According to interestingliterature.com, classic authors are interesting, indeed.
Vladimir Nabokov had a “genitalia cabinet” in which he kept his collection of male blue butterfly genitalia. It’s now housed at Harvard. In 1849, Dostoevsky was sentenced to death by firing squad. At the very last minute the sentence was commuted to four years’ hard labor. Owing to failing eyesight, James Joyce wrote much of his novel “Finnegans Wake” in crayon on pieces of cardboard.
If you remember the classics from high school as intolerably boring, maybe you should take another look.
Our Classic Literature section is growing. Here’s what’s new or coming soon:
• “An American Tragedy” by Theodore Dreiser explores themes of social class, ambition and moral decay in early 20th-century America.
• “The Brothers Karamazov” by Fyodor Dostoevsky is described by Wikipedia as “a passionate philosophical novel that discusses questions of God, free will, and morality.”
• “The Bridge of San Luis Rey” by Thornton Wilder, winner of the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, centers on a Peruvian monk determined to prove that a bridge collapse that results in the death of five travelers was an act of divine intervention.
• “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin was a true awakening for me when I read it in college. A novel before it’s time (written in 1899), it follows a woman who rebels against the restrictive social expectations of her time in late 19th-century New Orleans.
• “Silas Marner” by George Eliot. It wasn’t uncommon in the 19th century for women authors to pose as men in order to be published. Mary Ann Evans’ pen name was George Eliot, and in 1861 she wrote this classic focused on the contrast between material wealth and human connection.
• “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. From the Harlem Renaissance we got American writer Hurston, who penned this book about racial and personal independence in 1937.
• “To the Lighthouse” by Virginia Woolf. The perfect book to read over the holidays, “To the Lighthouse” focuses on a family’s holiday on the Isle of Skye with lots of tension told from a variety of viewpoints.
Construction update
Roof framing is complete, right on schedule with a temporary membrane to keep the snow and rain at bay. Interior framing begins the first week in December to get ready for mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations beginning Dec. 9. Follow us on Facebook for periodic pictures of progress.
Your donations go a long way toward making this new library exceptional. The Colorado Gives campaign is underway, and monthly donations are matched through Dec. 9th. We have a ways to go to meet our fundraising goals. Thanks from all of us. You can donate at https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/RubySissonLibraryFoundation.
Meet us out in the community
Now that we have much less space for our operations and no meeting rooms during construction, several of our regular activities and special events are happening in other locations.
Please check the listings in this column and on your library’s website, https://pagosalibrary.org, for location changes throughout the construction. If no other location is mentioned, the activity will stay at your library.
Online author talks
Our free online author talks with New York Times bestselling authors continue in December with one more talk scheduled for you to watch live on Zoom or via a recording later in the month.
For details and to register, go to https://libraryc.org/pagosalibrary/upcoming.
Dec. 2 featured “Scheming Wives and High-Stakes Hilarity” with Sue Hincenbergs, author of “The Retirement Plan” and award-winning television producer.
Conversational Spanish
The Conversational Spanish group will meet Mondays in December from 4 to 5 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church at 225 S. Pagosa Blvd. This is a great opportunity to practice your Spanish in a free group setting. No minimum skill level is needed.
Ruby’s Book Club
Join us for Ruby’s Book Club from 2 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9, as we discuss “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong. Copies are available at your library.
This free book club for adults is held the second Tuesday of each month, alternating between fiction and nonfiction titles. Anyone is welcome to attend. During construction it takes place at the new Harman Park Transit Center, 83 Harman Park Drive, next to the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office.
Family storytime
Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m., join a free educational hour of reading, singing and free play to build early literacy skills.
Elementary school tutoring
Free after-school tutoring for kids in first through third grade takes place on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Registration is required because of limited space, so call your library now at (970) 264-2209 to enroll your child.
This invaluable tutoring involves one-on-one and small-group help for math, literacy, writing and spelling.
Note that because of construction at the library these sessions will take place at the elementary school.
Writers Guild
Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m., Ruby’s Writers Guild welcomes writers looking for support, guidance, resources and camaraderie with other writers at this free gathering.
During construction the group will meet at the Pagosa Senior Center, 451 Hot Springs Blvd. Enter through the left side of the building.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursdays. Taylor helps with basic questions relating to computers, smartphones and tablets and also provides assistance in accessing the library’s online resources. No appointment is needed, but please bring your device’s charger and passwords with you.
English as a second language classes
Free in-person evening classes happen on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 5 p.m. for students of all levels at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 225 S. Pagosa Blvd. Please help us pass the word about these classes.
Pagosa Adult Learning Services (PALS)
Join Mark or Sally for free individualized PALS sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8 p.m. to help with high school equivalency, GED, college prep, financial aid, tutoring and more. No appointment is necessary.
New and notable
Elmore Leonard “Picket Line”; Louise Penny “The Black Wolf”; Nelson DeMille “The Tin Men”; Patricia Cornwell “Sharp Force”; Phillipa Gregory “Boleyn Traitor”; Mitch Albom “Twice”; and Richard Osman “The Impossible Fortune.”
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