We’ve been delighted with our community’s response to the addition of Overdrive’s ebooks and audiobooks, known affectionately as Libby.
As a fan of audiobooks and a frequent traveler, I take full advantage of both Libby and CloudLibrary to read and listen on the go.
CloudLibrary continues to impress me with the quality of their narrators. It isn’t unusual for me to enjoy a book read to me in CloudLibrary that I just couldn’t get started with in print. To me, the narrator makes or breaks an audiobook.
Libby has special features that invite readers to engage beyond reading or listening, including its own Book Lounge podcast and some advanced readers advisory features that help you choose the next great read.
This month the 2026 Libby Awards were announced, a list of books chosen by over by 1,600 librarians and library staff from across the U.S. and Canada, that represent the best books of the year, as selected by librarians. Not interested in electronic books, you say? Why not try these titles in print?
Book of the Year: Adult Fiction
“Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
“Buckeye” by Patrick Ryan.
Book of the Year: Adult Nonfiction
“A Flower Traveled in My Blood” by Haley Cohen Gilliland.
“A Marriage at Sea” by Sophie Elmhirst.
Book of the Year: Young Adult Fiction
“Sisters in the Wind” by Angeline Boulley.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” by Suzanne Collins.
Audiobook of the Year
“Katabasis” by R. F. Kuang.
“My Friends” by Fredrik Backman.
Debut Author of the Year
“Alchemised” by SenLinYu.
“The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans.
Best Book Club Book
“Bog Queen” by Anna North.
“Wreck” by Catherine Newman.
Best Comic/Graphic Novel
Absolute Wonder Woman: Volume 1 by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, et al.
Best Cookbook
Yes, Libby includes cookbooks.
“Baking Across America” by B. Dylan Hollis.
“Turtle Island” by Sean Sherman with Kate Nelson and Kristin Donnelly.
Best Fantasy
“Alchemised” by SenLinYu.
“Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil” by V.E. Schwab.
Best Historical Fiction
“Isola” by Allegra Goodman.
“The Antidote” by Karen Russell.
“The Land in Winter” by Andrew Miller.
Best Memoir and Autobiography
“One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” by Omar El Akkad.
“Raising Hare: A Memoir” by Chloe Dalton.
Best Personal Improvement
“Shift: Managing Your Emotions—So They Don’t Manage You” by Ethan Kross.
“We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life’s 20 Questions” by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle.
Best Mystery
“Murder Takes a Vacation” by Laura Lippman.
“The Librarians” by Sherry Thomas.
Best Romance
“It Had to Be Him” by Adib Khorram.
“These Summer Storms” by Sarah MacLean.
Best Romantasy (romantic fantasy)
“Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros.
“The Knight and The Moth” by Rachel Gillig.
Best Science Fiction
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor.
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan.
Best Horror
“The Bewitching” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
“The Buffalo Hunter Hunter” by Stephen Graham Jones.
Best Thriller
“Julie Chan Is Dead” by Liann Zhang.
“The Ghostwriter” by Julie Clark.
Best Picture Book
Yes, there’s a whole section for kids on Libby.
“Cranky, Crabby Crow (Saves the World)” by Corey R. Tabor.
“Don’t Trust Fish” by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat.
Best Middle Grade Book
“All the Blues in the Sky” by Renée Watson.
“Scarlet Morning, Book 1” by ND Stevenson.
Reader’s Choice
For the first time, the top five most checked out books in the Libby app were voted on by patrons from all around the world and narrowed down to two front-runners.
“Great Big Beautiful Life” by Emily Henry.
“Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros.
Construction update
Do you love the blue east wing? What a transformation.
You’ll see more exterior activity as winter transitions to spring. You’ll get a sneak peek in late June.
The entire building should be ready sometime in August, and our grand opening is tentatively set for Labor Day weekend.
Follow us on Facebook for periodic pictures of progress. We’re still in need of funding. Please help us reach the summit.
Collecting for local food banks
If you have an extra can or two of food you can share, or some dried food in sturdy packaging, please bring it to the library. Our local agencies will pick up and distribute the food to where it’s needed.
Tax forms and booklets available
Pick up Colorado tax forms and booklets, as well as federal 1040 and 1040A forms and instructions.
Tax help is still available by appointment. Contact Kathy at (970) 553-9150 or kathy.taxhelp@gmail.com to make an appointment.
GED by appointment only
As we gear up for the grand opening of our new library space, we’re taking a break from regular GED hours. If you are working toward your general education degree or a high school equivalency exam, or if you could use a tutoring session to help you with your educational goals, give the library a call at (970) 264-2209 and we’ll connect you with our instructor.
Activities calendars
Pick up monthly calendars at the library or check the website, https://www.pagosalibrary.org/events-calendar, so you don’t miss any of the free programs, events and activities available to you and your family.
Online author talks
Our free online author talks with New York Times bestselling authors continue in March with new authors.
On March 12 at 5 p.m., join for “Book Portals and Journeys of Literary Magic” with Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of “The Alice Network” and “The Rose Code.”
On March 24 at noon will be “America’s Failed Response to the Opioid Crisis” with author Shoshana Walter and special guest host Barbara Kingsolver.
Watch live on Zoom or via a recording later this month.
For details and to register, go to https://libraryc.org/pagosalibrary/upcoming.
Conversational Spanish
Our popular Conversational Spanish group continues on Mondays 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, friendly group setting. No minimum skill level is needed.
Ruby’s Book Club
Ruby’s Book Club is held the second Tuesday of each month, alternating between fiction and nonfiction titles.
Our April title, “The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise” by Colleen Oakley, is a novel about an unlikely friendship between 21-year-old college dropout Tanner and 84-year-old Louise, who go on a cross-country road trip after Louise’s past as a jewel thief catches up with her.
Anyone is welcome to attend the book club.
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 first through third grades 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 classes happen on Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon, Tuesdays from 3 to 5 p.m. and Thursdays, from 4 to 6 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.
New books collections brimming with interesting titles
For a full list of new titles and to reserve your copy, go to www.pagosalibrary.org and choose New Items under the Quicklinks menu.
New nonfiction
• “Four Corners Voices: Stories, Poetry, Essays, winner of the Colorado Book Award (2 vol.).”
• “All About Allergies: Everything You Need to Know about Asthma, Food Allergies, Hay Fever, and More” by Zachary Rubin, M.D.
• “A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness” by Michael Pollan.
“The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game” by C. Thi Nguyen.
New fiction
• “Cleopatra” tells her own story in an epic novel by Saara El-Arifi.
• Brad Meltzer is back with “The Escape Artist,” a thriller about a woman’s body that mysteriously falls from the sky after leaving a military base in Alaska.
“The Devil’s Bible” by Steve Berry. Former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone is called to Sweden when the younger sister of King Wilhelm is kidnapped.
• “A Good Animal” by Sara Mauer, described as an unforgettable novel that captures the ache of first love.
New nonfiction in large print
• “Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War” by Jake Tapper.
• “Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic” by Kenneth Rosen.
>