phone 291-4821. Registration required. Call the Playhouse box office at 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport.

Westport Country Playhouse.
Co-sponsored by Westport Library and Westport Country Playhouse.

Discuss The Gathering by Anne Enright, a family epic about love, disappointment, and fate. For copies of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.

Book review

Discussion of The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. An aged author who has kept her tragic past a secret summons a biographer, a young woman beset by her own painful memories, for whom she spins a spellbinding tale. For copies of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.

Get ready for WestportREADS events in March and discuss The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. (Barnes & Noble Classics edition). To reserve a copy of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.

Discussion of Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg. In this compelling international bestseller, when a woman questions the death of a small boy she finds herself caught up in a terrifying search for the truth. For copies of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.

Join a discussion about The Memory Keeper's Daughter, which explores the way life takes unexpected turns. The Washington Post writes, "Anyone would be struck by the extraordinary power and sympathy." For copies of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.

Discussion of Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon. Venice Commissario Guido Brunetti investigates the murder of an eminent conductor halfway through a performance in the first book of this critically acclaimed series. New participants always welcome.

Discussion of Tied up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh. Roderick Alleyn must separate the glaring truth from the glittering tinsel in one of his most problematic cases. New participants always welcome.

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.

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.

Sunday, October 21
2:00 pm
Seminar Room

The group will meet to discuss The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard, this year's Agatha winner, set in Kansas in 1987, where the murder of a teenage girl changes a small town forever. Publishers Weekly called it "mesmerizing." For copies of the book, call 291-4821. New participants always welcome.

Book Review

Library Mystery Book Blog

Tuesday, October 16
10:30 am & 7:30 pm
Seminar Room

Discuss The Places in Between by Rory Stewart, a story of the author’s walk across Afghanistan, surviving by his wits, his knowledge of Persian dialects and Muslim customs. New participants always welcome. For copies of the book, phone 291-4821.

Book Review.

Tuesday, September 18
10:30 am and 7:30 pm
Seminar Room

Discuss the moving memoir by Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle, a story of survival despite overwhelming odds. New participants always welcome. For copies of the book, phone 291-482.

Book Review

Sunday, September 16
2:00 pm
Seminar Room

Discussion of The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin, this year's Edgar winner. The New York Times called it "the perfect escapist mystery." For copies of the book, call 291-4821. New participants always welcome.

Book Review

Tuesday, August 21
10:30 am & 7:30 pm
Seminar Room

Join a discussion about the bookRemembering Laughter by Wallace Stegner, the book that launched his career. For copies of the book, phone 291-4821. New participants always welcome.

Sunday, August 19
2:00 pm
Seminar Room

The Usual Suspects Mystery Reading Group Discuss The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H. Cook. This genre-stretching mystery is a highly literate tale of forbidden love and its consequences. All are welcome.
To reserve a copy of the book, phone 291-4821.