Book Business, Week of July 17
By the time you read this, Unearth a Story, our Summer Reading Program, will be in the books! Woo-hoo! We may have even ordered macarons from a patron to celebrate. We have enjoyed every week we’ve spent with the kiddos. They are so bright and energetic. And we are exhausted by 5 p.m.
Last week, we started with programming at 10 and almost literally did not sit down all day. It does make the time fly and the day pass. But then you add church services that night for all of us and Wednesdays are long days.
We started at the Gazebo with a large group of kiddos for Family Story Time. It was hot, but the breeze made it nice in the shade. Mary Cate read two stories and each kiddo went home with a take-n-make bag. Some of them followed us back to the library and as I said, we didn’t sit down. I think we all ate lunch about 2:30, then finished our kite prep for the last program of the day.
Our kites were a hit and I hope they got outside to give them a try. It was raining by the time they were completed, so we couldn’t give them a test run in the parking lot. We read “Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin” by Gene Barretta and it was exciting to see them recognize things we still use.
Mahjong continues to be the hit of the summer and there is talk of forming a club. We still have new people popping in each week, so don’t let your lack of experience be a hindrance. It is a challenge and you won’t get it figured out your first week. Six weeks in and we are STILL figuring things out, but we are a patient and supportive group!
It is a wonderful “thinking” game of strategy and that’s just what we need to keep our brains active. We are learning to play with 2, 3, or 4 players so however our tables end up, we have a game. It’s also a ton of fun and there is an extreme sense of accomplishment when you “Mahjong!” You worked for it, that’s for sure!
We are working on a giveaway right now, so stay tuned to our social media channels to see what we have. We try to keep things interesting and share the love when we can. It is always a joy to connect with you!
New titles arrived for our Kiddos. We were missing two, but now have the complete collection of the “I Survived…” series for chapter readers. The kids really enjoy this series and those of us who are participating in Travel Through Titles love the different states they get to mark on their maps.
We picked up a couple of picture books including “The Pout-Pout Fish” by Deborah Diesen, “Spaghetti Head & Chicken Fingers” by Youtube famous Rhett and Link of “Good Mythical Morning” and “The Greatest Bedtime Story Ever” by Jessie Sima.
A new series caught my attention. It’s called “The Imaginary Veterinary” and book one is “The Sasquatch Escape.” We picked up the first two titles to see the reception. Ben is visiting his grandfather when their cat brings home what looks like a baby dragon.
Local girl Pearl Petal, directs him to Dr. Woo’s Worm Hospital, the only vet in town. Only it turns out it’s a secret hospital for imaginary creatures. Ben accidentally leaves the front door unlocked, aiding in the escape of Sasquatch. It’s Ben and Petal’s job to retrieve the runaway and we just KNOW that won’t go as planned.
This whole book sounds like a series of misadventures, and what better way to spend the remainder of the summer? Our Reading Rucksacks are staying checked out and we are delighted to see the kiddo’s enjoyment of them. They don’t have long before school starts, but we are really glad of those who read with us all summer.
Continue to hydrate and enjoy these afternoon pop-up showers as they come. We are in the heart of summer, but it is just a season. Before too long, we’ll be cuddling in with a good book and a warm drink and wishing for these days again. In the meantime, just keep reading and drop in for a visit if you get the chance!
Book Business, Week of July 10
Planning for fall has started and we are all here for your ideas. We’ve posted an invite for your thoughts on social media and in our monthly newsletter. We can’t promise to follow through on all the ideas as there are a LOT of moving pieces to make things work. However, knowing your interests and where you are willing to participate helps a lot.
As our library is located in Hamburg, we tend to plan around the HSD schedule, as a great deal of our patrons are students or staff. When you think about it, a lot of community events revolve around the school schedule and we are no different. As our kiddos head back at the end of July, we have to think “fall’ a bit early.
Right now, our tentative plans are to continue Mahjong for Analog Adventures on Tuesdays and Wednesdays through August. Those who have been faithful had a pretty good handle on the game and are improving their strategies and skills every meeting. We are still slow and still learning, but we get through a game in an hour, and sometimes play two pending the schedules of the participants.
We have two pop-up programs planned in August. One for school-aged kiddos with this hint: if your kiddo is Minecraft obsessed, keep your eyes open for registration! Another for adults, per request, with registration as well. We will continue our Summer Storytime schedule, meeting in the library August 5th and 18th, and the No Spoilers Book Club on the 24th.
September is a program-free month! After the whirlwind of the year, we deserve a break! We use this time to breathe and work without being locked into pre-scheduled days. Mary Cate is taking a much anticipated vacation and I may slip in a long weekend, pending my calendar. Business and bills stop for no one, but if that’s my only focus, a mini-break is manageable!
By this time, we hope to have our outdoor space pretty firmly in place. It will be nice to enjoy our picnic tables when the weather cools off. As we lunch at work due to our schedules and distances from home, we can “leave the building” without ever really leaving the building, if that makes sense.
It’ll give us a bit of privacy and down-time, which either of us rarely gets for lunch. We are both too dedicated to our jobs, which isn’t always a bad thing, but we need better balance. It's kinda nice to eat while it’s still hot and before 2pm. I do recognize it is still very warm in September, but this space is going to be a bonus, whatever the temperature!
We are still receiving books, looking for new titles and authors, and reading every chance we get. New in this week is “Deep Water” by Stuart Woods, a Stone Barrington novel, “Cold Fire” by Clive Cussler, a NUMA Files novel, and an aptly named for this week, “Rocket’s Red Glare” by James Patterson and Matt Eversman.
This title is a bit of a leap for Jimmy P. It is reading as a military thriller about an elite ex-Special Forces team who have transitioned into a domestic counter-terrorism unit. A national assassination throws things into crisis and the team leader has to get to the bottom of the story. I like a good military thriller and I feel confident that Pat won’t bog me down with the details like a Clancy novel. I may have to check this one out!
Continuing, we have “Road Trip” by Mary Kay Andrews. I started and refused to finish for reasons I will divulge in person. Let’s just say, this did NOT read like the Mary Kay we all know and love. But, I’m not everyone and it may have just been me. Someone will have to read and let me know.
Those looking for a good contemporary Western may enjoy “Blaze of Glory” by Susan Kyle, writing as Diana Palmer to continue the “Long, Tall Texans” series. If you’re looking for a shorter romance, we’ve restocked a couple of our paperback series, so check them out too!
While we aren’t quite there seasonally, these feel like the dog days of summer where we are just “making it” through each one. Our schedules are full, and there is that anticipatory dread of “school is starting” soon. No matter, we are here to serve, so come see us!
Book Business, Week of July 3
Summer Reading, week three is in the books! (Is it terrible we have a countdown?) It is the busiest and most fun we have all year! But, like those who are in the VBS trenches, it’s also exhausting.
This week we completed our chapter book, made dino fossils out of air-dry clay, and practiced hieroglyphics on clay discs. Our dino themed decor is for sale. It’s a ready-made party, complete with favors! Let us know if you are interested.
Next week we are focusing more on American History, so stay tuned to what our kiddos do next. We are excited to share some Colonial crafts as well as talk about some of our favorite Founding Fathers.
We hosted our second Story Time at the Gazebo, but in-house due to the rain. We had a larger group and had prepared some dino themed take-n-make bags for our participants. Our next group will meet July 8, hopefully at the Gazebo this time. The weather is fickle, so we monitor and adjust! If you are concerned, we post on social media first thing that morning if there are changes.
Mahjong continues to be a hit. Some of our players come both days just for the fun of it. We have enough for two full tables each week and sometimes extra. We jump in and play if needed, and enjoy every minute. We learned the term “faux-jong” for when you THINK you’ve won the game, but upon revealing your tiles, see something that doesn’t work.
We have a loud and rowdy group and they are a blast! The more we play, the easier it gets. After we really learn our cards well, it will be even better. There are some great online tutors we can recommend if you are interested. We pretty much threw registration out the window and it’s a come when you can, play if you are able, and stay as long as you like. We’re flexible that way!
Mary Cate has compiled a set of activity sheets for our new Reading Rucksack program. It’s a backpack with three books, a few fun activity sheets, a couple of reading comprehension activities, and some information to help caregivers keep their kiddos reading. Our summer literacy grant helped us provide this supplemental reading assistance and we are so thankful.
Both have circulated so far and the kiddos (and their caregivers) have really enjoyed them. We plan to change the themes monthly and will add more Rucksacks if there is demand for it. Point to note, both caregivers got the packs for their kiddos to read TO them. It’s a game-changer. Try it with your kiddo!
Those gearing up for America 250 may be interested in reading about Abigail Adams. We picked up a new title, “A Founding Mother: A Historical Novel of the Woman Who Helped Shape America from the Shadows” by Stephanie Dray. Although it is fiction, it is deeply researched and gives a glimpse of a woman who was wife to one president and mother to another.
In that historical theme, we also picked up “The Stargazer of Nantucket” by Julie Gerstenblatt. It tells the story of Winifred Starbuck, who SO desired to join her parents on their final merchant voyage from Nantucket to China, that she stowed away on board their clipper ship. I’m reading this myself and curious to see how the story unfolds. It’s got a great cast of characters and I’m just starting to get to the good parts!
Summer harvests are rolling and unfortunately the late frost really affected the berry crops. Blackberries are slim this year, but I gathered enough to make a shrub. A shrub is considered a “drinking vinegar” and it is delicious! Berries, sugar, and white wine vinegar are infused for a couple of days, then strained to make a syrup.
It can be used as a dessert topping, in a vinaigrette, as a marinade, or as a flavor in your adult beverage or mocktail of choice. I drizzled a bit over some Greek yogurt and it made a delightful and refreshing treat. I’m looking forward to trying more variations and adding fresh herbs to my next batch!
I’m out of space for my word limit, but I’m making a note of two new things to share next week. We have two great resources added in-house at our library I hope our patrons will enjoy. I can’t wait to tell you about them!
Book Business, Week of June 19
Our first week of Summer Reading Programming is in the books! We had several registered end up with alternative plans, but we gave it our best shot with the ones who participated. We started a chapter book, adopted a dinosaur, made a shadow-art collage and oh my! We can’t wait to see what we can discover next week!
Family Storytime at the Gazebo on the Square was also short several kiddos, but again, summer schedules are iffy. Mary Cate read a couple of books, we sang a couple of songs, and the kiddos got to take home a take-n-make activity bag. We hope to have even more next time. Join us at 10 on Wednesday, July 24, on the Square.
Mahjong was all sorts of crazy! Week one was pretty hairy while we were learning a completely new vocabulary. Although the premise of the game is similar to Rummy, in that you are looking for a particular pattern of tiles for your hand, that’s where the similarity ends. We have unfamiliar pictures on unfamiliar titles with unfamiliar names.
It is also very “formal” is the word I’ve been using, but that’s not quite right. Shuffling the tiles is called washing. Stacking the tiles is called building a wall. Then breaking the wall, dealing, and then, the Charleston. See? A completely new language with very particular and precise movements.
Some of our Tuesday people came back on Wednesday for more play and practice. In fact the Wednesday session ran over two hours as no one wanted to stop playing! As it is SO new and different to what we generally play for games, there is a learning curve. But as I get the hang of it, I can see it’s going to be a game that moves fast and dirty and it is going to be a lot of fun.
We have extra spaces each day, so stop in and join us. It is not too late at all. Every session we remember a bit more and learning together has been the best part. It’s fun and free. Where else can you find that on these hot summer days? Noon on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Be there or miss out on some fun summer fellowship.
Our Pop-up Patriotic Painting Party went well. Our group took the basic design and customized each one to fit their personalities. It was requested that we do one a season and we can probably swing that! This one will hold most of the summer, so look for a fall announcement around August.
This week was just a taste of how busy this summer will be. Most of our Wednesdays are going to be back-to-back programs, so give us grace if you drop in those days. We want to do so many more things, but our calendars are out of room!
I had mentioned some programming involving herbs and that’s going to be a no-go. Initially, the plan was to make homemade vanilla and infused vinegars. Vanilla requires alcohol, so that’s a no-go in our county for public programs without a lot of special permissions. FYI, the FDA requires pure vanilla extract to contain alcohol to extract flavor from the beans, so check your pantry before you think we are trying to corrupt everyone! You can buy it at our local markets.
Flavored vinegars need time to infuse. They aren’t a heat-n-pour-n-go project. So, to preserve the integrity of the finished product, we just decided to scratch that idea too. It was a good idea, but some programs just don’t translate well to the public. But, I’ll share my recipes if you are interested!
We have new books arriving. Today we added “Yesteryear” by Caro Claire Burke and I can’t wait to read it. It features a “tradwife” influencer who finds herself trapped in 1855, actually dealing with the harsh reality behind her shiny “ideal” life. You and I both know that did not go well!
For those wanting a great rom-com summer read, I highly recommend anything by Abby Jimenez. We just picked up “The Night We Met.” I haven’t read it yet, but again, can’t wait to get to it. I love her books. Jimenez can make you laugh out loud or weep. She gives you ALL the feelings and sometimes we need just that.
We are never too busy to recommend a new title or visit a bit, so come see us!
Book Business, Week of June 8
It’s just Monday and we are already exhausted! Our 3-D printer has been humming non-stop and we are loving it! We are making some prizes for summer reading which kicks off next week. It will be relocated to the conference room at some point, but I set it up in my office to learn how to use it. The noise doesn’t bother me much and I enjoy watching pieces come together as I work.
Today was spent assembling furniture, the last we have ordered. Now that it’s in place, we are storing supplies and otherwise making this place a bit neater! My office has been piled with summer reading supply boxes and totes since February and I am more than ready to be DONE with it all.
As we were organizing, I had an unfortunate run-in with a box cutter. I’m notorious for cutting myself and today was not the worst I’ve done. I could have used some surgical glue, but Mary Cate got me butterflied together and I went back to packing and unpacking and organizing.
I’ll admit this new deadline has me a bit out of my groove, but I’ll get it figured out sooner or later. I usually wrote on Friday morning for the coming week. The “new” paper has my deadline for Tuesday, for publication on Friday, but most people don’t get it until Monday. I can’t figure out if I’m supposed to write about what’s happening the week after next, this week, or last week!
So, assuming you get delivery on Monday, here’s what’s on the schedule. We will be working on week two of Mahjong. We have two groups each on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. As of this writing, I have barely learned how to set up the mat and I don’t think I can without help! We will learn together, so I’m excited to get started.
Wednesday will be our first Family Story Time at the Gazebo on the Square. We have it reserved for four weeks this summer and we hope to have a great turnout. This will be a modified Wee program. We will have stories, of course, and other activities pending the ages. We are also planning take-n-make packs, with limited supplies, so join us at 10:00a.m. on Wednesday June 10th and June 24th.
Wednesday will also be our first Summer Reading Program for the kiddos. Registration has closed and we are super excited to get started. June is dealing with ancient history as we Unearth a Story. We will start with a dino adoption, dino art activity, and of course, reading! We are in the process of upgrading our printer, so we hope to have a booklet for a summer reading log. They aren’t ready yet, but will be by the 10th. If you can’t attend, you can read at home, so stop in and pick up a reading log.
We may have some additional reading challenges as the summer goes on. We are still encouraging you to Travel Through Titles and read a book set in each of the 50 states. That’s a book a week if you started in January. It’s just June, so not too late to catch up.
And wow, that’s it! If we can make it through three programs on Wednesday, we are gold! It’s a lot and we know it’s a lot, but that’s what makes summer fun! We do most of it all over again the following week, so rinse and repeat is our mantra this summer.
We have several registered for our pop-up Patriotic Painting Party and you can see the results on our social media pages. We have at least one more pop-up planned, pending my herb garden. One herb is ready and one is almost there, so we may not make July as planned. We will be infusing vinegars to use in dressings and marinades with herbs and fruit. It’s sure to be a delicious treat! Registration will be open soon, so be on the lookout!
Mary Cate has spent the afternoon cataloging books we received today. I have no idea what was in the box. I saw paperbacks and hardbacks, so more on that next week. We are still very much in the business of books and promoting reading for all ages. There is never a bad time to start, so come see us!
Book Business, Week of June 1
New column deadlines and short weeks mean I need to plan better! I spent Friday afternoon calibrating and “trying out” our 3-D printer. I’m listening to it warm up now, as we are getting ready to print some cool prizes for Summer Reading.
Summer Reading registration is open and will be closing soon. May has been a busy month and we have been frantically trying to get things in order. Lots of decorations. Lots of planning. Lots of what feels like last-minute “how about this?” conversations. As always, it’s going to come together seamlessly, but it will make us just a bit crazy in the meantime!
By the time you read this, we will have had our first two American Mahjong groups. I am “skited” as I’ve said in the past, scared and excited. Supplies have been ordered and hopefully I can take the how-to book home with me over the weekend and figure out a little bit. We were being totally truthful when we advertised “for beginners.” We are learning WITH you!
We did receive word we did not get what I’ve been calling our “garden grant,” but that doesn’t mean we aren’t looking for more funds. We had a donation late last year and it has been marked for an outdoor area.
Right now our hands are rather full, but we know how to juggle! It is my hope to have at least a small area with seating by fall. It will be nice to get out and enjoy the cooler weather. Our front garden box seems to thrive where it is. It is simply beautiful and we can’t wait to add more color, and even maybe some veggies and herbs to the side.
Our delivery people have been laughing at us because of the frequency of stops. We went nearly two months with no way to spend money and we are making up for it! Summer reading prep is always a bit hectic, but add in grant monies and routine needs, like HVAC filters, and it’s been a steady stream of deliveries.
Of course, emptying our cart of “to purchase” books that have been waiting was the first order of business. Back in late March and April when I was in my reading slump, I found a recommendation for “Laundry Love” by Patric Richardson. I started listening and discovered I not only loved the humor, but the tips and tricks were priceless.
The by-line is “Finding Joy in a Common Chore” and I thought, sign me up! There are only two of us at my house, but my hard-working better half produces enough dirty clothes for a set of twin toddlers. It’s at least a load every day in the summer, and some days, more. And I’m not complaining (much). He reminds me I’m not hauling water from the creek to a fire pit and a rub-board. (If you know me, you know I just rolled my eyes, so insert that emoji!) There is nothing wrong with a hard-working man, but ME finding joy in the laundry is a worthy goal.
About a third of the way through, I thought, after sharing with Sherri and Mary Cate, I need to buy this book for us. There are so many short-cuts for less chemicals and irritants and cleaner laundry. While shopping, he also has “House Love” and I snagged that one too.
I “preach” a lot about mindfulness, because as Virginia Woolf said, “My head is a hive of words that won’t settle.” Finding ways to quiet my mind is a whole other column. I often go back to Thich Nhat Hanh’s lesson of “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.”
The goal is to be present while washing the dishes. Feeling the warmth of the water. Noticing the texture of the washcloth or sponge. Watching the reflection of the light in the soap bubbles. BE there with the dishes, instead of thinking about the next forty eight things you need to do before bed.
I’m not there yet and some days are better than others. But, if either of these titles can make laundry or housework a bit more of a mindfulness exercise than a chore, and with better consequences for us and the environment I’m all in.
As I said, we are juggling. Books are coming in. Programs are being held. We are getting ready for an awesome summer and hope you join us!
Book Business, Week of May 25
Summer Registration is open! Check out our website or social media posts for information on how to register. We can’t wait to share all of our exciting programs with your kiddos. June will focus on prehistoric/ancient times and July will be more U.S. history in origin with a LOT of STEM activities. And as always, there will be books. Lots of reading! We have some pretty cool decorations up too!
If our schedule does not meet your schedule, reading logs will be available. Kiddos can still participate and keep up those reading skills without attending. We hope to have some take-n-make activities available too. You can always try to join us for Summer Story Time on the Square. We have it on our calendar, so add it to yours!
While you are looking for them, check out some programs for yourself! I’m working on a sample right now for a pop-up painting program before the end of this month. We are also taking registration for our Analog Adventures in June, Mahjong!
We’ve been planning this a while and will be learning WITH you. Please don’t come thinking we are experts. We look forward to learning this game alongside you. Due to the current popularity and the standard game requiring four players, we are asking for you to register. This lets us know how to plan!
Oh! I have money! (Cue the dancing girl emoji which is my favorite!) We DID get our credit card exactly when the bank said we would receive it. Honestly, I didn’t spend as much as I thought I would. I’ll be making up for it this week as Summer Reading is right around the corner and we need things, but it is a relief to just get toner in the printer and some out-of-stock items in place.
Last week we were the grateful recipients of a literacy grant funded by the Southeast Arkansas Community Foundation. We will be using these funds for summer reading and some family literacy kits. We can’t wait to share the great plans we have for ALL ages this summer.
In case I haven’t mentioned it lately, our B.R.A.N.C.H. Out Project, Cohort 1, ended a week or two ago. As a reminder, it stands for “Business Research And New Creations Hub” and we not only had a lot of fun, we learned a lot. This is our IMLS Grant funded project that will run through next year.
If you are a small business owner looking for information on how to improve or if you are a budding entrepreneur wondering how to get started, THIS is the program for you. We will be taking applications for a fall cohort later in the summer, but if you would like to be on our waiting list, let us know! It will be worth your time, I promise!
We did get some new books in and finally! Elle Cosimano has given us the sixth Finlay Donovan title, “Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line.” I’ve yet to read this one as my advanced reader site would only give me a snippet. I wanted the whole enchilada, so I’m on hold on Libby with everyone else who listens to audiobooks. But, we have it in house!
New to us and a great title for our thriller readers is “This Story Might Save Your Life” by Tiffany Crum. It features best friends, a true-story survival podcast, and a behind-the-scenes story that makes the reader question everything they thought they knew about everyone involved. I listened to this months ago and still think about it. Highly recommend!
One that has been in my TBR list on my app for weeks now is “The Calamity Club” by Kathryn Stockett. You may remember her as the author of “The Help” and this is another Southern historical title set in 1930s Oxford, Mississippi. It’s a big ol’ hunk of a book, weighing in at 656 pages, but I have no doubt every word will be worth it.
There are a couple more titles I’d love to tell you about, but I’m running out of space! Please sign up for our monthly newsletter where you find out everything first and follow us on social media. Registrations will be rolling quickly as we post programs and we don’t want you to miss out on all the great things we are offering in the coming weeks.