Thursday Evening Reading Group in January & Beyond

Thursday Evening Reading Group

Join the group Thursday, January 5th at 6pm. The group is reading The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte by Laura Jon Rowland. Pick up a copy at the Lending Desk today!

We meet on the first Thursday of every month. In February, we will meet to discuss Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross, on Thursday, February 1, at 6pm.  Pope Joan is a novel about questionable gender in the Vatican.

In March, we will meet to discuss Assassination Vacation, a series of essays written by Sarah Vowell as she visits the sites of Presidential assassinations. Sarah Vowell has been on This American Life and she also does the voice of the daughter in the Pixar film The Incredibles, which, incidentally, Walker has available for borrowing. We will meet to discuss Assassination Vacation on Thursday, March 1 at 6pm.

Walker Book Talk Circle in January

This group meets every third Tuesday of the month. They welcome new members.

Click here for a full list of next year’s monthly selections.

Next meeting: Tuesday, January 17th 12-1pm.

The group will be discussing Red Garden by Alice Hoffman. You can pick up a copy at the Lending Desk. Please join us!

Why I Left the Amish: A Memoir

The Author Speaks Series . . . Thursday, July 21 at 6:00PM  Curious about the Amish?  What is the Amish life?  You can read “bonnet books” but is that what Amish life is like?  Come and hear Saloma Fulong speak about her experience.  Saloma was born into an Amish family in Ohio yet was compelled to escape and live a different life.  Share Saloma’s thoughts and insight.  Thursday, July 21 at 6:00.  As always, free and open to everyone.

Financial Planning Program

Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 6:00PM
Come hear financial planner Clay Stewart talk about Financial Choices That Matter Most. The program is designed for folks between 25-65 who are looking for more education about the financial choices they face in their life. It will help you assess your current financial situation and focus on bringing stability to your current and future situation.

Thirty years ago…

During Westbrook Together Days thirty years ago, Walker Memorial Library was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. In June of 1981, the bronze plaque (currently visible under the large restoration sign) was unveiled during the festivities. The plaque is mounted on a stone from the foundation of Warren Congregational Church. You can search for other historic places in Maine or in any other state on the National Register of Historic Places database website.

Walker Memorial Library is a treasure to Westbrook and to Maine. It is currently being restored, as you may have noticed.

In May of 1894, Joseph Walker presented the library to the mayor of Westbrook, and Walker Memorial Library has been happy to serve the public ever since.

Coaching Materials for Literacy Volunteers

Literacy Volunteers has given Walker a collection of helpful workbooks to assist in the teaching of English and teaching reading. Many workbooks and helpful support materials are available for tutors. The materials are housed in Room C. Ask at Adult Services Desk for assistance.

Mark Your Calendar for a Free Summer Wellness Event! July 16!

Who: Total Body Wellness Team (Carie Bernard, L.Ac. MAOM, Dr. Chris Maguire, D.C., Pat Martin, Dr. Mindy Novick, Ph.D., Nancy Stedman, &   Christine White, J.D.)

What: Three Strategies for Avoiding Illness & Optimizing Your Health

When: Thursday, June 16, 2011, 5:30-7:30pm

Where: Walker Memorial Library, 800 Main Street, Westbrook

Why: “Discover factors that determine your health and wellness and learn to maximize your efforts to achieve optimal health…Come hear six local wellness professionals offering differing perspectives on optimizing your health.” -Total Body Wellness Team

Summer reading is just around the corner! That means prizes!

Did you participate in our Adult Summer Reading Program last year? We had a great time reading all summer with our neighbors in Westbrook. And it’s almost time to get going again! The goal is to read 6 books in 8 weeks between June 22 and August 12. Are you up to the challenge? Psst, even audiobooks and graphic novels count!

As of June 22, you can sign-up for our Adult Summer Reading Program online or at the library. We’ll give you an adult reader’s card, and every time you finish/return a book, you can enter one of our weekly prize drawings. If you read 6 books between June 22 and August 12, you are eligible to enter our Grand Prize Drawing at the end of the summer!

Watch the blog or check out the library for more information about this fun program! Start thinking about what you’d like to read, and come on in to ask our librarians for suggestions. We’ve got biographies, war stories, love stories, medical thrillers, poetry, and just about anything else you could want.

Happy reading!

The trees are in bloom here at Walker, so summer must not be far off!

Evening Book Group & Historical Fiction Suggestions

This month, the evening book group at Walker Memorial Library is reading the popular novel My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira. My Name is Mary Sutter is the Civil War era story of a young midwife who dreams, despite her gender, of one day becoming a surgeon. She travels from Albany to Washington DC as war rages on around her to care for soldiers wounded in battle. We will discuss the book on Thursday, April 28 from 6-7pm. Please join us.

And in keeping with the theme of book club, we have a new display in Adult Services, and it’s all historical fiction! Historical fiction, like My Name is Mary Sutter, tells a story that takes place in the past. It’s a great way to the get the feel for another era and learn something while you’re being entertained. We have some mysteries, some love stories, some adventures and more all on the table upstairs.

Other great titles in historical fiction about the Civil War include:

The Judas field : a novel of the Civil War by Howard Bahr

 

 

 

March by Geraldine Brooks

 

 

 

 

 

Redemption Falls by Joseph O’Connor

 

 

 

 

Billy Boy : the Sunday soldier of the 17th Maine by Jean Mary Flahive ****Maine Author!****

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have any favorite historical fiction novels? Leave us a comment!

Gardens & Community in Westbrook

Planted in the greenhouse by Marianne Gagnon (from public-domain-image.com)

Spring is just around the corner (I swear), and that means it’s time to consider what you’ll be growing this year. We know at least some Westbrookers have gardening on the brain, and Walker Memorial Library is pleased to welcome Westbrook Community Garden to the crowd. You can read more about the Westbrook Community Garden in this American Journal article. Stay tuned for more information about Westbrook Community Garden.

Here at your library, we have many books, magazines and other resources on gardening, composting, pest control and whatnot to share with all gardeners in the community.

Stop in to pick up our All About Vegetable Gardening flyer with a list of gardening resources at the Reference Desk upstairs, or you can download the PDF at home:  GardeningResourcesList

In the meantime, here are some websites to get you and your green thumb on the path:

• University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Gardening & Horticulture
• Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association
• National Gardening Association
• Garden Guides
• American Community Gardening Association

What are you doing to prepare your garden?

Do you have any gardening tips or tricks for your Westbrook neighbors?

Leave us a Comment!