The fall programs take a lot of coordinating but always provide some of our favorite moments. We painted and carved pumpkins with the preschoolers and elementary kids, then lit up the carved pumpkins on the library stoop for Halloween. We also had a lovely little program with the Kindergartners, who created sachets with lavender harvested from the library’s fledgling herb garden. And we had a full house for the showing of the film Olafur Eliasson: Space Is Process. This is the second time we have partnered with the Hall Art Foundation to show a film about an artist and then see his work at the foundation galleries. Last year’s program was successful; this year’s was more so. We hope to make this an annual event.
The library project “Books Have Legs” continues this month. We’re looking for brief anecdotes about books that have been meaningful to you in some way—a book that made a lasting impression, a book you remember with fondness. Perhaps you read it (or it was read to you) as a child, or as a teen, or late in life. Whatever the case, we’d like to hear about it. Please include your name, the title and author of the book, when you read it, and 3 – 10 sentences capturing the importance of the book in your life. You can mail your entry to the Reading Public Library, P.O. Box 7, Reading, VT 05062; email it to [email protected]; or drop off a copy. We will be collecting these vignettes through December and welcome the participation of adults and children alike. We’re hoping to capture a snapshot of our community by way of the books that helped shape its inhabitants.
It’s not too late to join in on our book discussion series. Copies of each book are provided free. The next book is now available for pickup at the library. The discussions will be held on the following Tuesdays at 12:30 P.M. December 16: The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. Queen Elizabeth the Second stumbles into a mobile library van in pursuit of her runaway corgis and into the reflective life of an avid reader. January 20: The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. A magic-realism tale about a woman from India, born in another time in a faraway place, who is given immortality by the gods as long as she remains chaste. Feel free to bring a sack lunch.
If you’re looking for something to do this winter, remember we have free passes available for the American Precision Museum (Windsor), the Billings Farm & Museum (Woodstock), and the Vermont History Museum (branches in Montpelier and Barre); and we have reduced-price passes for Echo Aquarium & Science Center (Burlington). You can call the library at 484-5588 to reserve a pass, or just drop in and check it out.
Cordially,
Tony