Library News: January 23rd, 2025

Did you know January is National Hobby Month? Here are two titles at the library that might inspire you to follow your passion!

Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman by Callum Robinson. The eldest son of a master woodworker, Robinson spent his childhood surrounded by wood and trees, absorbing craft lessons in his father’s workshop. In time he became his father’s apprentice, helping to create exquisite bespoke objects. But eventually the need to find his own path led him to establish his own workshop and chase ever bigger and more commercial projects, until the devastating loss of one major job threatened to bring it all crashing down. Faced with the end of his business, his team, and everything he had worked so hard to build, he was forced to question what mattered most. In beautifully wrought prose, Callum tells the story of returning to the workshop and to the wood, to handcrafting furniture for people who will love it and then passing it onto the next generation—an antidote to a culture where everything seems so easily disposable. As he does so, he brings us closer to nature and the physical act of creation—and we begin to understand how he has been shaped, as both a craftsman and a son. Blending memoir and nature writing at its finest, Ingrained is an uplifting meditation on the challenges of working with your hands in our modern age, on community, consumerism, and the beauty of the natural world—one that asks us to see our local trees, and our own wooden objects, in a new and revelatory light.

Every Brain Needs Music: The Neuroscience of Making and Listening to Music by Larry S. Sherman and Dennis Plies. Learning, performing, and listening to music all place tremendous demands on the human brain. Learning to play a musical instrument is among the most challenging activities for the human nervous system, involving cognitive, sensory, as well as fine and gross motor functions. Music composition and improvisation also engage the human nervous system in remarkable ways. Understanding how the human brain functions and changes when engaging with music provides unique opportunities for understanding the nature of human creativity; the ways that the brain integrates sensory, motor, and cognitive activities; the characteristics of strong learners and teachers; and the ways that music can contribute to brain development and healthy brain aging. This book by Larry Sherman, a neuroscientist and life-long musician, and Dennis Plies, a professional musician and music teacher, explores the processes of teaching, learning, practicing, listening, composing, improvising, and performing music from the standpoints of behavioral, cellular and molecular neuroscience as well as the perspective of music pedagogy. The book surveys current neuroscience literature in the context of musical learning and teaching experience to explore how music literally changes the structures of our brains.

Tuesdays:

Creative Social Circle, Tuesdays at 5 PM. Bring your own crafts or work with our craft supplies. We will have a sample project each week if you need inspiration on what to make.  Enjoy coffee, tea, and the company of other adults as you work.  Ages 15 and up are invited to attend.

Yoga with Dave Sivley, Tuesdays at 6 PM, January 14-February 18th. Bring a yoga mat, water bottle, & a towel. $5 per class payable to Dave.

Wednesdays:

Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— February 12th at 9 AM Parenting isn’t easy. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.

Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays at 11 AM. Join us for music, movement, stories & crafts intended for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. 

Thursdays:

First Thursday Book Club, February 6th, 12 NOON-1 PM. Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.

Fridays:

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