Two of Pagosa’s most prolific authors — Patty Latham and Val Valentine — have just donated their books to your library for your reading pleasure.
Latham’s book, titled “Pagosa Gold,” is the fourth in her Dr. Josie Tate series featuring a local veterinarian who is a newlywed as the story opens and her husband, a wildlife biologist, is injured. Latham, herself a vet for more than 50 years, is an excellent storyteller, and this one has many emotional moments.
As the tale unfolds, it is a treat for readers to recognize so many Pagosa icons, including natural wonders, local businesses and Indigenous venues. Even the Hershey Collection in our Ruby Sisson Library gets a mention. Latham is particularly respectful as she describes the Ute Mountain Ute tribe’s medical traditions and customs.
Her story also takes us to Aspen and Craig, but details would share too much of the book’s plot. As always, an overarching theme in this story is the author’s dedication to her pets, her animal clients and local wildlife of all kinds.
Valentine’s book, a western titled “Double Jack,” was selected as a finalist in a Southwest Writers annual contest. Set in and around Ouray and its gold mines in the mid-1870s, its name comes from the two-man technique of hand drilling rocks before the advent of pneumatic drills.
The story features Grant Jackson and his wife, Kate, ranchers who seek refuge from a storm in an abandoned cabin. There they find a trunk with the words “For my son” carved on its lid. Inside are many old items, including photos, a journal and a survey map of a mining claim.
Facing extreme financial hardship at the time, Grant sets out to find the gold to save his ranch and provide for his family. The result is hugely successful — until it becomes a moral dilemma when he realizes he knows the man who originally staked the claim.
Both books are available for checkout at your library along with several others written by both of these two authors.
Construction update
Here’s the latest news on your library’s construction project from Barb Brattin, library director:
“We won’t be using natural gas in the new building so we’ve capped the line, and the LPEA electrical expansion is complete. Now we’re digging up the old foundation to the south. We’ll start laying a new foundation in its place beginning September 18, weather permitting.
“With the parking lot all torn up, we can finally bring over the fiber line on the other side of the alley and hook up super fast internet for all of you who rely on our public computers and Wi-Fi access.
“Overall we are making good progress and continue to be on schedule.”
SUN newspaper Letter to the Editor
In case you missed Barb Brattin’s Letter to the Editor titled “Library love” in the Sept. 11 issue of The Pagosa Springs SUN, here it is:
“Dear Editor: After four long years of fundraising, the Ruby Sisson Library has finally broken ground on an expansion and remodel project. This project relies solely on grants and private donations and would not be possible without the hard work and generosity of our community who helped us raise over $4 million. Thank you!
“Since arriving in Pagosa last year, I have been amazed at the way this community has come together to support the library. The Town of Pagosa Springs has been extremely generous, waiving many of the plan review and inspection fees. Last week, the Pagosa Springs Sanitation General Improvement District unanimously voted in favor of our capital investment fee waiver request.
“We do not take this for granted. We recognize the financial needs of the town and the pressure on the sanitation system. This type of community support fills us with gratitude and we are humbled by your support.
“To everyone who has contributed money or time to the library, and to every agency willing to help us achieve this project on time and on budget, we send our sincere thanks. Our new library is scheduled to open Summer 2026. I hope you come often and enjoy all we have accomplished together.”
Activity locations are changed
Now that we have much less space for our operations and no meeting rooms during construction, several of our regular activities and special events will happen 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.
LEGO play Saturday
Kids aged 6-11 are invited to the free LEGO build on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 11 a.m. to noon. Bring your own LEGOs or use ours.
Conversational Spanish
The Conversational Spanish group will meet Monday, Sept. 22, 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.
Tween book club
Tweens ages 11-14 are invited to get together in the library courtyard on Tuesday, Sept. 23, from 4 to 5 p.m. to help create a new tween book club. Snacks will be provided.
Traveling book club
This new Roaming Readers group meets at a different location in town each month, this time at Root House Coffee, 445 San Juan St., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
September’s book for discussion is “Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats” by Kristen Iversen.
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.
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, with 4 to 5 p.m. reserved for beginners, 5 to 6 p.m. for intermediate and 6 to 7 p.m. for advanced students 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.
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.
How-to and DIY
“Building An Affordable House” by Fernando Pages Ruiz is the second edition of this guide to cost-effective sustainable home construction. “Off Grid Living” by John Wilder is a step-by-step guide for beginners. “Cold Canning” by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough provides 425 recipes to preserve the best of each season without hot water processing.
DVDs
“Suffragette” tells the story of women fighting for the vote in early 20th century Britain. “Lilo and Stitch” is the Disney children’s film. “The King of Kings” is told through the eyes of a child. “The Boys” is seasons one and two.
Mysteries and thrillers
“Unshaken” by Shelley Shepard Gray features an Amish woman who must hide after witnessing a crime. “Caught Up” by Navessa Allen is part of the Into Darkness dark romance series. “The Summer That Changed Everything” by Brenda Novak is about daughter trying to prove her father’s innocence. “Middle of the Night” by Riley Sager deals with the long ago disappearance of a childhood friend in a quiet New Jersey neighborhood. “King of Ashes” by S.A. Cosby reveals the secrets behind an apparent hit-and-run accident. “Under the Stars” by Beatriz Williams begins with discoveries in an old wooden chest.
Other novels
“Beach House Rules” by Kristy Woodson Harvey follows a woman and her daughter forced by circumstances to stay in a community of single mothers. “Across the Crying Sands” by Jane Kirkpatrick is inspired by the true story of the first female mail carrier on the Oregon Coast. “Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure” by Rhys Brown tells of an English woman starting a new life after 30 years of marriage. “The Winds From Further West” by Alexander McCall Smith features a man escaping the intensity of city life in Edinburgh. “Unsettled” by Ayana Mathis is set in a family shelter in Philadelphia. “Fear the Flames” by Olivia Rose Darling is the start of a new epic fantasy romance series.
“A Dog in Georgia” by Lauren Grodstein follows a troubled woman who sets out to find a missing dog halfway around the world. “Thunder Game” by Christine Feehan is a GhostWalker paranormal romance. “Cinema Love” by Jiaming Tang is about men and women in forbidden relationships. “Spectacular Things” by Beck Dorey-Stein features two gifted daughters dealing with their mother’s secret past. “The Pretender” by Jo Harkin is a historical novel about a peasant boy believed to be the son of King Edward VI. “Maggie: Or, a Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar” by Katie Yee is about a woman who spins tragedy into comedy. “A Pair of Wings” by Carole Hopson tells of the life of a skilled U.S. Black female pilot two years earlier than Amelia Earhart.
Book on CD
“House of the Beast” by Michelle Wong is a dark fantasy about a young woman who strikes a deal with a god for revenge on her aristocratic family.
Quotable quote
“Baseball is life. You start at home, and we’re going to send you out. And it’s going to be hard for you out there. But you could make it easier for yourself swinging at strikes to get to first base. And how can we get you to second and third? You can do things quicker, sharper, crisper. All those things get you around. Same thing in life. ... I tell the kids, you have to use your baseball.” — Youman Wilder, head of Harlem Baseball Hitting Academy, a youth baseball program in New York City with no entrance requirements or minimum fees. “We don’t take the best players. We take the guys that got cut,” he said. He has produced 400 college-scholarship baseball players who have gone to Stanford, Princeton and Columbia and are now doctors, police officers or work on Wall Street. Four of his players have made the major leagues.
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.
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