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!

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!

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.