LIFE

Books + beer? Indy Library starts adult summer program

Cara Anthony
cara.anthony@indystar.com
Sandra Kuhn, from left, Ingi Jennings, Whitney Bowman, and Dzintra Tuttle laugh as they figure out answers to trivia questions at the Literary Trivia event at Sun King Brewery, Monday, June 22, 2015. The Indiana Historical Society and the Indianapolis Public Library put on this event for part of an adult reading program. Questions asked included trivia questions about Indiana authors, adult summer reading selections, the Library's McFadden Lecture authors, and Indianapolis Public Library post card photos. These women wore garlands as they visited the brewery to celebrate a Latvian midsummer festival. They joined the trivia contest when they came to the brewery for their own celebration.

Summer reading isn't just about kids at the Indianapolis Public Library.

A musically inspired reading program made for adults kicked off in June with an outdoor concert at the Central Library's East Garden.

The library launched a pilot adult summer reading program in 2014. Small book discussions were held, but this year's program will offer more events, more books and beer.

Free events will continue through August. Here are five reasons to check out the reading program made for the young at heart.

1. You can pair beer with books

Sun King Brewery, 135 N. College Ave., will host three Indianapolis Public Library book events this summer.

A trivia contest kicks off at 6 p.m. on Monday. The brewery will also host two book discussions.

"Girl in a Band" by Kim Gordon is up first at the brewery. The event starts at 6 p.m. July 27. The second book to be discussed is "Return to Oakpine" by Ron Carlson. The discussion kicks off at 6 p.m. Aug. 24.

2. The list of authors

From Ann Patchett to Philip Glass, the work of 12 authors will be discussed at various locations throughout the city.

This year's selected titles — inspired by music — include: "Bel Canto" by Ann Patchett; "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr; "Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain" by Oliver Sacks; "Mambo in Chinatown" by Jean Kwok; "Words Without Music" by Philip Glass; "The Piano Tuner" by Daniel Mason; "Girl in a Band: A Memoir" by Kim Gordon; "Violins of Hope" by James A. Grymes; "Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell; "The Cellist of Sarajevo" by Steven Galloway; "Night in Shanghai" by Nicole Mones; and "Return to Oakpine" by Ron Carlson.

Audio books, eBooks, and hard copies of each title are available for a three week loan at the library.

3. Free outdoor concerts at the library

Indiana musicians will continue to showcase their talents this summer in the Central Library's East Garden.

Concerts, however, won't be the only programs paired with books. Beatles scholar Aaron Krerowicz will illustrate the influence of American recording artists from the 1950s on the Beatles at an event set for 6 p.m. on Aug. 25 at the Glendale branch, 6101 N. Keystone Ave.

4. The scenery.

Picturesque venues, including the Eiteljorg Museum, White River State Park and the Arts Council of Indianapolis, will play host to book discussions this summer. Go for a walk or rediscover the city after diving into a book on the list.

5. You could make new friends.

From 20-somethings to seniors, the book list is expected to draw an wide-range of book lovers to the library. One-hour book discussions along with free concerts and beer could open new friendship chapters across the city.

Call Star reporter Cara Anthony at(317) 444-6049. Follow her on Twitter: @CaraRAnthony.

What else is going on at the library?

Indianapolis Public Library cardholders now have access to free music streaming and downloads.

More than 9 million songs and 28,000 music labels are available through Freegal, the library announced Monday.

The music service is available on iTunes and Google play. To access music, cardholders can sign into the app with their Library card and PIN number.

Freegal allows up to five downloads of music per week. Music videos can also be downloaded. Each video download counts as two downloads.