Online virtual author talks continue in September with three more free sessions

Sep 02, 2023

By Carole Howard | PREVIEW Columnist, and the library staff

Our highly popular virtual author talks continue in September with three more opportunities for you to interact with New York Times bestselling authors with an opportunity to ask questions.

Thursday, Sept. 7, at 5 p.m., we’ll meet with Lidia Bastianich, Emmy award-winning TV host and author of the memoir “Life, Love, Family, and Food.” She is an Italian-American celebrity chef, cookbook author and restaurant owner.

Wednesday, Sept. 20, at noon will feature New York University psychologist Adam Alter, author of “Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How To Get Unstuck When It Matters Most,” a guide to freeing you from habits and relationships that prevent you from achieving your full potential.

Wednesday, Sept. 27, at 6 p.m. will showcases Amor Towles, author of three novels — “The Rules of Civility,” “A Gentleman in Moscow” and “The Lincoln Highway.” His first novel was so successful that he was able to retire from investment banking and write full-time.

For details and to register, go to https://libraryc.org/pagosalibrary/upcoming.

Library closing

Your library will be closed Monday, Sept. 4, for Labor Day.

Activities calendars

Pick up monthly events calendars at the library so you don’t miss any of the free activities available to you and your family.

Dungeons and Dragons

Next Tuesday, Sept. 5, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., join our Dungeons and Dragons game free for teens and young adults. Preregistration is required because space is limited. Contact [email protected] to join.

Spanish conversation

Practice your Spanish in a free group setting on Tuesday, Sept. 5, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. No minimum skill level is needed. Note this group now meets twice a month, on the first and third Tuesdays.

Read Baby Read

The next free interactive storytime for babies up to 18 months takes place Friday Sept. 8, from 10 to 11 a.m., when we will sing, bounce and laugh as we enjoy age-appropriate books and songs.

Video gaming

Play free age-appropriate video games on an Xbox, Wii and other game systems next Friday, Sept. 8, from 2 to 4 p.m.

Family storytimes

Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m., join us for a free educational hour of reading, singing and free play to build early literacy skills.

Writers support group

Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m., Ruby’s Writers Guild welcomes writers looking for opportunities, support, resources and camaraderie with other writers at this free gathering.

ESL class times

Free in-person evening classes take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and there is a change in the way the time is divided: 4 to 5 p.m. is reserved for beginners, 5 to 6 p.m. for intermediate and 6 to 7 p.m. for advanced students. Please help us spread the word about these classes to others in our community who would be interested, and contact us by phone or email if you have any questions.

Tech Time

Free in-person slots are available from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and 2 to 4 p.m. Thursdays. Judy helps you with basic questions relating to computers, smartphones and tablets and also provide assistance in accessing any of the library’s online resources. No appointment is needed for these drop-in sessions, but it is important that you bring your device’s charger with you.

PALS/GED adulteducation

Join Mark or Sally for free PALS sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8 p.m. to help with high school equivalency, GED, college prep, financial aid, tutoring and more.

Downloadable books

CloudLibrary has a wide variety of downloadable e-books and audiobooks for all ages. To access this free digital collection, download the cloudLibrary app, answer a few simple questions, select AspenCat Union Catalog for the name of your library, then enter your library card number and four-digit PIN. Library staff are happy to help you set up your device if you need assistance.

DVDs

“The Last of Us” is the complete first season. “Guardians of the Galaxy” is volume three. “Pokemon The Movie Secrets of the Jungle” features a young boy who leaves his home jungle ands discovers the human world. “John Wick” is chapters one through three about the underground world of assassins.

Essays

“The King of Late Night” by Greg Gutfeld is a comedic essay collection about how the author became host of the No. 1 late-night TV show that became a cult classic.

Mysteries and thrillers

“Whispers at Dusk” by Heather Graham is volume one of the Blackbird Trilogy. “Central Park West” by former FBI director James Comey is a legal crime story. “Breakneck” by Marc Cameron is a Arliss Cutter mystery featuring a Supreme Court justice and her daughter set in Alaska. “The House Across the Lake” by Riley Sager is a psychological thriller.

“Out of Nowhere” by Sandra Brown is a thriller that begins with a shooting at a Texas county fair. “Cross Down” by James Patterson and Brendan DeBois is an Alex Cross and John Sampson thriller. “All the Demons Are Here” is a thriller by CNN anchor Jake Tapper. “Small Mercies” by Dennis Lehane features the mother of a slain daughter whose investigation angers the Irish mob in Boston.

Other novels

“Happiness” by Danielle Steel is set in London when a writer inherits a grand estate. “One Southern Summer” by Heidi McCahan follows a former beauty queen who returns home disgraced and divorced. “The Last Family in England” by Matt Haitg features a Labrador named Prince helping his family when things go awry. “The Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese tells of three generations of a family on India’s Malabar Coast. “Palazzo” by Danielle Steel explores the fortunes of three grown children when they are left a company and a palazzo when their parents die.

Nonfiction

“Grounded” by Ruth Allen, who has a Ph.D. in geology, is a guide to connecting with nature to improve your mental and physical well-being. “The First Ladies” by Victoria Christopher Murray documents an unlikely friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune.

Thanks to our donors

When we are open, material donations are accepted for the Friends of the Library at the front desk — not down the outside returns slot at the library or the drop box at City Market, please.

The Friends take fiction published in 2013 or newer and nonfiction from 2018 or newer. Limited workroom space means we can only accept one or two small boxes at a time.

Quotable quote

“When you’re writing songs, you have to tell the truth, to reflect the times. Most of the choices I’ve made started with my mother and father telling me, ‘Follow your heart and you won’t go wrong.’” — Graham Nash, singer and songwriter and member of the Crosby, Stills and Nash folk rock group.

Website

For more information on library books, services and programs — and to reserve books, e-books, books on CD and DVDs from the comfort of your home — please visit our website at https://pagosalibrary.org.