Our Current Season
2024-25
We will provide a link to YouTube when the video of each program becomes available.
Thank you BATV!
Thank you BATV!
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 (except as noted)
10 S. Batavia Avenue, Batavia, IL Noon - 1 PM
Third Thursday/month (except as noted)
September thru May Reservations NOT required
At the end of each presentation, there is always time
for Q&A and discussion.
for Q&A and discussion.
We are delighted to present our 2024-25 Season lineup!
Our next program:
Thursday
November 21, 2024
Randall Niznick
author
In Service to Others:
A US Navy Seabee's Journey
Randy Niznick is a Batavia resident and Navy veteran. Venture into a personal narrative of one US Navy Seabee and his story of service and sacrifice during a 23-year military career. Randy takes you through his journey from initial enlistment through his various deployments and tours of duty, and finally the transition back to civilian life. It is a story of overcoming adversity, rediscovering one’s faith, and just riding out the ups and downs of this thing called life.
2024-25 Program Schedule
Thursday
September 19, 2024
Sue Campbell
Cheaper by the Dozen
by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr.
Sue Campbell invites you to jump into Foolish Carriage with the Gilbreth clan and enjoy the rewards and frustrations of growing up in this unique family. Still in print, Cheaper by the Dozen continues to delight readers of all ages. Locals know Sue as a fixture at the Library where she staffs the Friends of the Batavia Public Library monthly book sales and appears each Halloween in the guise of the Library Witch. A member of The Fermilab Arts and Lecture Committee, for many years she announced events there and received a jolt of adrenaline every time by making the audience laugh.
Link to program video:
Thursday
October 17, 2024
Mayor Jeff Schielke
More Batavia History in Literature
Mayor Jeff Schielke wears the mantle of resident historian and is devoted to finding and sharing interesting things about Batavia and its people. This time he will share highlights of John Dillon’s new book, Batavia Water Utility History. Dillon recently retired as superintendent of Batavia’s water and sewer department. The mayor will also share Mary Conde Wilson’s 1894 article on autumn in Batavia. Conde was the daughter of CB Conde, and a local writer in the 1890s
Link to program video:
Thursday
November 21, 2024
Randall Niznick
author
In Service to Others:
A US Navy Seabee's Journey
Randy Niznick is a Batavia resident and Navy veteran. Venture into a personal narrative of one US Navy Seabee and his story of service and sacrifice during a 23-year military career. Randy takes you through his journey from initial enlistment through his various deployments and tours of duty, and finally the transition back to civilian life. It is a story of overcoming adversity, rediscovering one’s faith, and just riding out the ups and downs of this thing called life.
Thursday
December 12, 2024
Valerie Blaine
The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light
by Paul Bogard
In the short span of 145 years since Edison patented the incandescent light bulb, darkness has faded in the glare of artificial light at night. The change to the planet has been far-reaching. Naturalist Valerie Blaine will review how Bogard describes the impact of artificial light on ecology, human health, and cultural traditions. Unlike many books about environmental issues, his narrative is both informative and inspiring. Valerie will emphasize ways in which we all can bring back the health of nighttime, one light switch at a time.
Please note, this program has been moved up one week to the 2nd Thursday of the month.
Thursday
January 16, 2025
Karl Bruhn
Karl Bruhn
Unique Structures in Fabyan Forest Preserve and Their Fascinating Stories
Batavian Karl Bruhn is a retired history teacher, devoting 40 years to teaching in Wheaton. A guest presenter at Books Between Bites for a number of years, he now is a docent at the Fabyan Forest Preserve. Hear the stories he has to tell about the nationally-known Villa, and other structures in and around the Villa, dating back to the days of Colonel Fabyan.
Our February program by Vivien Lasken will add even more to this story.
Our February program by Vivien Lasken will add even more to this story.
Thursday,
January 30, 2025
12 Noon
Marnie O. Mamminga, Author
The Wolf Song In Me
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.
Books will be available for sale & signing
Special
Books Between Bites Bonus!
We have added a special program to our 2024-25 Season to present Marnie & Mary's new book
At the event Mary will be demonstrating the torn paper techniques she uses to create the lovely illustrations in this book and their previous book
The Woodpecker's Song
The Woodpecker's Song
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.
Thursday
February 20, 2025
Vivien Lasken
Vivien Lasken
The Woman Who Smashed Codes
by Jason Fagone
Elizebeth Smith Friedman was a pioneer in code-breaking and one of the nation’s foremost cryptanalysts. She took down smuggling syndicates during Prohibition, broke enigma codes in WWII, and caught Nazi spies in South America. She and her husband, William Friedman, practically invented their field overnight. Learn about her start at the fabulous Geneva estate of Colonel George Fabyan, the eccentric millionaire, and how her research led to the start of the NSA. Vivien Lasken is director of the Fabyan Villa Museum and Japanese Garden.
Thursday
March 20, 2025
Lester Munson
Lester Munson
Charlie Hustle:
The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose
by Keith O'Brien
Lester Munson has been a nationally-known commentator, former ESPN senior writer and legal analyst, and WTTW’s Chicago Tonight guest. In this annual visit to the program, he will share his thoughts on this new and epic treatment of the life of one of the most fascinating figures in sports history, from his dizzying heights to his calamitous lows, a tragic fall brought on by Rose’s hubris, arrogance, and compulsive gambling.
ThursdayApril 10, 2025
Dan Hoefler
Dan Hoefler
Manhunt:
The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
by James L. Swanson
Batavian Dan Hoefler is a retired history teacher and president of the Batavia Historical Society. The murder of Abraham Lincoln 100 years ago set off the greatest manhunt in American history—the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. Based on rare archival materials, obscure trial transcripts, and Lincoln’s own blood relics, Manhunt is a fully documented, fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters.
Please note, this program has been moved up one week to the 2nd Thursday of the month.
Thursday
May 15, 2025
Kathy Hubbard & Linda Sullivan
Kathy Hubbard & Linda Sullivan
The Anxious Generation
by Jonathan Haidt
The Anxious Generation, by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, explores the progression of declining mental health in youth in the era of smartphones, big technology and exposure to social media. Haidt cites examples of how “play-based childhood” has been replaced by “phone-based childhood” and how four simple rules can assist in controlling the epidemic of mental illness and “restore a more human childhood”. Kathy Hubbard and Linda Sullivan are retired Batavia teachers. Kathy is a member of the Board of Trustees for Batavia Public Library.
