Library News

A work of fiction and one of nonfiction are in the library's spotlight this week.

The Curious Kidnapping of Nora W. by Cate Green, Nora Wojnaswki is her family's matriarch, a Holocaust survivor, and at 122 years and four months old, she's 18 days away from being the oldest person ever to have lived in this world and potentially a Guinness World Record holder. As her big day approaches, her family is determined to celebrate in style, but Nora's great granddaughter, Debs, is not too happy about being left in charge of the party. Their Rabbi can't commit to a date and the Wojnawski clan can't agree on what food should be served. Nora, however, isn't your average centenarian and has very different ideas. She disappears with her caregiver, Arifa, and goes on a trip down memory lane in the East End of London when a wartime secret Nora has kept buried deep for 70 years will finally be revealed. Green has written that this book, her debut novel, is not a historical novel, and it's not a novel about victims of war and injustice. Instead, this is a novel about survivors of war and injustice and their lives as ordinary people with extraordinary pasts.

Birding Under the Influence: Cycling Across America in Search of Birds and Recovery by Dorian Anderson. Anderson, a neuroscience researcher on a pressure-filled life trajectory.  He walks away from the world of elite institutions, research labs, and academic publishing. When he does this, he falls in love and discovers that he has freed himself to embrace his lifelong love for birding. He embarks on a continent-spanning adventure in which he attempts to see as many species of birds as possible in twelve months.  This would be a massive undertaking under any circumstances, but Anderson is doing this on a bike while maintaining his sobriety. As the author pedals across the country describing the birds he sees, he faces the challenges of long-distance cycling such as treacherous weather, punctured tires, speeding cars, and injury. He comes across eccentric characters, blistering blacktop, dreary hotel rooms, snarling dogs, and an endless sea of smoking tailpipes. He also confronts his past struggles with alcohol, drugs, and risky behaviors that began in high school and followed him into adulthood.  This book is a candid, honest look at Dorian's double life of academic accomplishments and addiction. His journey to recovery is both poignant and inspiring, and it is ultimately his love of birds and nature that provides the scaffolding to build a new and very different life.

Upcoming Events at the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library:

Tuesdays:

Creative Social Circle, Tuesdays at 5 PM. Bring your crafts or work with our craft supplies! Enjoy coffee, tea and the company of other adults while you work on your creative projects. 

Yoga at the Library, Tuesdays at 6 PM. $30 for this 6 week session, payable to Instructor Dave Sivley. Tuesdays, October 1 - November 12th from 6-7 PM (No class on Election Day - November 5th).

Wednesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— November 13th at 9 AM Parenting isn’t easy. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays at 11 AM (following the school calendar). Join us for music, movement, stories & crafts intended for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club, October 3, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM. Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Trick or Treat, October 31st, 5-7 PM. Enter our children’s library from the ramp on Main St during trick or treat hours for a scare-free experience. If you’re brave, enter our Burney St entrance for a spine-chilling venture through the stacks! We’ll be closing early to set up for our biggest event of the year!

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections!  All ages are welcome!

Saturdays:

Tech Time, select Saturdays, October 5th, 12th, 19th, From 10AM-1PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

If you’ve browsed the library shelves lately, you might have noticed an increasing number of bright orange labels. These spine labels are to draw your attention to the LARGE PRINT books in our collection, including the following new fiction titles:

Snake Oil by Kelsey Rae Dimberg. Rhoda West is the luminously charismatic founder of the fast-growing startup Radical, a wellness company whose core mission is the betterment of women's lives. Rhoda's Instagram page offers intimate glimpses of her personal life alongside promotions for the cult-status products developed in the Well, Radical's secretive lab. Dani Lang is a 'quester,' as Rhoda calls her most avid followers. Dani found Radical at a low point in her life, and took an entry-level job just to get in the door. When she volunteers to test a controversial new supplement, Dani wins an opportunity to rise in the company, even to work with Rhoda herself. Cecelia Cole is a 'quasher.' She grinds away at the Customer Worship queue, resenting the entitled customers, the woo-woo Radical jargon, and Rhoda's smiling hypocrisy. Cecelia, who suffers from a miserable chronic illness, knows the remedies that Rhoda sells can't cure real sickness. Just as Rhoda announces another fundraising round that could turn Radical into a billion-dollar unicorn, an anonymous Twitter account begins spilling snarky gossip from inside the startup. Is Rhoda really the nurturing leader she presents to the world, or a fraud? Or is this just another case of a woman in business being punished for her strength and audacity? Tensions rise and loyalties clash, then tragedy strikes during a company party. In the aftermath of what looks more and more like a crime, even the most faithful questers begin to wonder what lengths Rhoda will go to protect her company. Part page-turning suspense, part darkly comic skewering of startup culture, Snake Oil is a gripping exploration of ambition and authenticity, shining a revealing light on the wellness world.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim. This book tells the story of a biracial Korean American family in Virginia whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband goes missing. Mia is the irreverent, hyper analytical twenty-year-old daughter who is not initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene do not return from a walk in a nearby park. But, then, Eugene runs through the front door bloody and alone and it is clear that the father in this close knit family is gone and the only witness is Eugene. Eugene has a rare genetic condition called Angelman syndrome and cannot speak. What ensues is a ticking clock investigation about this missing man and a revelation of a family's most personal secrets which just may be at the heart of the disappearance.

Upcoming Events at the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library:

Tuesdays:

Creative Social Circle, Tuesdays at 5 PM. Bring your crafts or work with our craft supplies! Enjoy coffee, tea and the company of other adults while you work on your creative projects. 

Yoga at the Library, Tuesdays at 6 PM. $30 for this 6 week session, payable to Instructor Dave Sivley. Tuesdays, October 1 - November 12th from 6-7 PM (No class on Election Day - November 5th).

Wednesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— October 9th at 9 AM Parenting isn’t easy. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays at 11 AM (following the school calendar). Join us for music, movement, stories & crafts intended for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Newton Family History: The Rest of the Story, presented by Allen Butchbaker. Wednesday, October 9th at 6 PM. Learn about the significance of the Newton family and their impact that reaches far beyond Volinia Township. 

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club, October 3, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM. Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Trick or Treat, October 31st, 5-7 PM. Enter our children’s library from the ramp on Main St during trick or treat hours for a scare-free experience. If you’re brave, enter our Burney St entrance for a spine-chilling venture through the stacks! We’ll be closing early to set up for our biggest event of the year!

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections!  All ages are welcome!

History of the Pokagon Band, during First Friday, October 4th, 4-7 PM. Cecil Wilson, Historic Research Specialist, studies the vast history of the Potawatomi people and shares his findings with communities. He will be here to discuss the background of the Pokagon Band!

Kebaonish Tea Tasting,  during First Friday, October 4th, 4-7 PM. Kebaonish is an indigenous and woman-led coffee/tea company who take pride in their tea blends inspired by the Anishinaabe Seven Grandfather Teachings. Experience the essence of these timeless principles.

Saturdays:

Tech Time, select Saturdays, October 5th, 12th, 19th, From 10AM-1PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week, the library is highlighting two new reference books for adults (Note: Neither book is a replacement for the expertise and professional services of licensed attorneys.)

Nolo's Essential Guide to Child Custody & Support 6th Edition by Emily Doskow. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley School of law, the author is a practicing attorney and mediator who has worked with families in the San Francisco Bay area since 1989. She specializes in family law, including adoption, parentage issues, domestic partnership formation and dissolution, and divorce. When getting divorced, couples can make a tough time easier for themselves and their children if they work together to agree on a custody plan and child support. If they can't resolve these issues, they'll have to head to court and ask a judge to decide for them. Either way, this book can help. Readers will learn how to negotiate and use mediation to keep costs down and improve future dealings with an ex-partner, find a particular state's child support guidelines, and advocate for desired custody arrangements. This guidebook covers how to enforce and change custody and support orders, anticipate how a judge will handle a case if it goes to trial, recognize the situations when a lawyer is necessary, and the best ways to work with a lawyer. 

Law Forms for Personal Use 12th Edition by the Nolo Editors. At some point in time, all of us will need to get an agreement in writing. Where to start, however, is the question! This reference book makes it easy to create legal agreements and organize essential information. The plain-English instructions will help readers to plan an estate, delegate authority, rent out a place to live, borrow or lend money, and sell personal property. Readers will also learn new information about how to settle legal disputes, handle personal finances, hire household help, deal with scammers and telemarketers, and so much more! The book includes downloadable forms, letting the reader save and customize all of the agreements, checklists, and other forms within the book.

Upcoming Events at the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library:

Tuesdays:

Creative Social Circle: Tuesdays at 5 PM. Bring your crafts or work with our craft supplies! Enjoy coffee, tea and the company of other adults while you work on your creative projects. 

Wednesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— October 9th at 9 AM Parenting isn’t easy. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays at 11 AM starting September 11th. Join us for music, movement, stories & crafts intended for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Newton Family History: The Rest of the Story, presented by Allen Butchbaker. Wednesday, October 9th at 6 PM. Learn about the significance of the Newton family and their impact that reaches far beyond Volinia Township. 

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club, October 3, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM. Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

A Trail of Money and Death, September 26th at 5 PM. A virtual presentation on the Morris Murders by the author of A Trail of Money and Death, offering another perspective on the unsolved murders of Esther and Charles Morris in 1879. 

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections!  All ages are welcome!

Saturdays:

Tech Time, select Saturdays, October 5th, 12th, 19th, From 10AM-1PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week, the library is highlighting a new adult fiction book and a new adult non-fiction book.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (available in large print). This gripping mystery revolves around a prominent banking family's troubled legacy in the Adirondacks. In 1975, Barbara Van Laar, a 13-year old, goes missing near the end of her first summer at Camp Emerson. Fourteen years earlier, Barbara's older brother Bear disappeared from their family's area summer house when he was eight. The book's nonlinear narrative reveals the family's pain and unhappiness. Peter Van Laar, the children's father, pressured his wife, Alice, to have another child shortly after Bear disappeared. Barbara frustrated her parents by becoming more difficult as a young girl, prompting them to send her to a boarding school. The author gradually reveals the truth behind Barbara's disappearance in scenes told from the alternating perspectives of several characters. including her bunkmate Tracy who helps Barbara sneak out of the camp to meet her boyfriend. In the mean time, details about Bear's disappearance emerge as state police detective Judyta Luptack investigates Barbara's case. The beautiful and dangerous wilderness setting enhances the suspense as the narrative builds to a dramatic and astonishing final act that sheds a glaring light on Peter's reluctance to prioritize the family's well-being over its reputation.

I Hate Job Interviews!: Stop Stressing. Start Performing. Get the Job You Want.  by Sam Owens. The key to landing that dream job or big promotion often comes down to how you perform on the job interview. After bombing some interviews early in his career, the author, vowed this would never happen to him again. He began to work on a system to ensure he was ready for even the most oddball questions in future interviews.  The system Owens developed proved to be so successful, he built a career coaching business around teaching this system to others and has now coached thousands of people on how to prepare for interviews. In I’m Hate Job Interviews, Owens shares his proven methodology and provides simple frameworks and demonstrations on how to answer any type of job interview question. Job candidates using this system will gain confidence in answering introductory, behavioral, hypothetical, opinion, personal, think-on-your-feet, salary, and self-awareness questions. You, the reader, will learn how to craft "power" examples to show potential employers that your skills align perfectly with the job being sought. You'll also learn how to make a big first impression with the first interview question, how to tell compelling stories that clearly demonstrate your abilities, and how to engage in salary negotiations that maximize your job offer. After reading Owens’ book, the reader will go into the next job interview with confidence, ready to knock any question out of the park!

Upcoming Events at the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library 

Wednesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month—August 14th and September 11th at 9:00 A.M as well as the 3rd Friday of every month—August 16th, and September 20th at 3:00 P.M.  Parenting isn’t easy. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Last Wednesday Family Game & Movie Night with Popcorn. The last Wednesday of each month, July 31st, and August 28th starting at 6:00 PM. We’ll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome.

Wednesday Summer Crafts in July. (Crafts were chosen from the books that are written in parentheses). Starts at 12 Noon. July 17th: Cup of Kindness (I Promise); July 24th: You Are Welcome (All Are Welcome Here); July 31st Duplo Stamped Dinosaurs (Dinosaur Dance). All ages are welcome!

Wednesday Summer Crafts in August.  (Crafts were chosen from the books that are written in parentheses).  Starts 12 Noon.  August 7th:  I Love Myself (You Matter); August 14th:  “Hand” Made Tree (Tap the Magic Tree); August 21st:  Tissue Box Guitar (Abiyoyo); and August 28th:  Handprint Heart (The Kissing Hand).

Africa: An Excellent Adventure. Wednesday, July 24th, at 6:00 P.M. Travel to Africa through this extraordinary presentation brought to you by the four ladies who experienced the journey first-hand—Tina Haggin, Sharon Melko, Becky Moore, and Pam Zandt.

Morris Murders: Occurred on September 28th, 1879. Wednesday, August 7, 2024 from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. We welcome you to attend a presentation about the unsolved case of the Morris murders. Charles Morris, Esther Morris, and their unborn child were all victims. Listen as Jan Roeder & Ron Morris, the last direct descendent of this Morris family line, discuss this unsolved true crime.

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2024, August 6, September 5, October 3, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM. Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Community Read, July 25, 2024 at 6:00 P.M.  Join us to talk about the book The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons. We’ll watch a videotaped interview of Annie Lyons and then discuss the book together.  If you would like a copy of the book in order to join in the discussion prior to the meeting, please contact the library.  We would love to have you join us.  Light refreshments will be served.

Animal Magic Presentation. Thursday, August 1st at 9:00 A.M. Animal Magic is a licensed, nonprofit, no-kill exotic animal rescue/educational facility whose staff members travel around to present their exotic animals.

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections!  All ages are welcome!

Throughout the Year:

Smokey the Bear Reading Challenge. January 1st-November 28th, 2024. Help Smokey by learning how to prevent wildfires and help the environment. Read 3 books and earn 4 badges to complete the challenge and earn your prize. Badges are earned by completing at least one activity per section. Bring your completed sheet into the Library for your prize. One prize per person.

This week the library is highlighting two works of adult fiction. The first book is the one chosen for the upcoming Community Read which occurs on July 25th, 2024 at 6 PM.  Pick up a copy of the book from the library to read before the event. Then join us to watch a brief online interview with the author before we engage in a discussion about the book: 

The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons. Eudora Honeysett is done with this noisy, moronic world-all of it. She has witnessed the indignities and suffering of old age and has lived a full life. She recalls her own childhood of losing her beloved father during World War I and the devastating impact it had on not only the entire family but also on the trajectory of her own life. She is eighty-five years old, and she isn't going to leave things to chance. Her end will come on her terms. So, with one call to a clinic in Switzerland, a plan is set in motion. What she did not count on was meeting ten-year-old Rose Trewidney, a pint-sized whirling rainbow of color and sparkling cheer. Eudora, who wants to be left alone to set her affairs in order, is, instead, drawn into a series of adventures with the irrepressible Rose and an affable, recently widowed neighbor named Stanley. The trio of unlikely best friends grows closer, and they all anxiously await the birth of Rose's new baby sister. Eudora, an elderly woman ready to embrace death, now learns from a little girl how to really live. How can she possibly say goodbye?

The Note by Carly Schabowski. In 1942, Josef and his wife Adi are captured by the Nazis in Paris after being on the run. They are forced into a train with many others and spend days traveling to Auschwitz. They are torn from each other, stripped of their belongings, and receive inked prison numbers on their skin. In the death camp, they know their days are numbered-will they ever see each other again? Fast forward to South Carolina in 1953. Thirteen-year-old Alice is awakened one hot summer night by the sound of loud sirens. The body of a teenage girl, Nancy, has been found in the lake.  Suspicion falls on Jozef, a German refugee who resides in the small town. One of Alice's friends breaks a window in Josef's house, and Alice feels guilty. She pens a note apologizing. That note changes everything. Learn how!

Upcoming Events at the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library 

Wednesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— July 10th, August 14th and September 11th at 9 A.M Parenting isn’t easy. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Last Wednesday Family Game & Movie Night with Popcorn. The last Wednesday of each month, July 31st, and August 28th starting at 6 PM. We’ll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome.

Wednesday Summer Crafts (Crafts were inspired by the Marcellus First 10 books that are written in parentheses). Starts at 12 Noon. July 3rd: Circle Lollipops (Circles Around Us); July 10th: Rice Sock Rabbits (The Rabbit Listened); July 17th: Cup of Kindness (I Promise); July 24th: You Are Welcome (All Are Welcome Here); July 31st Duplo Stamped Dinosaurs (Dinosaur Dance). All ages are welcome!

Africa: An Excellent Adventure. Wednesday, July 24th, at 6 P.M. Travel to Africa through this extraordinary presentation brought to you by the four ladies who experienced the journey first-hand—Tina Haggin, Sharon Melko, Becky Moore, and Pam Zandt.

Morris Murders, Wednesday, August 7, 2024 from 5-7 P.M. We welcome you to attend a presentation about the unsolved case of the Morris murders. In 1879, Charles Morris, Esther Morris, and their unborn child were all victims. Listen as Jan Roeder & Ron Morris, the last direct descendent of this Morris family line, discuss this unsolved true crime.

Thursdays:

Community Read –The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons, Thursday, July 25th at 6 PM. Pick up a copy of this book from the library to read before this event. Then join us to view a brief interview with the author before delving into a community discussion. Light refreshments will be provided!

First Thursday Book Club, August 6, September 5, October 3, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM. Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Animal Magic Presentation. Thursday, August 1st at 9 A.M. Animal Magic is a licensed, nonprofit, no-kill exotic animal rescue/educational facility whose staff members travel around to present their exotic animals.

Fridays:

Treasures from the Archives, July 5th from 5-7 PM. If you’ve ever wondered, “What’s in the basement at the library?”, stop in during First Friday to see some of the interesting finds that are kept safely in storage!

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections!  All ages are welcome!

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 3rd Friday of every month— August 16th, and September 20th at 3 P.M.  Parenting isn’t easy. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Throughout the Year:

Smokey the Bear Reading Challenge. Now-November 28th, 2024. Help Smokey by learning how to prevent wildfires and help the environment. Read 3 books and earn 4 badges to complete the challenge and earn your prize. Badges are earned by completing at least one activity per section. Bring your completed sheet into the Library for your prize. One prize per person.

2024 Reading Challenge. Let’s read 2024 books as a community this year! When you finish a book, come and fill out a leaf. The leaf will be put on the tree in the children’s area. If we reach our goal, we will have a surprise celebration for all of our readers!

This week, the library is highlighting two new adult non-fiction books available to our readers.

The Conservative Environmentalist: Common Sense Solutions for a Sustainable Future by Beni Backer. Backer, Founder and Executive Chairman of the American Conservative Coalition, is a young, conservative environmentalist providing readers with a bold vision for both solving our country's climate crisis and prioritizing the American national interest. Politicians, pseudo experts, and other partisans have led Americans to believe that there are only two approaches to climate issues—doomerism or denial. The author contends that both arguments are dead ends and instead delivers an entirely new strategy to take care of the planet while keeping the economic interests of the American people first. He makes the compelling case that conservative principles are the key to climate solutions that actually work. Readers will visit the country's most diverse ecosystems and consequential manufacturers while witnessing the power of individual entrepreneurship and local problem-solving. Groundbreaking efforts to strengthen the earth's ecosystems are revealed such as partnerships between oil and gas companies and environmental nonprofits to preserve thousands of acres of wetlands. Benji Backer draws on cutting-edge science, a deep understanding of local community needs, and his experience rallying politicians on both sides of the aisle to take action He offers hope for everyone who cares about the state of our great outdoors. His work is fascinating, clear-headed, and full of surprises.

Sell Like a Monk: Timeless Rules for Modern Selling by Mike Ferrell.  Sales people face an uphill battle today, with challenging economic times, high turnover rates, stress, and mental health issues. The profession of selling is in trouble across all industries, yet businesses and organizations continue to do what they have done for years and years.  Ferrell introduces the reader to a new, comprehensive way of selling based on principles from a document written by a monk 1, 500 years ago. He takes a step-by-step approach to creating happy, healthy and successful sales people and flourishing sales organizations and businesses.

Upcoming Events at the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library 

Wednesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— July 10th, August 14th and September 11th at 9 A.M Parenting isn’t easy. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Last Wednesday Family Game & Movie Night with Popcorn. The last Wednesday of each month, July 31st, and August 28th starting at 6 PM. We’ll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome.

Wednesday Summer Crafts (Crafts were inspired by the Marcellus First 10 books that are written in parentheses). Starts at 12 Noon. July 3rd: Circle Lollipops (Circles Around Us); July 10th: Rice Sock Rabbits (The Rabbit Listened); July 17th: Cup of Kindness (I Promise); July 24th: You Are Welcome (All Are Welcome Here); July 31st Duplo Stamped Dinosaurs (Dinosaur Dance). All ages are welcome!

Africa: An Excellent Adventure. Wednesday, July 24th, at 6 P.M. Travel to Africa through this extraordinary presentation brought to you by the four ladies who experienced the journey first-hand—Tina Haggin, Sharon Melko, Becky Moore, and Pam Zandt.

Morris Murders, Wednesday, August 7, 2024 from 5-7 P.M. We welcome you to attend a presentation about the unsolved case of the Morris murders. In 1879, Charles Morris, Esther Morris, and their unborn child were all victims. Listen as Jan Roeder & Ron Morris, the last direct descendent of this Morris family line, discuss this unsolved true crime.

Thursdays:

Community Read –The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons, Thursday, July 25th at 6 PM. Pick up a copy of this book from the library to read before this event. Then join us to view a brief interview with the author before delving into a community discussion. Light refreshments will be provided!

First Thursday Book Club, August 6, September 5, October 3, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM. Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Animal Magic Presentation. Thursday, August 1st at 9 A.M. Animal Magic is a licensed, nonprofit, no-kill exotic animal rescue/educational facility whose staff members travel around to present their exotic animals.

Fridays:

Treasures from the Archives, July 5th from 5-7 PM. If you’ve ever wondered, “What’s in the basement at the library?”, stop in during First Friday to see some of the interesting finds that are kept safely in storage!

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections!  All ages are welcome!

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 3rd Friday of every month— August 16th, and September 20th at 3 P.M.  Parenting isn’t easy. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Throughout the Year:

Smokey the Bear Reading Challenge. Now-November 28th, 2024. Help Smokey by learning how to prevent wildfires and help the environment. Read 3 books and earn 4 badges to complete the challenge and earn your prize. Badges are earned by completing at least one activity per section. Bring your completed sheet into the Library for your prize. One prize per person.

2024 Reading Challenge. Let’s read 2024 books as a community this year! When you finish a book, come and fill out a leaf. The leaf will be put on the tree in the children’s area. If we reach our goal, we will have a surprise celebration for all of our readers!

This week the library is featuring two new works of adult fiction.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware.  Lyla is in a rut.  Her post-doctoral research has sputtered out, and she is pretty sure they will not renew her contract.  Then too, things with her boyfriend Nico, an aspiring actor, are not going great.  Then, Nico gets the opportunity to join a reality television show—One Perfect Couple.  She decides to try out with him.  After all, the rules of the game show seem simple.  Ten strangers have to survive together on a remote island—the last couple standing wins the prize.  Why not enjoy some sun, sea, laughs and plenty of flirting?  Two weeks later, she finds herself boarding a boat to an isolated luxury resort in the Indian Ocean.  But when a huge tropical storm cuts them off from everything, the group must band together to survive.  But they don’t.  Tensions run high and fresh water and supplies run low.  Lyla soon realizes that someone is playing this game for real—and they will stop at nothing to win.   Who will survive until the end?  

I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay (Large Print).  Richard Boyle is an English teacher.  He is faced with this question one day while at school:  How would you react in a life-or-death situation?  One of his former students, Mark LeDrew, is intent on harming others and shows up with a bomb strapped to his chest.  Richard immediately responds, and thanks to some quick thinking on his part, a major tragedy is averted and Richard is hailed as a hero.  However, Richard soon learns that not all of the attention focused on him after this event is positive.  His brief moment of brilliance puts him in the sighs of a deranged blackmailer with a score to settle.  The situation rapidly spirals out of control, and Richard is drawn into a web of salacious accusations and deadly secrets.  As he struggles to uncover the truth, he realizes that there is something quite wrong in the town—something that ties together Mark, the blackmailer, a gang of ruthless drug dealers.  Richard is right in the middle of it all.  He is desperate to find a way out, but everyone in his life seems to be hiding something and trusting the wrong person could cost him everything.

Upcoming New Events:

Africa—An Excellent Adventure, Wednesday, July 24th at 6:00 PM.  Presented by Tina Haggin, Sharon Melko, Becky Moore, and Pam Zandt.  Come and share in the sights and experiences of an African safari. 

Community Read –The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons, Thursday, July 25th at 6:00 PM. Pick up a copy of this book from the library to read before this event. Then join us to view a brief interview with the author before delving into a community discussion. Light refreshments will be provided!

Upcoming Recurring Events:

Wednesdays:

AM Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— June 12th, July 10th, August 14th at 9:00 A.M.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, June 26th and the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome.

Wednesday Summer Crafts  Wednesdays at 12 NOON. (Crafts were inspired by the Marcellus First 10 book selections.  June 12th: Decorating Picture Frames (The Family Book); June 19th: Elastic Beaded Bracelets (The Invisible String); June 26th: Feelings Layered Hearts (In My Heart)

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2023, August 1, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Every Friday 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome!

PM Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 3rd Friday of every month— June 21st, July 19th, at 3:00 PM.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

This week, the library is highlighting two new books—one a work of nonfiction and the other fiction.

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson. Abraham Lincoln won a tight race for the presidency on November 6, 1860, with the country bitterly at odds. Southern extremists were moving closer to destroying the Union with states seceding one after the other and Lincoln unable to stop them.  Slavery was at the heart of the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston-Fort Sumter. The author offers a riveting account of the chaotic months between Lincoln's election and the Confederacy's shelling of Sumter. This is a time period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, and personal tragedies and betrayals. Later, Lincoln wrote that the trials of these five months were "so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them." Central to this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter's commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain bloodthirsty radical who fans the flames of secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chestnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between both. During this time, an overwhelmed Lincoln tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable and that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans while battling with his duplicitous Secretary of State, William Seward.

Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose. Beth's life hasn't worked out the way she had planned. After her father walked out on their family leaving a note simply saying ‘I’m sorry,’ Beth has become obsessed with finding him, and her obsession has destroyed her relationship with her husband and her daughter. The only thing Beth has left is caring for her dying mother until her mother breathes her final shocking words—‘Your father.  He didn't disappear. Don't trust....’. Still reeling from her mother's dying words, Beth is

notified that her sister, Nicole, has been attacked and rushed to the hospital. Nicole and Beth have been estranged related to Nicole's ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction.  Beth's brother, Michael, has not been home since their father left, but now both Nicole and Michael move back into the family home with Beth. In an attempt to revisit happier memories, the siblings find themselves watching home videos of their childhood. It feels like a good idea until the footage cuts to a dead girl in the woods at night, their father covered in blood, and their mother's panicked voice. They'd love to believe the video footage is fake, but they know the little girl in the video is their old neighbor, Emma Harper, who vanished in 1993. Burying their mother will be difficult, but will Beth, Nicole, and Michael survive the truth about what really happened to that little girl?

Upcoming New Events:

Dinosaur Encounters, June 14th at 12 Noon at the Marcellus Elementary School gymnasium. A larger than life 30 minute presentation with songs, games, & realistic dinosaurs. Followed by a 30 minute meet & greet - photos encouraged! Marcellus First 10 will be hosting community health resources on site!

Africa—An Excellent Adventure, Wednesday, July 24th, 2024 at 6:00 PM.  Presented by Tina Haggin, Sharon Melko, Becky Moore, and Pam Zandt.  Join four friends as they share the sights and experiences of the trip of a lifetime! 

Upcoming Recurring Events:

Wednesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— June 12th, July 10th, August 14th at 9:00 A.M.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, June 26th and the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome.

Wednesday Summer Crafts  Wednesdays at 12 NOON. (Crafts were inspired by the Marcellus First 10 book selections.  June 12th: Decorating Picture Frames (The Family Book); June 19th: Elastic Beaded Bracelets (The Invisible String); June 26th: Feelings Layered Hearts (In My Heart)

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2024, August 1, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Every Friday 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome!

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 3rd Friday of every month— June 21st, July 19th, at 3:00 PM.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Saturdays:

Tech Time @ the Library,  Saturday from 10 AM-1PM on June 15th. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week the library is featuring two new adult fiction books.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren. Anna Green married Liam "West" Weston for access to subsidized housing while at UCLA. She also believed that she had signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went their separate ways. Fast forward three years and Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. West is also one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for this heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is, however, interested in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. But, West will not see a penny of his inheritance until he can prove he has been happily married for five years due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather's will.

West thinks he is reaching the home stretch in that regard but his family pressures him to see his mysterious spouse. He concludes he has no choice but to introduce his unpolished, not-so-ex wife to his one percenter parents. But once in the presence of his family, Lian's fears quickly shift from whether his feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part of loving wife to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as the surprisingly grounded and loyal Anna. Liam will ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a big lie.

This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. Lucy is a tourist vacationing on Prince Edward Island (PEI). Felix is the local who shows her a good time. What Lucy does not know is that Felix is her best friend's younger brother. Although Lucy and Felix have great chemistry, there is a long list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other. They vow never to repeat that first electric night together again. This is easier said than done. Every year, Lucy heads for PEI for a breath of fresh coastal air, oysters, and crisp wine with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach beneath the soaring red cliffs and the golden sun. After every visit, Lucy promises she will not wind up trysting with Felix again. She rationalizes that if she can not stay away from Felix, at least her heart is not his. Then, Bridget, about to be married, flees Toronto just one week before her wedding. Lucy follows Bridget to PEI in order to help her friend through this crisis and also vows to stay away from Felix. But Felix has changed and Lucy wonders just how safe her heart truly is.

Upcoming Events:

Wednesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— June 12th, July 10th, August 14th at 9:00 A.M.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Wednesdays:

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn,  June 26th and the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome.

Wednesday Summer Crafts in June.  (Crafts were inspired by the books that are written in parentheses).  June 12th: Decorating Picture Frames (The Family Book); June 19th: Elastic Beaded Bracelets (The Invisible String); June 26th: Feelings Layered Hearts (In My Heart)

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2023, June 6, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Fridays:

Story Walk: Just Read by Lori Degman. June 7th, 10 AM-7 PM. Stroll the library’s lawn to read the story page by page, with braille inclusions!

Muxlow Exotics, June 7th at 12 Noon. An interactive & educational live animal presentation, featuring a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians that will captivate & entertain. 

Lego at the Library, Every Friday 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome!

Health Q & A, June 7th, 5-7:00 P.M.  Do you have health & nutrition questions? Stop in during First Friday to ask the experts: Debbie Jackson, MS, RD and Dr. Larry Jackson, MD can share insights on heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, and more!

We’ll also be serving fresh popcorn & hosting fitness contests for all ages (with prizes that are sure to make a splash!)

Dinosaur Encounters, June 14th at 12 Noon at the Marcellus Elementary School gymnasium. A larger than life 30 minute presentation with songs, games, & realistic dinosaurs. Followed by a 30 minute meet & greet - photos encouraged! Marcellus First 10 will be hosting community health resources on site!

Saturdays:

Tech Time @ the Library,  Saturday from 10 AM-1PM, June 1st, 8th, 15th. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week the library is featuring two new adult fiction books!

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren. Anna Green married Liam "West" Weston for access to subsidized housing while at UCLA. She also believed that she had signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went their separate ways. Fast forward three years and Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. West is also one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for this heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is, however, interested in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. But, West will not see a penny of his inheritance until he can prove he has been happily married for five years due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather's will.

West thinks he is reaching the home stretch in that regard but his family pressures him to see his mysterious spouse. He concludes he has no choice but to introduce his unpolished, not-so-ex wife to his one percenter parents. But once in the presence of his family, Lian's fears quickly shift from whether his feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part of loving wife to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as the surprisingly grounded and loyal Anna. Liam will ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a big lie.

This week, the library is highlighting two new adult fiction novels.

Long Island: A Novel by Colm Tobin Toibin's Long Island is the long awaited sequel to his book Brooklyn where readers were introduced to the story's complex and enigmatic heroine Irish-born Eilis Lacey. Eilis is now married to plumber Tony Fiorello, one of four Italian American brothers all of whom are living with their wives and children along with Tony's parents in neighboring houses on a cul-de-sac in Lindenhurst, Long Island. Theirs is a huge extended family that lives, works, eats, and plays together. In the spring of 1976, Eilis, now in her forties with two teenage children, had no one to rely on in this still-new country. Her ties to Ireland, however, are stronger than her ties to her new land and home, but she has not returned to Ireland in decades. Then, one day, while  Tony is working and Eilis is in her home office doing her accounting, an Irishman knocks on her door and asks for Eilis by name. This man tells her that his wife is pregnant with Tony's child and that when the baby is born, he will not raise it but instead will deposit the baby on Eilis’s doorstep for her and Tony to raise. The story then becomes about what Eilis does— and what she refuses to do— in response to this stunning news. Long Island is about unfulfilled and even unrecognized longings, and about a woman alone in a marriage and the bonds she rekindles upon her return to the place and people she left behind and to ways of living and loving she thought she'd lost forever.

The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton, After World War I, many flocked to Florida intent on making a fortune. When wealthy industrialist Robert Barnes and his wife, Anna, build Marbrisa, a glamorous estate on Biscayne Bay, they quickly become the toast of this newly burgeoning society. This couple appears to have it all, but in a town like Miami, appearances can be deceiving and a whiff of a scandal can change everything. Many years later, after the tragic death of her parents in Havana, Carmen Acosta travels to Marbrisa which is now the grand home of Carmen's estranged older sister, Carolina, and her husband Asher Wyatt. Marbrisa has a treacherous legacy, and Carmen's own life is soon in peril— that is unless she can unravel the secrets buried beneath the estate's façade and prevent history from repeating itself.

Upcoming Events:

Wednesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— June 12th, July 10th, August 14th at 9:00 A.M. this month.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM through May 29th.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Sourdough for Beginners.  Learn the art of sourdough from expert Lindsey Morehouse of The Dough and More!  Wednesday, May 29th at 6PM.  Paid registration of $10 is required, and space is limited.  This workshop will cover the essentials and you'll leave with a starter of your own.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn,  May 29th and the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome.

Wednesday Summer Crafts in June.  (Crafts were inspired by the books that are written in parentheses).  June 12th: Decorating Picture Frames (The Family Book); June 19th: Elastic Beaded Bracelets (The Invisible String); June 26th: Feelings Layered Hearts (In My Heart)

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2023, June 6, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Fridays:

Muxlow Exotics, June 7th at 12 Noon. An interactive & educational live animal presentation, featuring a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians that will captivate & entertain. 

Lego at the Library, Every Friday 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome!

Health Q & A, June 7th, 5-7:00 P.M.  Do you have health & nutrition questions? Stop in during First Friday to ask the experts: Debbie Jackson, MS, RD and Dr. Larry Jackson, MD can share insights on heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, and more!

We’ll also be serving fresh popcorn & hosting fitness contests for all ages (with prizes that are sure to make a splash!)

Dinosaur Encounters, June 14th at 12 Noon at the Marcellus Elementary School gymnasium. A larger than life 30 minute presentation with songs, games, & realistic dinosaurs. Followed by a 30 minute meet & greet - photos encouraged! Marcellus First 10 will be hosting community health resources on site!

Saturdays:

Tech Time @ the Library,  Saturday from 10 AM-1PM, June 1st, 8th, 15th. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

The library has added a large number of art books to the collection recently. Henry David Thoreau commented: "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." The wide variety of art presented in these materials ranges from wood sculptures and paintings to industrial furniture, suburban landscapes, and typewriter poems. Take a look— some of it may not be your 'cup of tea'

However, as Keith Haring said: "The only way art lives is through the experience of the observer. The reality of art begins with the eyes of the beholder, through imagination, invention, and confrontation."

One of the art books added to the collection is Behind the Camera: American Women Photographers Who Shaped How We See the World by Marie Elizabeth

Ausherman.  The book tells the stories of several women photographers who stepped out of the bounds of physical and social expectations to pursue their own personal vision through photography. Each of them overcame the challenges they encountered in order to pursue their dreams. Some of the women came from wealthy families who were able to support their interests. Others had to make their own way by earning a living, or they found encouragement from other more established photographers. Many of these women chose to leave behind or avoid altogether the comforts of married life at a time when social norms dictated that marriage was the primary source of financial security for a woman.  The author wrote this book to inspire women photographers and invite them to continue documenting and recording what is most important in their lives.

A recent new non-fiction book was added as well: Knife by Salman Rushdie. Speaking out for the first time, Rushdie gives a searing and deeply personal account of experiencing and surviving an attempt on his life some thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him. He describes the event which occurred on August 12, 2022, in unforgettable detail. In essence, he answers the violence against him with art, and he reminds us of the power of words to make sense of the unthinkable. The book is a gripping, intimate, and ultimately life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, and art and finding the strength to stand up again.

Upcoming Events:

Wednesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— June 12th, July 10th, August 14th at 9:00 A.M.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM through May 2024.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Sourdough for Beginners.  Learn the art of sourdough from expert Lindsey Morehouse of The Dough and More!  Wednesday, May 29th at 6PM.  Paid registration of $10 is required, and space is limited.  This workshop will cover the essentials and you'll leave with a starter of your own.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn,  May 29th and the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome.

Wednesday Summer Crafts in June.  Crafts were inspired by the First 10 Initiative books.  June 12th: Decorating Picture Frames (The Family Book); June 19th: Elastic Beaded Bracelets (The Invisible String); June 26th: Feelings Layered Hearts (In My Heart)

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2024, June 6, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome!

Health Q & A, June 7th, 5-7:00 P.M.  Do you have health & nutrition questions? Stop in during First Friday to ask the experts: Debbie Jackson, MS, RD and Dr. Larry Jackson, MD can share insights on heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, and more!

We’ll also be serving fresh popcorn & hosting fitness contests for all ages (with prizes that are sure to make a splash!)

Saturdays:

Tech Time @ the Library,  Saturday from 10 AM-1PM, May 18th. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

Throughout the Year:

Smokey the Bear Reading Challenge.  January 1st-November 28th, 2024.  Help Smokey by learning how to prevent wildfires and help the environment.  Read 3 books and earn 4 badges to complete the challenge and earn your prize.  Badges are earned by completing at least one activity per section.  Bring your completed sheet into the Library for your prize. One prize per person.

2024 Reading Challenge. Let's read 2024 books as a community this year! When you finish a book, come and fill out a leaf.  The leaf will be put on the tree in the children's area. When we reach our goal, we will have a surprise celebration for all of our readers!

This week, we’re highlighting a historical fiction novel and a work of non-fiction—a collection of photographs.

Miss Morgan's Book Brigade: A Novel by Janet Skeslien Charles. In January 1918, Ann Morgan, the daughter of J.P. Morgan and founder of the American Committee for Devastated France (CARD), invites Jessie Carson, a librarian for the New York Public Library (NYPL) to help establish a library for civilians living near the front lines in northern France during World War I.  Jessie accepts the invitation, overcoming worries that she won't be up to the task, and devotes herself to distributing books, especially to local children. Years later in 1987, Wendy Peterson comes across a box of CARD records as she scans old documents into the NYPL’s microfiche system. Wendy is instantly intrigued by the women who volunteered for the organization and becomes determined to tell their story.  Her interest is especially piqued by Jessie because it is clear from the records that Jessie did not return to the NYPL after the war. Wendy discovers that she and the elusive librarian Jessie have more in common than their work at New York's famed library, but she has no idea their paths will converge in surprising ways across time. The book's author based this novel on the extraordinary little-known history of the women who received the Croix de Guerre medal for courage under fire. Charles packs Jessie's story with emotion, particularly in scenes where the librarian shares a French copy of Jessie's beloved Anne of Green Gables with a French girl, and when she takes comfort in her own love of reading during moments of despair. This book is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of literature, and ultimately the courage it takes to make a change.

Individuals: Portraits from the Gap Collection by Gap, Inc. Gap is famous for its advertisements featuring portraits of celebrity artists and performers by A-list photographers like Annie Leibovitz, Herb Ritts, and Michel Comte. In 2005, Trey Laird, Gap's creative director at the time, approached Melcher Media with the idea to memorialize this collection of iconic images. Gap wanted to celebrate a body of work more than twenty years in the making and filled with some of the most memorable images ever created of stars such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Scarlet Johansson, Willie Nelson, Ashton Kutcher, Brooke Shields, and Julianne Moore. Individuals is a collection of hundreds of beautiful portraits— along with celebrity essays on individuality-that serves as a powerful record of Gap's impact on the culture of our time.

Upcoming events:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, May 8 at 9:00 A.M. and then the 2nd WEDNESDAY of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays at 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, May 29th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

Sourdough for Beginners. Wednesday, May 29th at 6PM. Learn the art of sourdough from expert Lindsey Morehouse of The Dough and More!  Paid registration of $10 is required, and space is limited.  This workshop will cover the essentials and you'll leave with a starter of your own.

First Thursday Book Club 2023, June 6th, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading & to receive recommendations!

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are invited!

Health Q & A, June 7th, 5-7:00 P.M.  Do you have health & nutrition questions? Stop in during First Friday to ask the experts: Debbie Jackson, MS, RD and Dr. Larry Jackson, MD can share insights on heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, and more!

Tech Time @ the Library, Saturday, May 11th & May 18th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week the library is featuring two new works of fiction.

The Rainbow by Carly Schabowski. It is present day London. Isla, a busy lawyer, has grown up wearing her Polish grandfather's rainbow scarf, a beloved memento from World War II, and hearing his stories about his time as a young soldier bravely fighting the Germans to protect his people. Isla travels to Poland to visit her grandparents in preparation for her grandfather's 95th birthday celebration. During her stay, she rummages through her grandparents' attic, collecting photos for a display. Shockingly, she finds an old photo of two men standing in Nazi uniforms along with a folded newspaper article written in German. She recognizes her grandfather's name—Tomasz—in the article. Unfortunately, Isla can not discuss what she found with her grandfather— he is physically weak and his memory is much faded. Isla's grandmother is closed-mouthed and desires the subject to be dropped. But, Isla is determined to hunt for the truth. She knows that her grandfather's brother is still living but they have been estranged for years, and she starts her quest to learn the truth with him. She embarks on a journey around Europe seeking those who can tell her the story of what really happened all those years ago. What she uncovers is more shocking than she could have ever anticipated— a tale of childhood sweethearts torn apart by family duty, and how one young man risked his life, his love and the respect of his own people, to secretly fight for justice from inside the heart of the enemy itself. The book is inspired by an incredible true story!

The Twilight Garden: A Novel by Sara Nisha Adams. In a small pocket of London, between Number 77 and Number 79 Eastbourne Road, lies a neglected community garden. It was once a beautiful oasis amidst the bustling city for neighbors to enjoy by day and the local foxes to roam at twilight. But, now, the garden's gate is firmly closed. That is exactly how Winston in Number 79 likes it— he wants to avoid his neighbor Bernice and her young son. Their houses share the garden, but they are not exactly neighborly. Out of the blue, a mysterious parcel drops on Winston's doormat, and the seed of an idea is planted. The parcel contains no note but instead a bundle of photographs of the garden in full bloom many years ago—vibrant with flowers and filled with people from every corner of the community. Somewhere out there a secret gardener made a decades-old promise to keep the community's spirit alive. It is time for the twilight garden to come out of hibernation.

Upcoming events:

Wednesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, May 8 at 9:00 A.M. and then the 2nd WEDNESDAY of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, May 29th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

Sourdough for Beginners.  Learn the art of sourdough from expert Lindsey Morehouse of The Dough and More!  Wednesday, May 29th at 6PM.  Paid registration of $10 is required, and space is limited.  This workshop will cover the essentials and you'll leave with a starter of your own.

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2023, June 6th, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading & to receive recommendations!

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are invited!

Local Author Fair, May 3rd, 5-7:00 P.M.  Are you a local author?  Contact the library to reserve a spot at your local author fair.  Bring copies of your book(s) to sign and sell.  Meet and greet your fans and new readers. 

Saturdays:

Tech Time @ the Library, April 27th, from 10 AM to 1 PM. Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week, the Marcellus Library is turning the spotlight on two adult nonfiction books.

Shop Class for Everyone: Practical Life Skills in 83 Projects: Plumbing, Wood & Metalwork, Electrical, Mechanical, and Domestic Repair by Sharon Bowers and David Bowers. There was a time when almost every high school offered Shop Class where students learned how to do stuff—use a circular saw or rewire a broken lamp. Besides the practical benefits, Shop Class students also discovered the satisfaction of being self-reliant and doing it themselves. This book-Shop Class for Everyone-offers anyone who missed this vital high school class a crash course in practical life skills. It's packed with illustrated step-by-step instructions, relevant charts, lists, and handy graphics that guide the reader through plastering a wall, building a bookcase from scratch, unclogging a drain, and changing a flat tire (bike or car). The plain, nontechnical language is perfect for any level of DIYer. Grab this book! No matter how simple the task, you'll find that doing it with your own two hands will give you a feeling of accomplishment that no app or device ever will.

Making it in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (and How It Got That Way) by Rachel Slade. Making it in America introduces Ben and Whitney Waxman, two tireless idealists attempting to produce an American-made, union-made, all American-sourced sweatshirt (an American hoodie). Ben had spent a decade organizing workers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin, fighting for Americans at a time when the nation's support for unions was at an all time low.  He then landed back in his hometown of Portland, Maine, after struggling with depression and drug dependency.  Ben was desperate to prove that ethical manufacturing is possible. In Portland, he met Whitney, a bartender wrestling with her own complicated past, and in each other, they could see a better future and a version of the American dream they could build together. The book is a deeply personal account of one couple's quest to change the world. As they navigate their private struggles, international trade wars, and a global pandemic, their story carries us across the nation and across time. With them, the reader visits the cotton fields of Mississippi; New York City's hollowed-out garment district; a Los Angeles family-owned zipper company, and North Carolina's enormous knit-and-dye factories. They and we, the readers, grapple with what "Made in the USA" really means to Americans in the 21st century. This is a moving and eye-opening look at the story of manufacturing in America, whether it can ever successfully return to our shores, and why our nation depends on it. It also offers a unique look at global politics, economics, and labor through the story of textile manufacturing.

Upcoming events:

Mondays:

Yoga with Instructor Dave Sivley.  Mondays at 6PM, April 8th-May 20th.  Please bring a yoga mat, towel, water and $5 payable to Instructor Dave!

Wednesdays:

Preschool Story Hour, 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, May 29th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

Sourdough for Beginners.  Learn the art of sourdough from expert Lindsey Morehouse of The Dough and More!  Wednesday, May 29th at 6PM.  Paid registration of $10 is required, and space is limited.  This workshop will cover the essentials and you'll leave with a starter of your own.

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2023, May 2nd, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading & to receive recommendations!

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are invited!

Local Author Fair, May 3rd, 5-7:00 P.M.  Are you a local author?  Contact the library to reserve a spot at your local author fair.  Bring copies of your book(s) to sign and sell.  Meet and greet your fans and new readers. 

Saturdays:

Tech Time @ the Library, April 27th, from 10 AM to 1 PM. Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week, the library is highlighting several new non-fiction books. Recently, the Marcellus Township Library hosted a class for patrons interested in baking sourdough bread. Attendees left the class with their own sourdough starter along with encouragement to go out and bake! To help novices to this craft along, the library has two new books on the subject. Consider signing up for our next sourdough class May 29,  2024 at 6 pm!

Flour Power: The Practice and Pursuit of Baking Sourdough Bread by Tara Jensen. This book is for you, even if you have never baked before. The book includes more than eighty recipes for sourdough, rye, and whole grain bread which will enrich both beginners and advanced bakers as they learn about the craft. There is one recipe for Trail Mix Sourdough Bread that looks fantastic!

BReD: Sourdough Loaves, Small Breads and other Plant-Based Baking by Ed Tatton with Natasha Tatton, Vegan chef and artisan bread-maker Ed Tatton shares techniques and 100 recipes for making naturally leavened sourdough loaves, small breads, and earth-friendly small baked goods. Recipes for panettone buns, hot cross buns, sticky buns, English muffins, brioche and babka are included. There are step-by-step visuals on making and maintaining a sourdough starter, levain, mixing, shaping and baking methods.

Another new non-fiction book is a memoir:

Everyone But Myself by Julie Chavez.  Julie is an elementary school librarian and the mother of two boys. Like many mothers, she ran herself ragged to meet the needs of everyone else. The signs of mounting anxiety and depression had been present for a while, but she did her best to ignore them. Then, one night, while her husband was away on business, Julie experienced a debilitating panic attack that threw life as she knew it into a tailspin. The terrifying aftershocks left her grappling with questions about the origin of her anxiety and where it would lead next. Julie gives a funny, unflinchingly honest account of love and loss, comically negligent doctors, husbands who can not read minds, family outings gone wrong, and then the life-affirming joy of a life well loved and well lived.

Upcoming events:

Mondays:

Yoga with Instructor Dave Sivley.  Mondays at 6PM, April 8th-May 20th.  Please bring a yoga mat, towel, water and $5 payable to Instructor Dave!

Tuesdays:

Teen Advisory Board Meeting, April 23rd.  Drop in any time 3-5:00 PM to enjoy snacks, make a fun craft, and share your thoughts to influence future library collections & programs!  Grades 7-12 are encouraged to attend!

Wednesdays:

Preschool Story Hour, 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Author Presentation & Meet and Greet.  This Troubled Ground by US Air Force Veteran and author Les Carroll, Lt. Col. (Ret.), USAFIANG, Wednesday, April 24th, from 5:30PM-6:30PM. Ret. Lt. Col. Les Carroll will be here to present his novel which was inspired by true events in Afghanistan. He will answer questions and signed copies of his book will be available for purchase.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, April 24th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

Sourdough for Beginners.  Learn the art of sourdough from expert Lindsey Morehouse of The Dough and More!  Wednesday, May 29th at 6PM.  Paid registration of $10 is required, and space is limited.  This workshop will cover the essentials and you'll leave with a starter of your own.

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2023, May 2nd, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading & to receive recommendations!

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are invited!

Local Author Fair, May 3rd, 5-7:00 P.M.  Are you a local author?  Contact the library to reserve a spot at your local author fair.  Bring copies of your book(s) to sign and sell.  Meet and greet your fans and new readers. 

Saturdays:

Tech Time @ the Library, April 20th and 27th, from 10 AM to 1 PM. Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

Whether you enjoy fiction or non-fiction books, you will love our current selection!

People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn. About this book, Kirkus Reviews commented:  “The cold fury and in-your-face phrasing of the title of acclaimed novelist Horn's essay collection sets the tone for this brilliantly readable yet purposefully disturbing book.”  Dara Horn, the author, has been publishing penetrating essays since she was a teenager.  Major publications have often asked her to write on subjects related to Jewish culture and increasingly in response to a recent wave of deadly anti-Semitic attacks. Horn became troubled when she realized that what all of these assignments had in common was that she was being asked to write about dead Jews—never about living ones. Her essays reflect on subjects as far flung as the mythology that Jewish family names were changed at Ellis Island, the problematic elements of Holocaust museums and exhibits, the marketing of the Jewish history of Harbin, China, and the little-known life of the ‘righteous Gentile’ Varian Fry. The book's first essay entitled Everyone's (Second) Favorite Dead Jew examines the life of Anne Frank. In her diary, Frank wrote, "I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart." As Horn points out, less than a month later, Anne would meet people who would surely convince  her that she was wrong. Horn challenges readers to confront the reasons why there might be so much fascination with Jewish deaths, and so little respect for Jewish lives unfolding in the present. She explores the attacks on the American Jewish community in recent years and reveals the subtler dehumanization built into the public piety that surrounds the Jewish past. Horn makes the radical argument that the benign reverence we give to past horrors experienced by Jewish people is itself a profound affront to human dignity. Kirkus Reviews wrote that "readers will be enthralled throughout by the fierce logic of Horn's arguments, novelty of research, black humor, and sharp phrasing.”

This Troubled Ground: a Novel by Les Carroll.  The war in Afghanistan impacted Americans in profound ways, yet only a small percentage of Americans know what it's like to be there, fight there, come home from there, and then live the rest of their lives wondering if their service made a difference. This Troubled Ground goes there-to the cold, dark, and heartbreaking tarmac at Dover Air Force Base, to the Kabul newsrooms, to briefing rooms, and to the deadly battlefields in their many forms across Afghanistan. Inspired by true events, this book follows a haunting, sometimes uplifting but ultimately tragic journey into war through the eyes of an Air Force officer searching for meaning as his path intersects with a mother's desperate quest to find hope after her son is killed serving with the US Marines in Afghanistan.

Upcoming Events:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, Tuesday, April 9th at 9:00 A.M. this month, and then the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Yoga with Instructor Dave Sivley.  Mondays at 6PM, April 8th-May 20th.  Please bring a yoga mat, towel, water and $5 payable to Instructor Dave!

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn,  April 24th and the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome & donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

Tech Time @ the Library,  Saturdays from 10 AM-1PM, April 13th and April 20th.  Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

Author Presentation & Meet and Greet.  This Troubled Ground by US Air Force Veteran and author Leslie Carroll, Lt. Col. (Ret.), USAFIANG, Wednesday, April 24th, from 5:30PM-6:30PM.  Ret. Lt. Col. Leslie Carroll will be here to present his novel which was inspired by true events in Afghanistan.  He will answer questions and signed copies of his book will be available.

Smokey the Bear Reading Challenge.  January 1st-November 28th, 2024.  Help Smokey by learning how to prevent wildfires and help the environment.  Read 3 books and earn 4 badges to complete the challenge and earn your prize.  Badges are earned by completing at least one activity per section.  Bring your completed sheet into the Library for your prize. One prize per person.

2024 Reading Challenge. Let's read 2024 books as a community this year! When you finish a book, come and fill out a leaf.  The leaf will be put on the tree in the children's area. When we reach our goal, we will have a surprise celebration for all of our readers!

Teen Advisory Board Meeting, April 23rd from 3:00 to 5:00 P.M.  Drop in any time between 3 and 5 to enjoy snacks, share your thoughts, and make a fun craft.  Teen Advisors assist the librarians in creating and developing programs and resources that will fulfill the needs, wants, and interests of teens.  Being on the Board looks great to college admissions boards, helps your local library, and counts toward your volunteer hours! 

Local Author Fair, May 3rd, 2024 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.  Are you a local author?  Sign up to reserve a spot at your local author fair.  Bring copies of your book(s) to sign and sell.  Meet and greet your fans and new readers.  Tables, chairs, and light refreshments will be provided. 

Sourdough for Beginners.  Learn the art of sourdough from expert Lindsey Morehouse of The Dough and More!  Wednesday, May 29th at 6PM.  Paid registration of $10 is required, and space is limited.  This workshop will cover the essentials and you'll leave with a starter of your own.

This week, the library is spotlighting an adult fiction book and an adult non-fiction book.

The Berry Pickers: A Novel by Amanda Peters. In July of 1962, a Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arrives in Maine to pick blueberries. Weeks later, the family' s four-year-old daughter Ruthie vanishes. Ruthie was last seen sitting on her favorite rock at the edge of the berry field by her six-year-old brother Joe. Joe will remain distraught by his sister's disappearance for many years to come. In Maine, Norma, a young girl, grows up as the only child of a wealthy family. Norma's father is emotionally distant and her mother frustratingly overprotective. Norma is often troubled by recurring dreams and visions that seem more like memories than her imagination. As Norma grows older, she slowly realizes that there is something her parents are not telling her. She refuses to abandon her intuition and will spend decades trying to uncover this family secret. This novel, told from the alternating view points of Joe and Norma, is about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time.

Solitude: The Science and Power of Being Alone by Netta Weinstein, Heather Hansen, and Thur-vy T. Nguyen. The average adult spends nearly one third of their awake time alone. How though do we overcome the stigma of solitude and find strength in going it alone? This book shows readers that alone time can be a powerful space used to tap into countless benefits. The authors translate key research findings into facts and advice that readers can turn into action and help readers realize that alone time can boost one's well-being. Solitude can benefit one's personal growth, contentment, creativity, and our relationships with oneself and others. Solitude can improve relaxation, problem solving skills, and emotional regulation as well as recharge energy levels. The book seeks to help readers become better at spending time alone so that we can move toward becoming our best possible selves.

Upcoming Events:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, Tuesday, March 19th at 9:00 A.M. this month, and then the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn,  March 28th and the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome.

First Thursday Book Club 2023, April 4th, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome & donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

Tech Time @ the Library, April 6th, 13th, 20th from 10AM-1PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

Last Wednesday Family Game & Movie Night, March 27th, April 24th at 6:00 PM.  Join us for a fun family night of board games and a movie!  Popcorn and snacks will be provided!

Introducing Sarah Ayers & The History of Art, Tuesday, March 26th at 6PM.  Join us as local art historian, Sarah Ayers, highlights a number of the region's cultural history projects. This includes information about the artist's history and career along with their featured artwork!

Children’s Music Workshop, Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at 12 NOON.  Join musician Joe Watts of Electric Moon to learn the basics of rhythm and making music.

Cardboard Box Castle Building, April 3rd at 12 NOON. Come build the castle of your dreams out of cardboard boxes! We have the supplies needed. Grab your friends and make the coolest castle ever! All ages are welcome.

Total Solar Eclipse, April 8th, 2024.  Begins: 1:58 PM; peaks: 3:14 PM; and ends: 4:27 PM.  Join us at 12 NOON for a fun craft and grab your FREE eclipse glasses.

Firekeeper's Daughter Book Discussion, Wednesday, April 10th at 6:00 PM. Join us for a community discussion about the Firekeeper's Daughter! We have plenty of books to go around, so please check one out and let's chat! Light refreshments will be availab

Smokey The Bear Reading Challenge, January 1st-November 28th, 2024. Help Smokey by learning how to prevent wildfires and help the environment. Read 3 books and eam 4 badges to complete the challenge and earn your prize! Badges are earned by completing at least one activity per section. Bring your completed sheet into the Library for your prize. One prize per person.

2024 Reading Challenge. Let's read 2024 books as a community this year! When you finish a book, come and fill out a leaf.  The leaf will be put on the tree in the children's area. When we reach our goal, we will have a surprise celebration for all of our readers!

Teen Advisory Board Meeting, April 23rd from 3:00 to 5:00 P.M.  Drop in any time between 3 and 5 to enjoy snacks, share your thoughts, and make a fun craft.  Teen Advisors assist the librarians in creating and developing programs and resources that will fulfill the needs, wants, and iterests of teens.  Being on the Board looks great to college admissions boards, helps your local library, and counts toward your volunteer hours! 

Local Author Fair, May 3rd, 2024 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.  Are you a local author?  Sign up to reserve a spot at your local author fair.  Bring copies of your book(s) to sign and sell.  Meet and greet your fans and new readers.  Tables, chairs, and light refreshments will be provided. 

This week, the library is highlighting two new adult fiction books.

The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline. The Devlin family is well known and prominent. All of them are lawyers at their highly successful firm. Well, there is one exception. TJ Devlin is the family's disappointing black sheep. After a stint in prison and rehab for alcoholism, TJ can not get hired anywhere except at the firm. He is given a ‘created’ position with the title of investigator. One night, TJ’s world is turned upside down. His older brother John, the firstborn son and golden boy of the family, confesses that he just murdered one of the firm's clients, an accountant he had confronted with proof of embezzlement. TJ plunges into the investigation, seizing the chance to prove his worth and save his brother. But TJ and John quickly find themselves entangled in a lethal web of deception and murder. TJ will fight to save his family, but what he learns may break them first.

The #1 Lawyer by James Patterson and Nancy Allen.  Stafford Lee Penney is an excellent lawyer with a stellar reputation. He has never lost a case. He wears sharp suits and polished Oxford shoes. In Biloxi, Mississippi, he is the #1 lawyer and top local celebrity.  He has just notched his latest courtroom victory and is riding high. Then, shockingly, his wife is scandalously killed, and he becomes the prime suspect. He spirals into a legal and personal losing streak, damaging his reputation and ruining his career. This is when he makes a bold decision. He stops relying on his power-lawyer identity and creates a new lawyer lifeguard. Moonlighting at the beach, showing up to court in flip-flops, and mentoring a law student, the new Stafford Lee Penney is at first unrecognizable. It has been said that a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. But Penney is still the #1 lawyer and will find a way to triumph!

Upcoming Events:

Mondays:

Total Solar Eclipse., April 8th, 2024.  Begins: 1:58 PM; peaks: 3:14 PM; and ends: 4:27 PM.  Join us at 12 NOON for a fun craft and grab your FREE eclipse glasses (while supplies last).

Tuesdays:

Guide to Regional Art, Tuesday, March 26th at 6 PM. Local art historian, Sarah Ayers, will highlight nearby cultural history projects, including locations, historical context and information about the artists!

Children’s Music Workshop.  April 2, 2024, at 12 NOON.  Join musician Joe Watts of Electric Moon to learn the basics of rhythm & making music.

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, April 9th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support, coping strategies and info about community resources.

Wednesdays:

Preschool Story Hour, 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, March 27th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

Cardboard Box Castle Building. April 3rd at 12 NOON. Come build the castle of your dreams out of cardboard boxes! We have the supplies needed. Grab your friends and make the coolest castle ever! All ages are welcome!

Firekeeper's Daughter Book Discussion. April 10th at 6:00 PM. Join us for a community discussion about the Firekeeper's Daughter! Check out a copy and let's chat! Light refreshments will be available.

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2023, April 4th, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading & to receive recommendations!

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are invited!

Saturdays:

Tech Time @ the Library, April 6th, 13th, and 20th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week, the library is highlighting two new nonfiction books currently available to our readers. One of these books is about an eclipse. Focusing attention on this book now is appropriate as we will be experiencing a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 from 1:58-4:27 PM.  This eclipse will be visible throughout all 48 contiguous U.S. states along a narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine, with 96.4% coverage in our area. Stop by the library on April 8th for a free pair of eclipse glasses (while supplies last!)

American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World by David Baron. Science writer David Baron tells the story of the enterprising scientists who raced to Wyoming and Colorado during the summer of 1878, at the dawn of the Gilded Age, to observe the first great American eclipse. Among these scientists was James Craig Watson, a planet hunter, Maria Mitchell, a pioneering astronomer, and ambitious young inventor Thomas Edison. In Baron's suspenseful narrative history, he thrillingly recreates the fierce jockeying of these nineteenth-century astronomers as they brave the wild frontier of the American West--with its train robberies and Indian skirmishes--in a grueling race to the Rocky Mountains to view the rare total solar eclipse. The author draws on years of research to reconstruct a truly remarkable chapter of U.S. history when the fate of American science still hung precariously in the balance. The book is updated with an afterword that unites eclipses and eclipse-chasers past and present, revisiting the total solar eclipse of 2017, and looking forward to the upcoming eclipse in April 2024. Baron's work showcases the enduring power of these celestial events to bring people together across space and time and reveals the human drama associated with such occurrences.

Together We Decide: An Essential Guide for Making Good Group Decisions by Craig Freshley. In order to make forward progress, all groups—teams, boards, nonprofits, businesses, and governments— must make decisions. The author, a veteran group facilitator, shares the essentials that groups need in order to make decisions that provide lasting benefits and is a must-have for those seeking proven techniques for collaborative decision-making. Freshley's message is that through collaboration, not competition, groups of the future will create, innovate, and thrive and that collaborative decision-making is a skill that can be successfully learned and practiced. Readers will learn how to run efficient and productive meetings and about attitudes that help and hinder group productivity. Topics such as the supremacy of group culture and group decision-making steps from idea to decision and action are explored as well as how to listen well and speak with purpose. Readers will learn about conflict prevention, management, and resolution, when to apply which type of decision-making method, and how to put meeting facilitation theory and techniques into practice.

Upcoming Events:

Mondays:

Total Solar Eclipse., April 8th, 2024.  Begins: 1:58 PM; peaks: 3:14 PM; and ends: 4:27 PM.  Join us at 12 NOON for a fun craft and grab your FREE eclipse glasses (while supplies last).

Tuesdays:

Employment Assistance with Gloria Jurado-Long, Tuesday, March 19th from 4:30PM-6PM (drop in any time during these hours for help. Need help with job searches? Updating your resume and cover letter? How about preparing for interviews? Middle College Mentor, Gloria Jurado-Long, wants to assist you in your journey of finding a job. This can be stressful; let her help make it easier!

Children’s Music Workshop.  April 2, 2024, at 12 NOON.  Join musician Joe Watts of Electric Moon to learn the basics of rhythm & making music.

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, April 9th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support, coping strategies and info about community resources.

Wednesdays:

Preschool Story Hour, 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, March 27th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

Cardboard Box Castle Building. April 3rd at 12 NOON. Come build the castle of your dreams out of cardboard boxes! We have the supplies needed. Grab your friends and make the coolest castle ever! All ages are welcome!

Firekeeper's Daughter Book Discussion. April 10th at 6:00 PM. Join us for a community discussion about the Firekeeper's Daughter! Check out a copy and let's chat! Light refreshments will be available.

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2023, April 4th, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading & to receive recommendations!

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are invited!

Saturdays:

Tech Time @ the Library, March 16th, April 6th, 13th, and 20th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week, the library is highlighting two new fiction books which are both mysteries and thrillers. The two books are pre-cataloged which means they are not yet available on the shelves but can be reserved so that you are first in line when they arrive!  While both genres (mysteries and thrillers) can overlap, the main difference is the focus of the story. A mystery is centered on solving a puzzle or crime that has already occurred. The basic plot elements of the mystery form include: the baffling crime, a singularly motivated investigator, the hidden killer, the cover-up, discovery of and elimination of suspects, evaluation of clues and finally, identification and apprehension of the killer. Thrillers are more emotional and focus on the fear, doubt, and dread of a hero as he or she faces some form of terrible trouble. A thriller novel devotes most of its focus on a future crime.

She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica. Meghan Michaels is a single mom to a teenage daughter and also works as a full time ICU nurse. While on duty at the hospital one day, a young patient named Caitlin arrives in a coma with a traumatic brain injury, having jumped from a bridge and plunged twenty feet to the train tracks below. A witness comes forward and provides shocking details about the fall, calling into question everything the staff thought they knew about Caitlin's fall. Was Caitlin pushed and if so, by whom and why? Meghan has always tried to stay emotionally detached from her patients, but this time, she mistakenly lets herself get too close and she becomes deeply entangled in the lives of Caitlin and her family's lives. Only when it is too late, doe Meghan realize that she and her daughter could be the next victims.

The Darling Girls: A Novel by Sally Hepworth. Alicia, Jessica and Norah might seem like ordinary women you'd meet on the street any day of the week. They have their quirks of course—who doesn't? Jessica has a little OCD, Norah has some anger issues, and Alicia suffers from low self-esteem that manifests itself in surprising ways. But, these three women share a bond that no one can fully understand—-one that takes them back decades to when they were gils. They lived on a farm with a foster mother named Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild had rules, behaved unpredictably, and was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three girls break away from Miss Fairchild and they believed they were free. But, Miss Fairchild was powerful and her reach was long. The girls never saw her again, but she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. And then, bones are discovered years later buried under the farmhouse of

their childhood. The girls are called in by the police to tell what they know. The girls are wrenched back to their past unwillingly and to Miss Fairchild herself. What were they capable of in such a desperate place? How much could they hide the demons inside?  And could the past ever truly be buried?

Upcoming Events:

Mondays:

Sourdough for Beginners.  March 18, 2024, at 5:30 PM.  Paid registration of $10.00 is required and space is limited.  Learn the art of sourdough from expert Lindsey Morehouse of The Dough and More. This workshop will cover the essentials and you’ll leave with a starter of your own!

Total Solar Eclipse., April 8th, 2024.  Begins: 1:58 PM; peaks: 3:14 PM; and ends: 4:27 PM.  Join us at 12 NOON for a fun craft and grab your FREE eclipse glasses (while supplies last).

Tuesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, March 12th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support, coping strategies and info about community resources.

Children’s Music Workshop.  April 2, 2024, at 12 NOON.  Join musician Joe Watts of Electric Moon to learn the basics of rhythm & making music.

Wednesdays:

Preschool Story Hour, 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, March 27th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

Cardboard Box Castle Building. April 3rd at 12 NOON. Come build the castle of your dreams out of cardboard boxes! We have the supplies needed. Grab your friends and make the coolest castle ever! All ages are welcome!

Firekeeper's Daughter Book Discussion. April 10th at 6:00 PM. Join us for a community discussion about the Firekeeper's Daughter! Check out a copy and let's chat! Light refreshments will be available.

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2023, March 7th, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading & to receive recommendations!

Fridays:

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are invited!

Saturdays:

Tech Time @ the Library, March 2nd, 9th, 16th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week, we're highlighting two works of fiction—both mysteries soon to be available in the library.  Interested readers can search for these books by title in the library's catalog and reserve them. As soon as the books are in the library, those placing book reservations will be notified in the order of their reservations of the book's availability. The library's catalog can be accessed at: marcellus.biblionix.com 

Watch Where They Hide by Tamron Hall. A stay-at-home mother, Marla Hancock recently left her verbally abusive husband in rural Indiana and moved in with her sister Shelly. Then, Marla dropped her child off at preschool and disappeared, and Shelly cannot believe that her sister would ever simply disappear without her child. After filing a missing persons report, Shelly fears that Marla's disappearance won't get the attention it deserves or will go unsolved.  The town's police department and local media resources provide limited support. After several weeks, Shelly reaches out to TV journalist Jordan Manning for help. Jordan's investigative and reporting skills have helped solve multiple murders, and as a result, her newsroom career is on the rise. She's gained a reputation as more than your typical news reporter. She's a "fixer" with a vigilante edge-dogged and undeterred in her pursuit of the truth.  Despite her success though, she still feels pressure to prove herself as a young Black professional. When Shelly reaches out, Jordan feels compelled to do all she can to find Marla. Jordan could never have imagined the twists and turns this search will take or that the secrets and scandals she uncovers could place her own life in grave danger.

Listen for the Lie: A Novel by Amy Tintera.  Best friends, Lucy and Savvy, were the golden girls of their small Texas town. These girls were pretty, smart, and enviable.  Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and a bigger new home. Sawwy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if rumors are true, especially popular with the men in the town.  But then, Lucy is found wandering the streets covered in Savvy’s blood, and everyone thinks she's a murderer.  Years after that horrible night, Lucy still can't remember anything and has moved to LA to start a new life, but she is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend's murder-even if she's the one that did it. That's because the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," and its handsome host Ben Owens have decided to investigate Savvy's murder for the show's second season. The truth is out there, if we just listen...

Upcoming Events:

Mondays:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, March 4th at 6:30 PM. Bring a yoga mat, water, towel & $5 payable to Dave per session.

Sourdough for Beginners.  March 18, 2024, at 5:30 PM.  Paid registration of $10.00 is required and space is limited.  Learn the art of sourdough from expert Lindsey Morehouse of The Dough and More. This workshop will cover the essentials and you’ll leave with a starter of your own!

Total Solar Eclipse., April 8th, 2024.  Begins: 1:58 PM; peaks: 3:14 PM; and ends: 4:27 PM.  Join us at 12 NOON for a fun craft and grab your FREE eclipse glasses (while supplies last).

Tuesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, March 12th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support, coping strategies and info about community resources.

Children’s Music Workshop.  April 2, 2024, at 12 NOON.  Join musician Joe Watts of Electric Moon to learn the basics of rhythm & making music.

Wednesdays:

Preschool Story Hour, 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, March 27th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

Cardboard Box Castle Building. April 3rd at 12 NOON. Come build the castle of your dreams out of cardboard boxes! We have the supplies needed. Grab your friends and make the coolest castle ever! All ages are welcome!

Firekeeper's Daughter Book Discussion. April 10th at 6:00 PM. Join us for a community discussion about the Firekeeper's Daughter! Check out a copy and let's chat! Light refreshments will be available.

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club 2023, March 7th, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading & to receive recommendations!

Fridays:

Will Eisner Week is March 1st-7th! Celebrate comics, graphic novel literacy, free speech, and the legacy of Will Eisner! Join us for fresh popcorn and a screening of Comic Book Confidential on March 1st at 2:00 PM. 

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are invited!

Saturdays:

Tech Time @ the Library, March 2nd, 9th, 16th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

Will Eisner Week is March 1st-7th! Celebrate comics, graphic novel literacy, free speech, and the legacy of Will Eisner! Join us on March 2nd for fresh popcorn and a double feature of Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist at 10:00 AM and The Spirit (rated PG-13) at 12:00 Noon. 

The library is highlighting two new non-fiction books this week.

Languishing: How to Feel Alive Again in a World that Wears Us Down by Corey Keyes.  What is languishing? It is defined as low-grade mental weariness that affects our self-esteem, relationships, and motivation. Languishing may be characterized by muddling through the day in a fog, forgetting why you walked into a room, feeling emotionally flattened, and lacking the energy to socialize or feel joy in the small things. Sufferers may feel indifference, lack of control of their lives, uncertainty about what they want from the future, paralyzed when faced with decision making, and an inner void as though something is missing but one is not certain what it is. Languishing is not a synonym for depression and its corresponding state of prolonged sadness. Keyes believes that this phenomenon of languishing is on the rise for three reasons: a) false promises of the self-help industry, b) a global moment of intense fear and loss, and c) a failing healthcare system focused on treatment rather than prevention. If it is left unchecked, it will not only impede one's daily functioning, but it can also serve as a gateway to serious mental illness and early mortality. Emory University sociologist Keyes has spent his career studying the causes and costs of languishing. He has developed a framework which focuses on functioning well and taking simple but powerful steps to hold our emotions more loosely, becoming more accepting of ourselves and others, carving out daily moments for the activities that create cycles of meaning, connection, and personal growth. This book is a must-read for anyone tempted to downplay feelings of demotivation and emptiness as they struggle to haul themselves through the day, and for those eager to build a higher tolerance for adversity and the pressures of modern life.

Raising Mentally Strong Kids: How to Combine the Power of Neuroscience with Love and Logic to Grow Confident, Kind, Responsible, and Resilient Children and Young Adults by Daniel G. Amen, MD and Charles Fay, PhD: Daniel Amen, a best selling author and neuropsychiatrist) and Charles Fay (a child psychologist) have teamed up to reveal what is missing from most parenting books. These authors believe that you need to address both the brain and the mind of your child (and yourself) in order to effectively raise good and strong humans. In this book, neuroscience meets love and logic, and parents are given practical tools to help children of all ages go from behavioral problems to being responsible, confident, kind, and resilient and better prepared to make good decisions.

Yoga with Dave Sivley, Mondays, January 15-March 4th at 6:30 PM. Bring a yoga mat, water, towel & $5 payable to Dave per session.

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, Tuesday, March 12th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, February 28th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, March 7th, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome & donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

Will Eisner Week. March 1st-7th.  Celebrate comics, graphic novel literacy, free speech, and the legacy of Will Eisner (Comic creator, illustrator, and innovator, considered to be the “father” of the modern graphic novel!) Movie showings (with popcorn!) will be as follows: Friday, March 1st at 2:00 PM: Comic Book Confidential; Saturday, March 2nd at 10:00 AM: Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist; and Saturday, March 2nd at 12 NOON: The Spirit (PG-13). 

This week, the Marcellus Library is highlighting two new works of fiction that will soon be available to patrons. Interested readers can search for these books by title in the library's catalog and reserve them. As soon as the books are in the library, those placing book reservations will be notified in the order of their reservations of the book's availability. The library's catalog can be accessed at:

marcellus.biblionix.com

The Guest by B. A. Paris. Iris and Gabriel appear to have it all— a beautiful country home, a daughter taking a gap year in Greece, and their best friends from Paris, Laure and Pierre, always ready for a holiday weekend away. Then, a young man has a tragic accident in a nearby quarry. Gabriel finds him and hears his final words, leaving Gabriel with a guilty burden and Iris trying to ease her husband's trauma. When Iris and Gabriel return from a make-or-break holiday, they are shocked to find that their friend Laure has seemingly moved into their home. Laure's marriage is in crisis after her husband's shocking reveal that he has had a child with another woman. At first, Iris and Gabriel are happy to help their friend Laure, insisting she stay as long as she needs to. Laure, however, soon makes herself too much at home. She wears Iris's clothing, follows her everywhere she goes, and begins asking questions about the now-closed quarry and the recent tragedy. Pierre, Laure's husband, refuses to answer Gabriel's phone calls. The only respite for Iris and Gabriel from the increasingly tense atmosphere in their own home comes in the form of new neighbors— a couple new to their town and expecting their first child. With this couple comes their gardener, Joseph, who has a troubled past.  Can Iris and Gabriel's marriage survive the fractured relationships and secrets piling up around them?

The Phoenix Crown: A Novel by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang. In 1906, San Francisco is a bustling city filled with newly minted millionaires and scheming upstarts. In this city, two very different women hope to change their fortunes. Gemma is a blond, silver-voiced soprano whose career desperately needs rekindling. A petite and resolute Chinatown embroideress, Suling is determined to escape an arranged marriage. The paths of these women cross when they are drawn into the orbit of Henry Thornton, a charming railroad magnate whose extraordinary collection of Chinese antiques includes the fabled Phoenix Crown, a legendary relic of Beijing's fallen Summer Palace.  Thornton's patronage offers Gemma and Suling the chance of a lifetime, but all of their lives are thrown into turmoil when a devastating earthquake rips San Francisco apart and Thornton disappears. With his disappearance comes a mystery reaching further than anyone could have imagined l... until the Phoenix Crown reappears five years later at a sumptuous Paris costume ball, drawing Gemma and Suling together in one last desperate quest for justice.

Upcoming Events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, Mondays, January 15-March 4th at 6:30 PM. Bring a yoga mat, water, towel & $5 payable to Dave per session.

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, Tuesday, March 12th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Teen Advisory Board (TAB), Tuesday, February 20th from 3:00 PM to 5 PM.  Drop in anytime between 3-5 to enjoy snacks and share your thoughts! Assist the librarians with creating and developing programs and resources that will fulfill the needs, wants, and interests of teens.  TAB looks great to college admissions boards, you get to help out your library, and the hours you help count as volunteer hours!  

Guide to Regional Art, Tuesday, March 26th at 6 PM. Local art historian, Sarah Ayers, will highlight nearby cultural history projects, including locations, historical context and information about the artists!

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, February 28th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, March 7, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join us to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome & donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

Tech Time @ the Library, Saturday, February 17th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

Cardboard Box Castle Building, April 3, 2024, 12 PM.  Come and build the castle of your dreams out of cardboard boxes.  The library has all the supplies you need.  All ages are welcome.  

Firekeeper’s Daughter Book Discussion, Wednesday, April 10th at 6 PM. Check out the Great Michigan Read selection and join us for a community book discussion! Light refreshments will be served! 

This week the library is highlighting two new works of fiction.  Interested readers can search for these books in the library's online catalog at marcellus.biblionix.com and place them on reserve. Once the books are in the library, those placing reserves will be notified of each book's availability in the order that the reservations have been placed.

Fourteen Days: A Collaborative Novel edited by Margaret Atwood. This book is a unique read. It is set in a New York apartment building and occurs just after the lockdown for COVID. The tenants of a run-down apartment building in Manhattan begin to gather on the rooftop each evening and tell stories. With each passing night, more and more neighbors gather, bringing lawn chairs, milk crates and overturned pails.  Gradually the tenants—some of whom have barely seen or spoken to each other before now—become real neighbors. What is unique is that each character in this diverse, eccentric cast of neighbors has been secretly written by a different, major literary voice—from Margaret Atwood and John Grisham to Emma Donoghue and Celeste Ng.  What results from this collaboration is a dazzling, heartwarming and ultimately surprising narrative. It is an ode to the power of storytelling and human connection.

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French.  Alec Salter is celebrating his fiftieth birthday with most of the small English village of Glensted. On this same day, his wife, Charlotte, vanishes. It is hours before party goers realize that she is missing.  Even Alec, once he is aware, brushes off her absence.  However, the couple's four children —especially fifteen-year-old Etty— grow increasingly anxious as the cold winter hours become days and she does not return. Then, Etty and her best friend Morgan find the body of Morgan's father—and the Salters' neighbor, Duncan Ackerley—floating in the river.  The police conclude that Duncan and Charlotte were having an affair before he killed her and then committed suicide. Fast forward thirty years. Morgan Ackerley returns to Glensted with his older brother to make a podcast based on their shared tragedy with the Salters. By this time, Alec Salter is stricken with dementia and is entering an elder care facility. Etty is getting his affairs in order. But, when the Ackerleys ask to interview the Salters, the entire town gets caught up again in the unresolved cases.   Allegations fly, secrets come to light, and a suspicious fire leads to a murder. The podeast makes national news, and London sends Detective Inspector Maud O'Connor to Glensted to take over the investigation. She will stop at nothing to uncover the truth. A new and terrifying picture of what really happened to Charlotte Salter and Duncan eventually emerges. 

Upcoming Events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, Mondays, January 15-March 4th at 6:30 PM. Bring a yoga mat, water, towel & $5 payable to Dave per session.

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, Tuesday, February 13th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Teen Advisory Board (TAB), Tuesday, February 20th from 3:00 PM to 5 PM.  Drop in anytime between 3-5 to enjoy snacks and share your thoughts! Assist the librarians with creating and developing programs and resources that will fulfill the needs, wants, and interests of teens.  TAB looks great to college admissions boards, you get to help out your library, and the hours you help count as volunteer hours!  

Guide to Regional Art, Tuesday, March 26th at 6 PM. Local art historian, Sarah Ayers, will highlight nearby cultural history projects, including locations, historical context and information about the artists!

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, February 28th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, March 7, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join us to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome & donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

Tech Time @ the Library, Saturday, February 10th and 17th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

Cardboard Box Castle Building, April 3, 2024, 12 PM.  Come and build the castle of your dreams out of cardboard boxes.  The library has all the supplies you need.  All ages are welcome.  

Firekeeper’s Daughter Book Discussion, Wednesday, April 10th at 6 PM. Check out the Great Michigan Read selection and join us for a community book discussion! Light refreshments will be served! 

This week, the library is highlighting two fiction works with strong female characters that will soon be available to patrons. Interested readers can search for these books in the library's online catalog at marcellus.biblionix.com and place them on reserve. Once the books are in the library, those placing reserves will be notified of each book's availability in the order that the reservations have been placed.

The Women: A Novel by Kristin Hannah. When twenty-year old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears the words "women can be heroes," it is a revelation.  Frankie was raised sheltered by her conservative parents in sunny, idyllic Southern California and has always prided herself in doing the right thing. In 1965 though, the world is changing, and she imagines a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, Frankie joins the Army Nurse Corp and follows his path.  She is as green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight and quickly becomes overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day there is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal. Friendships run deep but can be shattered in an instant. In Vietnam, Frankie becomes one of the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost, and she soon realizes when she arrives home that the war is just beginning for her and her Veteran friends. The war has divided and changed America. They are greeted by angry protestors and a country that wants to forget about Vietnam. Hannah's book is the story of one woman who goes to war, but it also shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm's way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. This is a novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism.

After Annie: A Novel by Anna Quindlen. Annie Brown centered the lives of husband, their four young children, and her closest friend-and then Annie suddenly dies.  Following her death, Bill, Annie's husband, is quickly overwhelmed.  Annie's best friend Annemarie is lost, picking up old bad habits without Annie's support. Ali, Annie and Bill's oldest daughter, is forced to try to care for her younger brothers and even her father. Ali manages to maintain some semblance of their former lives for all of them while she confronts the complicated truths of adulthood. Over the course of the next year, Annie looms large in all of their memories, and Bill, Annemarie, and Ali are able to grow, to change, and even to become stronger and more sure of themselves. The enduring power Annie gave to those who loved her is the power to love, and to go on without her.

Upcoming Events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, Mondays, January 15-March 4th at 6:30 PM. Bring a yoga mat, water, towel & $5 payable to Dave per session.

College Readiness 2.0: Determining the Best Fit for You, Monday, February 5th at 3:30 PM. Registration is required. Workshops for high school students to explore their options and plan for their college career, led by Gloria Jurado-Long, who was an academic mentor for the Van Buren Middle College Program for over 10 years. 

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, Tuesday, February 13th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Teen Advisory Board (TAB), Tuesday, February 20th from 3:00 PM to 5 PM.  Drop in anytime between 3-5 to enjoy snacks and share your thoughts! Assist the librarians with creating and developing programs and resources that will fulfill the needs, wants, and interests of teens.  TAB looks great to college admissions boards, you get to help out your library, and the hours you help count as volunteer hours!  

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, February 28th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, February 1st, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome & donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

Tech Time @ the Library, Saturday, February 3rd, 10th and 17th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week the library is highlighting two works of fiction.

Chenneville: A Novel of Murder, Loss, and Vengeance by Paulette Jiles. Union soldier John Chenneville suffered a traumatic head wound in battle. His recovery took the better part of a year as he struggled to regain his senses and his mobility. By the time he was able to return home, the Civil War was over. However, tragedy awaits.  John's beloved sister and her family had been brutally murdered. John knows the killer as A.J. Dodd.  Dodd fought for the North in the late unpleasantness, and wore a badge in the name of the law.  But John knows Dodd as little more than a rabid animal, slaughtering without reason or remorse. John also knows that Dodd needs to be put down. Traveling through the unforgiving landscape of a shattered nation in the midst of Reconstruction, John braves winter storms and confronts desperate people in pursuit of his quarry. Single-minded and undeterred, Chenneville will stop at nothing to in the pursuit of Dodd. As he trails Dodd deep into Texas, John accepts that the final reckoning between them may cost him more than all he's already lost.

The Guest by B.A. Paris.  Iris and Gabriel, a couple on the edge, take a make-or-break holiday. When they return home, a shock awaits them. Close friend Laure is living in their home. Laure explains that she has walked out on her husband--and also their good friend--Pierre.  Pierre has confessed to an affair and a secret child. Living with Laure quickly becomes tense as she oversteps again and again. She sleeps in their bed, wears Iris' clothing, and even rearranges the furniture. Iris and Gabriel want to support Laure, but Laure's mood becomes increasingly unpredictable. Laure's presence in their home takes its toll on the couple, and they seek respite in a friendship with another couple new to town. This new couple has a gardener with a checkered past. Soon, secrets from all their pasts will unravel, some more dangerous than they could ever have known.

Upcoming Events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, Mondays, January 15-March 4th at 6:30 PM. Bring a yoga mat, water, towel & $5 payable to Dave per session.

College Readiness 2.0 Workshops for high school students to explore the many options and strategies will follow on Mondays, February 5-26th. Sessions will be led by Gloria Jurado-Long, who was an academic mentor for the Van Buren Middle College Program for over 10 years. Times will be decided at the informational session on January 23rd. 

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, Tuesday, February 13th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, January 31st, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, February 1st, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

Tech Time @ the Library, Saturday, February 3rd, 10th and 17th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week, we're highlighting two new nonfiction books about sisters. Recently, on the website Literary Hub, authors Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb wrote that "there's something about literary sisters. Siblings offer a unique, complex, and compelling relationship…to explore... and have long been a source of rich literary inspiration." They add that "whether they are written as children, adolescents, or adults, sisters offer an intriguing palette of emotions... and bring tension, passion, and drama” to authors’ work. From sweet devotion and unconditional love, to envy, bitterness and fierce rivalry, there's a lot to unpack!”

Dear Sister: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival, and Unbreakable Bonds by Michelle Horton. This nonfiction work is a breathtaking memoir about two sisters and a high-profile case. Nikki Addimando has been imprisoned for killing her abuser, and Michelle Horton, her sister, is left in the devastating fall-out raising Nikki's young children and battling the criminal justice system. In September 2017, Michelle Horton's life changes forever. Her sister shot her partner and has been jailed. During the ensuing investigation, Michelle realizes that Nikki has been hiding horrific abuse for years.  A stunned Michelle finds herself in a situation she's only ever encountered on television and in true crime podcasts. She rearranges her life to care for Nikki's children and at the same time, launches a fight to bring Nikki home. Michelle squares off against a criminal justice system that seems to be designed to punish the entire family. In this book, Michelle retraces the sisters' childhood and delves into how so many people, including herself, could have been blind to the abuse. This is an intimate look at a family surviving trauma and a deeply personal story about what it takes to be believed and the dangers of keeping truths hidden. Horton has written a profound story of resilience and the unbreakable bond between sisters, turning her family's suffering into hard won wisdom.

Marrow: Love, Loss, and What Matters Most by Elizabeth Lesser. This is the memoir of two sisters facing the life-and-death experience of a bone marrow transplant—one as the donor and one the recipient—and their quest for acceptance, authenticity, and most of all, love. When her sister Maggie needs a life-saving bone marrow transplant and Elizabeth learns that she is a perfect match, she faces immediate and complex questions about what it really means to love honestly, generously, and authentically.  Hoping to give Maggie the best possible chance for a successful transplant, the sisters deeply explore the marrow of their relationship in order to clear a path to unconditional acceptance. Maggie’s doctors will manage her bone marrow transplant, but the sisters take on a “soul marrow transplant" by examining their family history, having difficult conversations, examining old assumptions, and offering forgiveness, until all that is left is love for each other's true selves. They find though that life doesn't follow planned storylines. Maggie's body is too weak to fight her relentless illness. As the sister's prepare for Maggie's end, they grow ever closer. Their story is told with suspense and humor and is simultaneously joyous, heartbreaking, incandescent, and profound. The book reveals that even our most difficult life experiences can offer unexpected spiritual growth.

Upcoming Events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, Mondays, January 15-March 4th at 6:30 PM. Bring a yoga mat, water, towel & $5 payable to Dave per session.

Great Start Family Coalition Meet & Greet, Tuesday, January 23rd 9:30-10:30 AM. Learn about the Family Coalition and ways to get involved to help support families with young children in Cass County. Also, learn about additional events that Great Start offers for young children! Coffee, tea & pastries will be provided. 

College Readiness 2.0, Tuesday, January 23rd at 6 PM. An informational session for high school students and their parents/guardians covering post high school opportunities, paying for college, and academic success strategies. Student-only workshops to further explore the many options and strategies will follow on Mondays, February 5-26th. Sessions will be led by Gloria Jurado-Long, who was an academic mentor for the Van Buren Middle College Program for over 10 years. 

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, Tuesday, February 13th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, January 31st, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, February 1st, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

Tech Time @ the Library, January 13, and 20th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week, the library is featuring two new books—-one fiction and the other non-fiction.  This is the New Year!   Benjamin Franklin once said: "Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every New Year find you a better man [or woman]." Oprah Winfrey weighed in on this time of year as well. She said: "Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.  Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."

Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay by Cyndie Spiegel.

Cyndie first began taking note of microjoys during the most difficult year of her life. She experienced back-to-back unprecedented and devastating losses. Microjoys are a practice of discerning hope and joy in each and every moment of our lives. They are accessible to all of us, at all times, if we can develop the ability to look for them. They are the hidden wisdom, subtle treasures, and ordinary delights that surround us. Examples include: a polka-dot glass on a thrift store shelf, a cat that you didn't know you needed to adopt, a dear friend's kind message at just the right time, the neighborhood spice shop, a beloved family tradition, the simple quietude of being in love, or a chai tea recipe. These small moments of hope helped Cyndie move through each day with a semblance of comfort and a bit of joy. Through beautifully written narrative essays and prompts, Cyndie shares the microjoys that have kept her going through difficult times and shows us how we can learn to see these in our own lives. Microjoys do not change the truth of loss or make grief any more convenient, but they do allow us to touch joy however briefly, one step at a time.

Familia: A Novel by Lauren E. Rico. What if your most basic beliefs about your life were suddenly revealed to be a lie? Gabby DiMarco is a fact checker for a popular magazine and only believes in absolute, verifiable truths. She took a genealogy test as part of the research for an article. This yielded a baffling result—Gabby has a sister, one who has been desperately trying to find her. Isabella Ruiz can picture the face of her baby sister, Marianna, who disappeared from the streets of San Juan twenty-five years earlier. Isabella is an artist who is happily married and lives in Puerto Rico. Despite her settled and comfortable life, Isabella has continuously longed to find her missing sister.  Now her genealogy test has found a match-Gabby-and Gabby has agreed to come to Puerto Rico. Gabby, however, is defensive and cautious and offers no happy reunion.  She insists that there has been some sort of mistake. The two women set out to find the truth, and in the process, risk everything they have known for an uncertain future. They will find that the past harbors yet more surprises for them both.

Upcoming Events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, Mondays, January 15-March 4th at 6:30 PM. Bring a yoga mat, water, towel & $5 payable to Dave per session.

Great Start Family Coalition Meet & Greet, Tuesday, January 23rd 10:15-11:15 AM. Learn about the Family Coalition and ways to get involved to help support families with young children in Cass County. Also, learn about additional events that Great Start offers for young children! Coffee, tea & pastries will be provided. 

College Readiness 2.0, Tuesday, January 23rd at 6 PM. An informational session for high school students and their parents/guardians covering post high school opportunities, paying for college, and academic success strategies. Student-only workshops to further explore the many options and strategies will follow on Mondays, February 5-26th. Sessions will be led by Gloria Jurado-Long, who was an academic mentor for the Van Buren Middle College Program for over 10 years. 

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, Tuesday, February 13th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, January 31st, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, February 1st, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

Tech Time @ the Library, January 13, and 20th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

We'll begin 2024 with a couple of quotes that will resonate with book lovers. First, American country music singer Brad Paisley reminds us: "Tomorrow is the first page of a 365 page book. Write a good one." Author Mortimer Adler wisely wrote: "In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." And finally, about reading, Tomie de Paola, a children's book author, said: "Reading is important, because if you can read, you can learn anything about everything and everything about anything.” During 2024, commit to reading. Read by yourself. Read to your children. Encourage your children to read. Today, we're highlighting new two fiction books available at the library.

The Heiress: A Novel by Rachel Hawkins. When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she's North Carolina's richest and most notorious woman. As a child, she was the victim of a famous kidnapping. As an adult, she was widowed four times and ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family's estate high in the Blue Ridge Mountains. After her death, her estate and a nine-figure fortune as well as the complicated legacy of being a McTavish pass to her adopted son Camden. Suprisingly, Camden doesn't want anything to do with the house, fortune, or the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he settles into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado, marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past. A decade later, Camden and Jules are summoned back to Ashby House when Camden's uncle dies. With its amazing views and elegant rooms, Ashby House is stunning, but coming home reminds Camden why he left so quickly years earlier. Jules, however, has other ideas. The more she learns about Camden’s estranged family and their twisted secrets, the more determine she becomes to ensure her husband claims everything Ruby once intended him to have. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about Ruby, the infamous heiress, come to light. Was there any truth to the rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to her four husbands who all died under mysterious circumstances? Why did she adopt Camden? Jules and Camden soon realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what is written in a will and that family bonds stretch far beyond the grave.

The Frozen River: A Novel by Ariel Lawhon. This book, a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th century midwife and healer, who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history. In 1789 Maine, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine the cause of death of a man found entombed in ice on the frozen Kennebec River. Martha is privy to much of what happens behind closed doors in Hallowell, Maine. In her diary, she records every birth, death, crime, and debacle unfolding in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town's most respected men. One of these men has now been found dead, frozen in the ice.  When a local physician undermines her conclusions about how the man died by declaring his death an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own. Over the course of one winter, she doggedly pursues the truth as the trial nears and whispers and prejudices mount. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Upcoming Events:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, Tuesday, January 9th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

College Readiness 2.0, Tuesday, January 23rd at 6PM. An informational session for high school students and their parents/guardians covering post high school opportunities, paying for college, and academic success strategies. Student-only workshops to further explore the many options and strategies will follow on Mondays, February 5-26th. Sessions will be led by Gloria Jurado-Long, who was an academic mentor for the Van Buren Middle College Program for over 10 years. 

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, January 31st, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, January 4, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

Tech Time @ the Library, January 6, 13, and 20th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week the library is featuring two new and unique cookbooks.  Guy Fieri, a host and celebrity on The Food Network, said:  “Cooking is all about people.  Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together.  No matter what culture, everywhere around the world, people get together to eat.”  

Library staff also want to wish everyone a wonderful and safe holiday season! The library will be closed Monday, December 25th and Monday, January 1st. 

The Everlasting Meal Cookbook:  Leftovers A-Z by Tamar Adler.  Adler reports that food waste is a serious issue today.  Nearly forty percent of the food we buy gets tossed out. However, most of us struggle to use up everything we buy, and when it comes to ideas about leftovers, we are stuck.  Adler’s area of culinary expertise is finding delicious destinies for leftovers.  The book offers over 1,500 easy and creative ideas to use up nearly every kind of leftover, and it informs the reader how long prep time for each recipe will take.  The book is divided into chapters addressing leftover vegetables, fruits and nuts, dairy and eggs, bread, beans and rice, seafood and meat, dough and noodles, salads, sauces and dips, pickles, drinks, snacks and sweets.  The book’s inspiring and tasty recipes do not require precise measurements making it a go-to resource for any kitchen plagued by too many meal endings but too few meal beginnings in sight. 

Cook Like Your Ancestors by Mariah-Rose Marie.  This book is an illustrated guide to intuitive cooking.  We all likely have had family members or friends who could bake without following a specific recipe and who had difficulty writing down ingredients in precise measurements.  Instead they relied on what appeared to be an ancient or special knowledge of cookery that took a lifetime to perfect.  Author Marie seeks to teach the reader how to rely less on teaspoons, grams, degrees and exact cooking times and more on tasting, watching, smelling, listening, feeling and remembering.  Follow along with Chef Mariah-Rose Marie to learn how to measure with your hands, season with your senses, balance flavors on the fly, remember ratios and more.  The book was created with international and financial accessibility in mind and aimed at readers of all backgrounds.

Upcoming Events:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, Tuesday, January 9th at 9:00 AM, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

College Readiness 2.0, Tuesday, January 23rd at 6PM. An informational session for high school students and their parents/guardians covering post high school opportunities, paying for college, and academic success strategies. Student-only workshops to further explore the many options and strategies will follow on Mondays, February 5-26th. Sessions will be led by Gloria Jurado-Long, who was an academic mentor for the Van Buren Middle College Program for over 10 years. 

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, December 27th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, January 4, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

Tech Time @ the Library, January 6, 13, and 20th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week we're spotlighting two works of fiction now available in the library. Neil Garman, an English writer, has authored short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, and audio theater. About fiction, Gaiman wrote: "Fiction gives us empathy: it puts us inside the minds of other people, gives us the gifts of seeing the world through their eyes. Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over."

A Different Kind of Gone: A Novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Everyone has an opinion about what happened when nineteen-year-old Jill Moss goes missing near the Utah-Arizona border, but only Norma Gallagher, a search and rescue volunteer, knows the truth. Norma had already located Jill, huddled in a cave and terrified that her abusive boyfriend, Jake, will kill her if he ever sees her again. Norma decides to quietly deliver the girl to her grateful parents in California in order to protect Jill from dangerous Jake.  Although conflicted about her decision, Norma believes that keeping Jill safe and hidden from her boyfriend, the press, and the public will be their secret. Secrets, however, cannot remain hidden forever. Five years later when Jake is arrested for Jill’s murder, initiating a new media frenzy once again, Jill's family refuses to come forward and admit that Jill is still alive in order to exonerate Jake. Norma is forced to make a life-changing decision. What will the consequences be if she stays silent? What are the risks if she dares to finally tell the truth?

Welcome Home, Stranger by Kate Christensen. An environmental journalist in Washington, D.C., Rachel has shunned her New England working-class family for years.  Rachel is middle aged, divorced, childless, and a true independent spirit with the pain and experience to prove it. As she copes with large and small life challenges, Rachel believes her life is in a free fall until she's summoned home to deal with the aftermath of her mother's death. That's when things really fall apart. Rachel is surrounded by sometimes comic and sometimes heartbreakingly serious characters including an arriviste sister, an alcoholic brother-in-law, and the love of her life recently married to the sister's best friend. With this as her backdrop, Rachel must come to terms with her past, her long buried sorrow, and the ghost of her mother who, for better or worse, made her the woman she is. This sophisticated and emotionally resonant novel is lively, witty, and painfully familiar, holding up a mirror to modern life as it considers the way some of us must carry on in today's world.

Upcoming events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, Extended through December 18th, Mondays at 6:30 PM.  Bring your mat, water and a towel along with $5.00 per session payable to Dave.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM (breaks match the Marcellus Community Schools Calendar).  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Preschool Play Cafe, in lieu of Story Hour on Wednesday, December 27 and January 3 at 10:15 A.M. An unstructured social meetup with toys for ages 0-5 and coffee/tea for their parents & caregivers. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, December 27th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, January 4, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others. *Please, bring a batch of cookies to exchange if attending the Dec. 7th meeting!

Stitch Together, Thursdays, November 16-December 21 at 6:00 PM. Join us to socialize while crocheting or knitting! No formal instruction is provided, but peer-to-peer support & troubleshooting is encouraged! 

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos are greatly appreciated!

This week we are highlighting two adult fiction books.

The Book Woman's Daughter: A Novel by Kim Michele Richardson. This book is the sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: A Novel and both are available at the Marcellus Library. In this sequel, Honey Lovett, the daughter of the famed Troublesome Creek packhorse librarian, has a difficult life. Honey and her family have been hiding from the law for most of her life and now her parents are imprisoned. Honey realizes that she must fight to be free or risk being sent away for good. Honey picks up her mother's old packhorse library route and begins to deliver books to the remote hollers of Appalachia. The route can be treacherous, and some folks are not keen on letting a woman pave her own way. If Honey wants to bring the freedom books to the families who need them most, she is going to have to fight for her place, and along the way, learn that the amazing women who travel the hills and hollers can make all the difference in the world.

This week, the Marcellus Library is spotlighting two new nonfiction books currently available.

Naturally Inclusive: Engaging Children of All Abilities Outdoors by Ruth Wilson, PhD.  Naturally Inclusive is an essential guide for designing nature-based play areas and programs that connect every child to nature.  The book reminds us that nature is both an ideal model of diversity and a catalyst for inclusion.  The physical, emotional, and/or social barriers that young children with special needs often face may prevent them from deeply engaging with the natural world.  These challenges, however, do not need to prevent them from enjoying the many benefits that nature has to offer.  Nature is a necessity. Research has demonstrated that we are happier, healthier, more socially engaged, and more creative when nature is part of our daily lives, and these benefits apply to people of all ages and abilities.  Dr. Ruth Wilson is an educational consultant and curriculum writer with special expertise in the area of early childhood environmental education and other initiatives connecting young children with nature. She draws on her knowledge of research and her decades of work with children in nature, weaving together advice, real-life examples, and testimonies from educators and families on the healing, nurturing power of nature in the lives of young children with diverse abilities.

The Power Five:  Essential Foods for Optimum Health by Michael Crupain, M.D., MP.H.  In this innovative cookbook, Dr. Michael Crupain, a physician and nutritionist, contends that we don't have to eat a restrictive diet to live better. healthier, and longer lives.  Dr. Crupain's book includes 75 recipes that put the focus on. the five food groups that will keep us living our best lives, warding off illness, and extending our lives without sacrificing flavor or our favorites. The foundations for his recipes then are these five key food groups-whole grains, seafood, nuts, seeds, and fruits and vegetables--and he proves that eating from the "power five" means that food doesn't need to taste bad and that we can still eat our pasta, breads, and dessert!

Upcoming Events:

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Preschool Play Cafe, in lieu of Story Hour on Wednesday, November 22, December 27 and January 3 at 10:15 A.M. An unstructured social meetup with toys for ages 0-5 and coffee/tea for their parents & caregivers. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, December 27th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, December 7, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others. *Please, bring a batch of cookies to exchange if attending the Dec. 7th meeting!

Stitch Together, Thursdays, November 16-December 21 at 6:00 PM. Join us to socialize while crocheting or knitting! No formal instruction is provided, but peer-to-peer support & troubleshooting is encouraged! 

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos are greatly appreciated!

Ewert Music Studio Recital, Saturday, December 2nd at 5:00 PM, during Christmas in the Village. Enjoy beautiful music played by the talented students of Roxane Ewert!

Holiday Card Craft & Face-Painting, Saturday, December 2nd 4-6:00 PM. During Christmas in the Village, stop in to create holiday cards that will bring cheer to residents of Blueberry Hill Assisted Living in Lawton. Erica Watts will be offering face-painting & we’ll have fresh popcorn while supplies last! 

This week the library is highlighting two new adult fiction books currently available.

Yellowface: A Novel by R.F. Kuang. June Hayward and Athena Liu, both authors, were supposed to be twin rising stars. Athena, however, is a literary darling and June Hayward a literal nobody. June thinks--who wants stories about basic white girls. When June witnesses Athena's death is a freak accident, she acts impulsively. She steals Athena's just completed masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War 1. Who cares if June edits Athena's novel and sends it to her agent as her own work or if Athena lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? June figures that this piece of history deserves to be told no matter who tells the story, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree. But June can't get away from Athena's shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June's stolen success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she finds out exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves. In a totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation along with the terrifying alienation of social media.

The Christmas Guest: A Novella by Peter Swanson. An American art student in London for her junior year, Ashley Smith was planning to spend Christmas alone. A last-minute invitation from Emma Chapman, a fellow student, brings Ashley to Starvewood Hall, a country residence of the Chapman family. The Cotswold manor house, lavishly decorated and crammed with guests for Christmas week, is a dream come true for Ashley who is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor and by Adam Chapman, Emma's aloof and handsome brother. Adam, however, is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to question what kind of story she actually inhabits. Is she in a grand romance or a gothic tale? Has she wandered into something far more sinister and terrifying than she'd ever imagined? Thirty years later the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time.  Many Christmas seasons later, what started in a small English village in 1989 reaches a ghostly conclusion in modern-day New York.

Upcoming events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, October 9 - Nov 27, Mondays at 6:30 PM.  Bring your mat, water and a towel along with $5.00 per session payable to Dave.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Preschool Play Cafe, in lieu of Story Hour on Wednesday, November 22, December 27 and January 3 at 10:15 A.M. An unstructured social meetup with toys for ages 0-5 and coffee/tea for their parents & caregivers. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, November 29th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, December 7, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others. *Please, bring a batch of cookies to exchange if attending the Dec. 7th meeting!

Stitch Together, Thursdays, November 16-December 21 at 6:00 PM. Join us to socialize while crocheting or knitting! No formal instruction is provided, but peer-to-peer support & troubleshooting is encouraged! 

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

Ewert Music Studio Recital, Saturday, December 2nd at 5:00 PM, during Christmas in the Village. Enjoy beautiful music played by the talented students of Roxane Ewert!

Holiday Card Craft, Saturday, December 2nd 4-6:00 PM. During Christmas in the Village, stop in to create holiday cards that will bring cheer to residents of Blueberry Hill Assisted Living in Lawton. 

A lead is the first paragraph of an article that gives an overview of the story and attracts the reader's attention. It should be simple, concise, and attention grabbing. It should answer as many of the five Ws and H (who, what, when, where, why, and how) as possible.  Above all, brevity is essential. So here goes! This week we will be featuring two fantastic new adult fiction books which are sure to attract our patrons!

The Burnout: A Novel by Sophie Kinsella. Sasha has had it with her life as it is. She can not bring herself to respond to another inane, "urgent" (but not really urgent) email or participate in the corporate employee joyfulness program. She has not seen her friends in months. Cooking dinner takes too much planning. Even sex seems like a lot of effort.  She has hit a wall. So, she decides to head to the seaside resort she loved as a child with plans to drink kale smoothies, try yoga, and find peace. However, Sasha has come to the beach in the off season, the resort is in dilapidated shambles, and alone time on the sand is not even possible. A grumpy guy named Finn who is just as stressed as Sasha is hanging out at the same beach. He is sitting on his favorite spot watching her. They can not even agree on the best way to alleviate their collective burnout. Sasha swims while Finn drinks whiskey and has pizza delivered to the beach. Then curious messages seemingly addressed to Sasha and Finn begin to appear in the sand and these two very different people are forced to converse about everything.  How did they get so world weary? Can either remember something they used to love? And there is one question they try and fail to ignore: what does the energy between them-flaring even in the face of their burnout and exhaustion signify?

Becoming the Boogeyman: A Novel by Richard Chizmar. This book is a sequel to Chizmar's Chasing the Boogeyman. In his first book, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls turn up in a small Maryland town in 1988. The police conclude that a serial killer is on the loose in the quiet suburb. The community becomes trapped in the depths of paranoia and suspicion. Recent college graduate Richard Chizmar returns to his hometown just as a curfew is announced. He is to be married and he is embarking on his writing career. He soon finds himself thrust into the real life horror story. He writes a personal account of the serial killer's reign of terror. The events that occur will continue to haunt him for years to come. In this sequel, we find that Chizmar is a successful true crime writer and filmmaker with his career revolving around the murders that shook his hometown decades earlier. Chizmar is horrified when the killings begin again years later.

Upcoming events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, October 9 - Nov 27, Mondays at 6:30 PM.  Bring your mat, water and a towel along with $5.00 per session payable to Dave.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, November 29th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, December 7, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Crochet Class, instructed by Korinne New. Bring 1 skein #4 medium weight yarn (lighter color is recommended for visibility), crochet hook size 5 or 5.5 mm, scissors. Thursdays, October 19th-November 9th at 6:00 PM.

Stitch Together, Thursdays, November 16-December 21 at 6:00 PM. Join us to socialize while crocheting or knitting! No formal instruction is provided, but peer-to-peer support & troubleshooting is encouraged! 

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!

This week, two new fiction books are in focus at the Marcellus Township Library.
A couple of authors have weighed in on why we read fiction. Michael Scott,
author of The Warlock, wrote “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For
knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces
the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand." Quoting
David Foster Wallace, “good fiction's job is to comfort the disturbed and disturb
the comfortable.”

Sisters Under the Rising Sun: A Novel by Heather Morris. During World War II,
Norah Chambers, an English Musician, places Sally, her eight-year-old daughter
on a ship leaving Singapore in a desperate attempt to keep the child safe as the
island falls to the Japanese Army. In the meantime, Nesta James, an Australian
Nurse, has enlisted to tend to Allied troops. But as the Japanese Army overruns
the island, Nesta joins the terrified cargo of people, including heartbroken Norah,
crammed onto the Vyner Brooke, a merchant ship. Just two days later, the Vyner
Brooke is bombed from the air off the coast of Indonesia and sinks in a matter of
hours. Norah and Nesta survive twenty-four hours in the sea and reach the
beach of a remote island, only to be captured and held in one of the Japanese
POW camps notorious for being places of starvation, brutality, and disease. Even
in this place though, joy can be found in music. Norah's 'voice orchestra' has the
power to transport the internees out of the squalor and into the light. Together,
Norah and Nesta devote themselves to the women's survival while discovering
their own extraordinary reserves of courage, love, and strength. This is a story of
women in war: a novel of sisterhood, bravery, and friendship in the darkest of
circumstances. Heather Morris is the best selling author of The Tattooist of
Auschwitz, Cilka’s Journey, and Three Sisters.

The River We Remember: A Novel by William Kent Krueger. On Memorial Day
in Jewel, Minnesota, the body of Jimmy Quinn, a wealthy landowner, is found
floating in the Alabaster River. He was killed by a shotgun blast. Sheriff Brody
Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional
scars from his military service, will need to investigate Quinn's murder. Even
before the autopsy results are in, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer
has to be Noah Bluestone, a Native American World War II Veteran who has
recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations
mount and with the town teetering on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles
not only to find the truth about Quinn's murder but also to put his own demons
from the past to rest. Caught up in the torrent of anger that sweeps through the
town are a war widow and her teenage son, the fearless publisher of the local newspaper, an aging deputy, and a crusading female lawyer, all of whom
struggle with their own tragic histories and harbor secrets that Quinn's death
threatens to expose. This book looks at the wounds left by wars we fight abroad
and at home and is a moving exploration of the ways in which we seek to heal.

Upcoming events:
Yoga with Dave Sivley, October 9 - Nov 27, Mondays at 6:30 PM. Bring your
mat, water and a towel along with $5.00 per session payable to Dave.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM. Stories, music, movement &
crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, November 29th, the last Wednesday of
each month at 6:00 PM. We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game
night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, November 2, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM. Join
others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from
others.

Crochet Class, instructed by Korinne New. Bring 1 skein #4 medium weight yarn
(lighter color is recommended for visibility), crochet hook size 5 or 5.5 mm,
scissors. Thursdays, October 19th-November 9th at 6:00 PM.

Stitch Together, Thursdays, November 16-December 21 at 6:00 PM. Join us to
socialize while crocheting or knitting! No formal instruction is provided, but peer-
to-peer support & troubleshooting is encouraged!

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego &
Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for
preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will
be greatly appreciated!

This week, two new non-fiction books are in focus:

Why We Need to Be Wild: One Woman's Quest for Ancient Human Answers to 21st Century Problems by Jessica Carew Kraft. An urban wife and mother of two, the author was firmly entrenched in the modern world, complete with a high-powered tech career. She had a sneaking suspicion though that her lifestyle was preventing her and her family from truly thriving. Determined to find a better way, Jessica left her job and embarked on a journey to learn about 'rewilding'' from people who reject the comforts and conveniences of civilization by using ancient tools and skills to survive. Along the way, she learned how to turn sticks into fire, stones into axes, and bones into tools for harvesting wild food. She also found an entire community walking the path back from our technology-focused, anxiety-ridden way of life to a simpler, more human experience.  Jessica's deep research and reporting along with her own personal journey in this book reveal the remarkable story of the potential benefits rewilding has for us and our planet and answers questions about what it truly means to be a human in today's world. This is a thought-provoking, unforgettable narrative that illuminates how we survived in the past, how we live now, and how each of us can choose to thrive in the years ahead.

The Mutt for Me: A Beautiful Transformation from Project Dog to Man's Best Friend by Don Hughes. The author volunteered at a local animal shelter but had never had a dog of his own, so he was not really prepared for what it would mean to adopt one of the most behaviorally challenging rescues in the shelter—a mutt called Barbie that everyone else had given up on. Barbie was fearful and unresponsive and was within 5 days of being put down when Don opted to open his home and his heart for the first time to a canine companion. His decision would change both of their lives forever. The book follows the many misadventures of Don and Barbie on their journey of growth and healing. The reader will see Barbie transform from the terrified, despondent recluse she was in the rescue to the lively and almost always well-behaved dog that she is today. Hughes is a first-time dog owner and in need of significant behavioral development himself, but he shows that with enough love, patience, and dedication, anyone can provide a home to a rescue animal. This book is a heartwarming story about how our pets have the capacity to transform and heal us as much as we can do this for them.

Upcoming events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, October 9 - Nov 27, Mondays at 6:30 PM.  Bring your mat, water and a towel along with $5.00 per session payable to Dave.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, October 25th, November 29th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, November 2, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Food Forests - Permaculture Design & Implementation.  Thursday, October 19th at 6 PM. Presented by farmer & chef, Austin Kane from Huss Project/CINO.

The Composition of Compost, Thursday, Oct 26th at 4 PM. Abby David from Huss Project/CINO will bring unique nature and gardening activities for students in 5-8 grades.  Snacks will be provided!

Crochet Class, instructed by Korinne New. Bring 1 skein #4 medium weight yarn (lighter color is recommended for visibility), crochet hook size 5 or 5.5 mm, scissors. Thursdays, October 19th-November 9th at 6:00 PM.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated! 

Halloween, October 31st! Enter the children's area from the ramp on Main St for a fun (NOT frightful) celebration with treats, popcorn & a coloring contest! Enter the main library from Burney St if you dare to attend our undead prom. Zombies, ghosts & more are back from beyond the grave to attend THE event of the season! Hours of Halloween at the library will match the village trick or treat hours! We are in need of volunteers & donations of individually wrapped candy & prizes!

This week, the library is featuring two non-fiction works. 

This Writer...by Dolph Simons. This book chronicles the humble beginning of the Simons newspaper legacy. It starts in 1887, when a Civil War widow, Jennie Bessie Simons, abandoned her Kansas claim and invested instead in a small newspaper for her 16-year-old son, Wilford Collins "Collie" Simons. As "this writer," W.C. Simons, his son Dolph Sr., and grandson Dolph Simons, Ir., each reported and editorialized views of some of the most important and historic events of his time. The small newspaper became The World Company, the Simons' information enterprise. Their journalistic work spanned the entire era of modern journalism from the frontier press to the Information Age. The book also chronicles the Simons' personal and professional stories that paralleled, intersected, and influenced the evolution of the newspaper industry in this country.

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl.   In this delightful book, Renkl delivers a literary devotional: fifty-two chapters that follow the creatures and plants in her own backyard over the course of a year. Renkl has a unique way of tying what she sees in the backyard to everyday life experiences. She spies a crow on New Year's Day, and its resourcefulness and sense of community sets a theme for her year.  Lingering bluebirds in December, revisiting the nest box they used in spring, present a portrait of joy and grief—joy in the ongoing pleasures of the natural world, and grief over winters that end too soon and songbirds that grow fewer and fewer. Along the way, the reader also glimpses the changing rhythms of human life. Grown children, unexpectedly home during the pandemic, prepare to depart once again. Birdsong and night-blooming flowers evoke generations past. There are fifty-two original color artworks by the author's brother, Billy Renkl which enhance the reader's experience.

Upcoming events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, October 9 - Nov 27, Mondays at 6:30 PM.  Bring your mat, water and a towel along with $5.00 per session payable to Dave.

Halloween, October 31st! Enter the children's area from the ramp on Main St for a fun (NOT frightful) celebration with treats, popcorn & a coloring contest! Enter the main library from Burney St if you dare to attend our undead prom. Zombies, ghosts & more are back from beyond the grave to attend THE event of the season! Hours of Halloween at the library will match the village trick or treat hours! We are in need of volunteers & donations of individually wrapped candy & prizes!

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, November 29th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, November 2, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

The Composition of Compost, Thursday, Oct 26th at 4 PM. Abby David from Huss Project/CINO will bring unique nature and gardening activities for students in 5-8 grades.  Snacks will be provided!

Crochet Class, instructed by Korinne New. Bring 1 skein #4 medium weight yarn (lighter color is recommended for visibility), crochet hook size 5 or 5.5 mm, scissors. Thursdays, October 19th-November 9th at 6:00 PM.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated! 

This week, we are introducing two non-fiction works, new to the library.

Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life by Gretchen Craft Rubin. Most of us have habits we would like to change, and there is no shortage of expert advice as to how to go about changing. In this book, Rubin identifies every approach to changing habits that actually works. Rubin presents a practical, concrete framework to allow readers to not only understand their habits, but to also change them for good. Rubin writes in a compelling voice, bases her book on rigorous research, injects easy humor, and includes vivid stories of lives transformed. Rubin examines the core principles of habit formation, and she answers some perplexing questions about habits such as: 1) Why do we find it tough to create a habit for something we love to do? 2) How can we keep healthy habits when we are surrounded by temptation? and, 3) Can we change another's habits? You will start working on your own habits- -even before you have finished this book!

Social Justice Fallacies by Thomas Sowell. Sowell, age 93, is an American economist, author and social commentator who is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. He earned a doctorate from the University of Chicago where his professors included Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek and other future Nobel laureates. With widely published commentary and books, and as a guest on TV and radio, he became a well-known voice in the American conservative movement as a prominent black conservative. The quest for social justice is a powerful crusade of our time, with an appeal to many different people, for many different reasons. But those who use the same words do not always present the same meanings. Clarifying those meanings is the first step toward finding out what we agree on and disagree on. From there, it is largely a question of what the facts are. Social Justice Fallacies reveals how many things that are thought to be true simply cannot stand up to documented facts, which are often the opposite of what is widely believed.

Upcoming events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, October 9 - Nov 27, Mondays at 6:30 PM.  Bring your mat, water and a towel along with $5.00 per session payable to Dave.

Halloween, October 31st! Enter the children's area from the ramp on Main St for a fun (NOT frightful) celebration with treats, popcorn & a coloring contest! Enter the main library from Burney St if you dare to attend our undead prom. Zombies, ghosts & more are back from beyond the grave to attend THE event of the season! Hours of Halloween at the library will match the village trick or treat hours! We are in need of volunteers & donations of individually wrapped candy & prizes!

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, October 25th and the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, November 2, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others

Busy Like a Bee- Intro to Beekeeping, Thursday, Oct 12th at 4 PM. Abby David from Huss Project/CINO will bring unique nature and gardening activities for students in 5-8 grades every other Thursday. Snacks will be provided! October 26th: The Composition of Compost. 

Food Forests - Permaculture Design & Implementation.  Thursday, October 19th at 6 PM. Presented by farmer & chef, Austin Kane from Huss Project/CINO.

Crochet Class, instructed by Korinne New. Bring 1 skein #4 medium weight yarn (lighter color is recommended for visibility), crochet hook size 5 or 5.5 mm, scissors. Thursdays, October 19th-November 9th at 6:00 PM.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated! 

Annular Solar Eclipse, Saturday, October 14th 10 AM - 2 PM. Join us for an eclipse craft & receive a free pair of eclipse-viewing glasses (while supplies last).  Peak viewing is expected at 1:03 PM.

This week, we’re focusing on two books about parenting available at the Marcellus Township Library, but does reading parenting books really help one become a better parent? The website the "TODAY Parenting Team" (community.today.com) offers this:  “Reading one [a parenting book] can show you care about raising your children and are willing to do whatever it takes to do it right. It can also give you a sense of being in control rather than the frazzled parent who doesn't know where to turn. You may also find advice about those difficult situations that tend to crop up once in a while during the course of parenting.”

Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors: Brain-, Body-, Sensory Strategies That Really Work by Robyn Gobbel. In her book, Robyn Gobbel, a parenting and neuroscience expert, reveals how all behavior, no matter how baffling, can be explained and remedied. Parents just need to look past the behavior and understand what is going on inside their children. Gobbel decodes the latest brain science into easy-to-understand principles and metaphors to help parents become experts in their children's behaviors.  She covers simple ways to help parents regulate and connect with their children using brain-, body-, and sensory-based strategies to overcome day-to-day challenges. The author also provides parents with the knowledge to understand and regulate their own brains so that they don't flip their lids when their children flip their lids! This book can be the lifeline for parenting or caring for any child with baffling behaviors and hidden challenges including kids who have experienced adversity or those with additional needs.

Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—and What We Can Do About It by Jennifer Breheny Wallace. This book has been described as the definitive work on the rise of the "toxic achievement culture" that is overtaking kids’ and parents’ lives because it provides a framework for fighting back. Students today face unprecedented pressure to succeed in the ever more competitive race to secure the best possible future. Their schedules are jam-packed, and they fill every waking hour with resume-padding activities, even sabotaging relationships with friends to get ahead.  Family budgets and schedules are stretched to the breaking point by tutoring fees and athletic schedules. Unfortunately, this drive to optimize performance has only led to skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and even self-harm in our highest achieving schools. Parents, teachers, and community leaders are all trying to determine how we can teach students to strive towards excellence without crushing them in the process. Children are internalizing the message that they have no value beyond their accomplishments, and this message is being reinforced by the media and the greater culture at large. Through her own research and interviews with leading child psychologists, Wallace shows what kids need from the adults in the room is not more pressure, but to feel like they matter and have intrinsic self—worth not contingent on external achievements. When parents and educators adopt the language and values of "mattering,” they help children see themselves as valuable contributors to a larger community. Ironically, children who receive consistent feedback that they matter, no matter what, are more likely to have the resilience, self-confidence, and psychological security to thrive. The author packs this book with memorable stories and offers a powerful toolkit for positive and much needed change. She offers an urgent and humane view of the crisis plaguing today's teens and practical framework for how to help.

Upcoming events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, October 9 - Nov 27, Mondays at 6:30 PM.  Bring your mat, water and a towel along with $5.00 per session payable to Dave.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, presentations by Madalene Bigbear. Wednesdays at 6:00 PM on October 4-18th. 

Game Night AND Movies &  Popcorn, October 25th and the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, October 5, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others

Pickles - An Introduction to Fermented Foods & Beverages, Thursday, October 5th  at 6 PM. Farmer & chef, Austin Kane from Huss Project/CINO will be here every other Thursday to present on nature, gardening and cooking. October 19th: Food Forests - Permaculture Design & Implementation.

Busy Like a Bee- Intro to Beekeeping, Thursday, Oct 12th at 4 PM. Abby David from Huss Project/CINO will bring unique nature and gardening activities for students in 5-8 grades every other Thursday. Snacks will be provided! October 26th: The Composition of Compost. 

Crochet Class, instructed by Korinne New. Bring 1 skein #4 medium weight yarn (lighter color is recommended for visibility), crochet hook size 5 or 5.5 mm, scissors. Thursdays, October 19th-November 9th at 6:00 PM.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated! 

Blind Date with a Book.  During First Friday, October 6 from 5 PM to 7 PM.  We wrap books in paper, providing just a few clues as to what may be inside.  If the clues intrigue you, check out the mystery book for your blind date with a book. Don’t judge a book by its cover & expand your reading repertoire. 

Hatchery Tour Roadshow, During First Friday, October 6 from 5 PM to 7 PM, Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery will be bringing a LIVE Lake Sturgeon and more and will be set up outside of the library on the front lawn.

Annular Solar Eclipse, Saturday, October 14th 10 AM - 2 PM. Join us for an eclipse craft & receive a free pair of eclipse-viewing glasses (while supplies last).  Peak viewing is expected at 1:03 PM. 

The earliest known use of the word “hygge” dates back to the early 1800s, when it first appeared in Danish witing. It was derived from a Norwegian word meaning "well-being.”  Hygge is a term used to acknowledge a feeling or moment as cozy, charming or special. We can certainly get a feeling of hygge from reading books we love. Here are two books that evoke that feeling of cozy warmth and relaxation—hygge—in readers.  Both books are the first in series.

The Library at the Edge of the World: A Novel by Felicity Hayes-McCoy. This is the first book in the Finfarran Peninsula series--there are five books. Hanna Casey has issues. She had to abandon her sophisticated lifestyle after finding her English barrister husband in bed with another woman.  She has a tense relationship with her teenage daughter, Jazz, who is off traveling the world. To top it all off, Hanna has had to move back into her overbearing mother's retirement bungalow which is located in Lissbeg, the rural Irish town she left as a teen. All of this has made her a focus of local gossip. Hanna soon gets a job driving a mobile library van between villages off Ireland's West Coast.  She is trying to pick up the pieces of her life and regain her independence by restoring a derelict cottage left to her by her great-aunt. But when the threatened closure of the Lissbeg Library puts her personal plans in jeopardy, Hanna finds herself leading a battle to restore the heart and soul of the Finfarran Peninsula's fragmented community. She discovers that the neighbors she had always kept at a distance have come to mean more to her than she ever could have imagined.

The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe.  This is the first in the Beach House series—there are seven books. Carretta Rutledge believed that she had left her Southern roots and troubled family history far behind. But then, just as her life began spinning out of control, Cara’s mother makes an unusual request.  As a result, Cara heads back to the scenic Lowcountry of her childhood summers. Cara begins to repair the family beach house and before long, the rhythms of the island open her heart in wonderful ways. She renews old acquaintances long thought lost. However, it is in reconnecting with her mother that she will learn life's most precious lessons: true love involves sacrifice, family is forever, and the mistakes of the past can be forgiven.

Upcoming events:

Yoga with Dave Sivley, October 9 - Nov 27, Mondays at 6:30 PM.  Bring your mat, water and a towel along with $5.00 per session payable to Dave.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM.  Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, presentations by Madalene Bigbear. Wednesdays at 6:00 PM on September 27, October 4, and October 11. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, September 27 and the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, October 5, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others

Pickles - An Introduction to Fermented Foods & Beverages, Thursday, October 5th  at 6 PM. Farmer & chef, Austin Kane from Huss Project/CINO will be here every other Thursday to present on nature, gardening and cooking. October 19th: Food Forests - Permaculture Design & Implementation.

Gardening - How to Get Started Thursday, Sept 28 at 4 PM. Abby David from Huss Project/CINO will bring unique nature and gardening activities for students in 5-8 grades every other Thursday. Snacks will be provided! October 12th: Busy Like A Bee - An Intro to Beekeeping. October 26th: The Composition of Compost. 

Crochet Class, instructed by Korinne New. Bring 1 skein #4 medium weight yarn (lighter color is recommended for visibility), crochet hook size 5 or 5.5 mm, scissors. Thursdays, October 19th-November 9th at 6:00 PM.

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated! 

Blind Date with a Book.  Friday, October 6, 2023 5 PM to 7 PM.  We wrap books in paper, providing just a few clues as to what may be inside.  If the clues intrigue you, check out the mystery book for your blind date with a book. Don’t judge a book by its cover & expand your reading repertoire. 

Annular Solar Eclipse, Saturday, October 14th 10 AM - 2 PM. Join us for an eclipse craft & receive a free pair of eclipse-viewing glasses (while supplies last).  Peak viewing is expected at 1:03 PM. 

The War Came to Us: Life and Death in Ukraine by Christopher Miller. Miller, a correspondent for the Financial Times, is the foremost journalist covering Ukraine and was on the ground when the first Russian missiles struck and troops stormed over the border. The seeds of Russia's war against Ukraine and the West were sown though more than a decade earlier. This book is the definitive, inside story of Ukraine's long fight for freedom as told through Miller's personal experiences, vivid front-line dispatches and illuminating interviews with unforgettable characters. Readers are taken on a riveting journey through the key locales and pivotal events in the country's modern history.  Miller captures Ukraine is all of its glory—vast, defiant, resilient, and full of wonder—with his candor, wit, and sensitivity. His breathtaking narrative is poignant and inspiring.  This is the story of an American who fell in love with a foreign place and its people and witnessed them do extraordinary things to escape the long shadow of their former imperial ruler and preserve their independence.

Vanishing Sands: Losing Beaches to Mining by Orrin H. Pilkey, Norma J. Longo, William J. Neal, Nelson G. Rangel-Buitrago. Keith C. Pilkey & Hannah L. Hayes. The authors of Vanishing Sands track the devastating impact of legal and illegal sand mining over the past twenty years, ranging from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean to South America and the eastern United States. The world's sandy beaches and dunes have never been more crucial to protecting coastal environments particularly in a time of accelerating sea level rise and increasingly intensifying storms. Unfortunately though, in order to meet the demands of large-scale construction projects, sand mining is stripping beaches and dunes, destroying environments, and exploiting labor in the process. This book details how sand mining has reached crisis levels: beach, dune, and river ecosystems are in danger of being lost forever, while organized crime groups use deadly force to protect their illegal mining operations. Calling for immediate and widespread resistance to sand mining, the authors demonstrate that its cessation is paramount for saving not only beaches, dunes, and associated environments but also lives and tourism economies everywhere.

Upcoming events:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids.  Wednesdays at 9:00 AM. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support, coping strategies, and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM starting September 13th! Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, presentations by Madalene Bigbear. Wednesdays at 6:00 PM on September 27, October 4, and October 11. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, September 27 and the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, October 5, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others

Cooking with Wild Edibles - Recipes & Techniques for Foraged Plants, Thursday, Sept 21 at 6 PM. Farmer & chef, Austin Kane from Huss Project/CINO will be here every other Thursday to present on nature, gardening and cooking. October 5th: Pickles - An Introduction to Fermented Foods & Beverages. October 19th: Food Forests - Permaculture Design & Implementation.

Gardening - How to Get Started Thursday, Sept 28 at 4 PM. Abby David from Huss Project/CINO will bring unique nature and gardening activities for students in 5-8 grades every other Thursday. Snacks will be provided! October 12th: Busy Like A Bee - An Intro to Beekeeping. October 26th: The Composition of Compost. 

Crochet Class, instructed by Korinne New. Bring 1 skein #4 medium weight yarn (lighter color is recommended for visibility), crochet hook size 5 or 5.5 mm, scissors. Thursdays, October 19th-November 9th at 6:00 PM.

Stitch Together, Thursdays 6-7 PM, November 16-December 21 (No meeting Nov 23rd). Join us to socialize while crocheting or knitting! No formal instruction is provided, but peer-to-peer support & troubleshooting is encouraged!

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!  

Deception is the theme of many thrillers and mysteries. Deception is an act or statement which misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true.  Sometimes, what we see often is only a fractional part of what really is. The books that we are highlighting this week both involve deception- things were not what they appeared to be.  

None of This is True: A Novel by Lisa Jewell. Alix Summers, a popular podcaster, is celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at a local pub when she meets an unassuming woman named Josie Fair. Josie, as it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. Just a few days later, Alix bumps into Josie again outside of the school that Alix’s children attend. Josie has been listening to Alix's pod casts and wants to be a subject for her series. Alix learns that Josie has led a strange and complicated life. Alix finds Josie to be unsettling, however, she can't resist the opportunity to continue work with Josie on the true crime podcast. Soon, Alix learns that Josie is hiding some very dark secrets. But, it is too late because Josie has already insinuated herself into Alix's life and home. Then, abruptly, Josie disappears. Alix's unsettled feeling about Josie changes to terror as she discovers that Josie has left a terrifying legacy in her wake. Alix is now the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family's lives under mortal threat. Who is Josie Fair and what on earth has she done?

The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel by Laura Dave. Owen Michaels has disappeared. Before he left, he smuggled a note to his beloved wife of only one year, Hannah. The note has only two words: "Protect Her." Hannah, confused and afraid, knows exactly who Owen's note refers to—Owen’s sixteen year old daughter, Bailey.  Bailey lost her mother as a young child but she wants nothing to do with Hannah, her new step-mother. Hannah's desperate attempts to contact Owen go unanswered.  Then, the FBI arrests her missing husband's boss. A U.S. marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unexpectedly. Hannah quickly realizes that her husband was not who he said he was, and that Bailey may hold the key to figuring out Owen's true identity and why he disappeared. The two work together to discover the truth. As they start putting the pieces of Owen's past together, they soon realize that they are also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated.

Upcoming events:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids.  Wednesdays at 9:00 AM. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support, coping strategies, and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM starting September 13th! Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Nutrition and Medical Classes by Dr. Larry Jackson, MD, and Debbie Jackson, MS, RD. Third Wednesday of the Month at 6 PM. Next class will be on September 20th at 6 PM:  How to Lower Cholesterol Through Diet. 

Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, presentations by Madalene Bigbear. Wednesdays at 6:00 PM on September 27, October 4, and October 11. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, October 5, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others

Cooking with Wild Edibles - Recipes & Techniques for Foraged Plants, Thursday, Sept 21 at 6 PM. Farmer & chef, Austin Kane from Huss Project/CINO will be here every other Thursday to present on nature, gardening and cooking. October 5th: Pickles - An Introduction to Fermented Foods & Beverages. October 19th: Food Forests - Permaculture Design & Implementation.

What Kind of Tree is That? Basic Tree, Vine & Shrub Identification in MI Thursday, Sept 14 at 4 PM. Abby David from Huss Project/CINO will bring unique nature and gardening activities for students in 5-8 grades every other Thursday. Snacks will be provided! September 28th: Gardening - How to Get Started. October 12th: Busy Like A Bee - An Intro to Beekeeping. October 26th: The Composition of Compost. 

Crochet Class, instructed by Korinne New. Bring 1 skein #4 medium weight yarn (lighter color is recommended for visibility), crochet hook size 5 or 5.5 mm, scissors. Thursdays, October 19th-November 9th at 6:00 PM.

Tech Time @ the Library, September 16th from 10 AM to 1 PM.  Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet?  Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog?  Drop in the library to ask Justin your I.T. related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week, we're focusing on two adult fiction books currently available in the library. 

Things I Wish I Told My Mother: A Novel by Susan Patterson and Susan Dilalio with James Patterson. Every mother and every daughter has her own distinctive voice, inimitable style, and secrets. In this book, a mother and daughter on vacation in Paris unpack a lifetime of secrets and hopes. Laurie, the daughter, is an artist and a collector of experiences. She travels the world with a worn beige duffle bag.  “Dr. Liz," Laurie's mother, is an elegant perfectionist who travels the world with a matched set of suitcases.  When Laurie surprises her mother with a dream vacation, it brings an unexpected sparkle to her eyes. But every mother and every daughter has her own distinctive voice, inimitable style, and secrets. In this book, Laurie and Liz, on vacation in Paris, unpack a lifetime of secrets and hopes with a giant Pattersonian twist at the end!

The Last Garden in England by Julie Kelly. This is a poignant and unforgettable tale of five women living across three different times whose lives are all connected by one very special garden. Emma Lovett has dedicated her career to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens. She is given the opportunity of a lifetime restoring the gardens of the famed Highbury House estate, designed in 1907, by her hero Venetia Smith. As Emma delves deeper into the garden's past, she begins to uncover secrets that have long been hidden. In 1907, Venetia Smith, a talented artist with a growing reputation for her ambitious work, has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to industrialists, solicitors, and bankers who want to show off their wealth with sumptuous country houses. When Venetia is hired to design the Highbury House gardens, she is determined to make them a triumph, but the gardens and the people she meets-will change her life forever. In 1944, Beth Pradley, a land girl, arrives at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury. Her one desire is to find a place she can call home. On the other hand, Cook Stella Adderton is desperate to leave Highbury House to pursue her own dreams.  Widow Diana Symonds, the mistress of Highbury House, is trying to cling to her pre-war life now that her home has been requisitioned and transformed into a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. When the war threatens Highbury House's treasured gardens, these three very different women—Beth, Stella, and Diana—are drawn together by a secret that will last for decades. In her book, Julie Kelly explores the unexpected connections that cross time and the special places that bring people together forever.

Upcoming events:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids.  Wednesdays at 9:00 AM. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support, coping strategies, and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM starting September 13th! Stories, music & movement for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Nutrition and Medical Classes by Dr. Larry Jackson, MD, and Debbie Jackson, MS, RD. Third Wednesday of the Month at 6 PM. Next class will be on September 20th at 6 PM:  How to Lower Cholesterol Through Diet. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, September 7, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others

Herbs & Edible Flowers - Cultivation & Uses, Thursday, Sept 7 at 6 PM. Farmer & chef, Austin Kane from Huss Project/CINO will be here every other Thursday through October 26th to present on nature, gardening and cooking. 

What Kind of Tree is That? Basic Tree, Vine & Shrub Identification in MI Thursday, Sept 14 at 4 PM. Abby David from Huss Project/CINO will bring unique nature and gardening activities for students in 5-8 grades every other Thursday through November 2nd. Snacks will be provided! 

Home Arts Club First Friday Bake Off, September 1 from 5-7 PM. This year’s bake-off features the best cookies in town! To enter, bring a minimum of 60 small cookies to the library with a list of ingredients by 2 PM on September 1st. To sample & judge, join us between 5-7 PM during First Friday at the library to purchase tasting tickets & cast your vote!

Tech Time @ the Library, September 2nd, 9th, and 16th from 10 AM to 1 PM.  Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet?  Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog?  Drop in the library to ask Justin your I.T. related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

This week we will be highlighting two new nonfiction books.  

Woke, Inc.:  Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam by Vivek Ramaswamy.  Vivek Ramaswamy grew up as a child of immigrants in a small Ohio town.  Later, he founded multibillion-dollar enterprises, led a biotech company as CEO, became a hedge fund partner in his 20s, and trained as a scientist at Harvard and a lawyer at Yale.  He is now a GOP presidential candidate for 2024. In this book, he takes us behind the scenes into corporate boardrooms and five-star conferences, and into Ivy League classrooms and secretive nonprofits to reveal what he calls the defining scam of our century. “Stakeholder capitalism” makes wonderful promises of a better, more diverse, environmentally friendly world.  However, in reality, Ramaswamy purports that this ideology, championed by America’s business and political leaders, divides us as a people.  It has mixed morality with consumerism, and allows America’s elites to prey on our innermost insecurities about who we really are. The author argues that this mentality sells us cheap social causes and skin-deep identities to satisfy our hunger for a cause and our search for meaning at a time when Americans often lack both. The book rips open the curtain on the new corporatist agenda; but, it also offers a better way forward. Woke, Inc. begins as a critique of stakeholder capitalism and ends with an exploration of what it means to be an American in 2021 - a journey that begins with cynicism and ends with hope.

The In-Between by Hadley Vlahos.  Vlahos is an RN who has focused her practice on palliative care and hospice work, and for her, it has become a calling.  In this book, she recounts the most impactful experiences she’s had with the people she’s worked with. She describes a young woman who laments that she spent too much of her short life worrying about what others thought of her and an older man who sees visions of his late daughter. Talking about death and dying is often considered taboo in polite company. Vlahos set out to show the reader that end-of-life care can teach us just as much about how to live as it does about how we die.

Upcoming events:

Biggest Book Sale of the Year, runs through August 26th! Name your price - you choose how much to donate to the library during our biggest book sale of the year! 

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids.  Wednesdays at 9:00 AM. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support, coping strategies, and information about community resources.

August Crafternoons, Wednesdays, drop in from 12 NOON-2 PM to make crafty creations! All ages are encouraged to attend. A different project will be featured each Wednesday.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM starting September 13th! Stories, music & movement for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Nutrition and Medical Classes by Dr. Larry Jackson, MD, and Debbie Jackson, MS, RD. Third Wednesday of the Month at 6 PM. Next class will be on September 20th at 6 PM:  How to Lower Cholesterol Through Diet. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, September 7, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others

Growing Edible Flowers & Herbs, Thursday, Sept 14 at 6 PM. Farmer & chef, Austin Kane from Huss Project/CINO will be here every other Thursday through October 26th to present on nature, gardening and cooking. 

Nature and Gardening Series for Middle School! Thursday, Sept 21 at 4 PM. Abby David from Huss Project/CINO will bring unique nature and gardening activities for students in 5-8 grades every other Thursday through November 2nd. Snacks will be provided! 

Home Arts Club First Friday Bake Off, September 1 from 5-7 PM. This year’s bake-off features the best cookies in town! To enter, bring a minimum of 60 small cookies to the library with a list of ingredients by 2 PM on September 1st. To sample & judge, join us between 5-7 PM during First Friday at the library to purchase tasting tickets & cast your vote!

Blinkist.com defines nonfiction as “anything that has a basis in fact.  That means reports, textbooks, manuals, self-help, memoirs, history, guidebooks, and so on, all come under the umbrella of this almost-too-broad term.  Its very breadth, however, lends it a richness that has allowed it to dominate a large part of the global book market.  In recent years, sales of nonfiction have been outpacing fiction year-to-year.  Where fiction can help people understand the feeling of the moment, nonfiction helps people understand the hard facts of it. And in a world that finds its news sources increasingly unreliable, a widespread hunger for truth is reflected in rising sales of nonfiction books.”  Fortunately, the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library has a diverse collection of nonfiction books.  This week, we're highlighting two such books currently available in the library.

Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health by Anupam B. Jena, MD., Ph D. & Christopher Worsham, MD.  Anupam Jena is a University of Chicago-trained economist, a Harvard medical school professor, and physician.  Christopher Worsham is a critical care doctor at Massachusetts General and a health care policy researcher.  In this groundbreaking book, these authors reveal the hidden side of medicine and how unexpected but predictable events can profoundly affect our health.  They delve into questions such as whether timing, circumstance or luck impacts our health care, if there is a good time to have a heart attack, why kids born in the summer get diagnosed more often with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and if marathons are harmful to our health even when we're not running.  In their singular work of science and medicine, Jena and Worsham show us in an animated and enlightening way how medicine really works and its effect on all of us.  They rely on ingeniously devised natural experiments--random events that unknowingly turn us into experimental subjects and help us see the way our health is shaped by forces invisible to the untrained eye.  Should you choose the veteran doctor or the newbie?  Do you really need the surgery that your doctor has recommended?  These are significant questions and their answers can be life changing.  By reading this book, you'll be empowered to see past the white coat and find out what really makes medicine work-and how it could work better.

The Forgotten Girls: A Memoir of Friendship and Lost Promise in Rural America by Monica Potts. Fast friends and gifted, Monica and Darci grew up working-class poor in the town of Clinton, Arkansas. The girls bonded over their shared love of reading and learning, even as they navigated the challenges of their declining town and dysfunctional family lives--broken marriages, alcohol abuse, and shuttered stores and factories. They pored over a giant map in their middle school classroom, tracing their fingers over the world that awaited them, vowing to escape. Monica did leave Clinton for college and fulfilled her dreams, but Darci, as well as many of their friends, did not. Years later, when Monica was working as a journalist covering poverty, her research confirmed what she already knew about the women of Arkansas: their life expectancy had steeply declined the sharpest fall in a century.  Monica returned to Clinton to report the story, trying to comprehend the societal factors driving the disturbing trends in the rural south.  When she reconnects with Darci, Monica finds that once talented and ambitious Darci is now a statistic: a single mother of two, addicted to methamphetamine and prescription drugs, jobless and nearly homeless. Painfully aware that Darci's fate could have been hers. Monica retraces the moments of decision and chance in each of their lives that led similar women toward two very different destinies.

Upcoming events:

Biggest Book Sale of the Year, runs through August 26th! Name your price - you choose how much to donate to the library during our biggest book sale of the year! 

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids.  Wednesdays at 9:00 AM. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support, coping strategies, and information about community resources.

August Crafternoons, Wednesdays, drop in from 12 NOON-2 PM to make crafty creations! All ages are encouraged to attend. A different project will be featured each Wednesday.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM starting September 13th! Stories, music & movement for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Nutrition and Medical Classes by Dr. Larry Jackson, MD, and Debbie Jackson, MS, RD. Third Wednesday of the Month at 6 PM. Next class will be on September 20th at 6 PM:  How to Lower Cholesterol Through Diet. 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, September 7, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others

Growing Edible Flowers & Herbs, Thursday, Sept 14 at 6 PM. Farmer & chef, Austin Kane from Huss Project/CINO will be here every other Thursday through October 26th to present on nature, gardening and cooking. 

Nature and Gardening Series for Middle School! Thursday, Sept 21 at 4 PM. Abby David from Huss Project/CINO will bring unique nature and gardening activities for students in 5-8 grades every other Thursday through November 2nd. Snacks will be provided! 

Home Arts Club First Friday Bake Off, September 1 from 5-7 PM. This year’s bake-off features the best cookies in town! To enter, bring a minimum of 60 small cookies to the library with a list of ingredients by 2 PM on September 1st. To sample & judge, join us between 5-7 PM during First Friday at the library to purchase tasting tickets & cast your vote!

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids play outside as much as possible because outdoor play carries a number of benefits for them. Playing outside generally relates to more physical activity and that's great for children's overall health.  Outdoor activity can even help combat childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease.  Interestingly, research indicates that when children are free to choose their own outdoor fun, that's when the most physical activity is likely to happen. Outdoor play also benefits a child's cognitive development and learning. After recess, for example, kids are more focused and less fidgety, and contact with the natural elements can foster learning about science and nature. Playing outside and organizing their own games helps children develop socially and emotionally because they learn cooperation and perspective-taking by settling disagreements. Friendships they develop through outdoor play contribute to long-term happiness and overall well-being. With this in mind, this week, we’re focusing on two library books about children and playing. 

Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children by Angela J. Hanscom. The author, a pediatric occupational therapist, writes that today's children typically have sedentary lifestyles filled with television, video games, and computer screens, but she points out that many studies now show that children need rough and tumble' outdoor play in order to develop their sensory, motor, and executive functions. She contends that a lack of movement has been shown to lead to a number of health and cognitive issues such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), difficulties with emotion regulation and sensory processing, and aggressiveness during school recess breaks. Hanscom believes that nature is the ultimate sensory experience and that children's psychological and physical health improves for them when they spend time outside on a regular basis. Accordingly, in her book, she offers strategies to help kids thrive even if they live in an urban environment. Parents will discover little things that they can do anytime, anywhere to help their kids achieve the movement they need to be happy and healthy in mind, body, and spirit and grow into balanced and resilient adults.

Why Can't We Just Play?: What I Did When I Realized My Kids Were Way too Busy by Pam Lobley. With two boys ages ten and seven, the author describes facing an upcoming summer by sifting through sign-ups for swim team, rec camp, night camp, scout camp, and enrichment classes. Finding so many options overwhelming, she asked her boys what they wanted to do during their summer break, and they asked her why can't we just play? Tempted by a summer with no scheduled activities, she didn't know if this would be possible. It would be like going back to the 1950s!  Determined, she sets out to give her boys an old-fashioned summer.  She studies up on the myths and realities of the 1950s and with wit and candor reveals what we can learn from families living during that decade, why raising kids has changed so drastically since then, and how parents can stop time once in a while and just play.

Upcoming events:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids.  Wednesdays at 9:00 AM. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support, coping strategies, and information about community resources.

August Crafternoons, Wednesdays, drop in from 12 NOON-2 PM to make crafty creations! All ages are encouraged to attend. A different project will be featured each Wednesday.

Nutrition and Medical Classes by Dr. Larry Jackson, MD, and Debbie Jackson, MS, RD. Third Wednesday of the Month at 6 PM. Next class will be on August 16th at 6 PM:  How to Unclog the Plumbing (Good Cholesterol vs Bad Cholesterol). 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, August 3. 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others

Biggest Book Sale of the Year, starts August 4th during First Friday! Name your price - you choose how much to donate to the library during our biggest book sale of the year! We are also happy to accept donations of clean, good quality books - no textbooks or vintage items, please! 

Tech Time @ the Library,  August 5, 12, and 19 from 10 AM to 1 PM.  Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet?  Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog?  Drop in the library to ask Justin your I.T. related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

Home Arts Club First Friday Bake Off, September 1 from 5-7 PM. This year’s bake-off features the best cookies in town! To enter, bring a minimum of 60 small cookies to the library with a list of ingredients by 2 PM on September 1st. To sample & judge, join us between 5-7 PM during First Friday at the library to purchase tasting tickets & cast your votes!

This week, two books which feature bookstores are going to be highlighted. Lewis Buzbee, an author, once commented:  “We are much more likely to be drawn to a messy bookstore than a neat one because the mess signifies vitality. We are not drawn to a bookstore because of tasteful, Finnish shelves in gunmetal gray mesh, each one displaying three carefully chosen, color-coordinated colors. Clutter, orderly clutter, if possible--is what we expect. Like a city. It's not quite a city unless there's more than enough." Imagine a cozy bookstore that you would most enjoy with its smell of musty older books, a chair in an alcove for perusing a find, the odor of coffee brewing, and the sound of soft music in the background. Now settle down with a great book about a bookstore!

The Little Village of Book Lovers: A Novel by Nina George. In a little town in the south of France in the 1960s, a dazzling encounter with Love itself changes the life of little Marie-Jeanne forever. As a girl, Marie-Jeanne realizes she can see the marks Love has left on the people around her— little glowing lights on the faces and hands that shimmer more brightly when the one meant for them is near. Before long, she is playing matchmaker, bringing true loves together in her little town. As she grows up, Marie-Jeanne helps her father begin a mobile book repository that travels all throughout the many small mountain towns in the region, and she finds herself bringing soul mates together every place they go. In fact, the only person that she can't seem to find a soul mate for is herself. She has no glow of her own although she waits and waits for it to appear. Everyone must have a soul mate, surely but will Marie-Jeanne be able to recognize hers when Love finally comes to her?

The Mayfair Bookshop: A Novel of Nancy Mitford and the Pursuit of Happiness by Eliza Knight. In 1938, Nance Mitford was one of six sparkling Mitford sisters, known for her stinging quips, stylish dress, and bright green eyes. But her sparking life is one of turmoil. She has a perpetually unfaithful and broke husband and two Nazi sympathizer sisters. Her hopes of motherhood are dashed forever. With war imminent, Nancy finds respite by taking a job at the Heywood Hill Bookshop in Mayfair, hoping to make ends meet, and discovers a new life.

Upcoming events:

Biggest Book Sale of the Year, runs through August 26th! Name your price - you choose how much to donate to the library during our biggest book sale of the year! We are also happy to accept donations of clean, good quality books - no textbooks or vinage items, please! 

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids.  Wednesdays at 9:00 AM. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support, coping strategies, and tinformation about community resources.

August Crafternoons, Wednesdays, drop in from 12 NOON-2 PM to make crafty creations! All ages are encouraged to attend. A different project will be featured each Wednesday.

Nutrition and Medical Classes by Dr. Larry Jackson, MD, and Debbie Jackson, MS, RD. Third Wednesday of the Month at 6 PM. Next class will be on August 16th at 6 PM:  How to Unclog the Plumbing (Good Cholesterol vs Bad Cholesterol). 

Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!

First Thursday Book Club 2023, September 7, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM.  Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others

Home Arts Club First Friday Bake Off, September 1 from 5-7 PM. This year’s bake-off features the best cookies in town! To enter, bring a minimum of 60 small cookies to the library with a list of ingredients by 2 PM on September 1st. To sample & judge, join us between 5-7 PM during First Friday at the library to purchase tasting tickets & cast your votes!

Tech Time @ the Library, August 12, and 19 from 10 AM to 1 PM.  Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet?  Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog?  Drop in the library to ask Justin your I.T. related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!

Reading a variety of books is enjoyable and keeps the mind healthy and active.  Reading broadens our understanding of the world and exposes us to new ideas, cultures, and people. According to best selling Japanese author Haruki Murakami, “If you only read books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking." Jeanette Winterson, a British author, wrote that "books and doors are the same thing. You open them, and you go through into another world." Variety makes life and reading interesting, and the books below are sure to appeal to many.

Accidental Kindness: A Doctor's Notes on Empathy by Michael Stein, MD. Stein, a primary care physician and behavioral scientist, examines the often conflicting goals of patients and their doctors and explores whether the patient's expectation of kindness within this relationship is realistic.

The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves by Alexandra Horowitz. The author explores what it is like to be a puppy by spending a year examining her own puppy's daily activities and researching the science of early dog development. She focuses on the puppy's point of view and notes similarities between her dog's first year and that of the growing child. New puppy owners will find this book essential to successfully navigating the exciting and challenging first year of their puppy's life.

My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy by Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin Hill. While preparing to sell his home, Clint Hill, a retired Secret Service agent now in his nineties, discovered a trunk filled with memorabilia and photos from his worldwide travels with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. He takes the reader on an incredible journey as he recounts the adventures he shared with one of the world's most beautiful and iconic women.

The Name She Gave Me by Betty Culley.  This young adult fiction book is a deeply emotional story about an adopted teenager exploring the meaning of family, friendship, and love in all of its many forms as she attempts to reconnect with her biological family.

As cold weather is upon us, you might be interested to check out these new fiction books that
focus on winter and Christmas. We find that a good book is the best antidote for cold, winter
weather!

One Last Gift by Emily Stone: When a young woman finds herself lost and at a crossroads, one last gift from her brother just might give her another chance at life and at love in this epic
holiday romance.

Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand: The 2nd installment of the Winter Series finds Winter Street Inn owner Kelley Quinn reflecting on the past year as he writes a holiday letter to friends and family. With jealousy, passion, and eggnog consumption at an all-time high, it's going to take a whole lot more than a Christmas miracle to get the Quinns--and the inn--through the holidays intact.

All Is Bright by RaeAnne Thayne: The 8th book in the Hope’s Crossing Series is steeped in
holiday romance and overflows with family and wintry small-town appeal. (If you enjoy the
Hallmark channel this time of year, this book is for you.)

The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber: Two lifelong friends, a bartender and a pastor,
decide to trade places the week before Christmas and end up finding love along the way in this delightful novel from the queen of holiday stories.

Hidden in Snow by Viveca Sten: For a much different approach to winter-themed reading, the splendor of the Swedish mountains becomes the backdrop for a bone-chilling crime. In this devious novel by the bestselling author of the Sandhamn Murders Series, discover what it will take to solve a case when the truth can be so easily hidden in the coming storm.

A 2005 graduate of Marcellus High School, Patricia graduated from Western Michigan University with a double major in English and Communication Studies and a minor in Psychology.  In 2022, she received a Master of Library Science Degree from University of Kentucky and is an active member of the international honor society for library and information science, Beta Phi Mu.

A lifelong patron, Patricia's first job was working at the Marcellus Township Library from 2001-2009. She returned to the library as both a patron and employee in 2018, quickly stepping into whatever roles needed to be filled including social media, youth programming and interlibrary loan services.

Board President Jennifer Jones-McClain said the board’s decision to hire Patricia was based on her outstanding credentials, her service on the Downtown Development Authority, leadership with Marcellus First Friday events and her positive relationships with community members.

Buckhold is eager to lead the library into the future, saying “Our library has a history of over 120 years of growth and innovation; I am excited to build upon that legacy to respond to the needs of our community and ensure that the library continues to offer access to valuable resources and provides a meaningful sense of connection locally and globally.”

Buckhold replaces Christine Nofsinger who has served as Library Director since 1996.

Check out our new book display and let your favorite TV shows and stars guide your reading this week:

The Winners by Fredrik Backman is the third installment in the Beartown novels, which are
the basis for the hit HBO show. As it beautifully captures all the complexities of daily life and
explores questions of friendship, loyalty, loss, and identity, this emotion-packed novel asks us to reconsider what it means to win, what it means to lose, and what it means to forgive.

The World's Worst Assistant by Sona Movsesian is a completely hilarious and irreverent
how-to guide for becoming a terrible, yet unfireable employee, and getting away with doing the bare minimum at work written by Conan O'Brien's longtime assistant and cohost of his podcast, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend.

Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization by Neil deGrasse Tyson (who has
made a cameo appearance in almost every show on prime time, as well as hosted several
science-themed tv series) shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time- war, politics,
religion, truth, beauty, gender, and race-in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all.

Seriously Good Chili Cookbook: 177 of the Best Recipes in the World by Brian
Baumgartner, with a foreword by Oscar Nunez, proves that no one takes chili more seriously
than Baumgartner, who became a household name in the Emmy-winning TV series, The Office as Kevin Malone. In real life, Brian is a true chili master and aficionado who is just as serious as his fictional counterpart about making the most perfect pot of chili. (Yes, it does include the official recipe for Kevin's Famous Chili from The Office!)

UPCOMING EVENTS:
First Thursday Book Club: Join us for lively conversation to discuss what you've been reading & gain new recommendations from friends! October 6, 2022 at 12:00 Noon.

Muxlow Exotics - Live Animals: Join us during First Friday for an interactive and educational live animal presentation featuring a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians! Friday, October 7, 2022 at 5:15 PM.

Yoga with Dave Sivley: Cost is $5 per class. Bring a yoga mat, water and a towel. Tuesdays, September 20-October 25, 2022 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM.

Preschool Story Hour: Stories, music, and movement for babies, toddlers and their
caregivers! Wednesdays, September 21-November 16, 2022 at 10:15 AM. 

Grown Up Game Nights will be held on the last Wednesday of each month, inviting adults to gather, play games and socialize while enjoying coffee, tea and charcuterie. October 26, 2022 at 6:00PM. 

Halloween Fright Night at the Library! Halloween at the library has returned - join us during Trick or Treat hours!

This week’s selection of new fiction is to die for! If you enjoy murder mysteries, you won’t want to miss these new books:

Bad Day Breaking: A Bad Axe County Novel - #4 by John Galligan is a thrilling mystery that explores the price paid for following false leaders and the power we each have to triumph over trauma as Sheriff Heidi Kick struggles to prevent a radical religious sect from turning her county into the next Jonestown, all while a dark secret from her past puts her life in danger.

The Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green showcases the way that Savannah may appear to be “some town out of a fable,” with its vine flowers, turreted mansions, and ghost tours that romanticize the city’s history but a closer look reveals secrets, past and present, that tell a more sinister tale.

Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead unfolds an enthralling locked-room murder mystery inspired by crime fiction of the Golden Age featuring a magician-turned-sleuth in pre-war London.

The Bullet That Missed: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery - #3 by Richard Osman begins with a decade-old cold case which leads to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers. Then a new foe pays a visit. Her mission? Kill or be killed. Suddenly the cold case has become red hot. (We do have books #1 and #2 available if you’d prefer to start at the beginning of this series!)

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Preschool Story Hour: Stories, music, and movement for babies, toddlers and their caregivers! Wednesdays, September 21-November 16, 2022 at 10:15AM. 

Grown Up Game Nights will be held on the last Wednesday of each month, inviting adults to gather, play games and socialize while enjoying coffee, tea and charcuterie. September 28, 2022 at 6:00PM. 

Southwest Michigan Reads: Karen Dionne at the Van Buren Conference Center in Lawrence: This event is free and open to the public. A book signing  and light refreshments will follow Dionne's presentation. Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 6:30 PM.

First Thursday Book Club: Join us for lively conversation to discuss what you've been reading & gain new recommendations from friends! October 6, 2022 at 12:00 Noon.

Muxlow Exotics - Live Animals: Join us during First Friday for an interactive and educational live animal presentation featuring a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians! Friday, October 7, 2022 at 5:15 PM.

Halloween Fright Night at the Library! Venture through the stacks during trick or treat on October 31, 2022 if you’re brave enough! Visit the children's area for treats!

The changing season and falling temperatures always seem to encourage extra time spent in the kitchen this time of year. Visit our new nonfiction section to find inspiration for your cooking and baking projects!

Snackable Bakes by Jessie Sheehan features 100 easy recipes for exceptionally scrumptious sweets and treats that minimize time but maximize fun.

The Mediterranean Dish: 120 Bold and Healthy Recipes You’ll Make on Repeat by Suzy Karadsheh brings cross-culturally inspired dishes from throughout the Mediterranean into American home kitchens, using easy-to-find ingredients and easy-to-follow, tested-to-perfection recipes to make your meals more vibrant, delicious, and yes—even a little healthier, too!

Be a Plant-Based Woman Warrior: Live Fierce, Stay Bold, Eat Delicious by Jane Esselstyn includes more than 125 recipes made for women on the go that are sure to tempt even the most reluctant vegetable-focused eaters. Full of life, captivating energy, and delicious food, this cookbook brings readers to the Esselstyn family table, where plants and joy are at the center.

Finding Freedom: A Cooks Story, Remaking a Life from Scratch by Erin French unfolds the challenges, stumbles, and victories that have led the author to the exact place she was ever meant to be: telling stories of multiple rock bottoms, of darkness and anxiety, of survival as a jobless single mother, of pills that promised release but delivered addiction, of a man who seemed to offer salvation but in the end ripped away her very sense of self... and of the beautiful son who was her guiding light as she slowly rebuilt her personal and culinary life around the solace she found in food-as a source of comfort, a sense of place, as a way of bringing goodness into the world.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Preschool Story Hour: Stories, music, and movement for babies, toddlers and their caregivers! Wednesdays, September 21-November 16, 2022 at 10:15AM.

The Evolution of Themes in Children's Literature: Southwestern Michigan College English Professor, Joe Coti, will discuss the ever-evolving themes of the genre and how children's literature is an often misunderstood topic. September 22, 2022 at 6:30PM.

Grown Up Game Nights will be held on the last Wednesday of each month, inviting adults to gather, play games and socialize while enjoying coffee, tea and charcuterie. September 28, 2022 at 6:00PM.

Southwest Michigan Reads: Karen Dionne at the Van Buren Conference Center in Lawrence: This event is free and open to the public. A book signing  and light refreshments will follow Dionne's presentation. Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 6:30 PM.

First Thursday Book Club: Join us for lively conversation to discuss what you've been reading & gain new recommendations from friends! October 6, 2022 at 12:00 Noon.

Muxlow Exotics - Live Animals: Join us during First Friday for an interactive and educational live animal presentation featuring a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians! Friday, October 7, 2022 at 5:15 PM.

Halloween Fright Night at the Library! Venture through the stacks during trick or treat on October 31, 2022 if you’re brave enough!

If you appreciate digging into the past, you’ll appreciate our new nonfiction this week:

Dangerous Rhythms: Jazz and the Underworld by T. J. English is an epic, scintillating narrative of the interconnected worlds of jazz and organized crime in 20th century America.

Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional by Isaac Fitzgerald begins with a childhood that moves at breakneck speed from safety to violence, recounting an extraordinary pilgrimage through trauma to self-understanding and, ultimately, acceptance. Fitzgerald strives to take control of his own story and to embrace the idea that one can be generous to oneself by being generous to others.

The Man Who Could Move Clouds: A Memoir by Ingrid Rojas Contreras traces the author’s lineage back to her indigenous and Spanish roots, uncovering the violent and rigid colonial narrative that would eventually break her family into two camps: those who believe the family’s magic is a gift, and those who are convinced it is a curse. Interweaving family stories more enchanting than any novel, resurrected Colombian history, and her own deeply personal reckonings with the bounds of reality, Rojas Contreras writes her way through the incomprehensible and into her inheritance.

Because Our Fathers Lied: A Memoir of Truth and Family, from Vietnam to Today by Craig McNamara tells of the author’s coming of age in the political tumult and upheaval of the late 60s. While he would grow up to take part in anti-war demonstrations, his father, Robert McNamara, served as John F. Kennedy's Secretary of Defense and the architect of the Vietnam War. This searching and revealing memoir offers an intimate picture of one father and son at pivotal periods in American history.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Preschool Story Hour: Stories, music, and movement for babies, toddlers and their caregivers! Wednesdays, September 21-November 16, 2022 at 10:15AM.

The Evolution of Themes in Children's Literature: Southwestern Michigan College English Professor, Joe Coti, will discuss the ever-evolving themes of the genre and how children's literature is an often misunderstood topic. September 22, 2022 at 6:30PM.

Grown Up Game Nights will be held on the last Wednesday of each month, inviting adults to gather, play games and socialize while enjoying coffee, tea and charcuterie. September 28, 2022 at 6:00PM.

Southwest Michigan Reads: Karen Dionne at the Van Buren Conference Center in Lawrence: This event is free and open to the public. A book signing  and light refreshments will follow Dionne's presentation. Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 6:30 PM.

First Thursday Book Club: Join us for lively conversation to discuss what you've been reading & gain new recommendations from friends! October 6, 2022 at 12:00 Noon.

Muxlow Exotics - Live Animals: Join us during First Friday for an interactive and educational live animal presentation featuring a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians! Friday, October 7, 2022 at 5:15 PM.

Halloween at the Library – Fright Night at the Cass County Scare! Venture through the stacks during trick or treat on October 31, 2022 if you’re brave enough!

It may be a little late in the season to find summer love, but there’s plenty of romance among the new fiction shelves:

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center:

Hannah looks more like a kindergarten teacher than a bodyguard, but she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from a stalker. When he returns home to the family's ranch to help out, he doesn't want them to know about his stalker or his bodyguard. Hannah reluctantly finds herself pretending to be Jack's girlfriend as a cover, but the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem.  

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach:

Sally Holt’s summer begins uneventfully, full of days at the pool with her sister Kathy, which they use as an excuse to ogle Billy Barnes, who works there. By summer's end, Billy and Kathy are an item...an unthinkable stroke of luck that ends in an even more unthinkable tragedy. This breathtaking love story between two broken people examines how the people we love the most continue to shape our lives long after they're gone.

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune:

Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right. A magazine writer has to make a choice when she returns to the lake she grew up on, and to the man she thought she'd never have to live without.

The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey:

In 1976, David comes upon a creature he doesn't expect: a mermaid by the name of Aycayia. Once a beautiful young woman, she was cursed by jealous wives to live in this form for the rest of her days. But after the mermaid is caught by American tourists, David rescues and hides her away in his home, but the question remains: Will the former mermaid be able to escape her curse?

The Last Summer by Karen Swan:

Wild-spirited Effie Gillies has lived all her life on the small island of St Kilda but when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week she guides the handsome young visitor around the isle, falling in love for the first time – until a storm hits and her world falls apart.

The Evolution of Themes in Children's Literature: Southwestern Michigan College English Professor, Joe Coti, will discuss the ever-evolving themes of the genre and how children's literature is an often misunderstood topic. September 22, 2022 at 6:30PM.

Grown Up Game Nights will be held on the last Wednesday of each month, inviting adults to gather, play games and socialize while enjoying coffee, tea and charcuterie. September 28, 2022 at 6:00PM.

Southwest Michigan Reads: Karen Dionne at the Van Buren Conference Center in Lawrence: This event is free and open to the public. A book signing  and light refreshments will follow Dionne's presentation. Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 6:30 PM.

First Thursday Book Club: Join us for lively conversation to discuss what you've been reading & gain new recommendations from friends! October 6, 2022 at 12:00 Noon.

Muxlow Exotics - Live Animals: Join us during First Friday for an interactive and educational live animal presentation featuring a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians! Friday, October 7, 2022 at 5:15 PM.

Library Director Position

The Marcellus Township Library Board of Trustees is accepting resumes for the position of Library Director. This position is full-time and will include some evening and weekend hours.

The successful Director candidate will be a strong leader, who possesses a creative vision, a willingness to interact with the community, and strong customer service skills. The candidate should have an understanding of the needs of a small community and a willingness to work with the Board of Trustees.

Qualifications:

 Minimum of 4-year bachelor’s degree
 Preference given to a candidate with an ALA-accredited Master of
Library Science degree
 Knowledge of public library administrative principles and practices,
human resources, and library law helpful
 Library experience required
 Demonstrated administrative, management and fiscal ability
 Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with
staff, Board of Trustees, community organizations, and the public
 Excellent oral and written skills
 Grant-writing skills

Applicants should send a resume to the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial
Library Board of Trustees at librarydirectorapply.mtwml@gmail.com by 5pm on
August 29, 2022.

Whether you’re planning a trip to squeeze every last drop out of this summer or simply daydreaming about the possibilities, world wanders will find plenty of inspiration among our new nonfiction selections this week: 

Epic Hikes of the World: Explore the Planet's Most Thrilling Treks and Trails edited by Bridget Blair contains stories of 50 incredible hiking routes in 30 countries, from New Zealand to Peru, plus a further 150 suggestions, to inspire a lifetime of adventure on foot. From one-day jaunts and urban trails to month-long thru-hikes, cultural rambles and mountain expeditions, each journey shares one defining feature: being truly epic. 

Lonely Planet Ultimate United States Travel List edited by Cliff Wilkerson. What's the #1 experience in America? For the first time, the experts at Lonely Planet have ranked the top 500 unmissable experiences and hidden gems across the USA – to create the ultimate hitlist. 

50 States, 500 Campgrounds: Where to Go, When to Go, What to See, What to Do by Joe Yogerst is a beautifully illustrated guide from National Geographic revealing 500 of the best tent, cabin, glamping, and RV campgrounds - including opening dates, booking information, activity recommendations, and more - in all 50 states and Canada. 

Michigan's Upper Peninsula: Scenic Drives, Waterfalls, Lakeside Getaways by Paul Vachon offers a region-by-region description of the state and includes information on lodging, restaurants, outdoor activities, festivals, and transportation. 

Michigan Day Trips by Theme by Kathryn Houghton is a comprehensive book by a native Michigander that leads you to the fun, the fascinating, and the downright unusual. It is packed with more than 300 of the Great Lake State's top spots for entertainment and enjoyment. 

Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel by Mike Fornes takes the reader up the red carpeted steps, through the doors, back to the past, behind the scenes, and to today’s world of Mackinac Island finery.  

Even if you aren’t traveling soon, the library offers plenty of events to enjoy locally: 

Grown Up Game Nights will be held on the last Wednesday of each month, inviting adults to gather, play games and socialize while enjoying coffee, tea and charcuterie. August 31, 2022 at 6:00PM.  

First Thursday Book Club: Join us for lively conversation to discuss what you've been reading & gain new recommendations from friends! September 1, 2022 at 12:00 Noon. 

The Evolution of Themes in Children's Literature: Southwestern Michigan College English Professor, Joe Coti, will discuss the ever-evolving themes of the genre and how children's literature is an often misunderstood topic. September 22, 2022 at 6:30PM. 

Southwest Michigan Reads: Karen Dionne at the Van Buren Conference Center in Lawrence: This event is free and open to the public. A book signing and light refreshments will follow Dionne's presentation. Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 6:30 PM. 

Muxlow Exotics - Live Animals: Join us during First Friday for an interactive and educational live animal presentation featuring a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians! Friday, October 7, 2022 at 5:15 PM. 

Our new adult fiction display is overflowing with great examples of historical fiction. If you enjoy the details of historical settings and significant cultural events, mixed with imagined perspectives and fictional characters, you won't want to miss these: 

Switchboard Soldiers by Jennifer Chiaverini is a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I -- the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military, smashed the workplace glass ceiling, and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory. 

The Last Hours in Paris by Ruth Druart finds 18-year-old Josephine Chevalier in 1963 Brittany, as she uncovers a shocking secret about her mother that leads her to Paris where she learns the story of a forbidden love as the city fought for its freedom in 1944 -- and of a betrayal so deep, it changed two young lives forever. 

The Unkept Woman: A Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery - #4 by Allison Montclair depicts the founders of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau in London in 1946. Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, whose husband was killed in the recent World War and Miss Iris Sparks who worked as an intelligence agent during the recent conflict, operate their flourishing agency in the post-war climate, but both founders have to contend with fallout from their past personal lives. 

Sister Mother Warrior by Vanessa Riley tells the extraordinary story of the Haitian Revolution through the eyes of Marie-Claire Bonheur, the first Empress of Haiti and Gran Toya, a West African-born warrior. 

My Name Is Yip by Paddy Crewe follows Yip Tolroy, born in 1815 in the small town of Heron’s Creek, Georgia. He may not speak, but his story is both an entertaining tale of gold, murder, and the impulse for revenge and a tender coming-of-age story amid the lawlessness of the American frontier. 

Upcoming Events at the Library: 

Grown Up Game Nights will be held on the last Wednesday of each month, inviting adults to gather, play games and socialize while enjoying coffee, tea and charcuterie. August 31, 2022 at 6:00PM.  

First Thursday Book Club: Join us for lively conversation to discuss what you've been reading & gain new recommendations from friends! September 1, 2022 at 12:00 Noon. 

The Evolution of Themes in Children's Literature: Southwestern Michigan College English Professor, Joe Coti, will discuss the ever-evolving themes of the genre and how children's literature is an often misunderstood topic. September 22, 2022 at 6:30PM. 

The library is filled with ways to discover and explore our world and this week’s new nonfiction selections are no exception! 

River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard recounts Richard Burton’s life and epic journey that not only involved harrowing physical feats but stiff competition and epic clashes with his fellow explorer John Hanning Speke, and also with the man who has been left out of the history books, African guide Sidi Mubarak Bombay. Using diary entries and letters, Millard’s story drops you in the middle of the jungle and exposes a world of conquering and colonial exploits.  

The Whisper on the Night Wind by Adam Shoalts  

Tales of things that "go bump in the night" are part of the folklore of the wilderness, but most are easily dismissed by skeptics. The large, unidentified animals terrorizing Traverspine a hundred years ago were different. The eye-witness accounts were detailed, and those who reported them included no less than three medical doctors and a wildlife biologist. Something really did emerge from the wilderness to haunt the little settlement of Traverspine. Adam Shoalts, decorated modern-day explorer and an expert on wilderness folklore, picks up the trail from a century ago and sets off into the Labrador wild to investigate the tale. 

The King’s Shadow: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Deadly Quest for The Lost City of Alexandria by Edmund Richardson is the extraordinary untold and wild journey of Charles Masson and his search for the Lost City of Alexandria in the 'Wild East' during the age of empires, kings, and spies. For centuries the city of Alexandria Beneath the Mountains was a meeting point of East and West. Then it vanished. In 1833, it was discovered in Afghanistan by the unlikeliest person imaginable: Charles Masson, deserter, pilgrim, doctor, archaeologist, spy, one of the most respected scholars in Asia, and the greatest of nineteenth-century travelers. 

Imagine a City: A Pilot’s Journey Across the Urban World by Mark Vanhoenacker spent his childhood dreaming of elsewhere— of the distant, real cities he found on the illuminated globe in his bedroom, and of one perfect metropolis that existed only in his imagination. These cities were the sources of endless comfort and escape, and of a lasting fascination. Now, as a commercial airline pilot, Mark has spent nearly two decades crossing the skies of our planet and touching down in dozens of the storied cities he imagined as a child. He experiences these destinations during brief stays that he repeats month after month and year after year, giving him an unconventional and uniquely vivid perspective on the places that form our urban world. 

The Catch Me If You Can: One Woman’s Journey to Every Country in the World by Jessica Nabongo, celebrated traveler and photographer, is a love letter to cultural diversity, beauty, nature and the people she met along the way. The first documented Black woman to visit all 195 countries in the world-shares her journey around the globe with fascinating stories of adventure, culture, travel musts, and human connections.  

Curiosity and exploration don’t always require world travel; You can always visit the library, your gateway to the world. Don’t miss these upcoming events: 

Grown Up Game Nights will be held on the last Wednesday of each month, inviting adults to gather, play games and socialize while enjoying coffee, tea and charcuterie. August 31, 2022 at 6:00PM.  

First Thursday Book Club: Join us for lively conversation to discuss what you've been reading & gain new recommendations from friends! September 1, 2022 at 12:00 Noon. 

The Evolution of Themes in Children's Literature: Southwestern Michigan College English Professor, Joe Coti, will discuss the ever-evolving themes of the genre and how children's literature is an often misunderstood topic. September 22, 2022 at 6:30PM.  

If you’re a fan of strange and unusual phenomena, stop by the new fiction display today. Ranging from dystopian to sci-fi and fantasy, there’s a novel waiting for you to take a little break from reality.  

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston features a writer who returns home for the first time in a decade for her father’s funeral. It feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it. Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor's front door, too tall and too broad to be her father, and he's just as confused about why he's there as she is. Romance is most certainly dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she's ever known about love stories. 

Any Sign of Life by Rae Carson follows Paige Miller, who is determined to take her basketball team to the state championship, but falls deathly ill. Days later, she wakes up attached to an IV and learns that the whole world has perished. Everyone she loves, and all of her dreams for the future are gone. Paige pushes through her fear and grief each day scrounging for food, for shelter, for safety. As she struggles with her new reality, Paige learns that the apocalypse did not happen by accident. And that there are worse things than being alone. 

Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro reimagines the past in Victorian London. Two children with mysterious powers are hunted by a figure of darkness--a man made of smoke. Sixteen-year-old Charlie Ovid, despite a brutal childhood in Mississippi, doesn't have a scar on him. His body heals itself, whether he wants it to or not. Marlowe, a foundling from a railway freight car, shines with a strange bluish light. He can melt or mend flesh. When a jaded female detective is recruited to escort them to safety, all three begin a journey into the nature of difference, and belonging, and the shadowy edges of the monstrous. 

The Men by Sandra Newman opens with Jane Pearson camping with her husband and their five-year-old son, before drifting off to sleep. That night, every single person with a Y chromosome vanishes around the world, disappearing from operating theaters mid-surgery, from behind the wheels of cars, from arguments and acts of love. Her family is gone. No one knows why, how, or where. Meanwhile, strange video footage called "The Men" is being broadcast online of the vanished men marching through barren, otherworldly landscapes. Is this just a hoax, or could it hold the key to the Disappearance? 

Grievers by Adrienne Maree Brown Dune's mother is patient zero of a mysterious illness that stops people in their tracks - casting them into a nonresponsive state from which no one recovers. As the quarantined city slowly empties of life, she investigates what caused the plague and follows in the footsteps of her late researcher father. Tracking the sick and dying, she discovers patterns, finds comrades in curiosity, and the unexpected magic that emerges when the debt of grief is cleared. 

UPCOMING LIBRARY EVENTS: 

Friday, August 5, 5-7PM: Document shredding will be offered outside the library during First Friday and our biggest book sale of the year will be happening inside! Name your own price for high quality, gently used books and DVDs! 

Wednesday, August 31, 6PM: Grown Up Game Night will be the last Wednesday of each month, offering a chance to socialize, play a variety of board games and enjoy coffee, tea & charcuterie! 

Fiction:  Bloodless (Pendergast: Book 20 of 20) by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, et al; The Anatomy of Desire by L. R. Dorn; All the Water I’ve Seen is Running by Elias Rodriques; Billy Summers by Stephen King; Comrade Koba by Robert Littell; and A Deadly Fortune by Stacie Murphy, Eryn O’Sullivan, et al.

Nonfiction:  The Brilliant Abyss: Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat That Imperils It by Helen Scales; Bringing up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World by Uju Asika; and Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole by Tiffany Aliche.

Young Readers New Books:

Yes and No by Elisha Cooper (ages 2-6).

The Caiman by Maria Eugenia Enrique and Ramon Paris (ages 5-8).

History Smashers Series: The American Revolution by Kate Messner

and Justin Greenwood (ages 8-12).

Activities:

Preschool Story Hour:  Fall Story Hour will begin again on Wednesday, September 15, from 10:15 to 11:00 a.m., and will continue every Wednesday through October 27.   Join us for stories, music, and movement.  Take-home snack will be provided.  Babies and toddlers are welcome to join the class!

Sculpture and Stories with John Mooy:  John Mooy will tell stories from his more than 40 years as a stone sculptor on Friday, September 3 at the library from 5:00-7:00 p.m. during First Friday activities.

Crochet Classes with Korinne New will begin on September 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the library.  Call the library to RSVP at 646-9654.

The Hobbit:  Douglas A. Anderson, local resident and worldwide expert on the

textual history of The Hobbit, will present a program on September 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the library.

Yoga for Beginners returns to the library:  Instructor Dave Sivley will hold yoga classes every Tuesday from September 14 to October 19, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the library.  Cost:  $5.00 per class, payable to Dave.  Bring mat, towel and water.  RSVP to the library (646-9654) or to Dave Sivley at 269-365-6315.

Adult Book Club meets the first Thursday of every month at 12:00 noon at the library.

Those of us who remember our library 25 years ago recognize the remarkable amount of improvements and growth that our library has seen in the last 25 years with Christine Nofsinger as Director.

From beautiful renovations to unique local events, her vision and passion is apparent when you visit our library. While Covid-19 has brought challenges and required some adjustments to the way our community hub operates, we are looking forward to the ways that Chris will inspire, engage and improve our community in her 26th year of service and beyond!

The Marcellus Township Library has received a grant to purchase two picnic tables with umbrellas, which will provide seating for library patrons who access internet connections in front of the library.

The grant was awarded to the library by the Michigan Department of Education, which gives grants to schools, libraries and museums with funds from the CARES Act.  The CARES Act was enacted by the US government in March 2020 to provide funds for institutions which are struggling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The shaded tables will provide comfortable seating for library patrons who are accessing the library’s free WIFI connection outside the building or from vehicles parked in front of the library.  

Masks and social distancing are required at the picnic tables, just as they are inside the library.

The Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library is preparing a step-by-step schedule for re-opening, based on the Covid-19 guidelines provided by Governor Whitmer and the Library of Michigan. The Library Board, Director and staff are grateful for the patience of their patrons during the recent closure, and are eager to see renewed activity at the library.

During the week of Monday, June 8 through Friday, June 12 the Marcellus Library will provide curb-side services, but the building itself will be closed. Staff will be available to receive returned books, and deliver books and movies which have been checked out by phone (269-646-9654), or online from the library website (https://www.marcellus.michlibrary.org/), at the curb in front of the library door. Please return books in clean plastic or paper bags; checked out books and videos will be placed in clean plastic bags. Curbside service will continue for those who are not comfortable entering the building.

It's official: The Marcellus Township Library is going fine free!

On January 1, 2020, all current overdue fines will be waived.

No more daily fines for overdue materials (excluding DVDs and interlibrary loan materials).

We've shifted the JF section to make room for all the wonderful juvenile nonfiction that has been hiding among the adult nonfiction. Check out books on science, history, art, nature and more! We love seeing how many inquisitive young readers have already found new and exciting books to keep learning over summer break! We're happy to help if you have any trouble finding your favorite author or series in their new location.

On Saturday, June 29th, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy launched the 3rd year of the Hike Our Preserves (HOP!) program with hiking stick pick-up for paid registrants at 13 participating libraries across southwest Michigan.

HOP! is a year-round program that encourages kids to get fit while having fun outdoors. Registration costs $7 per participant, and includes a free hiking stick, as well as a medallion for each of the HOP preserves hiked. The first 50 participants to complete hikes at 10 out of the 11 preserves will receive a free gift from Jr. Rangerland Educational Publishing. Choices include puzzles, books, games, water bottles, and more! This year, SWMLC is partnering with 13 libraries across southwest Michigan so that families can combine a trip to the library with with up their hiking stick!

Participants must register online at https://swmlc.org/hop/ or in person at the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy office at 8395 East Main St, Galesburg MI 49053. Registration is ongoing, so you can register at any time. Free hiking sticks can be picked up by showing proof of paid registration at any of the participating HOP! library locations, including:

Antwerp Sunshine Library in Mattawan

Bangor Branch Library

Bloomingdale Branch Library

Covert Branch Library

Gobles Branch Library

Lawrence Branch Library

Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library

Parchment Community Library

Paw Paw District Library

Portage District Library

Richland Community Library

Schoolcraft Community Library

Webster Memorial Branch Library in Decatur.

We absolutely love when our events are so well attended that we need to bring out more seating! We have to thank the Home Arts group for bringing such a fantastic presentation to the library. We hosted such a wonderful crowd to learn more about our local history and to get an up-close look at so many interesting historical items (and to partake in chocolates and ice cream)!

November 7, 2018 was a happy day at the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library.  Library Director Christine Nofsinger greeted her staff with her arms in the air and a big smile on her face as she announced that the residents of Marcellus Township had voted the previous day to continue to pay 2 mills as part of their annual taxes to support the library.

“I am so incredibly grateful,” Nofsinger said.  “This community has never turned down a millage request in the 73 years since the library was first put on the ballot, in 1945, with a request for ½ mill.  We are so very fortunate to be in a township which values the library.”

An additional ½ mill was added in 1997, increasing the millage to 1 mill.  In 2012 a proposal to add an additional 1 mill was passed, bringing the library millage to 2 mills.  The vote this year renews the 2 mill amount for the coming years. 

As recent articles in The Marcellus News have described, there have been people in the Marcellus area who have cared deeply about the library since 1895.  First it was the Ladies’ Library Association; later a bequest from Russell Wood made it possible to build a library building.  Many local people have pitched in and worked with township authorities to create a well-organized and solidly supported library.  Committed local residents have given hundreds of volunteer hours to guiding the library’s development through their role as library board members (also known as trustees) and as supportive library patrons.

Library staff persons had an extra lilt in their steps after receiving the news of the millage passage.  Staff members Byron Cuddleback, Joy Kozik, Jo Beachy, Patty Witten and Suzanne Lind walk past a picture of benefactor Russell Wood many times a day.  On this day they could look once again at that picture, give a smile and an imaginary high-five, and say, “Thanks, Russell!  You did a good thing and this great community is continuing to help the library fulfill its mission,” which is:

The Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library serves as the center for lifetime learning and enjoyment in order to improve the quality of life for all citizens.  It does this by providing resources that enhance and contribute to knowledge, enlightenment, cultural and recreational needs.  As a community resource, the library’s mission is to enrich life, stimulate curiosity, foster literacy and provide the resources necessary for an informed citizenry.

We had a great turnout today as State Representative Aaron Miller and State Senator Kim LaSata ate lunch at the library with community members who discussed a wide range of important state issues. Keep an eye on our upcoming events or follow us on Facebook to find out about future opportunities for more enriching civic engagement.