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Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library

September 5th, 2024

The Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library’s First Thursday Book Club met on Thursday, September  5, 2024 from 12 NOON to 1:00 PM in the library with 4 readers in attendance. The group shared delicious  pumpkin pie and whip cream mini muffins and glazed apple cider donut holes at this meeting. 

Location of the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library’s First Thursday  Book Club meeting minutes:

The Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library’s First Thursday Book Club meeting minutes are  published in “files” on the Marcellus Twp Library Book Club Facebook site. If you have not already joined  this site, please do!  

The Monthly First Thursday Book Club Quiz and Prize! 

This month, note that a literary quiz can be found at the end of these meeting minutes. Share your  responses with us at marcellusmichiganlibrary@gmail.com. Send an e-mail listing the correct responses  (e.g., 1. A, 2. C, 3. D), or you may also call the library or stop in at the library with your responses and we’ll  let you know if you’re a winner! The first person to give us the correct answers will win this month’s  prize—a set of colorful dish towels! 

New at the Library! 

The next Community Read has been scheduled for Thursday, September 19, 2024, at 6:00 PM. At the  August Community Read, the group randomly picked Lisa Wingate’s The Book of Lost Friends as our next  read. We’ll meet on September 19th, watch Lisa Wingate being interviewed about her book and then  discuss the book itself. Light refreshments will be provided. If you would like to join us, just contact the  library. We’ll order the book for you. Books will be ordered for those that attended the August 2024 First  Thursday Book Club meeting on August 1, 2024, and we’ll notify attendees when their books are available  for pick up. 

The weblink to the Random House Publishing Books Book Club Discussion Kit for the Book of Lost Friends  is included below. The kit includes comments from the author, research that she did when writing this  book, and book club discussion questions that you can use while reading the book. We’ll use these  questions and others when talking about the book at our Community Read. 

Link: https://www.randomhousebooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/the-book-of-lost-friends-by lisa-wingate-book-club-kit.pdf

  Book cover for The Book of Lost Friends Author Lisa Wingate 

Title and author: The Book of Lost Friends: A Novel by Lisa Wingate 

Description: A novel inspired by historical events: a story of three young women on a journey in search  of family amidst the destruction of the post-Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who rediscovers  their story and its connection to her own students' lives. Lisa Wingate brings to life stories from actual  "Lost Friends" advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War, as freed slaves  desperately searched for loved ones who had been sold off.  

Louisiana, 1875: In the tumultuous aftermath of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling  companions on a perilous quest: Lavinia, the pampered heir to a now-destitute plantation; Juneau Jane,  her illegitimate free-born Creole half-sister; and Hannie, Lavinia's former slave. Each carries private  wounds and powerful secrets as they head for Texas, following dangerous roads rife with ruthless  vigilantes and soldiers still fighting a war lost a decade before. For Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is  one of inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and eight siblings  before slavery's end, the pilgrimage westward reignites an agonizing question: Could her long-lost family  still be out there? Beyond the swamps lie the seemingly limitless frontiers of Texas and, improbably, hope. 

Louisiana, 1987: For first-year teacher Benedetta Silva, a subsidized job at a poor rural school seems like  the ticket to canceling her hefty student debt--until she lands in a tiny, out-of-step Mississippi River town.  Augustine, Louisiana, seems suspicious of new ideas and new people, and Benny can scarcely comprehend  the lives of her poverty-stricken students. But amid the gnarled oaks and run-down plantation homes lies  the century-old history of three young women, a long-ago journey, and a hidden book that could change  everything.

Books discussed at the September 2024 First Thursday Book Club meeting:

Title and Author: The Snow Hare by Paula Lichtarowicz 

Description: Is it possible to fall in love at the edge of life? Lena has lived a long, quiet life on her farm in  Wales, alongside her husband and child. But as her end approaches, buried memories begin to return. Of  her childhood in Poland, and her passion for science. Of the early days of her marriage, reluctant wife to  an army officer. Of the birth of her daughter, whose arrival changed everything. Memories less welcome  return too. Her Polish village, transformed overnight by the Soviets, and the war that doomed her entire  family to the frigid work camps of the Siberian tundra. And buried in that blinding snow, amongst the  darkness of survival, the most haunting memory of all: that of an extraordinary new love. Exploring  motherhood, marriage, consequences, and our incredible human capacity for hope, The Snow Hare is the  story of a woman who dares to love and to dream in the face of impossible odds, and of the peace we  each must make with our choices, even long after the years have gone by. 

Genre: Adult fiction–historical 

Availability:  

In Library: Not available. 

MeLCat: Book; audiobook 

Club member comment(s): An engrossing novel about one woman’s life choices and the impact these  choices have on her life and the lives of those around her. The reader learns about the main character as  she ruminates about her past while dying. Her path from a relative life of ease as a child and teen to a  Siberian labor camp is well told and captured the reader’s attention throughout the book.

Title and Author: The Possible World: A Novel by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz 

Description: A richly compelling and deeply moving novel that traces the converging lives of a young boy who  witnesses a brutal murder, the doctor who tends to him, and an elderly woman guarding her long buried past.  It seems like just another night shift for Lucy, an overworked ER physician in Providence, Rhode Island, until  six-year-old Ben is brought in as the sole survivor from a horrifying crime scene. He’s traumatized and wordless;  everything he knows has been taken from him in an afternoon. It’s not clear what he saw, or what he  remembers. Lucy, who’s grappling with a personal upheaval of her own, feels a profound, unexpected  connection to the little boy. She wants to help him…but will recovering his memory heal him, or damage him  further? Across town, Clare will soon be turning one hundred years old. She has long believed that the lifetime  of secrets she’s been keeping don’t matter to anyone anymore, but a surprising encounter makes her realize  that the time has come to tell her story. As Ben, Lucy, and Clare struggle to confront the events that shattered  their lives, something stronger than fate is working to bring them together. An expertly stitched story that  spans nearly a century—from the Great Depression through the Vietnam War era and into the present—The  Possible World is a captivating novel about the complicated ways our pasts shape our identities, the power of  maternal love, the loneliness born out of loss, and how timeless bonds can help us triumph over grief. 

Genre: Adult fiction–general 

Availability:  

In Library: Not available. 

MeLCat: Book; audiobook 

Club member comment(s): An interesting book examining the relationships between a young boy who  witnessed a brutal murder, the ER physician who treated him, and an elderly woman living in a nursing  home. The book is less about solving the murder and more about how these three lives are woven  together over time. Well written and well paced, the writer also leaves the reader with questions that  likely only the reader can answer.

Title and Author: The Case for Trump by Victor Davis Hanson 

Description: In The Case for Trump, award-winning historian and political commentator Victor Davis  Hanson explains how a celebrity businessman with no political or military experience triumphed over  sixteen well-qualified Republican rivals, a Democrat with a quarter-billion-dollar war chest, and a hostile  media and Washington establishment to become an extremely successful president. Trump alone saw a  political opportunity in defending the working people of America’s interior whom the coastal elite of both  parties had come to scorn, Hanson argues. And Trump alone had the instincts and energy to pursue this  opening to victory, dismantle a corrupt old order, and bring long-overdue policy changes at home and  abroad. After decades of drift, America needed the outsider Trump to do what normal politicians would  not and could not do. Now updated for the 2024 election with a comprehensive new introduction, this is  the essential book on what Donald Trump means for America.  

Genre: Adult Non-fiction 

Availability:  

In Library: Not available. 

MeLCat: Book; audiobook 

Club member comment(s): The club member reading this book selected it because Victor Davis Hanson  is the author. He is a professor emeritus of classics at California State University, Fresno, the Martin and  Illie Anderson Senior Fellow in classics and military history at the Hoover Institution, and visiting professor  at Hillsdale College. In the prologue for this book, Hanson informs readers that he “never met Donald  Trump…nor have I visited the Trump White House.” He goes on to write: “I have never been offered,  sought, or accepted any appointment from the Trump administration…nor have I been in communication  with members of the Trump campaign and have not sought out anyone in the administration.” With the  characteristic detail of a researcher and historian, Hanson’s book, while recognizing that Trump is a  “polarizing figure whose very name prompts controversy that soon turns to acrimony, sought to explain  why Trump ran for President in 2016, why he surprised critics by winning the 2016 primaries and general  elections, why and how Trump’s record of governance improved the economy, found the middle line 

between interventionist foreign policy and isolationism, and how he took on a toxic establishment and  political culture “that long needed an accounting.” Our reader, a fan of Hanson’s previous works, found  this book to be well written, well researched, and factual. This was an interesting read for the current  times. 

Title and Author: Snowglobe (Snowglobe Duology Book #1) by Soyoung Park 

Description: In a world of constant winter, only the citizens of the climate-controlled city of Snowglobe  can escape the bitter cold—but this perfect society is hiding dark and dangerous secrets within its frozen  heart. Enclosed under a vast dome, Snowglobe is the last place on Earth that’s warm. Outside Snowglobe  is a frozen wasteland, and every day, citizens face the icy world to get to their jobs at the power plant,  where they produce the energy Snowglobe needs. Their only solace comes in the form of twenty-four hour television programming streamed directly from the domed city. The residents of Snowglobe have  fame, fortune, and above all, safety from the desolation outside their walls. In exchange, their lives are  broadcast to the less fortunate outside, who watch eagerly, hoping for the chance to one day become  actors themselves. Chobahm lives for the time she spends watching the shows produced inside  Snowglobe. Her favorite? Goh Around, starring Goh Haeri, Snowglobe’s biggest star—and, it turns out,  the key to getting Chobahm her dream life. Because Haeri is dead, and Chobahm has been chosen to take  her place. Only, life inside Snowglobe is nothing like what you see on television. Reality is a lie, and truth  seems to be forever out of reach.  

Genre: Young Adult Fiction-Fantasy 

Availability:  

In Library: Book. 

MeLCat: Book. 

Club member comment(s): A dystopian novel translated for the first time from Korean into English, this  was an interesting and different read (different in a good way). The sequel to this book should be coming  out soon.

Title and Author: Blackbird House: A Novel by Alice Hoffman 

Description: ….an evocative work that traces the lives of the various occupants of an old Massachusetts  house over a span of two hundred years. In a rare and gorgeous departure, beloved novelist Alice  Hoffman weaves a web of tales, all set in Blackbird House. This small farm on the outer reaches of Cape  Cod is a place that is as bewitching and alive as the characters we meet: Violet, a brilliant girl who is in  love with books and with a man destined to betray her; Lysander Wynn, attacked by a halibut as big as a  horse, certain that his life is ruined until a boarder wearing red boots arrives to change everything; Maya  Cooper, who does not understand the true meaning of the love between her mother and father until it is  nearly too late. From the time of the British occupation of Massachusetts to our own modern world, family  after family's lives are inexorably changed, not only by the people they love but by the lives they lead  inside Blackbird House. These interconnected narratives are as intelligent as they are haunting, as  luminous as they are unusual. Inside Blackbird House more than a dozen men and women learn how love  transforms us and how it is the one lasting element in our lives. The past both dissipates and remains  contained inside the rooms of Blackbird House, where there are terrible secrets, inspired beauty, and,  above all else, a spirit of coming home. 

Genre: Adult fiction–literary fiction 

Availability:  

In Library: Book 

MeLCat: Book; large print book; audiobook 

Club member comment(s): The setting for this book is a house and the people who live in the house  over a 200 year time period. Interesting and well written.

Title and Author: An Onion in My Pocket: My Life with Vegetables by Deborah Madison 

Description: Thanks to her beloved cookbooks and groundbreaking work as the chef at Greens Restaurant  in San Francisco, Deborah Madison, though not a vegetarian herself, has long been revered as this  country's leading authority on vegetables. She profoundly changed the way generations of Americans  think about cooking with vegetables, helping to transform "vegetarian" from a dirty word into a  mainstream way of eating. But before she became a household name, Madison spent almost twenty years  as an ordained Buddhist priest, coming of age in the midst of counterculture San Francisco. In this  charmingly intimate and refreshingly frank memoir, she tells her story - and with it the story of the  vegetarian movement—or the very first time. From her childhood in Big Ag Northern California to working  in the kitchen of the then-new Chez Panisse, and from the birth of food TV to the age of green markets  everywhere, An Onion in My Pocket is as much the story of the evolution of American foodways as it is  the memoir of the woman at the forefront. It is a deeply personal look at the rise of vegetable-forward  cooking, and a manifesto for how to eat well. 

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction 

Availability:  

In Library: Not available. 

MeLCat: Book. 

Club member comment(s): A renowned cookbook author and chef, the author details her life’s journey  including becoming a vegetarian. Readers will learn a great deal about cooking vegetables and eating a  more healthy diet.

Title and Author: Amaryllis in Blueberry: A Novel by Christina Meldrum 

Description: a stirring and soulful novel about an American woman accused of murdering her husband in  Africa and the series of events that led her to that point, compellingly told via the alternating perspectives of  her four teenage daughters. Christina Meldrum has already won praise from critics and fans with her young  adult novel Madapple, which was an ALA Best Book for Young Readers in 2009 and earned starred reviews  across the board. Now, in Amaryllis in Blueberry, her first adult novel, she tells the gripping story of the  seemingly ordinary Slepy family—who fled their Midwestern town to do missionary work in a small village  Africa. Meldrum has been an aid worker in Africa, bringing an authenticity to this richly atmospheric novel  which explores many universal themes including family, religion, and culture. Meet Dick, his wife Seena, and  their four daughters, each named Mary: Mary Catherine, Mary Grace, Mary Tessa, and their youngest Amaryllis  (aMARYillis). Seena has felt unloved and unvalued most of her adult life, so she escapes into her books,  particularly Greek mythology, to satisfy her desire to find meaning. Her life has been built on secrets and lies  and she wants to protect her daughters from the truth she knows will destroy their happy home. Mary  Catherine seems to be the strong, faithful one, who in deference to St. Catherine, cuts off all of her hair, but  she’s also a lost soul who desperately needs love and attention. Mary Grace is the eldest and the most  beautiful—the one who easily seduces but is also easily seduced, especially when she’s faced with an exotic  and fascinating culture so unlike her own. Mary Tessa is the inquisitive one who claims to be the most reliable  when it comes to the facts of her mother’s case, and then there’s Amaryllis, who was born with an extrasensory  gift of seeing things other can’t see, of knowing when bad things are about to happen, and of telling when  those who profess to know the truth are the biggest liars of them all…. Opening with the dramatic scene of  Seena on trial for murdering her husband Dick, this engrossing and lyrical novel flashes back to the year before  her family left for missionary work in Africa—and how the buried secrets of their past came back to haunt and  heal them all. 

Genre: Adult-general fiction. 

Availability:  

In Library: Not available. 

MeLCat: Book.

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Club member comment(s): A deeply moving and simultaneously uncomfortable book to read that  explores themes of family, religion, culture, and race.  

Title and Author: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance 

Description: From a former marine and Yale Law School graduate, a powerful account of growing up in a poor  Rust Belt town that offers a broader, probing look at the struggles of America's white working class. Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis - that of white working-class Americans.  The decline of this group, a demographic of our country that has been slowly disintegrating over 40 years, has  been reported on with growing frequency and alarm but has never before been written about as searingly from  the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were  born with it hung around your neck. The Vance family story begins hopefully in postwar America. J. D.'s  grandparents were "dirt poor and in love" and moved north from Kentucky's Appalachia region to Ohio in the  hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually their  grandchild (the author) would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of their success in  achieving generational upward mobility. But as the family saga of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that this is  only the short, superficial version. Vance's grandparents, his aunt, his uncle, his sister, and most of all his mother struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life and were never able to fully  escape the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. Vance  piercingly shows how he himself still carries around the demons of their chaotic family history. A deeply moving  memoir with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is the story of how upward mobility  really feels. And it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment  of this country. 

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction 

Availability:  

In Library: Book; Libby audiobook 

MeLCat: Book; audiobook; Playaway player book

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Club member comment(s): Our reader described this book as well written with great flow. Written by  the current GOP Vice Presidential candidate, the book helps readers understand his background. 

Title and Author: The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley 

Description: Spanning four generations, The Midnight Rose sweeps from the glittering palaces of the great  maharajas of India to the majestic stately homes of England, following the extraordinary life of a  remarkable girl, Anahita Chaval, from 1911 to the present day . . . In the heyday of the British Raj, eleven year-old Anahita, from a noble but impoverished family, forms a lifelong friendship with the headstrong  Princess Indira, the privileged daughter of Indian royalty. As the princess's official companion, Anahita  accompanies her friend to England just before the outbreak of World War I. There, she meets young  Donald Astbury—reluctant heir to the magnificent, remote Astbury Estate—and his scheming mother.  Ninety years later, Rebecca Bradley, a young American film star, has the world at her feet. But when her 

turbulent relationship with her equally famous boyfriend takes an unexpected turn, she's relieved that  her latest role, playing a 1920s debutante, will take her away from the glare of publicity to a distant corner  of the English countryside. Shortly after filming begins at the now-crumbling Astbury Hall, Ari Malik,  Anahita's great-grandson, arrives unexpectedly, on a quest for his family's past. What he and Rebecca  discover begins to unravel the dark secrets that haunt the Astbury dynasty . . . A multilayered,  heartbreaking tale filled with unforgettable characters caught in the sweep of history, The Midnight Rose is Lucinda Riley at her most captivating and unforgettable. 

Genre: Adult Fiction-historical romance 

Availability:  

In Library: Book. 

MeLCat: Book; large print book; audiobook. 

Club member comment(s): A dual time-line novel, this book takes the reader from 1910 to the present  and from India to England. Our reader loved this novel and highly recommended the book to the others.

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Title and Author: The Body by Stephen King 

Description: It’s 1960 in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. Ray Brower, a boy from a nearby town,  has disappeared, and twelve-year-old Gordie Lachance and his three friends set out on a quest to find his body along the railroad tracks. During the course of their journey, Gordie, Chris Chambers, Teddy  Duchamp, and Vern Tessio come to terms with death and the harsh truths of growing up in a small factory  town that doesn’t offer much in the way of a future. A timeless exploration of the loneliness and isolation  of young adulthood, Stephen King’s The Body is an iconic, unforgettable, coming-of-age story. 

Genre: Adult Fiction–horror, thriller 

Availability:  

In Library: Libby audiobook 

MeLCat: Book; audiobook. 

Club member comment(s): It’s Stephen King and a good read!

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Title and Author: Homeland and Other Stories by Barbara Kingsolver 

Description: With the same wit and sensitivity that have come to characterize her highly praised and  beloved novels, acclaimed author Barbara Kingsolver gives us a rich and emotionally resonant collection  of twelve stories. Spreading her memorable characters over landscapes ranging from Northern California  to the hills of eastern Kentucky and the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, Kingsolver tells stories of hope,  momentary joy, and powerful endurance. In every setting, Kingsolver's distinctive voice— at times comic,  but often heartrending—rings true as she explores the twin themes of family ties and the life choices one  must ultimately make alone. Homeland and Other Stories creates a world of love and possibility that  readers will want to take as their own. 

Genre: Adult Fiction–Literary Fiction 

Availability:  

In Library: Book 

MeLCat: Book and audiobook 

Club member comments: Barbara Kingsolver is our reader’s favorite author because Kingsolver has a way  of bringing her characters to life that is unparalleled and because she has a distinctive knack for making  the ordinary become extraordinary. This is such a book.

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The Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library also has a large selection of DVDs and patrons can  request DVDs that the library does not have through MeLCat. Two Book Club members viewed the  following two DVDs and offered their reviews: 

Title: Facing Darkness: A True Story of Faith Saving Dr. Brantly from Ebola in Africa-a Samaritan’s  Purse Film 

Description: As the Ebola pandemic was sweeping across West Africa in the spring of 2014, one  organization was willing to step up and fully commit it's people and resources to provide comfort,  compassion, and care to the hurting people of Africa... all in the Name of Jesus. But when the deadly virus  infected its own medical personnel, including Dr. Kent Brantly, the epic crisis truly hit home for Samaritan's  Purse and its leader Franklin Graham. FACING DARKNESS tells the incredible true story of how - with only  faith, determination, and prayer - the ministry moved mountains... and God performed a miracle! 

Genre: DVD 

Availability:  

In Library: Not available. 

MeLCat: Available. 

Club member comments: The Book Club members sharing a review of this movie are retired health care  Providers. They both spoke about the raw authenticity of this real life, edge-of-your-seat medical thriller.  When the Ebola pandemic struck West Africa in 2014, the health care professionals serving with  Samaritan’s Purse and Doctors Without Borders were the only caregivers offering support to people  suffering with this deadly disease. The movie details the initial “hands off” approach that the USA’s CDC  as well as the WHO took to providing assistance, leaving these two non-profit agencies bearing the entire  caregiving responsibility for those succumbing to ebola. Despite this, Dr. Brantly and his co-workers 

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soldiered on with compassion and dedication until he and another team member became ill themselves.  What happened after this is indeed a miracle. Absolutely wonderful movie–”on a scale of 1-5, this movie  should get a 10.” 

Title: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story 

Description: Oscar® winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Actor in a Supporting Role, Jerry Maguire, 1996) stars in  this true story about a renowned brain surgeon who overcame obstacles to change the course of medicine  forever. Young Ben Carson didn't have much of a chance. Growing up in a broken home amongst poverty  and prejudice, his grades suffered and his temper flared. And yet, his mother never lost her faith in him.  Insisting he follow the opportunities she never had, she helped to grow his imagination, intelligence and,  most importantly, his belief in himself. That faith would be his gift - the thing that would drive him to  follow his dream of becoming one of the world's leading neurosurgeons. 

Genre: DVD 

Availability: 

In Library: Available. 

MeLCat: Available. 

Club member comments: Dr. Ben Carson became the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns  Hopkins Children's Center in 1984 at age 33, then the youngest chief of pediatric neurosurgery in the  United States. He is also an academic, author, and politician who served as the 17th United States  Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2017 to 2021. A pioneer in the field of neurosurgery,  he was a candidate for President of the United States in the 2016 Republican primaries. Carson is one of  the most prominent black conservatives in the United States.  This movie is essentially his memoir, taking  him from his troubled childhood to his success as a neurosurgeon and showing how he overcame his own  issues with anger, prejudice, and poverty. Another excellent DVD.

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Upcoming Events at the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library Tuesdays: 

Creative Social Circle. Tuesdays at 5:00 PM. Bring your crafts or work with our craft supplies! We’ll  have a sample project each week if you need inspiration on what to make. Enjoy coffee, tea, and the  company of other adults while you work on your creative projects. 

Southwest Michigan Reads 2024 presents Tobin Buhk author of Killer Women of Michigan. Tuesday,  September 24, 2024, at 6:30 PM at the Arclight Brewing Company, 544 North Main Street, Watervliet, MI,  49098. Join us for an evening with Tobin Buhk, Michigan freelance author specializing in historic true  crime. Book signing will follow. Food available for purchase from Hendo’s BBQ beginning at 6:00 PM. 

Wednesdays: 

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— September 11th at  9:00 A.M as well as the 3rd Friday of every month—September 20th at 3:00 P.M. Parenting isn’t easy. If  you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information  about community resources. 

Last Wednesday Family Game & Movie Night with Popcorn. The last Wednesday of each month, August  28th starting at 6:00 PM. We’ll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome. 

Morris Murders: Occurred on September 28th, 1879. Wednesday, August 7, 2024 from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00  P.M. We welcome you to attend a presentation about the unsolved case of the Morris murders. Charles  Morris, Esther Morris, and their unborn child were all victims. Listen as Jan Roeder & Ron Morris, the last  direct descendent of this Morris family line discuss this unsolved true crime. 

Preschool Storyhour. Every Wednesday at 11:00 AM, September 11th-May 14th (holiday breaks to follow  school calendar). Join us for stories, songs, crafts, and snacks. This activity is focused on children ages 0- 5 and their parents. Coffee will be provided for the adults. 

Thursdays: 

First Thursday Book Club 2024, October 3, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM. Join others to chat about what you  have been reading or to get suggestions from others. 

Do Art Productions Comic Book Workshop. Thursday, September 19th, 2024 from 4:00 PM-5:00 PM.  Join us for a Comic Book Workshop where we will explore the different languages of comics, from the eye  movements to the body posture to the actual language within the speech bubble. For Ages 6-15. 

Community Read! The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate. Thursday, September 19, 2024 at 6:00 PM.  Join us as we listen to the book’s author being interviewed and then engage in a discussion about the  novel. Light refreshments will be provided.

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Fridays: 

Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are  welcome! 

Saturdays: 

Tech Time @ the Library. Saturday from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM, September 21, 2024. Struggling with your  phone? Trouble navigating the internet? Need help with Mel.org, the Libby app or the Library Catalog?  Drop in to ask Justin your I.T. questions & learn to navigate your device or computers. 

Throughout the Year: 

Smokey the Bear Reading Challenge. January 1st-November 28th, 2024. Help Smokey by learning how  to prevent wildfires and help the environment. Read 3 books and earn 4 badges to complete the challenge  and earn your prize. Badges are earned by completing at least one activity per section. Bring your  completed sheet into the Library for your prize. One prize per person. 

2024 Reading Challenge. Let’s read 2024 books as a community this year! When you finish a book, come  and fill out a leaf. The leaf will be put on the tree in the children’s area. When we reach our goal, we will  have a surprise celebration for all of our readers! 

Additional noteworthy literary events in the area: 

The next meeting of the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library’s First  Thursday Book Club will be held on Thursday, October 3, 2024, at 12 NOON in the  library. We look forward to seeing you here!