Our Current Season
2023-24
Books Between Bites is held in the large Founders Room at Batavia Public Library
10 S. Batavia Avenue, Batavia, IL     Noon - 1 PM   Third Thursday/month    September thru May   Reservations NOT required
At the end of each presentation, there is always time for Q&A and discussion.

We will provide a link to YouTube when the video of each program becomes available there  Thank you BATV!

Our 2023-24 Season is complete.
Watch for news in August of our 2024-25 Season lineup

2023-24 Program Schedule

Kate Garrett

Thursday,
September 21, 2023
Kate Garrett
Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America’s Cemeteries
by Greg Melville

Journalist Greg Melville visits local cemeteries wherever he travels and in this book, he invites readers to join him. From colonists’ hasty burials to the leisure parks that inspired the Transcendentalists, Melville sees cemeteries as windows to understanding American history. Kate Garrett, Batavia resident and Director of the Batavia Depot Museum, is a lifelong learner who feels about libraries the way Melville feels about cemeteries.

Link to program video:

Annie Hansen

Thursday,
October 19, 2023
Annie Hansen, Author
Get A Grip

Local Cozy Mystery Author, Annie Hansen, is branching out from her award-winning Kelly Clark Mystery Series to release her first stand-alone mystery, Get a Grip, set in the wealthy, snow-filled suburbs of Chicago. Three desperate housewives team up to solve the disappearance of their neighbor, Carrie, who has gone inexplicably missing. Did she leave town to avoid the high Covid numbers?
Was she murdered? Is it possible that Covid is not the only killer stalking the neighborhood? 

Annie's website: https://anniehansenauthor.com

Link to program video:

Pam Otto

Thursday,
November 16, 2023
Pam Otto
We Took To the Woods
by  Louise Dickinson Rich

 
Pam Otto is the outreach ambassador for the St. Charles Park District and creator of the weekly Good Natured newspaper column in the Kane County Chronicle and online in Kane County Connects. Her love of nature—and nature books—spans the decades. This book takes us back to 1942. A bestseller back in the day, Rich relates the ins and outs of life in the rugged backcountry of Middle Dam, Maine in exquisite and often hilarious detail.

Link to program video:

Laura Newman

Thursday, December 14, 2023 
Laura Newman
Madam Secretary and Hell and Other Destinations

autobiographies by Madeleine Albright

Laura Newman has been Batavia’s City Administrator since 2016. Before that she practiced labor and employment law and served as an executive for Mitutoyo America Corporation. Madeleine Albright was someone who Laura greatly admires and thinks of as a role model for women in traditionally male-dominated careers. Laura will be discussing her two autobiographies. The first, Madam Secretary, chronicles her life up to and including her service as Secretary of State. The second, Hell and Other Destinations, details her many post-service experiences and accomplishments.

Please note, this program was been moved up one week to the 2nd Thursday of the month.

Link to program video:

Mayor Jeff Schielke

Thursday, January 18, 2024
Mayor Jeff Schielke
The Back Story of Batavia History

Batavia’s Mayor Jeff Schielke was the very first speaker at the very first Books Between Bites in Batavia in 1987, when it was initially held at Batavia United Methodist Church. He is well known and appreciated as Batavia’s resident historian. Mayor Schielke has shared many programs about Batavia history and books and literature with a connection to our city. This visit, he shares what he has found to be the back story of Batavia history.

Link to Mayor Schielke's program video:

Josephine Tucci

Thursday, February 15, 2024
Josephine Tucci
Scandinavian and British Mysteries

Josephine Tucci, Batavia Public Library Executive Director since June 2023, is an avid reader and viewer of Scandinavian and British mystery series. From Scandinavian noir to British detective series, Jo shares some of her favorites, including the Wallander series. She’ll highlight mysteries that are available as book series, as well as book-to-TV series to add to your queue.

Link to Josephine Tucci's program video:

Lester Munson

Thursday, March 21, 2024
Lester Munson

The Tao of the Backup Catcher
  by Tim Brown & Erik Kratz

Lester Munson is a nationally known commentator, former ESPN senior writer and legal analyst, and WTTW’s Chicago Tonight guest. We’re delighted for his annual visit to Batavia to share his thoughts on this sport-related book. He promises to share more sports books, including those he recommends, and those he doesn’t! 

Also  discussed:

Link to program video:

Marnie O. Mamminga

Thursday,
April 18, 2024
Marnie O. Mamminga, Author
The Woodpecker’s Song

Marnie O. Mamminga  is the award-winning author of Return to Wake Robin: One Cabin in the Heyday of Northwoods Resorts and On a Clear Night: Essays from the Heartland, both published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. As a professional essayist, her work has been featured on NPR and in numerous publications including the Chicago Tribune, Reader’s Digest, The Christian Science Monitor, the Midwest Prairie Review, and in several Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Currently, she writes a monthly perspective for NPR’s WNIJ.
Mary C. Parks

Mary C. Parks,
Illustrator

Mary C. Parks  is both a state and nationally honored educator and has taught art in grades K through the college level. She was featured in the Chicago Tribune for curriculum distinction which led to her students’ artwork being showcased at the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition, Parks was a feature writer/illustrator for Instructor magazine for four years, receiving international recognition. Her freelance artwork can be found year-round at invitational art galleries, art shows, and at various educational and commercial sites.

Link to program video:

Karl Bruhn

Thursday, May 16, 2024
Karl Bruhn,
Presenter

Sears Kit Houses in Batavia, Geneva & Beyond

Karl Bruhn, a Batavia resident, is a retired history teacher. He spent 40 years teaching in Wheaton. He’s been a guest presenter at Books Between Bites for for a number of years. 

Come to his presentation, and learn about several Sears Kit houses in our area. Karl has been helped in his thorough research by several books about Sears houses, including Sears Homes of Illinois by Rosemary Thornton, and Houses by Mail by Katherine Cole Stevenson. 

Link to program video:

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