By Carole Howard | PREVIEW Columnist, and the library staff
Library fans of all ages are invited to a fun, free event tomorrow, Friday, May 26, from 2 to 4 p.m. to create your own tie-dye T-shirt commemorating this year’s Summer Reading Program that kicks off on June 3.
All supplies will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own T-shirt or another item to dye if you prefer.
Also tomorrow, May 26, registration opens for the Summer Reading Program. Celebrate the power of community with us through reading challenges, programs, storytimes, a reading club and much more from June 2 through July 28.
This free program is open to everyone with weekly prize drawings for completed bingo cards and will conclude with a fun celebratory party July 28.
You can sign up in person or on the library’s website at https://pagosalibrary.org.
As well, save the date for a special Camp Out Read Out event next Saturday, June 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. when we will partner with the San Juan National Forest’s Pagosa office with multiple free events for all ages.
Watch for more details about this and other special events and fun challenges in the Summer Reading Program in future “Library News” columns.
And, be sure to pick up a June events calendar at the library so you don’t miss any of the program’s free library activities available to you and your family this summer.
Library closure
Your library will be closed Monday, May 29, in honor of Memorial Day.
Local author
“In Between the Magic: My Life from the Playboy Club to Beirut and Beyond” by Juliette Watt is a memoir of an adventurous woman whose life took her from London to Istanbul, New York City to Los Angeles, then to Utah and now to Pagosa Springs.
A playwright and award-winning soap opera writer for ABC-TV, she served as a stunt horse rider for MGM, enjoyed a 15-year career as a cabaret singer and worked as a Playboy bunny. For more than 20 years she has been an ATP pilot and master flight instructor. She also is a motivational speaker and advocate for abused and neglected animals.
Watt lives here with her husband, Jason, three horses, two rescue dogs and two rescue goats. She found Pagosa in 2010 when she came to take a Parelli Natural Horsemanship course and immediately fell in love with the community, the weather and the scenery. It wasn’t hard to convince her husband to move here the following year.
“Pagosa is perfect for us,” she said. “He loves skiing and I have lots of space for my horses. This is the right place at the right time for us.”
Southern Ute newspaper added to collection
We now have a subscription to The Southern Ute Drum, the tribe’s biweekly, award-winning community newspaper.
It comes out every other Friday and will be mailed to us, so it will be the following week when we receive it for your reading pleasure. The current edition must be read in the library, but past editions can be checked out. We usually keep the four most recent editions on hand.
Unique Knowledge Bowl competition today
Our free middle school Knowledge Bowl today, Thursday, May 25, for tweens and teens adds a unique touch to its contest.
Normally, participants form teams of up to six people to compete against each other by answering questions that cover a range of topics from math to spelling to pop culture. For this special event, you should bring an adult to see who does better in this test of trivia skills.
Knowledge Bowl runs every second and fourth Thursday for the remainder of the school year. It is open to students in grades four through eight, or ages 11-14. No registration is required.
Writers’ support
group today
On Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m., Ruby Writer’s Guild welcomes writers who are looking for opportunities and camaraderie with other writers. Members will provide support, resources and guidance for each other.
LEGO Club Saturday
Kids aged 6 and up are invited to bring your imaginations on Saturday, May 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the free LEGO Club. Bring your own LEGOs or use ours.
Knit or crochet Saturday
Ages 8 and up are invited to learn to knit on Saturday, May 27, from 1 to 3 p.m. Supplies will be provided.
Online author talks
There will be three talks in June in our free online virtual series featuring New York Times bestselling authors — June 7, 15 and 28. You will have an opportunity to ask questions. More details will appear in next week’s column.
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 classes
Free in-person evening classes take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with 4 to 5 p.m. reserved for beginners and 5 to 7 p.m. for both intermediate and 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.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and 2 to 4 p.m. Thursdays. Judy will help you with basic questions relating to computers, smartphones and tablets and also provide assistance in accessing any of the library’s online resources. No appointment is needed for these drop-in sessions. Note there will be no Tech Time today, May 25.
Nonfiction
“It. Goes. So. Fast. The Year of No Do-overs” by Mary Louise Kelly is the memoir of this NPR reporter’s life as she balances work and family responsibilities. “Our Migrant Souls” by Pulitzer Prize-winner Hector Tobar is a personal exploration of what it means to be a Latino in the U.S. today. “Tell Me Everything” by Minka Kelly is the memoir of this actress and philanthropist who overcame abuse and poverty in her life. “Life in Five Senses” by Gretchen Rubin explores the mysteries and joys of the five senses as a path to a happier, more mindful life.
“Radical Inclusion” by David Moinina Sengeh uses the author’s experience of getting Sierra Leone girls into classrooms to share seven steps to help create inclusive systems for a more just workplace and world. “Capitalist Punishment” by Vivek Ramaswamy looks at the power of Wall Street to control America’s finances and social policies. “The Daily Dad” by Ryan Holiday offers 366 meditations on parenting, love and raising great kids using lessons from his life and legends like Bruce Springsteen, Queen Elizabeth II and Toni Morrison.
DVDs
“Jesus Revolution” is based on a true story about a lost young man in the 1970s who meets a charismatic hippie preacher.
Mysteries, suspense
and thrillers
“Girl Forgotten” by April Henry is a young adult murder mystery about a true-crime podcast. “Hard Rain” by Samantha Jayne Allen features an apprentice PI dealing with her first solo case. “Seven Girls Gone” by Allison Brennan showcases the FBI’s Mobile Response Team. “The Pallbearers Club” by Paul Tremblay is a psychological thriller about an unusual relationship. “Murder on Bedford Street” by Victoria Thompson is the latest in the Gaslight Mysteries series.
“Double or Nothing” by Kim Sherwood focuses on two MI6 spies who are successors to James Bond. “Heart of the Nile” by Will Thomas is a Barker and Llewelyn mystery that begins with the find of a priceless mummy in the British Museum. “Going Zero” by Anthony McCarften is about the beta test of groundbreaking spyware.
Other novels
“The Loner” by Diana Palmer is a romance set in Texas ranch country. “The Blue is Where God Lives” by Sharon Sochil Washington is a time-blending story of Afro-magic realism. “Carmen and Grace” by Melissa Coss Aquino follows the lives of two young cousins brought into the underground drug trade. “Greek Lessons” by Han Kang tells of a student and teacher brought together by different but equally powerful pain. “Last House Before the Mountain” by Monika Helfer is a love story with major choices facing a mother of several children.
Donations
We are grateful to Rosalea Connor and our anonymous donors for their materials donations.
When we are open, material donations are accepted for the Friends of the Library at the front desk — not through the outside returns slot at the library or the drop box at City Market, please.
The Friends take fiction published in 2013 or newer and nonfiction from 2018 or newer. Limited workroom space means we can only accept one or two small boxes at a time.
Quotable quote
“Patience is not simply the ability to wait. It’s how we behave as we are waiting.” — Joyce Meyer, American pastor, Christian author and speaker.
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.
