Where can you find information on books to read for your own pleasure or for book club meetings, or about author appearances in the area? The weekly Writestuff column is a good place to start, but there are other sources.First on your list should be your local library. Get acquainted with the librarians, tell them what kinds of books you like and ask for recommendations. Over time, you can build a very rewarding relationship. Similarly, you can make a useful connection with a favorite bookstore where the staff is knowledgeable about the books they sell. Library and store websites also post schedules of their author talks and book discussion programs, free and otherwise. ), ), ), ).) ), both in Hartford. The Twain Center's free "The Trouble Begins At 5:30" series, whose name comes from posters that announced talks by Twain, as well as their free Book/Mark series bring nationally known authors to Hartford, as well as experts on Twain-era subjects. Nook Farm Book Talks, presented with the Stowe Center, offer free discussions and author appearances relating to books that explore contemporary issues of social justice and other topics that were of interest to Twain and Stowe.
Schools and colleges are another fine source of literary programs during the academic year. Wesleyan University's Russell House in Middletown hosts a free Distinguished Authors series on selected Wednesday evenings (wesleyan.edu/writing/community/writing-events.html).In Hartford, Trinity College's free Allan K. Smith Reading Series will present authors in spring 2015 (trincoll.edu/Academics/MajorsAndMinors/English).The University of Hartford hosts the free Cardin series, which also will return in spring 2015 (Grossberg@hartford.edu).UConn's Creative Writing Program offers events featuring authors who teach there as well as nationally known writers and poets (http://creativewriting.uconn.edu ), and the annual Connecticut Children's Book Fair showcases authors and illustrators each November on the UConn campus (bookfair.uconn.edu).Connecticut's premiere live poetry series is the annual Sunken Garden Poetry Festival held on the grounds of the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, which hosts famous and emerging poets.
Riverside Poetry Series' free programs are held on the second Thursday of each month from September through May in the The Music Room at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Ave., Hartford. The free Wintonbury Poetry Reading Series runs on the third Thursday of the month from October through April at the P. Faith McMahon Wintonbury Library, 1015 Blue Hills Ave., Bloomfield (www.prosserlibrary.info/wintonbury_branch_poetry_series.htm).Manchester Community Colleges free Mishi-maya-gat series presents poets and musicians in six free programs each fall and spring, usually on the third Thursday of the month, at MCC on Main, 903 Main St., Manchester (manchestercc.edu/mishi-maya-gat/).In Blogs And On The AirThe Hartford Books Examiner website, hosted by writer John Valeri, is an online book column that posts reviews of recently published books and interviews with authors. Valeri also leads book discussions at local libraries. /) that appears each Tuesday and Thursday. Each entry focuses on a book newly acquired by the library and gives information on who the author is, what the book is about, why I think you will like it, what reviewers are saying and which library branches have copies.
The Faith Middleton Show on WNPR frequently airs a call-in discussion about books during its Thursday 3 p.m. broadcasts, with Middleton and frequent panelists Rose Quiello of SCSU; Both Pointless And Playful, 'The Idiot' Is Like A Long Dream 'Swimmer Among the Stars' Infuses Relics With Resonance 'Inexplicable Logic' Maps A Teen Boy's Complicated Mind 'The Vine That Ate The South' Blends Folk Tales With Southern History Refugees Are Turned Back And A Rembrandt Goes Missing In Suspenseful 'Heretics' 'How To Read A Dress' Connects Centuries Of Women Through Fashion 'Celine' Is An Ace Detective With A Crack Shot, A Quick Wit And A Good Story In 'White Tears' Appropriation Has Horrifying Consequences Myth And History Collide In 'The Erstwhile' 'All Grown Up' Is The Picture Of Someone Who Isn't (And A Voice That's Nothing New) Rebuilding A Father's Life — But Tearing Down His Myths — In 'Dadland' 'The Wrong Dead Guy' Lives And Dies By Its Comedic Timing
'In The Name Of The Family' Probes The Lives Of An Infamous Clan Sanity Is Slowly Lost In 'Spaceman Of Bohemia' 'High Noon' Takes Aim At The Hollywood Blacklist The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books A Fatal Hit-And-Run Leads To A Collision Of Cultures In 'Waking Lions' Escaping A World On Fire In 'Exit West' 'To Be A Machine' Digs Into The Meaning Of Humanity 'Dear Friend' Is A Fraught And Unusual MemoirThe chill of mid-January makes us crave a cozy home-cooked meal — hearty and flavorful — and not too fussy to prepare. This week we’ve collected some of our favorites for you, we talk about the ultimate cutting board for those big roasts, and we suggest snuggling up under a warm blanket with an icy cold, classic vodka martini. Chris Prosperi’s slow-cooker chicken » Talk about easy… you can throw this together before work in the morning and come home to it! Whole-wheat spaghetti with broccoli rabe » The balance of slightly bitter broccoli rabe mixed with Parmesan, olives, garlic and almonds, is terrific.
Alex’s short ribs with Zinfandel » There’s no need to be afraid of making short ribs at home, the kind that become fork-tender from being braised in the perfect red wine, Zinfandel. Chris’ mac and cheese with egg noodles and caramelized onions » It’s rare to use egg noodles in mac & cheese but I love the softness of them. The crispy mouth-feel comes from the roasted cauliflower. And listen for Alex’s tips on making a classic martini (dirty, or not so dirty…) and our audience’s favorite comfort food suggestions. The post Comfort Food and a Classic Martini appeared first on Faith Middleton's Food Schmooze.What ‘The Amboy Dukes’ was to adolescent boys of the 1950s, “Peyton Place” was to teenage girls and their mothers—a febrile page-turner and sex manual best read by flashlight under the bed covers. Set in an inbred, hypocritical New Hampshire mill town, Grace Metalious’s book, published in 1956, eventually sold 20 million copies and became the best-selling novel up to that point of the 20th century.