What’s on the Shelf?  Thrills and Chills to watch or read!
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What’s on the Shelf? Thrills and Chills to watch or read!

It’s the most frightening time of the year! Halloween is almost here and it’s the perfect time to load up on scary movies and books. AAPLD’s collection includes horror classics and soon-to-be classics. Our horror films are tagged with a special sticker and located on a special seasonal display for easy access. Whatever you’re in the mood for…terrifying tales of […]

Book Clubs

Oh, the Horror! (11/24/2020): Ararat

“When a newly engaged couple climbs Mount Ararat in Turkey, an avalanche forces them to seek shelter inside a massive cave uncovered by the snow fall. The cave is actually an ancient, buried ship that many quickly come to believe is really Noah’s Ark. But when a team of scholars, archaeologists, and filmmakers make it inside the ark for the first time, they discover an elaborate coffin in its recesses … and when they break it open, they find that the cadaver within is an ugly, misshapen thing … and it has horns. A massive blizzard blows in, trapping them in that cave thousands of meters up the side of a remote mountain … but they are not alone”– Provided by publisher. […]

Book Clubs

Enjoying the Classics (11/18/2020): Riders of the Purple Sage

In 1871 Utah, young Jane Withersteen is courted by Elder Tull, the leader of her polygamous Mormon church. When Jane refuses, the local Mormons persecute her. Meanwhile, Jane’s friend, Bern Venters, is captured by Tull’s posse and faces a harsh sentence. Jane defends him, causing even more friction with the Mormon populace. Enter Lassiter, a friend to Venters and an infamous gunslinger. His appearance causes Tull and his men to release Venters and flee – sparking a conflict that leaves Jane questioning her loyalties, Venters finding love, and Lassiter seeking revenge. […]

Write Your Story This November
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Write Your Story This November

Always dreamed of writing a book, but never found the time? This November could be your opportunity, and AAPLD is ready to help! November is National Novel Writing Month, an annual event that challenges writers of all experience levels, ages and genres to craft a 50,000 word novel or non-fiction work in 30 days. Since NaNoWriMo’s beginning in 1999, hundreds […]

Book Clubs

Happily Ever After (11/16/2020): Persuasion

Anne Elliot lives at Kellynch Hall with her two sisters and vain father Sir Walter. When financial struggles begin to affect the Elliot family, they decide to move to Bath. Anne decides to visit before the move, and runs into many old friends. Most surprisingly she is reunited with Fredrick Wentworth, a past fiancé who under advice from her father and friend Lady Russell never married. Wentworth’s lack of wealth and rank in the community were their main concerns and therefore eight years later Anne is still unmarried with little romantic prospects. However, through her journey and move Anne may find that what she has been looking for was right in front of her the whole time. […]

Nite Readers

Nite Readers (11/19/2020): What the Lady Wants

In late-nineteenth-century Chicago, visionary retail tycoon Marshall Field made his fortune wooing women customers with his famous motto: “Give the lady what she wants.” His legendary charm also won the heart of socialite Delia Spencer and led to an infamous love affair.

The night of the Great Fire, as seventeen-year-old Delia watches the flames rise and consume what was the pioneer town of Chicago, she can’t imagine how much her life, her city, and her whole world are about to change. Nor can she have guess that the agent of that change will not simply be the fire, but more so the man she meets that night….

Leading the way in rebuilding after the fire, Marshall Field reopens his well-known dry goods store and transforms it into something the world has never seen before: a glamorous palace of a department store. He and his powerhouse coterie—including Potter Palmer and George Pullman—usher in the age of robber barons, the American royalty of their generation.

But behind the opulence, their private lives are riddled with scandal and heartbreak. Delia and Marshall first turn to each other out of loneliness, but as their love deepens, they will stand together despite disgrace and ostracism, through an age of devastation and opportunity, when an adolescent Chicago is transformed into the gleaming White City of the Chicago’s World’s Fair of 1893. […]

What’s On The Shelf? Documentaries
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What’s On The Shelf? Documentaries

We’re making some changes to the Adult Services DVD Collection to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. If you enjoy documentaries, be sure to browse our new Documentary section, located between feature films and our TV series sections. The collection includes films by top documentary filmmakers including Ken Burns, Michael Moore; programs from the History Channel, PBS […]

Book Clubs

Forever Young (11/09/2020): Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam

In March 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops into Vietnam. 57,939 American soldiers would be killed and seventeen years would pass before this controversial chapter of American history concluded with the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982.

The history of this era is complex; the cultural impact extraordinary. But it’s the personal stories of eight people—six American soldiers, one American nurse, and one Vietnamese refugee—that form the heartbeat of Boots on the Ground. From dense jungles and terrifying firefights to chaotic medic rescues and evacuations, each individual’s story reveals a different facet of the war and moves us forward in time. Alternating with these chapters are profiles of key American leaders and events, reminding us what was happening at home, including Kent State, Woodstock, and Watergate. This show-stopping book is Elizabeth Partridge at her finest. […]

VOTE! (at your library)
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VOTE! (at your library)

  Did you know that AAPLD’s Main Library on Harnish Drive is a McHenry County early voting site? Beginning Oct. 19, our downstairs program room will be an early voting polling place for voters registered in McHenry County, regardless of their home precinct. Early voting polling place hours are: Monday, October 19 through Friday, October 23: 8:30 am – 5 […]