The library’s project “Reading Has Legs” continues this month and next. 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. In the new year, we’d like to feature readers’ remembrances of books that had “legs.”
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. November 18: Death in a Tenured Position by Amanda Cross. Folks at Harvard University are not happy about the first woman professor in the English Department. 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. Call the library at 484-5588 for more information.
Reading Public Library provides downloadable audio books and e-books for adults and children at no cost through “Listen Up Vermont.” The collection can be accessed at listenupvermont.org. Once you’ve installed the free software and decided on a book, just add the title to your basket and sign it out with your patron number. If the audio book you want is checked out, you can place it on reserve and you’ll receive an email when it becomes available. After downloading the audio file to your computer, you can close the Internet connection and listen offline. You can also transfer the file to portable devices, and some books can be burned to CD. You can check out up to three titles at a time. At the end of the loan period, the computer files automatically expire and the books are returned to the digital collection. There are never any late fees or damage costs. For more information, take the guided tour on the “Listen Up Vermont” website. If you don’t know your patron number, call or email me at the library.
Keep in mind that the library has both a Nook and a Kindle available for borrowing. Patrons must be at least 18 years old with a library account in good standing (no overdue materials).
Cordially,
Tony