Books & Authors
Our Darien Book Group For All She Knows

This Book Club Hits Close to Home: With New Canaan Author’s Novel on Parents,Teens, Drinking

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The “Our Darien” book club says its second virtual book group title: For All She Knows, a novel involving a teen party, drinking, parents and a community that “explodes.” It’s by New Canaan author Jamie Beck. — an announcement from the Our Darien campaign of the Community Fund of Darien

With the book club, which has online discussions on Facebook, the “Our Darien” campaign continues its conversation about youth mental health, the dangers of substance use and how parents can best support their teens. A former Darien police youth officer and a knowledgeable social worker will participate in an online book club discussion. Participants are invited to read at their own pace, and thought-provoking questions will be posted each week on the Our Darien Facebook page (www.facebook.com/OurDarien, click “Groups”) to enhance the reader’s experience.

Books & Authors
Jon Dunn author of The Glitter in the Green about Hummingbirds

Author Speaks Tuesday About Hummingbirds — Following Them From Alaska to the Tip of South America

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Natural history writer Jon Dunn will speak about his latest book, The Glitter in the Green: In Search of Hummingbirds on Tuesday morning in a Darien Library online event. — an announcement from Darien Library

Hummingbirds are a glittering, sparkling collective of over three hundred wildly variable species. For centuries, they have been revered by indigenous Americans, coveted by European collectors, and admired worldwide for their unsurpassed metallic plumage and immense character. Yet they exist on a knife-edge, fighting for survival in boreal woodlands, dripping cloud forests, and subpolar islands. They are, perhaps, the ultimate embodiment of evolution’s power to carve a niche for a delicate creature in even the harshest of places.

Books & Authors
Off the Record Book Cover by Jim Cameron

Jim Cameron Talks Thursday on Communicating With Any Audience, Mastering Interviews

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Darien TV79’s Jim Cameron, author of Off the Record: Confessions of a Media Consultant, will speak at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 8 in a Darien Library webinar about communication. — an announcement from Darien Library

In “Off the Record,” Jim will use his 35 years of expertise as a media trainer and share his tips and techniques for communicating with any audience, from mastering tough interviews to creating a motivational presentation. You can register for this event, here, on Darien Library’s website. Off the Record: Confessions of a Media Consultant is Jim Cameron’s first book, based on his career as a media trainer prepping C-level executives for challenging media encounters and earlier years as an award-winning journalist at NBC. About Jim Cameron
Jim Cameron is best known in Connecticut for his decades of advocacy for rail commuters.

Books & Authors
Robert Ellsberg

Author Robert Ellsberg Discusses Saints and Others He’s Written About in Online Lecture Wednesday Night

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In an online lecture Wednesday, Author Robert Ellsberg will reflect on his life and work as a “saint-watcher,” how this came to shape his own vocation and spiritual discipline, and what he hopes it might achieve. From St. Francis to Dorothy Day, Ellsberg’s many books on “saints, prophets, and witnesses” for our time — as well as his acclaimed daily “Blessed Among Us” column for Give Us This Day — have helped expand the conception of holiness and the meaning of saints. His lecture, titled “Walking With the Saints: My Writing Life,” starts at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 7. — an announcement from Fairfield University

Robert Ellsberg is the long-time editor-in-chief and publisher of Orbis Books.

Books & Authors
Mike Emrick Doc Emrick headshot from book cover

Legendary NHL Hockey Announcer Mike Emrick Interviewed Live Online Tuesday About His New Book

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We’re talking hockey with legendary announcer Mike Emrick! Join co-author Kevin Allen online as he sits down with Mike from 7 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, March 30, for a conversation about Allen’s and Emrick’s new book, Off Mike, and his life in hockey. 

— an announcement from Westport Library

Please note: This is a virtual event. REGISTER HERE

After nearly 50 years behind the microphone, the voice of hockey in America opens up in a must-read memoir. Mike “Doc” Emrick has seen everything there is to see in a hockey game. Sizzling slap shots. Commitment, courage, and camaraderie.

Books & Authors
Carrie Seim

1st 25 Middle Schoolers Signed Up for Darien Author Carrie Seim’s Event Get Her Book, ‘Horse Girl’

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The Children’s Library is pleased to announce that Darien resident Carrie Seim will join Darien Library for a virtual event that can be enjoyed from the comfort of home on Tuesday, April 6 at 5:30 p.m.

— this announcement combines wording from the Darien Library website and a mailing from the Children’s Library. Horse Girl is a funny and heart-warming novel that will delight middle school readers from fans of Black Beauty to anyone who appreciates a story about finding yourself (and your true friends) along the way. Author Carrie Seim will read an excerpt of her brand-new novel at our virtual visit, followed by a Q&A session and a crafty opportunity for any equestrian enthusiasts in the virtual audience who would like to pick up the project materials in advance. We will be giving away free signed copies of Horse Girl to the first 25 attendees of the event. About Carrie Seim
Carrie is the author of the new acclaimed middle-grade novel HORSE GIRL (Penguin Random House) and the bestselling Audible adventure series THE FLYING FLAMINGO SISTERS (hailed by the New York Times as a Best Audiobook for Road Trips with Kids).

Avni Doshi
Avni Doshi

Breakout Author Avni Doshi Interviewed Online April 14 by Darien’s Sharbari Ahmed

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The India Cultural Center and Greenwich Library will welcome breakout literary star Avni Doshi on Wednesday, April 14 at 7 p.m., who will be interviewed online by fellow author Sharbari Ahmed of Darien. — an announcement from the India Cultural Center and Greenwich Library

The online discussion takes place at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 14. Doshi will discuss her stunning and unforgettable debut novel, Burnt Sugar, a love story and a story about betrayal, but not between lovers — between mother and daughter, which has been shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize for Fiction. In Burnt Sugar, Doshi tells the story of Tara, who, in her youth, was wild. She abandoned her marriage to join an ashram, and while Tara is busy as a partner to the ashram’s spiritual leader, little Antara, her daughter, is cared for by an older devotee, Kali Mata, an American who came to the ashram after a devastating loss.

Barrett Bookstore 2021
Harlan Coben/John Grisham

Harlan Coben and John Grisham Talk in Darien Library/Barrett Bookstore Online Event

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Darien Library and Barrett Bookstore welcome Harlan Coben, a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s leading storytellers, for an evening of conversation about his latest book, Win. Joining Coben on Monday evening is John Grisham, bestselling author of A Time to Kill, The Firm, and the upcoming novel, Sooley. — an announcement from Darien Library

This virtual event will take place on Monday, March 22 at 7 p.m. To attend you can register here, on the library’s website. Win centers around an American blueblood, Windsor Horne Lockwood III—“Win”—who is determined to solve a set of cold cases that have baffled the FBI for decades.

Barrett Bookstore Author Visits 2021

Jeff Immelt, Former CEO of General Electric, Speaks March 9, Get Tickets Now

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Jeff Immelt, the former CEO of General Electric, will speak at an event organized by the Darien Community Association and Barrett Bookstore on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. for an online presentation. Immelt will have a public discussion with Peter Maglathlin of Darien, the chairman and CEO of MBI Inc. in Norwalk. — an announcement from the DCA and Barrett Bookstore

Immelt was named one of the “World’s Best CEOs” three times by Barron’s, and he will share the hard-won lessons he learned from his experience leading GE immediately after 9/11, through the economic devastation of the 2008-2009 financial crisis, and into an increasingly globalized world. In his new memoir Hot Seat, Immelt offers a rigorous, candid interrogation of himself and his tenure, detailing for the first time his proudest moments and his biggest mistakes. As the business world continues to be rocked by stunning economic upheaval, Hot Seat is an urgently needed, and unusually raw, source of authoritative guidance for decisive leadership in uncertain times.

Books & Authors
Emily Gray Tedrowe author square thumbnail

Author Emily Gray Tedrowe Discusses Her Latest Book Thursday Night at Darien Library Online Event

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It is with great pleasure that Darien Library welcomes back author, Emily Gray Tedrowe at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 1. After an introduction by her father, Alan Kirk Gray, the former Director of Darien Library, Ms. Tedrowe will discuss her new book, “The Talented Miss Farewell” in conversation with Katherine Nintzel, executive editor of Custom House, An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. — an announcement from Darien Library

The event will happen online via the Zoom platform. Register online at darienlibrary.org to receive the link to the program.

and Racism
Debby Irving

Author of Book on Bias, Racism To Speak 5 PM Monday in Online Darien Library Event

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Darien Library and the YWCA Darien/Norwalk invite you to join author and racial justice educator Debby Irving for “Waking Up White: A Conversation on Bias, Privilege, and Racism.” — an announcement from Darien Library

Meet Irving and learn about her journey on Monday, July 13th at 5 p.m. Register online, here, for this online event. Debby Irving’s landmark book, “Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race,” tells her story of unpacking her white privilege. Her sheltered, upper-middle class childhood in Massachusetts obscured the socially turbulent 60s and 70s from her view. She’d later contrast her experiences with that of her Darien-raised husband.

Books & Authors
Waiting for Eden cover book DCA virtual book discussion

DCA’s Virtual ‘Quick Reads’ Book Group Features ‘Waiting for Eden’ Discussion, July 29

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The next topic for the Darien Community Association’s virtual summer book group is a discussion on July 29 of Elliot Ackerman’s “Waiting for Eden.” From the DCA announcement:

Part mystery, part thriller, part unconventional love story, this novel explores with gravity and sensitivity the profound questions of love and fidelity, duty and honor, and how one creates a life worth living. This short book is less than 200 pages. On Wednesday, July 29 at 7:30 p.m. a certified bioethicist will co-moderate with Esther Bushell, and offer her perspective about the issues raised. Bushell taught English at Greenwich High School, and when she retired in 2003, she created Literary Matters and began a second career as a book group facilitator.

Books & Authors
Off the Record Book Cover by Jim Cameron

Jim Cameron Publishes ‘Off the Record: Confessions of a Media Consultant’

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Former network journalist Jim Cameron, whose many hats include programming director of TV79 and transportation columnist for Darienite.com and elsewhere, has also been a media consultant for decades, and he’s just written a book about his craft — “Off the Record: Confessions of a Media Consultant.”

“Have you ever wondered how CEOs, celebrities and star athletes prepare for media interviews? They consult with a media trainer,” he says his announcement about the book. “For almost 40 years Cameron has been a media consultant to hundreds of corporate and public relations clients, preparing their clients for tough media interviews.” More from his news release:

“I have always told my training clients that the best way to deliver their messages is through the use of stories. Anecdotes connect with the audience and help sell the veracity of your message,” says Cameron.

Books & Authors
Darien 1820 Book Cover

‘Darien 1820: New Town, New Times’ Now Available at Barrett Bookstore

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What was it like to live in Darien 200 years ago? As the town celebrates its 200th birthday it’s an opportune time to ask the question. A new commemorative book, “Darien 1820 — New Town, New Times,” by Darien Historical Society Historian Ken Reiss, costs $27, and is available at Barrett Bookstore, which recently reopened its store at 6 Corbin Dr.

— an announcement from the Darien Historical Society

The opening of the accompanying Darien 1820 exhibit at the Darien Historical Society has been delayed until September due to the current Covid-19 crisis, but the Society plans on releasing virtual “sneak peek” videos of the exhibition over the summer. Both the book and the exhibition focus on life in town during the year 1820, when Darien gained its independence from Stamford and Norwalk. “People living in 1820s Darien were on the threshold of revolutionary developments that would usher in the modern age,” said Reiss.

Books & Authors
Frankenstein https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frankenstein%27s_monster_(Boris_Karloff).jpg

Townwide Book to Read in June: ‘Frankenstein’ — Events Planned Around the Classic

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Darien Library invites you to join them in June to explore Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” as part of their One Book One Community program. The town-wide read encourages the community to enjoy the same story and then participate in a shared exploration of the tale. — an announcement from Darien Library (followed by information from the library website)

The month of online activities is a way for the community to come together while remaining isolated. The program kicks off on June 1. The classic tale of Frankenstein is a touchstone of popular culture and can be experienced in any way you choose: from a literary exploration with the guidance of Carroll Stenson, a journey through the music of horror movies with Gil Harel, or a search for meaning within the many film iterations with Max Alvarez.