What’s New at the Library

Events This Week

Mardi Gras Bunco
  • Monday – The Library will be closed on Monday, February 17th for presidents’ Day. We will reopen on Tuesday for our regular hours.
  • Tuesday at 11 am Preschool Storytime – We’ll have stories, songs, crafts, and more! Plus, every child gets a free book to take home at every storytime.
  • Wednesday at 11 am Lapsit Storytime – Storytimes for newborns to 2 year olds. Come listen to stories, sing songs, and develop key literacy skills. Also, every child gets a free book to take home!
  • Wednesday at 2 pm Spinning Yarns group – Hang out with other adults who share your interest in crochet, knitting, or other needlework. Bring your own materials. All are welcome.
  • Thursday at Noon Mardi Gras Bunco – We’re having a Mardi Gras themed Bunco Party! We will have masks, beads and prizes! The signup sheet is full, but there is a waiting list in case of last minute dropouts. (Snacks will be served)  Signup online or at the Circulation Desk.
  • Thursday at 5:30 pm Storytime – Evening Storytime is open to all ages. We’ll have stories, songs, crafts, and more! Plus, every child gets a free book to take home at every storytime.
chocolate with candy hearts
  • Saturday at 1 pm Chocolate Party – Kids, have an afternoon filled with chocolate themed crafts and watch a movie. Charlie finds a golden ticket and wins a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, led by Willy Wonka, the world’s most unusual candy maker. We will have popcorn, lemonade, and of course, chocolate.

More Events

March Book Madness

March Book Madness 2020 banner

We are getting ready for March Book Madness here at the library. The Sweet Sixteen books have been chosen from the most checked out books of the last two years. Voting is open for the Elite Eight and bracket forms are available for predicting the winning book.

Vote for your favorite books each week during March. At the end of March, the book with the most votes will win. If you correctly predict the winning book and turn in your pick by Friday, March 6th by 4:30 p.m., you will win a March Book Madness trophy. Plus, every time you vote, you will be entered into a prize drawing. We will draw names for fun prizes every Friday in March. Vote every week to increase your chances of winning.

There will be a separate contest for Adult books, Teen books, and Kid’s books. If you participate in all three contests, you will increase your odds of winning!

Recipe Swap

Recipe Swap - Fat Tuesday

On Tuesday, February 25th, join us for Recipe Swap and share your favorite recipe with fellow patrons who share your passion — cooking! Every month is a different theme! This month’s theme is “Fat Tuesday”. New Orleans inspired recipes.

Pokémon Day

On Thursday, Feb. 27th at 4 pm, celebrate Pokémon day with us by creating your own fakémon (fake Pokémon), going on a scavenger hunt to find lost Pokémon, and creating your own Pokéball!

Beginner’s 3D Printing Workshop

Do you have questions about 3D printing? Come to our beginner’s workshop to learn how to use the library’s 3D printer.

On Monday, March 2nd at 6 p.m., we will walk through the process of finding a print-ready file online that you can print as is or alter to fit your needs. The workshop is held every 1st Monday of the month at 6 p.m. All ages welcome. Signup online (http://lmlibrary.org) or at the front desk.

Spinning Yarns

On Wednesday, March 4th from 2 to 4 pm – join our Spinning Yarns group and spend time with other adults who share your interest in crochet, knitting, or other needlework! Bring your own materials and work on your ongoing projects. Beginners to experts, are all welcome.

For those of you who can’t make to the daytime group, we will have an evening version of Spinning Yarns on Thursday, March 12th and again on the 26th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Library and Lunch book discussion

In March we will discuss “An American marriage” by Tayari Jones. We’ll meet on Tuesday, March 10th at 12 p.m.

Bring your lunch and join the discussion.

Teen Otaku Club

anime and manga

Love anime and manga? On March 15th at 1 pm, our Otaku club is focusing on the Slice of Life genre vs the Adventure genre.

We will vote between two shows in each category and watch the winner. Afterwards we’ll vote again to decide which show to watch for the rest of the meeting.

We will have a craft and discussion along with each show. Feel free to bring your own refreshments!

Teens only please, 11 – 18 year olds (or middle and high school students).

What’s happening at the Library this month

piesEvents This Week

  • Tuesday at 11 am Storytime – Stories, songs, crafts, and more! Plus, every child gets a free book to take home at every storytime. Story times are open to children of all ages.
  • Tuesday at 4 pm Teen Craft: Comic Coasters – Repurpose old comics into new coasters! Supplies will be provided, first come first serve. For Teens only (13—18)
  • Wednesday at 11 am Lapsit Storytime – Special storytime for children ages 0-2. Come listen to stories, sing songs, and develop key literacy skills. Also, every child gets a FREE book to take home!
  • Thursday at 2 pm Game Day for Adults – Join us for Game Day for Adults. Hang out with other adults and play Mexican Train Dominoes, Spoons, or the card game “5 Crowns.”
  • Thursday at 5:30 pm Storytime – If you can’t make it to the morning storytime on Tuesday, you can come to the evening Thursday one instead. For children of all ages.
  • Thursday at 6 pm and again Saturday at 2 pm Movie – Come join us for a fun animated movie! See the further adventures of your favorite web slinging super heroes. If you can’t make it Thursday night, you can come see the movie Saturday afternoon instead. We’ll bring the popcorn and you can bring your own soda.

More Events

Recipe Swap

On Tuesday, March 26th at 6:30 p.m., join us for Recipe Swap and share your favorite recipe with fellow patrons who share your passion — cooking! Every month is a different theme. This month’s theme is “Sweet or Savory Pies”.

Fairytale & Fables Party

Kids, join us at the library where we will listen to old tales and fables, play fun games and make a cool crafts! Saturday, March 30 at 1:30 pm

Movies

On Saturday, April 6th at 2 pm, watch the sequel to a classic Disney movie where a well-known nanny returns to help her former charges through a difficult time in their lives.

On Thursday, April 11th at 6 pm, we will show a touching movie adaptation of a book about a lost dog traveling through the Colorado wilderness in search of her owner.

Yu-Gi-Oh(Logo)Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Academy

Tuesday, April 16th at 4 pm – Are you a new fan just itching to learn to play the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game? Did you used to play and need a refresher? Come to the library and learn with Fire Heart Games during our Duel Academy class! Open to all ages that are willing to learn, all materials will be provided unless you want to bring your own cards to use.

March Book Madness imageMarch Book Madness

There’s still time to cast your votes in our March Book Madness contest.
We’ve taken our sixteen most popular books from each area of the library: adult, teen, and kids, and pitted them against each other in a battle to see which books will become our 2019 Books of the Year.

Right now, we are down to the Final Four and this Friday we will tally the votes to see which books will become the two finalists.

You decide who will be the winner. Vote each week during March for your favorites, either on our website (http://lmlibrary.org) or in person at the library.

When you vote each week, besides helping determine which books will win, you will also enter into weekly drawings for fun prizes. The third round ballots are due Friday, March 22nd by 4:30 p.m. And be sure to cast your vote for the Champion by Friday, March 29th by 4:30 p.m.

So have a little fun and maybe win a prize at the library by participating in this year’s March Book Madness.

Spring Book Sale

It’s Book Sale time once again! The Friends of the Liberal Memorial Library will hold their Spring Book Sale on April 8-12.

The Book Sale Reception is open to everyone this year. On Monday, April 8th at 6 p.m., come in for refreshments and have first pick of the items on sale. All items will sell for $1.00 each except for paperpacks, which will be $0.50 each.

Funds from the Book Sale go to the Friends of the Library to help support library programs.
Sign up to become a Friend of the Library today. (http://friends.lmlibrary.org/ )

March Book Madness is coming to the library

March Book Madness imageEvents This Week

  • Monday – The Library will be closed on Monday, February 18th for Presidents’ Day. We will reopen on Tuesday for our regular hours.
  • Tuesday at 11 am Storytime – Stories, songs, crafts, and more! Plus, every child gets a free book to take home at every storytime. Story times are open to children of all ages.
  • Wednesday at 11 am Lapsit Storytime – Special storytime for children ages 0-2. Come listen to stories, sing songs, and develop key literacy skills. Also, every child gets a FREE book to take home!
  • Thursday at 5:30 pm Storytime – If you can’t make it to the morning storytime on Tuesday, you can come to the evening Thursday one instead. For children of all ages.
  • Saturday at 1:30 pm Winter PJ Party – Kids, wear your favorite pajamas and join us at the library for some stories & games! Be sure to bring your favorite stuffed “friend” or blanket!

 

More Events

TacosRecipe Swap

On Tuesday, February 26th at 6:30 p.m., join us for Recipe Swap and share your favorite recipe with fellow patrons who share your passion — cooking! Every month is a different theme! This month’s theme is “Taco Tuesday”.

 

Oscar Prediction Contest and Movie

Pick up an Oscar prediction ballot at the library. Fill it out and return it by Saturday, Feb. 23rd and you could win a prize if you accurately predict the winners of the four categories on the ballot. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 26th.

After the Oscars are over, come watch an Oscar worthy movie with us on Monday, the 25th at 5:30 pm. Free popcorn will be available!

 

Library and Lunch Book Club

In March, we will discuss “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas. We’ll meet on Tuesday, March 12th at 12 p.m. Bring your lunch and join the discussion.

 

March Book Madness Teen Display

March Book Madness

Next week is the official start of our third annual March Book Madness contest. We’ve taken our sixteen most popular books from each area of the library: adult, teen, and kids, and pitted them against each other in a battle to see which books will become our 2019 Books of the Year.

You decide who will be the winner. Vote each week during March for your favorites, either on our website (http://lmlibrary.org) or in person at the library.

You can also fill out a bracket, online or in person, to predict the winners. If you correctly predict the winner of any of the three tournaments and turn in your bracket before March 8th at 4:30 p.m., you will win a 2019 March Book Madness trophy!

When you vote each week, besides helping determine which books will move forward in the tournament of books, you will also enter yourself into weekly drawings for fun prizes. The first round ballots to select the Elite Eight are due Friday, March 8th by 4:30 p.m.

So have a little fun and maybe win a prize at the library by participating in this year’s March Book Madness.

 

 

Celebrating Black History Month

Here are a couple of books from our display of books written by African American authors.

The Mothers imageThe Mothers: A Novel
by Brit Bennett

From the book description
It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother’s recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor’s son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it’s not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth.

As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.

Homegoing imageHomegoing: A novel
by Yaa Gyasi

Two half sisters, Effia and Esi are born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle’s dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast’s booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. One thread of Homegoing follows Effia’s descendants through centuries of warfare in Ghana, as the Fante and Asante nations wrestle with the slave trade and British colonization.

The other thread follows Esi and her children into America. From the plantations of the South to the Civil War and the Great Migration, from the coal mines of Pratt City, Alabama, to the jazz clubs and dope houses of twentieth-century Harlem, right up through the present day, Homegoing makes history visceral, and captures, with singular and stunning immediacy, how the memory of captivity came to be inscribed in the soul of a nation.

The End of Madness at Your Library

What’s happening this week at the Library

  • Tuesday at 11am Storytime – Stories, songs, crafts, and more! Plus, every child gets a free book to take home at every storytime. Story times are open to children of all ages.
  • Tuesday at 6:30 pm Recipe Swap – Bring something you’ve made (along with the recipe) to share and enjoy everyone else’s creations! Every month is a different theme! This month’s theme is “Make ahead and freeze” recipes.
  • Thursday at 6 pm Storytime – If you can’t make it to the morning storytime on Tuesday, you can come to the evening Thursday one instead.
  • Friday and Saturday Closed – The Library will be closed for Good Friday and Easter. We will reopen on Monday for our regular hours.

March Book Madness

This is the last week of our March Book Madness contest. Right now we are down to just two book contestants in each of the tournaments, Adult, Teen, and Children’s Books.

You decide who will be the winner. Vote for your favorites, either on our website http://lmlibrary.org or in person at the library.

We will tally the votes and discover which books will be the 2018 books of the year. Normally we do this on Friday, but because the library will be closed for Good Friday, we will tally our votes and do our last prize drawing on the next Monday instead.

So, if you don’t get a chance to vote in person before Thursday night, you can still vote online over the coming Easter weekend. Remember, each time you vote, you’ll be entered into our fun prize drawings, one for each tournament, Adult, Teen, and Children’s Books.

 

New Releases

Here are some of the library’s newest books on the adult side.

The Flight Attendant: A Novel
by Chris Bohjalian

From the Book Description
Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She’s a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure, and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them, and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together. She quietly turns over in bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man with whom she spent the night. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And blood, a slick, still wet pool on the crisp white sheets.

Set amid the captivating world of those whose lives unfold at forty thousand feet, The Flight Attendant unveils a spellbinding story of memory, reckless self-disregard, and of murder far from home.

The Affliction: A Novel
by Beth Gutcheon

From the Book Description
Since retiring as head of a famous New York City private school, Maggie Detweiler is busier than ever. Chairing a team to evaluate the faltering Rye Manor School for girls, she will determine whether the school has a future at all.

At a reception for the faculty and trustees to “welcome” Maggie’s team, no one seems more keen for all to go well than Florence Meagher, a star teacher who is loved and respected in spite of her affliction—that she can never stop talking.

Florence is one of those dedicated teachers for whom the school is her life, and yet the next morning, when Maggie arrives to observe her teaching, Florence is missing. Two days later, Florence’s body is found in the campus swimming pool.

Maggie is asked to stay on to coach the very young and inexperienced head of Rye Manor through the crisis. She is soon joined by her madcap socialite friend Hope, who is jonesing for an excuse to ditch her book club anyway, before she has to actually read Silas Marner.

What on earth is going on in this idyllic town? Is this a run-of-the-mill marital murder? Or does it have something to do with the school board treasurer’s real estate schemes? And is it possible that someone killed Florence just so she’d finally shut up?

 

Come to the library and enjoy these books or find some other type of books to read. Have a Happy Easter and don’t forget to vote for your favorite book!

March Book Madness and the Year of the Dog

What’s happening this week at the Library

  • Tuesday at 11am Storytime – Stories, songs, crafts, and more! Plus, every child gets a free book to take home at every storytime. Story times are open to children of all ages.
  • Tuesday at 6:30 pm Recipe Swap – Bring something you’ve made (along with the recipe) to share and enjoy everyone else’s creations! Every month is a different theme! This month’s theme is slow cooker recipes.
  • Thursday at 6 pm Storytime – If you can’t make it to the morning storytime on Tuesday, you can come to the evening Thursday one instead.

March Book Madness

This week is the official start of our second annual March Book Madness contest. We’ve taken our sixteen most popular books from each area of the library: adult, teen, and kids, and pitted them against each other in a battle to see which books will become our 2018 Books of the Year.

You decide who will be the winner. Vote each week during March for your favorites, either on our website or in person at the library.

You can also fill out a bracket, online or in person, to predict the winners. If you correctly predict the winner of any of the three tournaments and turn in your bracket before March 9th at 4:30 p.m., you will win a 2018 March Book Madness trophy!

When you vote each week, besides helping determine which books will move forward in the tournament of books, you will also enter yourself into weekly drawings for fun prizes.

So have a little fun and maybe win a prize at the library by participating in this year’s March Book Madness.

Year of the Dog

In honor of Chinese New Year, which was earlier this month, we’ve put together a special “Year of the Dog” book display, featuring all kinds of dog related books.

Here are a few:

The Dog Who Saved Me
by Susan Wilson

From the book description
Cooper Harrison of the Boston K-9 unit thought he would never go back to his hometown. Then his canine partner, Argos, is killed in the line of duty, and Cooper is mired in grief. Jobless and on the verge of a divorce, he accepts a job as animal control officer in Harmony Farms – back where he started.

Where his father was the town drunk. Where his brother was a delinquent and bully. Where he was “one of those” Harrisons. Cooper does his job with deliberate detachment until he encounters a wounded and gun-shy yellow Lab gone feral.

Being a Dog: Following the Dog Into a World of Smell
by Alexandra Horowitz

From the book description
In Being a Dog, Alexandra Horowitz, a leading researcher in dog cognition, continues to unpack the mystery of a dog’s nose-view, in order to more fully understand our irrepressibly charming companions. She follows the dog’s nose – exploring not only its abilities but the incredible ways it is being put to use.

By observing everything from her own dogs to working detection dogs and human sniffers, Horowitz takes us along on her quest to make sense of scents, combining a personal journey of smelling with a tour through the cutting-edge science behind the olfactory powers of the dog.

Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery
by Spencer Quinn

From the book description
Meet Chet, the wise and lovable canine narrator of Dog on It, who works alongside Bernie, a down-on-his-luck private investigator. Chet might have flunked out of police school (“I’d been the best leaper in K-9 class, which had led to all the trouble in a way I couldn’t remember exactly, although blood was involved”), but he’s a detective through and through.

Their search for a missing teenaged girl takes them into the desert to biker bars and other exotic locals, with Chet’s highly trained nose leading the way. With his doggy ways and his endearingly hardboiled voice, Chet is full of heart and occasionally prone to mischief.

 

One Nation Under Dog: Adventures in the New World of Prozac-Popping Puppies, Dog-Park Politics, and Organic Pet Food
by Michael Schaffer

From the book description
When Michael Schaffer and his wife drove to a rural animal shelter and adopted Murphy, an emaciated, dreadlocked Saint Bernard, they vowed that they’d never become the kind of people who get facials for their dogs or shell out for expensive hip replacements. But then they started to get weird looks from the in-laws: You hired a trainer? You had our dog implanted with a GPS chip? Murphy is on antidepressants?

It turned out Murphy wasn’t alone: yesteryear’s pooch has moved from the backyard doghouse to the master bedroom, evolving from man’s best friend to bona fide family member. The pet industry has ballooned from $17 billion to an estimated $43 billion in barely a decade. Schaffer provides a surprising, lively, and often hilarious portrait of our country.

 

Getting ready for Spring at the Library

What’s happening this week

  • Tuesday at 6:30 pm Recipe Swap – Join us for Recipe Swap and share your favorite recipes with fellow patrons who share your passion — cooking! Every month is a different theme! This month’s theme is “Anything Irish or anything green“.
  • Tuesday at 6 pm Storytime – If you can’t make it to the morning storytime on Thursday, you can come to the evening Tuesday one instead.
  • Thursday at 11:15 am Storytime – Listen to stories, sing songs, and do a craft. Storytimes are open to children of all ages.

The Library will be closed for Good Friday and Easter on Friday, April 14th and 15th.

 

March Book Madness

We are now down to our Final Four books in Liberal Memorial Library’s March Book Madness. On March 17th our patrons selected their favorites to become the Elite Eight out of sixteen books. The Sweet Sixteen books were chosen from a list of books that were checked out most during the last two years.

Last Friday the eight were reduced to four and this coming Friday we will tally all of the votes to see which two books will become the finalists for our 2017 Champion Book of the Year.

So be sure to vote either in person at the library, or online at http://lmlibrary.org/adults/march-book-madness-2017 for the adult book tournament and http://lmlibrary.org/kids/march-book-madness-2017 for the kid’s book version.

 

Purchase Suggestions

We now have a form on our website where patrons can leave suggestions about items they would like the library to purchase. So if you would like the library to carry more books about a certain subject, or if you want the library to get the latest book by your favorite author, you can leave us a suggestion at http://lmlibrary.org/how-do-i/item-purchase-suggestion-form.

 

Gardening Books

Waterwise plants for sustainable gardens : 200 drought-tolerant choices
by Lauren Springer Ogden and Scott Ogden.

From the book description
People everywhere are facing the realities of restricted water availability. Yet sustainable gardens and landscapes that use less water don’t have to be boring. The key to keeping your garden beautiful and waterwise is intelligent plant choice.

This practical and inspiring guide includes all kinds of plants, from trees to succulents, from perennials to bulbs, selected for their wide adaptability and ornamental value.

Grow great grub : organic food from small spaces
by Gayla Trail

From the book description
Your patio, balcony, rooftop, front stoop, boulevard, windowsill, planter box, or fire escape is a potential fresh food garden waiting to happen. In Grow Great Grub, Gayla Trail, the founder of the leading online gardening community (YouGrowGirl.com), shows you how to grow your own delicious, affordable, organic edibles virtually anywhere.

Whether you’re looking to eat on a budget or simply experience the pleasure of picking tonight’s meal from right outside your door, this is the must-have book for small-space gardeners–no backyard required.

Rodale’s Vegetable Garden Problem Solver
by Fern Marshall Bradley

From the book description
With the latest research, breakthroughs, and troubleshooting advice, Rodales Vegetable Garden Problem Solver features hundreds of organic and natural solutions for tackling disease, pest, and weed problems.

No matter what challenge crops up in your vegetable garden, you’ll discover all the answers you need to find solutions fast and keep your crops on track.

All new square foot gardening : the revolutionary way to grow more in less space
by Mel Bartholomew

From the book description
Square Foot Gardening works; over two million gardeners will agree. That’s how many folks have put Mel Bartholomew’s innovation grid-based method to the test over the years, and always with the same result: more produce in less space with less work.

In this exciting new edition of All New Square Foot Gardening, you’ll find all of Mel’s secrets revealed and all of his techniques explained. Your Square Foot Garden can be created practically anywhere. This beautiful new edition also contains all-new information on popular topics like gardening with kids and controlling pests.