Library News: November 16th, 2023
This week the library is highlighting two new adult fiction books currently available.
Yellowface: A Novel by R.F. Kuang. June Hayward and Athena Liu, both authors, were supposed to be twin rising stars. Athena, however, is a literary darling and June Hayward a literal nobody. June thinks--who wants stories about basic white girls. When June witnesses Athena's death is a freak accident, she acts impulsively. She steals Athena's just completed masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War 1. Who cares if June edits Athena's novel and sends it to her agent as her own work or if Athena lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? June figures that this piece of history deserves to be told no matter who tells the story, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree. But June can't get away from Athena's shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June's stolen success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she finds out exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves. In a totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation along with the terrifying alienation of social media.
The Christmas Guest: A Novella by Peter Swanson. An American art student in London for her junior year, Ashley Smith was planning to spend Christmas alone. A last-minute invitation from Emma Chapman, a fellow student, brings Ashley to Starvewood Hall, a country residence of the Chapman family. The Cotswold manor house, lavishly decorated and crammed with guests for Christmas week, is a dream come true for Ashley who is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor and by Adam Chapman, Emma's aloof and handsome brother. Adam, however, is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to question what kind of story she actually inhabits. Is she in a grand romance or a gothic tale? Has she wandered into something far more sinister and terrifying than she'd ever imagined? Thirty years later the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time. Many Christmas seasons later, what started in a small English village in 1989 reaches a ghostly conclusion in modern-day New York.
Upcoming events:
Yoga with Dave Sivley, October 9 - Nov 27, Mondays at 6:30 PM. Bring your mat, water and a towel along with $5.00 per session payable to Dave.
Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays 10:15 AM. Stories, music, movement & crafts for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.
Preschool Play Cafe, in lieu of Story Hour on Wednesday, November 22, December 27 and January 3 at 10:15 A.M. An unstructured social meetup with toys for ages 0-5 and coffee/tea for their parents & caregivers.
Game Night AND Movies & Popcorn, November 29th, the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM. We'll have fresh popcorn and a movie during game night! All ages are welcome!
First Thursday Book Club 2023, December 7, 2023, 12 NOON-1 PM. Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others. *Please, bring a batch of cookies to exchange if attending the Dec. 7th meeting!
Stitch Together, Thursdays, November 16-December 21 at 6:00 PM. Join us to socialize while crocheting or knitting! No formal instruction is provided, but peer-to-peer support & troubleshooting is encouraged!
Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome (but parents are responsible for preventing choking risks for small children)! Donations of gently-used Legos will be greatly appreciated!
Ewert Music Studio Recital, Saturday, December 2nd at 5:00 PM, during Christmas in the Village. Enjoy beautiful music played by the talented students of Roxane Ewert!
Holiday Card Craft, Saturday, December 2nd 4-6:00 PM. During Christmas in the Village, stop in to create holiday cards that will bring cheer to residents of Blueberry Hill Assisted Living in Lawton.