Kids, unleash your imagination! Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 4pm, join us for free-play with LEGO bricks galore! Upcoming Lego Play Days are Sept. 17th, Oct. 1st, and Oct. 15th.
Family Board Game Night
Calling all families! Join us on Thursday, Sept. 19th at 5pm to play board games with your family or compete against other families! We’ll provide great classic board games for open play.
Mahjong
Are you interested in learning a new game to play with family and friends? On Friday, Sept. 20th at 1 pm we will get together for a fun game of Mahjong here at the library. Learn the rules of this traditional Chinese game and play some Mahjong. No experience necessary. For adults only.
Zen Den
On Thursday, Sept. 26th starting at 4:30 pm, teens are invited to Zen Den – the ultimate after-school hangout for teens!
Every other Thursday at 4:30 pm we will dive into crafts, binge-watch movies and anime. Challenge your friends to video game battles in a welcoming space just for you.
Library and Lunch
On Tuesday, October 8th at Noon, our book club will meet to discuss “Daisy Darker” by Alice Feeney. Bring your lunch and join the discussion.
Banned Books Week display
Banned Books Week is coming up next week, September 22-28. Our staff is putting together an amazing display this year, come in and check it out!
While you’re at it, why not check out one of the books on display that have been banned or challenged around the country.
Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs
Running with Scissors is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead-ringer for Santa and a lunatic in the bargain. The doctor’s bizarre family, a few patients, and a pedophile living in the backyard shed completed the tableau. Here, there were no rules, there was no school. The Christmas tree stayed up until summer, and Valium was eaten like Pez. And when things got dull, there was always the vintage electroshock therapy machine under the stairs….
Running with Scissors is at turns foul and harrowing, compelling and maniacally funny. But above all, it chronicles an ordinary boy’s survival under the most extraordinary circumstances.
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Discovered in the attic where she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.
In 1942, as Nazis occupied Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. Anne’s account offers a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
An unusual memoir done in the form of a graphic novel by a cult favorite comic artist offers a darkly funny family portrait that details her relationship with her father, a historic preservation expert dedicated to restoring the family’s Victorian home, funeral home director, high-school English teacher, and closeted homosexual.
All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson
From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.
Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren’t Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson’s emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.
Now that Summer Reading is officially over, the staff of the Liberal Memorial Library would like to thank all of our patrons, kids, performers, staff, board members, volunteers, visitors, and passers-by that visited the library over these past two months.
From the kickoff to the closing party, we are ecstatic that you took the time and effort to make it into the library and look forward to seeing everyone again next year for another exciting year of Summer Reading.
Coming Events
Storytimes –
Monday evenings at 5:30 pm
Wednesdays at 10:00 am
Mahjong
Are you interested in learning a new game to play with family and friends? Every Friday at 1 pm we will get together for a fun game of Mahjong here at the library. Learn the rules of this traditional Chinese game and play some Mahjong. No experience necessary. For adults only.
Forrest McCurren Live
Enjoy a free concert at Liberal Memorial Library on Wednesday, July 24th at 6pm. Forrest McCurren will perform live with his signature Ozark sound.
The Zen Den
On Thursday Aug.1st at 4pm, watch your art transform and come alive with special glow paint. Looking to spice it up or try something different? This is just the event for you! Round up your crew and let’s paint in the dark!!
Welcome to the “Zen Den” – the ultimate after-school hangout for teens! Dive into crafts, binge-watch movies and anime, and challenge your friends to video game battles in a welcoming space just for you.
LEGO Play Day
Kids, unleash your imagination! On Tuesday, August 6th at 4pm, join us for free-play with LEGO bricks galore!
Library and Lunch
OnTuesday, August 13th at Noon, our book club will meet to discuss “Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting” by Clare Pooley. Bring your lunch and join the discussion.
Summer Beach Reads book display
Here are a few of the books in our Summer Beach Reads book display. Come in and check it out.
Autumn brings haunting beauty to the sun-soaked dunes on Isle of Palms, where Olivia “Lovie” Rutledge lives in her beloved Primrose Cottage. As the seasons change, Lovie remembers one special summer…
In 1974, America is changing, but Charleston remains eternally the same. When Lovie married aristocratic, businessman Stratton Rutledge, she turned over her fortune and fate to his control. But she refused to relinquish her family’s old seaside cottage, Lovie’s refuge from social expectations and her overbearing husband’s philandering.
Then, in the summer of ‘74, biologist Russell Bennett visits to research the beach’s turtles. Their shared interest brings them together, and soon it blooms into a passionate, profound love—forcing Lovie to face an agonizing decision. Stratton’s influence is far-reaching, and if she dares to dream beyond a summer affair, she risks losing her reputation, her wealth, even her children.
Conley Hawkins left her family’s small town newspaper, The Silver Bay Beacon, in the rearview mirror years ago. Now a star reporter for a big-city paper, Conley is exactly where she wants to be and is about to take a position in Washington, D.C. Or so she thinks.
When the new job goes up in smoke, Conley finds herself right back where she started, working for her sister, who is trying to keep local paper afloat. Then Conley witnesses an accident that ends in the death of a local congressman. The more she digs into the story, the more dangerous it gets. As an old heartbreaker causes trouble and a new flame ignites, it soon looks like their sleepy beach town is the most scandalous hotspot of the summer.
When four strangers rent bargain-basement rooms in an old hotel near the beach, they embark on the summer of their lives. First there’s Ariel Spencer, who has big dreams of becoming a writer. Her new friend Sheila Murphy is a good Catholic girl from Ohio. Then there’s small-town Missourian Wyatt Smith. The last of the four, Nick Volkov, is looking to make a name for himself. Despite their differences, the four bond over everything that Nantucket has to offer. But venturing out on their own for the first time, with all its adventure and risks, could change the course of their lives.
Twenty-six years after that amazing summer, Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt, and Nick reunite at the hotel where they first met. Life hasn’t exactly worked out the way they had all hoped. Being back together again will mean confronting the past and finding themselves. Meanwhile, the next generation discovers Nantucket: Their children explore the island together, experiencing love and heartbreak and forging lifelong bonds, just as their parents did all those years ago. It’s sure to be one unforgettable reunion.
Saturdays at 11 am in English and 11:30 in Spanish
Mahjong
Are you interested in learning a new game to play with family and friends? Every Friday at 1 pm we will get together for a fun game of Mahjong here at the library. Learn the rules of this traditional Chinese game and play some Mahjong. No experience necessary. For adults only.
Movie Time
On Thursday, January 25th at 4pm, come to the library and enjoy a movie and free popcorn!
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtles set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. But they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
Teen Club
Are you in middle or high school? On Wednesday, January 31st at 4 pm, come hang out with your friends to do crafts, watch anime, and decompress from the stresses of life.
Game Day
On Friday, February 2nd starting at 4 pm, join us to play video games, board games and card games. This event is open to all ages, bring a friend or family member to try out a new game!
Mardi Gras Bunco
On Friday, February 9th at noon, come to our Mardi Gras themed Bunco Party!
We will have masks, beads and prizes! Seating is limited. (Snacks will be served)
Library and Lunch
OnWednesday, February 14th at Noon, our book club will meet to discuss “The Lonely Hearts Book Club” by Lucy Gilmore. Bring your lunch and join the discussion.
Valentine’s Day Inspired Book Display
With Valentine’s day coming soon, we’ve put together a Valentine’s day inspired book display. Here are a few of the romance novels on display.
Meghna Raman defied her parents’ wishes and followed her life’s passion, becoming a theater teacher and aspiring playwright. When she discovers that her beloved writing partner, best friend, and secret crush, Seth, is engaged she realizes he’s about to become the one-that-got-away. Determined to try and move on, Meghna agrees to let her parents introduce her to a potential match. Maybe she could marry the engineer that her parents still wish she’d become.
Grumpy engineer Karthik Murthy has agreed to his mother’s matchmaking attempts to make her happy, never dreaming he would meet someone as vibrant as Meghna. A fake engagement could help Meghna soothe the sting of planning Seth’s wedding festivities and help Karthik avoid the absurd number of set-ups his mother has planned for him.
As the two find common ground and start for each other, an undeniable chemistry emerges. But soon, their insecurities threaten something that’s become a lot more real than they’d planned.
Archaeologist Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía has a bone to pick. Literally. It’s been Corrie’s life goal to lead an expedition deep into the Mexican jungle in search of the long-lost remains of her ancestor, Chimalli, an ancient warrior of the Aztec empire. But when she is invited to join an all-expenses-paid dig to do just that, Corrie is sure it’s too good to be true…and she’s right.
As the world-renowned expert on Chimalli, by rights Corrie should be leading the expedition, not sharing the glory with her disgustingly handsome nemesis. But Dr. Ford Matthews has been finding new ways to best her since they were in grad school. Ford certainly isn’t thrilled either—with his life in shambles, the last thing he needs is a reminder of their rocky past.
But as the dig begins, it becomes clear they’ll need to work together when they realize a thief is lurking around their campsite, forcing the pair to keep their discoveries—and lingering attraction—under wraps. With money-hungry artifact smugglers, the Mexican authorities, and the lies between them closing in, there’s only one way this all ends—explosively.
Coder Marina Spicer has no time to waste when it comes to love. Frustrated by the online dating world, she created Dealbreakers, an anonymous app where women review how men stack up to their internet profiles. Her high standards have served her well at work, so why not in love?
Enter Lucas Kennedy. A charming Irish content writer, he’s the only one standing between Marina and her long-deserved promotion. Much to Marina’s chagrin, the two are paired on a project to test out dating ideas. Looking him up in Dealbreakers hoping to learn some dirt about her rival, she finds he’s the worst-rated man on the entire app.
As Lucas and Marina argue their way through mixing cocktails, salsa dancing, and throwing axes, Marina finds herself having more fun than she’s had in years. So when temptation becomes too strong to resist, Marina allows herself to break some of her own rules. After all, if the Dealbreakers say he’s Mr. Wrong, he can’t possibly be Mr. Right . . . can he?
Saturdays at 11 am in English and 11:30 in Spanish
Mahjong
Are you interested in learning a new game to play with family and friends? Every Friday at 1 pm we will get together for a fun game of Mahjong here at the library. Learn the rules of this traditional Chinese game and play some Mahjong. No experience necessary. For adults only.
Game Day
On Friday, December 22nd starting at 4 pm, join us to play video games, board games and card games. This event is open to all ages, bring a friend or family member to try out a new game!
Closed for Christmas Holiday
Wishing all of you a merry and safe Christmas holiday from the Liberal Memorial Library family to yours. In celebration of the holiday, we will be closed December 25th and 26th.
Teen Club
Are you in middle or high school? On Wednesday, December 27th at 4 pm, come hang out with your friends to do crafts, watch anime, and decompress from the stresses of life.
Library and Lunch
OnTuesday, January 9th at Noon, our book club will meet to discuss “The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman. Bring your lunch and join the discussion.
Kid’s Blacklight Bingo
Kids, on Thursday, January 11th at 4 pm, join us for this fun spin on bingo. Be sure and wear neon and you may win some prizes!
Christmas Fiction Books
Check out our display of Christmas fiction books to help you get in the holiday spirit.
When it becomes known that Mr. Nicholas, the eccentric owner of the local hardware store, is somehow involved with reindeer, toys, and children, the town becomes more and more suspicious that this man is more than just a clerk on Main Street.
It’s the beginning of December in Rudolph, New York, America’s Christmas Town, and business is brisk at Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a gift and décor shop owned by Merry Wilkinson. The local amateur dramatic society is preparing a musical production of A Christmas Carol. But it’s not a happy set, as rivalries between cast and crew threaten the production.
Tensions come to a head when a member of the group is found dead. Was someone looking to cut out the competition? Everyone in the cast and crew is a potential suspect, including Aline, Merry’s mother, and Merry’s shop assistant Jackie O’Reilly, who was desperate for a starring role.
It could be curtains for Christmas—and for Merry—unless the killer can be ferreted out of the wings.
Just weeks before Christmas, severe wintry weather damages the church hall hosting the Christmas Boutique—an annual sale of handcrafted gifts and baked goods that supports the county food pantry. Determined to save the fundraiser, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson offers to hold the event at Elm Creek Manor, her ancestral family estate and summertime home to Elm Creek Quilt Camp.
But while the Elm Creek Quilters work tirelessly to make sure the Christmas Boutique happens, it may take a holiday miracle or two to make it the smashing success they want it to be.
“Marley was dead, to begin with,” Charles Dickens tells us at the beginning of A Christmas Carol. But in Jon Clinch’s ingenious novel, Jacob Marley, business partner to Ebenezer Scrooge, is very much alive: a rapacious and cunning boy who grows up to be a forger, a scoundrel, and the man who will be both the making and the undoing of Scrooge.
They meet as youths in the gloomy confines of Professor Drabb’s Academy for Boys, where Marley begins their twisted friendship by initiating the innocent Scrooge into the gentle art of extortion. Years later, as Marley toys with the affections of Scrooge’s sister, Fan, Scrooge falls under the spell of Fan’s best friend, Belle Fairchild.
Now, for the first time, Scrooge and Marley find themselves at cross-purposes. The two men engage in a shadowy war of deception, false identities, forged documents, theft, and cold-blooded murder. Marley and Scrooge are destined to clash in an unforgettable reckoning that will echo into the future and set the stage for Marley’s ghostly return.
Meticulously crafted and beguilingly told, Marley revisits and illuminates one of Charles Dickens’s most cherished works to spellbinding effect.
Saturdays at 11 am in English and 11:30 in Spanish
Movie Time
On Tuesday, September 19th at 4:30 pm, come to the library and enjoy a movie and free popcorn! A plumber named Mario travels through an underground labyrinth with his brother, Luigi, trying to save a captured princess.
Teen Otaku Club
Do you love anime and manga and are in middle or high school? Then come to our Teen Otaku Club meeting.
On Wednesday, September 20th at 5 pm, we will meet to watch and discuss anime!
Sign up in advance to get a free sticker at the meeting! Join us for your chance at an anime door prize and fun anime/manga discussion.
Game day
On Thursday, September 21st starting at 4 pm, join us to play video games, board games and card games. This event is open to all ages, bring a friend or family member to try out a new game!
Mahjong
We are now offering a 10 am Wednesday game session!
Are you interested in learning a new game to play with family and friends? Every Wednesday at 10 am and Friday at 1 pm, we will get together for a fun game of Mahjong here at the library. Think Gin Rummy using tiles! Learn the rules of this traditional Chinese game and play some Mahjong. No experience necessary. For adults only.
Books, Coffee & Donuts
On Wednesday, October 4th starting at 9 am, come to the library to chat with our staff over coffee and donuts about new releases and new events happening that month.
Library and Lunch
On Tuesday, October 10th at 12pm, our book club will meet to discuss “Home Before Dark” by Riley Sager. Bring your lunch and join the discussion.
Cozy Mysteries
Now that our evenings are starting to cool off, I’m inclined to curl up with a good book and maybe some fresh baked cookies or muffins.
Come in and check out our Cozy Mysteries book display. Here are a few cozy mysteries to choose from:
Mrs. Loretta Plansky, a recent widow in her seventies, is settling into retirement in Florida while dealing with her 98-year-old father. One night Mrs. Plansky is startled awake by a phone call from a voice claiming to be her grandson Will, who desperately needs ten thousand dollars to get out of a jam. Of course, Loretta obliges―after all, what are grandmothers for.
By morning, Mrs. Plansky has lost everything. Law enforcement announces that Loretta’s life savings have vanished, and that it’s hopeless to find the scammers behind the heist. First humiliated, then furious, Loretta Plansky refuses to be just another victim.
In a courageous bid for justice, Mrs. Plansky follows her only clue on a whirlwind adventure to a small village in Romania to get her money and her dignity back―and perhaps find a new lease on life, too.
Former actress Becca Ransom lived her dream in Hollywood for seven years before returning to her hometown of Larch Haven where Becca is pursuing her newest passion as a chocolatier at True Confections, the chocolate shop owned by her grandparents, Lolly and Pops.
While Becca’s testing new flavors and reconnecting with old friends, the town is gearing up for the annual Gondola Races, popular with both residents and tourists, with one exception, local curmudgeon Archie Smith.
Following a heated argument with Pops, Archie is found floating face-down in the canal, and Pops finds himself in hot water as one of the top suspects. Becca’s determined to clear her grandfather’s name, but when the case heats up, she could be facing a sticky end.
Retired lawyer Andy Carpenter remembers every dog that’s come through the Tara Foundation’s doors, but the most well-known alum of the dog rescue organization may be Mamie. Adopted by famous actress Jenny Nichols―Andy’s high school girlfriend―the miniature French poodle is now practically a starlet in her own right.
Andy and his wife, Laurie, have dinner with Jenny while she’s in town filming her next big hit. But after an eventful meal, Jenny’s costar is found dead, a knife in his back. It’s not long before Jenny is arrested for the murder and finds herself in need of Andy’s legal services.
While Mamie becomes reacquainted with Tara, Andy’s golden retriever, Andy digs into the lives of the rich and famous.
A possible serial killer on the loose sends tea maven Theodosia Browning into a whirlwind of investigation in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.
As she approaches St. Philips Graveyard, Theodosia sees two figures locked in a strange embrace. Wiping rain from her eyes, Theodosia realizes she has just witnessed a brutal murder and sees a dark-hooded figure slip away into the fog.
While alerting police, Theodosia recognizes the victim—it is the daughter of her friend, Lois, who owns the Antiquarian Bookshop next door to her own Indigo Tea Shop.
Even though this appears to be the work of a serial killer who is stalking the back alleys of Charleston, Lois begs Theodosia for help. Against the advice of her boyfriend, Detective Pete Riley, amateur-sleuth Theodosia launches her own shadow investigation.
Saturdays at 11 am in English and 11:30 in Spanish
Cutest Pet Contest Voting
Voting is open this week for our cutest pet contest. Come in to the library and vote for the cutest of the cute.
For the last couple of weeks, people have sent us pictures of their dogs, cats, and other pets to enter our contest. Now it’s time for you to decide the winners.
Voting ends on Saturday, August 26th and the winner will be announced on the following Monday.
On Tuesday, August 22nd at 4:30 pm, Dr. Jackie Augustine of Audubon of Kansas will visit the library and teach us how to start the hobby of bird watching. Learn tips and tricks and how to check out the new “Adventurepack” backpacks from the library.
Game day
On Thursday, August 24th starting at 4 pm, join us to play video games, board games and card games. This event is open to all ages, bring a friend or family member to try out a new game!
Library Closed
The library will be closed on Friday, August 25th for staff training. Our regularly scheduled Mahjong game will be cancelled this week. We will reopen on Saturday for our regular hours, 9am to 1pm.
Books, Coffee & Donuts
On Wednesday, September 6th starting at 9 am, come to the library to chat with our staff over coffee and donuts about new releases and new events happening that month.
Library and Lunch
On Tuesday, September 12th at 12pm, our book club will meet to discuss “The Book of Lost Names” by Kristin Harmel. Bring your lunch and join the discussion.
For the Birds – book display
Come in and check out our bird themed book display. It is inspired by Jackie Augustine, the Executive Director for Audubon of Kansas coming to visit our library.
Meg is relaxing in the hammock and watching the hummingbirds at their feeders when her hopes for a relaxing early summer morning are dashed.
Meg’s grandmother, Cordelia, shows up, trailed by a nosy reporter who is writing a feature on her for a genteel Southern ladies’ magazine.
Cordelia drafts Meg to accompany her – and the reporter, alas – in their search for a long-lost cemetery. Unfortunately what they discover is not an ancient cemetery but a fresh corpse. Can Meg protect her grandmother – and Caerphilly – from the reporter who seems to see the worst in everything . . . and help crack the case before the killer finds another victim?
When Patricia Delfine was six years old, a wounded bird led her deep into the forest to the Parliament of Birds, where she met the Great Tree and was asked a question that would determine the course of her life.
When Laurence Armstead was in grade school, he cobbled together a wristwatch-sized device that could send its wearer two seconds into the future.
When Patricia and Laurence first met in high school, they didn’t understand one another at all. But as time went on, they kept bumping into one another’s lives. Now they’re both grown up, and the planet is falling apart around them.
Laurence is an engineering genius who’s working with a group that aims to avert catastrophic breakdown through technological intervention into the changing global climate. Patricia is a graduate of Eltisley Maze, the hidden academy for the world’s magically gifted, and works with a small band of other magicians to secretly repair the world’s every-growing ailments.
Neither Laurence nor Patricia can keep pace with the speed at which things fall apart. But something bigger than either of them, something begun deep in their childhoods, is determined to bring them together. And will.
We had a great time during this year’s Summer Reading program and want to thank all of the sponsors who helped make it possible. Without your help funding special events, such as the visit from the Lee Richardson Zoomobile, Mad Science, and Dan Dan the Magic Man, and without your help with Summer Reading prizes, this year’s Summer Reading program could not have been the success that it was.
Summer Lunch Program
Summer Reading may be over but the Summer Lunch program is still continuing until July 27th. USD 480 Nutrition Services is providing free grab-and-go lunches to any child from 1 to 18 years old. The program runs Monday through Thursday and does not require special identification or registration. Limit one meal per child per day.
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Pick-up Locations: Liberal Memorial Library, Recreation Center (950 S. Grant Avenue), Blue Bonnet Park (1101 W. 8th Street), Light Park (1100 N. Kansas Ave.) and Mary Frame Park (200-298 E. Pancake Blvd)
For more information contact Connie Vogts @ 620-604-2230 or connie.vogts@usd480.net
Teen Otaku Club
Do you love anime and manga and are in middle or high school? Then come to our Teen Otaku Club meeting.
On Wednesday, July 19th at 5 pm we will watch & discuss the anime “Sweetness & Lightning”.
Sign up in advance to get a free sticker at the meeting! Join us for your chance at an anime door prize, snacks, a craft/activity and fun anime/manga discussion.
Bee Jay Storytime
Two of the Liberal Bee Jays will visit the library for a special storytime on July 20th at 4 pm. We will read a couple books, make a craft, and do a meet and greet with the Liberal Bee Jays.
Regular Storytimes –
Monday evenings at 5:30 pm
Wednesdays at 10:00 am
Saturdays at 11 am in English and 11:30 in Spanish
Facebook Storytimes in English and Spanish
Books, Coffee & Donuts
On Wednesday, August 2nd starting at 9 am, come to the library to chat with our staff over coffee and donuts about new releases and new events happening that month.
Mahjong
Do you love to play Mahjong? Are you interested in learning a new game to play with family and friends? Every Friday at 1 pm, we will get together for a fun game of Mahjong here at the library. Learn the rules of this traditional Chinese game and play some Mahjong. No experience necessary. For adults only. Signup is required.
Library and Lunch
OnTuesday, August 8th at Noon, our book club will meet to discuss “Remarkably bright creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt. Bring your lunch and join the discussion.
Summer Book Display
Come in and check out our Summer themed book display. Here are a few of the books on display available for checkout.
Coming of age in California, Laura felt connected to her best friend in every way. Until one summer night, when a shocking betrayal sent Laura running through the pines, down the dock, and into a new life, leaving Casey and a first love in her wake.
But the past is impossible to escape, and now, after seventeen years away, Laura is pulled home and into a reunion with Casey she can’t resist—one last scavenger hunt. But just as the game brings Laura and Casey back together, the clues unravel a stunning secret that threatens to tear them apart…
Mesmerizing and unforgettable, Amy Mason Doan’s The Summer List is about losing and recapturing the person who understands you best—and the unbreakable bonds of girlhood.
Four friends. Twenty years. One unexpected journey.
Eva, Benedict, Sylvie, and Lucien graduate in 1997, into an exhilarating world on the brink of the new millennium. But as their dizzying twenties evaporate into their thirties, the once close-knit friends, now scattered and struggling to navigate thwarted dreams, lost jobs, and broken hearts, find themselves drawn together once again in stunning and unexpected ways.
A dazzling depiction of the highs and lows of adulthood, Invincible Summer is a story about finding the courage to carry on in the wake of disappointment and a powerful testament to love and friendship as the constants in an ever-changing world.
From the author of Please Don’t Come Back from the Moon and My American Unhappiness, a deft and hilarious exploration of the simmering tensions beneath the surface of a contented marriage which explode in the bedrooms and backyards of a small town over the course of a long, hot summer.
Claire, Don, and their neighbors and friends find themselves on an existential odyssey, exploring the most puzzling quandaries of marriage and maturity.
Award-winning writer Dean Bakopoulos delivers a brutally honest and incredibly funny novel about the strange and tenuous ties that bind us, and the strange and unlikely places we find connection. Full of mirth, melancholy, and redemption, Summerlong explores what happens when life goes awry.
Saturdays at 11 am in English and 11:30 in Spanish
Facebook Storytimes in English and Spanish
Hogwarts House Appreciation Week
Join us for a week of activities and show your Hogwarts House Pride!
Monday 3/20 @ 4:30 pm: Hufflepuff Day-Herbology Class: Make your very own baby Mandrake
Tuesday 3/21 @ 4:30 pm: Slytherin Day-Divination Class: Find what the future holds for you
Wednesday 3/22 @ 4:30 pm: Gryffindor Day-Dueling Club: Challenge your friends and foes to see who is the best
Thursday 3/23 @ 4:30 pm: Ravenclaw Day-History of Magic Class: Test your knowledge of the Wizarding World
Friday 3/24 @ 4:30 pm: Hogwarts Spirit Day-Party in the Great Hall
Books, Coffee & Donuts
On Wednesday, April 5th starting at 9 am, come to the library to chat with our staff over coffee and donuts about new releases and new events happening that month.
Closed for Good Friday
The Library will be closed on Friday, April 7th and Saturday, April 8th for Good Friday and Easter. We will reopen on Monday at 9 a.m.
Teen Volunteer Work Day
Teens, do you need to earn some volunteer hours before prom and graduation? During the month of April, the library will have Teen Volunteer Work Days every Monday starting at 4:30 pm. Volunteer for different creative tasks that will help you achieve your needed volunteer hours.
Library and Lunch
OnTuesday, April 11th at Noon, our book club will meet to discuss “The house in the Cerulean Sea” by T.J. Klune. Bring your lunch and join the discussion.
Poetry Night
On Wednesday April 12th at 6 pm, share your favorite poem or an original piece at our poetry night, open for all ages.
Teen Otaku Club
Do you love anime and manga and are in middle or high school? Then come to our Teen Otaku Club meeting.
On Wednesday, April 19th at 5 pm we will watch & discuss the anime “Sk8 the Infinity”!
Sign up in advance to get a free sticker at the meeting! Join us for your chance at an anime door prize, snacks, a craft/activity and fun anime/manga discussion.
“The Book was Better” book display
Come to the library to check out our display featuring movies along with the books that inspired them. Here are just a few.
The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a look into a family at once dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette’s brilliant and charismatic father captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit didn’t want the responsibility of raising a family.
The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.
The Glass Castle is truly astonishing—a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family.
The memoir was also made into a movie in 2017 starring Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, and Naomi Watts.
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. When it becomes clear the police have little interest in investigating the incident, protesters take to the streets and Starr’s neighborhood becomes a war zone. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could destroy her community. It could also endanger her life.
A critically acclaimed movie of the same name was released in 2018.
Bernadette (played by Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett in the movie), is a frightfully intelligent wife and mother with an intense allergy to Seattle specifically, and to people in general. When her daughter Bee insists on a family trip to Antarctica as her reward for getting perfect grades in middle school, Bernadette is faced with the daunting prospect of actual human interaction.
The timing could not be worse. Bernadette is already on the brink of a breakdown. Throw in a feud with her neighbor over Bernadette’s rampant blackberry bushes, the scandal that erupts when she runs over another mother’s foot at the school’s drop-off, and a class fundraiser gone disastrously awry – and it is all too much. Bernadette vanishes, leaving her Microsoft-guru husband, a horde of angry parents, and questioning police officers to pick up the pieces.
Desperate to find her mother, Bee probes her emails, invoices, school memos, and other evidence. Conjuring out of those shards a portrait of a woman she never knew before – and a secret that could explain everything.
On the hottest day of the summer of 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis sees her older sister Cecilia (played by Keira Knightley in the movie) strip off her clothes and plunge into the garden fountain at their country house. Watching Cecilia is their housekeeper’s son Robbie Turner (played by James McAvoy), a childhood friend who along with Briony’s sister, has recently graduated from Cambridge.
By the end of the day the lives of all three are changed forever. Robbie and Cecilia become victims of the younger girl’s scheming imagination. And Briony commits a dreadful crime, the guilt of which will color her entire life.
In Atonement Ian McEwan takes the reader from a manor house in England to the retreat from Dunkirk in 1941; from London’s World War II military hospitals to a reunion of the Tallis clan in 1999.
Saturdays at 11 am in English and 11:30 in Spanish
Facebook Storytimes in English and Spanish
Closed for Presidents’ Day
The Library will be closed on Monday, February 20th for Presidents’ Day. We will reopen for normal hours on Tuesday, 21st – 9:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m.
Pokémon Day 2023
All ages are encouraged to participate in this year’s Pokémon Day activities:
All month long, come to the library and vote in our best Pokemon bracket and try out our Pokemon scavenger hunt.
From the 22nd through the 27th, stop by anytime for grab & go Pokemon craft.
On Monday, February 27th at 4:30 pm, we will host our first Pokemon Training Camp with games and activities. Go up against other trainers in a series of games that test your knowledge and skill and compete for prizes!
Game Day
On Thursday, February 23rd at 4 pm, come to the library and play video games, board games, and card games. This event is open to all ages, bring a friend or family member to try out a new game!
Books, Coffee & Donuts
On Wednesday, March 1st starting at 9 am, come to the library to chat with our staff over coffee and donuts about new releases and new events happening that month.
Library and Lunch
OnTuesday, March 14th at Noon, our book club will meet to discuss “The Measure” by Nikki Erlick. Bring your lunch and join the discussion.
Teen Otaku Club
Do you love anime and manga and are in middle or high school? Then come to our Teen Otaku Club meeting.
On Wednesday, March 15th at 5 pm we will watch & discuss the anime My Hero Academia!
Sign up in advance to get a free sticker at the meeting! Join us for your chance at an anime door prize, snacks, a craft/activity and fun anime/manga discussion.
Saturdays at 11 am in English and 11:30 in Spanish
Facebook Storytimes on Thursdays at 11 am
Closed Labor Day
The Library will be closed on Monday, September 5th for Labor Day. We will reopen on Tuesday for our regular hours.
Books, Coffee & Donuts
On Wednesday, September 7th starting at 9 am, come to the library to chat with our staff over coffee and donuts about new releases and new events happening that month.
Teen Otaku Club
Do you love anime and manga and are in middle or high school? Then come to our Teen Otaku Club meeting.
On Friday, September 9th at 4:30 pm we play games and have anime trivia.
On Wednesday, September 21st at 5 pm we will watch & discuss the anime “Cells at Work”.
Sign up in advance to save your spot. Join us at the meeting for your chance at an anime door prize and fun anime/manga discussion!
Library and Lunch
OnTuesday, September 13th at Noon, our book club will meet to discuss “The Rosie Project” by Graeme Simsion. Bring your lunch and join the discussion.
Game Day
On Thursday, September 15th at 5 pm, come to the library and play video games, board games, and card games. This event is open to all ages, bring a friend or family member to try out a new game! We will also have occasional tournaments on Mariokart, Super Smash Bros., Just Dance and Tekken for those interested.
Rainbow Room Escape Room
Can you escape the upside down? From Sept 26th to the 30th, we will have an escape room themed after the newest season of a Netflix supernatural thriller. Solve clues and puzzles to open locks and escape the room. The room is timed for 30 minute sessions. Knowledge of the show is not necessary to escape. This FREE experience is open to ages 10 and older for groups of 2 – 5 people. Sign up is required. Sign up will start on September 1st. Please call or visit the library (620-626-0180) to reserve your spot!
Fictionalized Biographies
Have you ever read about a historical character and wondered what their lives were like and what they might have thought or felt?
In fictionalized biographies, the author uses artistic license to create a story about real historical figures and events.
Here are a few of books in our “Fictionalized Biographies” book display:
Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweather Post lived an epic life few could imagine.
In 1944 Al Capone, the most notorious Mob boss in history, has been released from prison. Though Capone is no longer the powerful force who dominated Chicago’s underworld for years, he is still a thorn in the side of J. Edgar Hoover. The Bureau has a good chance of nailing key members who now are active in the wartime black market if they can get Capone to reveal details of crimes he and his Outfit committed.
FBI agent Peter Vasco is perfect for the job. His orders: pose as the priest he wanted to be before he dropped out of seminary, get close to Capone, and get Hoover the information he demands.
Vasco is alternately fascinated and repelled by the things Capone reveals. Al Capone would stop at nothing to take what he wanted, but also fed the poor of Chicago; he rose to the top of Chicago on a tide of bootleg beer and booze, but took the time to ensure that innocent victims of Mob violence got proper medical care.
This is Al Capone as he’s never been seen before, a ruthless crime lord who trafficked in death and corruption…as well as a man of refined tastes who loved his family. A man whose life is waning, and perhaps, a man who is seeking absolution.
Hollywood, 1938: As soon as she learns that M-G-M is adapting her late husband’s masterpiece for the screen, seventy-seven-year-old Maud Gage Baum sets about trying to finagle her way onto the set. Nineteen years after Frank’s passing, Maud is the only person who can help the producers stay true to the spirit of the book—because she’s the only one left who knows its secrets.
But the moment she hears Judy Garland rehearsing the first notes of “Over the Rainbow,” Maud recognizes the yearning that defined her own life story. Judy reminds Maud of a young girl she cared for and tried to help in South Dakota, a dreamer who never got her happy ending. Now, with the young actress under pressure from the studio as well as her ambitious stage mother, Maud resolves to protect her—the way she tried so hard to protect the real Dorothy.
Nothing bad can happen at the Ritz; inside its gilded walls every woman looks beautiful, every man appears witty. Favored guests like Ernest Hemingway and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor walk through its doors to be welcomed by Blanche Auzello and her husband, Claude, the hotel’s director.
Until June 1940, when the German army sweeps into Paris, setting up headquarters at the Ritz. Suddenly Blanche and Claude must navigate a terrifying new reality. One that may destroy the tempestuous marriage between this beautiful, reckless American and her very proper Frenchman. For in order to survive—and strike a blow against their Nazi “guests”—Blanche and Claude must spin a web of deceit that ensnares everything and everyone they cherish.
