'The Power of Introverts' to be focus of next Books Between Bites
On Thursday, Jan. 19, Batavia's popular monthly noontime book program, Books Between Bites, welcomes the Rev. Cynthia Anderson to discuss the book "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain. The program will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Founders Room at Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave. The public is invited to attend this free program and registration is not required.
Anderson is senior pastor of Batavia United Methodist Church. A lifelong reader and lover of language and books, she read Cain's book several years ago and appreciated its compelling argument for the ways in which introverts are often undervalued in a culture that values extroversion, big personalities, and self-promotion.
Called to pastoral ministry after working as a public relations and communications executive, she served has served churches in Itasca and Barrington prior to her appointment at Batavia in 2014. She received her master of divinity degree and her Ph.D in systematic theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and is an ordained elder in the Northern Illinois Conference.
Pastor Anderson is the author of "Reclaiming Participation: Christ as God's Life for All," published by Fortress Press in 2014. She is married to Bruce Anderson and they have two adult children.
People are invited to bring their lunch and eat as they enjoy the program and discussion. Lunch items, beverages and baked goods can be purchased at Chapters Coffee House & Café, located just inside the library and adjacent to the meeting room. To preorder for pickup just before the program, call (630) 406-8005. Parking is available in the lot just south and adjacent to the library.
On Feb. 16, celebrate the 90th anniversary of Route 66 with author Susan Croce Kelly. She is the author of two award-winning books on the history of Route 66 and the man who created the highway. "Father of Route 66," the story of Cy Avery, won Missouri's Walter Williams Major Book Award in 2015, and was a finalist in the Oklahoma Book Awards and Indie Book Awards, Biography category. "Route 66, The Highway and Its People" is a history of the highway from the 1920s until the arrival of the Interstates.
Sports fans will enjoy the return of ESPN's Lester Munson March 16. He has selected these two sports-related books this year. "The Last Innocents" by Michael Leahy explores societal and racial issues in Major League Baseball. "All the Way: My Life on Ice" by Jordin Tootoo is an honest and sincere account of a hockey player of Inuk descent who fought alcoholism on his road to the National Hockey League.
Longtime presenter Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune and WGN Radio returns April 20 to continue his discussion of Chicago legends. The past two seasons he shared clips from a video library source he had found: mediaburn.org. Kogan is looking forward to sharing more clips and stories of legendary Chicagoans he came to know so well through his work and personal life.
On May 18, Batavia's Books Between Bites season concludes with a special guest, author Amy Dickinson on her new book, "Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things." She writes the nationally syndicated advice column "Ask Amy" and is a frequent panelist on NPR's "Wait Wait … Don't Tell Me!"
Books Between Bites was established in Batavia in 1987 by the late Lee C. Moorehead. The program has been continued by Moorehead's wife, Betty, and his daughter, Becky Hoag, in partnership and cosponsorship with George H. Scheetz and Stacey Peterson of Batavia Public Library.
For information about Books Between Bites, call Becky Hoag at (630) 482-9157. The complete schedule and description of each program can be found at booksbetweenbites.com. Printed season schedules are available at the Batavia Public Library.