ROGER EBERT, 1942-2013

Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times for many years, has died at the age of 70.

GRIMM GOOGLE DOODLE

200th anniversary of Grimm's Fairy Tales

For some of the actual stories, look at:
National Geographic
Stories read aloud
World of tales
The Literature Page

Some biographical information can be found at:
Notable Biographies
Germany: Insider Facts
Wikipedia

MAEVE BINCHY 1940 -2012

Beloved Irish novelist Maeve Binchy died this past week after a short illness.  Her 17 novels and her collections of short stories were full of interesting characters living in smaller towns in Ireland.

JULY 4th: INDEPENDENCE DAY

Today is the Fourth of July, Independence Day, the 236th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  All thirteen colonies were represented by the 56 signers of the Declaration, ranging in ages from 26 to 70.

America the Beautiful --Ray Charles
Star-Spangled Banner --just listen; awesome!
God Bless America--Kate Smith (movie clip)

Maurice Sendak 1928-2012

Famed award-winning artist and writer Maurice Sendak died yesterday at the age of 83. Although primarily known for his childrens' books, as illustrator and author, he also designed theatrical sets and was involved in the creation of the Childrens' Television Workshop. NPR's Fresh Air remembers him with some audio clips.

HAPPY 200TH BIRTHDAY, CHARLES DICKENS!

England's Prince Charles attended several ceremonies today in honor of Charles Dickens' 200th birthday. There were more celebrations around the globe. London tourists can visit a museum (his former home) there for more events.

Ten things you might not know about Charles Dickens
Some Dickens' trivia
Google Doodle
online copies of some stories
memorable quotations
brief animated biography
Dickens' death and burial
IMDB list of Dickens'inspired films
another film list
Dickens in America

Visit the Library for copies of his books, biographies, films about him, and films based on his works.

REGINALD HILL 1936 -2012

Noted British writer Reginald Hill died January 12. He was most well known here for his Dalziel and Pascoe police procedurals.