We hope you’re working on your entry for our all-ages LEGO contest. Submissions must be turned in by 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 29.
Winners will be announced and prizes awarded for five different age groups — preschool, ages 5-7, ages 8-11, ages 12-17, and ages 18 and up — on Saturday, Dec. 30, at noon after LEGO Club.
Entries must be built ahead of time and they must be of your own creation, not a LEGO kit or from another source. Also, no Technic or motorized pieces. Entries cannot be larger than 18 inches by 18 inches by 18 inches.
Any questions? Ask at your library or phone 264-2209.
Library closure
Your library will be closed Christmas Day so that staff can celebrate with their loved ones.
All-ages art fun tomorrow
Tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 22, from 2 to 4 p.m., artists of all ages are invited to get slimy and make art. Participants should come ready to get messy at this free event. All supplies will be provided.
Adult knitting Saturday
Join new and experienced knitters this Saturday, Dec. 23, for our free Knitters Circle from 1 to 3 p.m. It is aimed at anyone over the age of 18 who would like to knit together or get some help if you are stuck on your project.
Family storytimes
Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m., join us for a free educational hour of reading, singing and free play to build early literacy skills.
ESL
Free in-person evening classes take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and there is a change in the way the time is divided: 4 to 5 p.m. is reserved for beginners, 5 to 6 p.m. for intermediate and 6 to 7 p.m. for advanced students.
Please help us spread the word about these classes to others in our community who would be interested, and contact us by phone or email if you have any questions.
Note there will be no class Dec. 26.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and 2 to 4 p.m. Thursdays. Judy helps you with basic questions relating to computers, smartphones and tablets, and also provides assistance in accessing any of the library’s online resources.
No appointment is needed for these drop-in sessions, but it is important that you bring both your device’s charger and also your device passwords with you.
Note there is no Tech Time today, Dec. 21.
Pagosa Adult Learning Services (PALS)
Join Mark or Sally for free 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. PALS stands for Pagosa Adult Learning Services.
Downloadable books
CloudLibrary has a wide variety of downloadable e-books and audiobooks for all ages. To access this free digital collection, download the cloudLibrary app, answer a few simple questions, select AspenCat Union Catalog for the name of your library, then enter your library card number and four-digit PIN. Library staff are happy to help you set up your device if you need assistance.
Three short stories
collections
“Seeking Fortune Elsewhere” by Sindya Bhanno is a collection of stories about South Indian immigrants and the families they left behind. “Stories from the Tenants Downstairs” by Sidik Fofana contains eight interconnected stories of apartment residents in Harlem. “Normal Rules Don’t Apply” by Kate Atkinson contains 11 stories of subtly connected worlds.
Large print
“The Burnout” by Sophie Kinsella follows a woman who escapes her feelings of burnout at a seaside resort. “From a Far and Lovely Country” by Alexander McCall Smith is a No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency mystery. “The Corsican Shadow” by Clive Cussler is a Dirk Pitt adventure. “Hostile Territory” by William W. and J.A. Johnstone is a Preacher and Jamie MacCallister western. “Cade’s Revenge” by Robert Vaughan is the second book in the Western Adventures of Cade McCall series.
Mysteries, thrillers and suspense
“The Running Grave” by Robert Galbraith is the seventh book in the Strike series. “Too Late” by Colleen Hoover is a psychological suspense story. “The Edge” by David Baldacci begins when a CIA operative is murdered and her laptop and phone are missing. “Tom Clancy Command and Control” by Marc Cameron is a Jack Ryan adventure. “The Eye of Darkness” by George Mann is a Star Wars High Republic story. “Vengeance is Mine” by Marie NDiaye features a French middle-aged lawyer.
Other novels
“The Little Liar” by Mitch Albom is a story of truth and lies set during the Holocaust. “An Amish Cinderella” by Shelley Shepard Gray is a romance set in an Ohio Amish community. “The Waste Wilds” by Lauren Groff begins when a servant girl escapes from a colonial settlement. “The Record Keeper” by Charles Martin involves the rescue of a beloved mentor and friend. “The Last Exchange” by Charles Martin focuses on a bodyguard for a movie star. “The Five-Star Weekend” by Elin Hildebrand involves friends gathering in Nantucket.
“Stalking Around the Christmas Tree” by Jacqueline Frost is a Christmas Tree Farm mystery. “The Bookbinder” by Pip Williams features two women in Oxford during World War I. “The Porcelain Maker” by Sarah Freethy is a love story set during World War II. “The Constant Soldier” by William Ryan features a German soldier who returns home in 1944 to find his village dramatically changed for the worst. “Dark Memory” by Christine Feehan is a Carpathian paranormal fantasy romance.
Books on CD
“The Wonder of All” by Barbara Taylor Bradford is the third House of Falconer historical novel. “The Running Grave” by Robert Galbraith is the seventh book in the Strike PI mystery series. “The Exchange” by John Grisham is a legal thriller. “12 Months to Live” by James Patterson and Mike Lupica features a criminal defense attorney with a terminal illness. “If You Would Have Told Me” by John Stamos is a memoir by this actor and producer and is read by the author.
“The Other Mothers” by Katherine Faulkner is a thriller about class and motherhood in an exclusive London community. “Good Girls” by Bangladeshi writer Leesa Gazi begins when a 40-year-old woman is finally allowed to go to the bazaar alone. “Sunny” by Colin O’Sullivan is a technological thriller about an AI conspiracy. “Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder” by K.J. Parker is a fantasy about a man in the battlefield salvage business.
DVDs
“20 Days in Mariupol” is a documentary about the war in Ukraine.
Nonfiction
“Dolly Parton” by Tracey E.W. Laird highlights memorable moments in her life and includes 120 photos. “How to Smile” by Thich Nhat Hanh is part of the Zen master’s Mindfulness Essentials series. “Budapest” is a Rick Steves guidebook.
“Nuff Said” by Tyrus contains more tales of the author’s life in a complicated world. “The Radical Mind” by David Horowitz is a broadside against the policies of the radical left. “Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party” by Jonathan Karl tracks the former president’s control of the Republican Party. “A City on Mars” by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith investigates the pros and cons of life in space settlements.
Thanks to our donors
We are grateful to Nancy Cole, and to Susan and Terry Arrington, for their generous monetary donations.
When we are open, material donations are accepted for the Friends of the Library at the front desk — not down the outside returns slot at the library or the drop box at City Market, please. The Friends recently announced new guidelines for what they will accept as donations: Yes to popular fiction books published in 2013 or later, nonfiction books published 2018 or later, and children’s and young adult books — all in excellent condition, please. No to CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray, VHS or cassette tapes; textbooks, outdated travel books or reference books because they do not sell. No more than two boxes at a time because of space constraints.
Quotable quote
“It’s no harder to think big than to think small. The only hard part is giving yourself permission to think that way. Well, I don’t just give you permission, I demand it of you.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger in his book “Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life,” available at your Ruby Sisson Library.
Website
For more information on library books, services and programs — and to reserve books, e-books, books on CD and DVDs from the comfort of your home — please visit our website at https://pagosalibrary.org.
