The pool is closed. How about coming in for a book, kids?!

Check it out at the Hales Corners Library

The last days of summer are approaching and the beautiful weather we have been having won’t last much longer. If you can’t get away to a foreign land or even another state, get outside and curl up in your favorite spot and take an adventure around the world with a great travel book. Here are some suggestions.

The Places in Between by Rory Stewart
Stewart walks for 20 months across the country of Afghanistan, beginning at Herat and ending at Kabul only months after the Taliban has been forced out of control. He pushes through the mountains at Hazarajat and visits towns still under de facto Taliban rule. Along the way he meets the people of towns and villages not mentioned in the news and long forgotten by time and isolated by their geography. His story shows the true spirit of the Afghani people, telling of the kindness of strangers who offered him food and shelter along the way.

Travels with my donkey: one man and his ass on a pilgrimage to Santiago by Tim Moore
Moore takes the reader on the ages old spiritual pilgrimage to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. However, instead of walking or biking or taking a series of taxis, he opts to get a donkey named Shinto for the trek, who it turns out has a fear of puddles and bridges. His descriptions of fellow travelers, bathroom facilities and the struggle to find donkey-friendly lodging weave among historical information and the description of the Spanish countryside.
Eat, Pray, Love: one woman's search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
After a number of unhappy events in her life, including a divorce and a failed relationship after that, Gilbert leaves everything behind and takes a yearlong journey to re-discover herself. She chose three destinations in which she could examine a certain aspect of herself in a culture that is known for that aspect. In Italy she indulges herself, gaining the happiest 23 pounds of her life, in India she seeks her spiritual side and finally she looks for balance in Indonesia. This touching memoir shows what can happen when you claim your life as your own.
The Caliph’s House by Tahir Shah
Deciding to buy an old, rundown Moroccan palace in the legendary city of Casablanca turns out to be a little more than what Shah bargained for. The house was not only a fixer-upper, but it came with baggage as well. An empty house is thought to attract jinns – mischievous spirits. In his search for artisans and craftsman to renovate the house to its former splendor and learning how to exorcise the jinns, Shah takes the reader on a magnificent tour of this beautiful city and it culture and customs.
Where God was born: a journey by land to the roots of religion by Bruce Feiler
Traveling to the Middle East to biblical sites not seen by many Westerners for decades, Feiler uncovers little-known common roots between Judaism, Islam and Christianity. This book takes the reader into an area that is today rife with religious hatred and offers hope for an understanding and coming together through shared beliefs.

Keri Miller
Adult Services Librarian

To find these books and more go to http://countycat.mcfls.org

Book Review - A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger

In 1963, The Boston Strangler was on the loose and the women of Boston were in fear of any strange man ringing their doorbell. But in the quiet suburb of Belmont, where Junger and his family lived, people were not so alert - until the day Bessie Goldberg was strangled to death in her home. A black man, Roy Smith, who had been sent to the Goldberg’s the day of Bessie’s death to clean the house, was convicted of the crime, but Junger raises questions about this conviction. The most important red flag he raises is that Albert DeSalvo, the man who eventually claimed responsibility for the Boston stranglings, was working at the Junger house, right in the same neighborhood as the Goldberg’s, on the day of Bessie’s death. Could it be that Bessie had been another victim of the Strangler?

Junger expertly lays out the facts of the crime and examipossibilitiesties of who really killed Bessie Goldberg. He gives detailed backgrounds on the lives of Roy Smith and Albert DeSalvo and presents well-thought theories as to why Roy Smith was so quickly convicted of the murder and Albert DeSalvo was so hard to catch as the Boston Strangler. A well-researched book that is fast-paced and reads like a novel, Junger has scored another winner with a true-crime page-turner.

Keri Miller, Adult Services Librarian

To reserve your copy, go to http://countycat.mcfls.org/ , enter your barcode and PIN number and search for the title. Request the item and chose where you would like to pick it up and you are set!

Check it out @ the Hales Corners Library

Planning a home renovation project? Maybe the kitchen needs to be updated or your growing family needs another bathroom. If you own one of the vintage homes in Hales Corners, you’ll want to check out the following books available at the Hales Corners Library.

Updating Classic America, design ideas for renovating, remodeling, and building new an excellent series of books published by The Tauton Press, the same people who bring you “Fine Homebuilding”, “Fine Woodworking”, “Fine Gardening” and “Fine Cooking” to name a few of their magazine publications. Each of the Updating Classic America books is written specific for vintage homes and includes ways to update your classic home, plan for remodeling projects large and small, build an addition that blends the new with your home’s classic style or build a new home designed from a classic old pattern. Here are the four titles in print and available at the Hales Corners Library:
• Bungalows by M. Caren Connolly and Louis Wasserman (Call number 728.373 C752).
• Capes by Jane Gitlin (Call number 728.370973 G536).
• Colonials by Matthew Schoenherr (Call number 728.37 S365).
• Ranches by M. Caren Connolly and Louis Wasserman (Call number 728.6 C752).

Architectural plans for adding on or remodeling by Jerold Axelrod (Call number 643.7 A969). This is a consumer-friendly guide for do-it-yourself add-ons and other home improvement jobs complete with architect-created plans. This book is wonderful if you are looking for ideas. One note of caution, although the book states you can buy the plans for the designs found throughout the book, none of the plans are currently available.

Planning your addition by Jerry Germer (Call number 643.7 G373) This is the book to use when you start your planning process. Detailed architectural plans show how a house is assembled and what is involved in adding on to it. More than 100 photos explore design ideas that you can use as a starting point in planning an addition with an architect or builder. Although this book is only 186 pages, it is well written with many great sketches and photos.

Renovation, a complete guide by Michael W. Litchfield (Call number 643.7L776) This is a good book to start with if you’re renovating a home or thinking about it. It is an outstanding guide that covers all aspects of home renovation, including how to assess a house’s structure, tools, materials, wiring, plumbing, painting, flooring, etc. Instructions are to the point and easy to understand.

Bob Vila’s complete guide to remodeling your home, everything to know about home renovation from #1 home improvement expert by Bob Vila and Hugh Howard (Call number 643.7 V695C) TV host and author Bob Vila sets the record straight for homeowners that most renovations are best performed by professionals. With this in mind, he explains how informed consumers should approach their project so that it is done properly. He provides a wealth of information on architectural styles (and how to integrate newly remodeled sections with the existing style), evaluating the house, dealing with building professionals, planning, financing, and more.

This suggested reading list was written by Patricia Laughlin, Library Director, and is provided by the Hales Corners Library, 5885 S. 116th Street. The library is open 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; closed on Sundays during the summer. Patrons can look up books from home at http://countycat.mcfls.org/.

Check It Out!
Hales Corners Library has a weekly book column in the Hales Corners Village Hub. In case some of you don't get the Hub or may have missed it, here is this week's column. Look for our weekly displays corresponding to the column in the library!


Aaah, summer, a time to go sit and relax in the backyard, take advantage of one of the many fine dining establishments with outdoor seating, or take a trip down to Cathedral Square for a night of Jazz in the Park. Whatever you choose as your way to wind down, a glass of wine is the perfect accompaniment. Here are a few books that will make selecting that perfect glass (or bottle) a bit easier.


Great Wine Made Simple: straight talk from a master sommelier by Andrea Immer. This book is all you need to become a confident consumer of great wines from around the globe. By focusing on the six types of grapes that are most easily grown anywhere in the world, Immer outlines the individual tastes one can expect from each grape and how they vary by which region they are grown in. After reading this book, you will be able to walk into any wine bar or restaurant and order your next glass with confidence.

Drinkology Wine: a guide to the grape by James Waller. Taking you on a journey from the vineyard to the table, Waller’s little guide is perfect for the wine drinking novice. Focusing on affordable wines that are the most likely to be found in your neighborhood liquor store, Waller gives great tips not only on choosing the best wine, but also includes hints on storing, serving and ordering wine in a restaurant.

The Wine Guy: everything you want to know about buying and enjoying wine from someone who sells it by Andy Besch. With years of experience owning his own wine shop behind him, Besch produces a handy guide for the timid wine drinker. With straightforward language he explains the culture around wine tasting and buying and encourages readers to make a bold leap into the world of wine.

The Wine Club: a month-by-month guide to learning about wine with friends by Maureen Christian Petrovsky. This book makes wine tasting fun and easy. Gather your friends around and use this handy guide to help you host a great wine tasting party that won’t stress you or your budget out. Petrovsky provides not only great facts and finds on wine, but also recipes and food pairings to ensure that your wine club will be a success.

The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Reference Guide to the Wines of the World by Tom Stevenson. No wine lover’s library is complete without this classic reference work. Sotheby’s is the most comprehensive book on wines of the world, detailing everything from the cultural history of the winemaking region to the effect of soil and climate on the flavor of the grape. There are charts, guides, hints, tips, troubleshooting suggestions and more packed into this, the ultimate bible of wine.

Ask a librarian how you can reserve your copy or go to http://countycat.mcfls.org/ and search for "wine" as a subject search.