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Library announces One Book Two Villages selection
Winnetka-Northfield Chamber of Commerce executive director Terry Dason (right,) and Winnetka-Northfield Public Library interim director Juli Janovicz stand by the poster for the book picked for the 2013's "One Book, Two Villages" program. | Michelle LaVi
One Book
Two Villages
program details, including author visits, book discussion questions and upcoming events, can be found at www.onebooktwovillages.org.
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Updated: January 17, 2013 9:18AM
WINNETKA — After an exhaustive search, Juli Janovicz and the staff at the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District had the tough task of keeping a secret from the community.
“People have been asking us about this at the front desk for a while,” Janovicz said.
Janovicz, the interim library director, founded the One Book Two Villages program 10 years ago and unveiled this year’s selection last week at the Winnetka Library.
Before a crowd of patrons Janovicz revealed Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” as the library’s selection for the community-wide reading event.
“I’ve always said it’s a year-long process that never ends,” Janovicz said. “We eat, sleep and dream One Book Two Villages all year. We’re still surprised how excited people get when we announce our book. This is truly a project that involves the entire staff.”
But the program doesn’t end with the title’s unveiling. Those in attendance eagerly grabbed copies of the book for checkout and the library has planned book discussions, enrichment programs and opportunities for residents to meet the author.
According to a library release, “Gone Girl” centers around the character Nick Dunne and his wife Amy. When Amy disappears Nick is naturally suspected, but has to go on the offensive to clear his name, only to find out the truth is more twisted and disturbing than the murder of which he has been accused.
“I like to say I have found a good selection when I can’t forget the book and can’t get it out of my head,” Janovicz said. “You won’t be able to put it down. I guarantee it.”
In addition to “Gone Girl,” the library staff has also chosen “Liar & Spy” by Rebecca Steads as their One Book Two Villages youth title for the year.
“Once the adult title is decided upon I read it and try to point out the themes and issues of the book,” said head of youth services Bronwyn Parhad. “I try to match them up with a youth book with similar issues. We encourage parents to read the youth book as well so they can talk to their children and make it a community-wide read.”
Janovicz said the program began as a way to bring together local book clubs and get the entire community talking about books.
Each of the previous nine authors has visited Winnetka to meet local readers and Flynn and Steads are expected to greet fans this spring.
As part of the celebration, library patrons can enter a drawing to win a pair of tickets to personally meet Flynn on April 11. Entry forms can be filled out at the Winnetka branch, 768 Oak St., or the Northfield branch, 1785 Orchard Lane.
Copies of both books are available for checkout at each location.
