Author: Library User

Falmouth Reads Book Discussions

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Join our Traveling Book Discussion Group to talk about Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel, our 2023 Falmouth Reads title.

Come to the library-based discussion most convenient for you!

Want an extended deep-dive into Station Eleven? We’re planning a four-class series on the book as part of our October Joy of Learning – stay tuned!

Did you love Station Eleven? Join the Fiction Book Club on November 21st to read Emily St. John’s latest novel Sea of Tranquility! Register.

Alzheimer’s Fantasy in the Key of G

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Join Kirsten Levy, an author with deep local roots (her great-grandparents were married in St. Joseph’s Church!) reading from her book. This author talk will take place on Monday, July 10 at 11am in the Hermann Room. Eight Cousins will have copies of the book for sale.

Alzheimer’s Fantasy in the Key of G is a tale in which unmoored thoughts become their own voyages into the past and future, revealing a story of family history and Irish immigration. Fran, the author’s mother, whose health is declining, is only one of the intertwined points of view telling the story.

A creative, narrative tale where fantasy and personal witness speak up for the patient.

Please register using the events calendar or contact the library.

Poetry Reading: Baltic Amber in a Chest

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Join poet Clarissa Jakobsons as she reads from and discusses her 2023 book, Baltic Amber in a Chest, about her Lithuanian family’s history in World War II. She’ll come to us fresh from a residency in Provincetown, and will have copies of her book available. This event will take place on Thursday June 22, 2023, from 2-3pm, in the Hermann Room.

This event is open to all; please register.

Falmouth Reads Art Project!

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All’s Well That Ends Well

In A Pickle

Heart Of Gold

Too Much Of A Good Thing

Break The Ice

Love Is Blind

The World Is My Oyster

There are countless phrases that we use today that originated with William Shakespeare.

With a nod to this year’s book pick “Station Eleven,” which draws some of its inspiration from Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” The Falmouth Reads Together Committee invites artists and dabblers of all ages and abilities to interpret their favorite Shakespeare phrase or idiom into a work of two-dimensional art for an exhibit this summer at the library.

Artworks should be suitable for hanging and will be displayed in the library’s Art Walk for the month of August. 

Submissions should be brought to the library by the end of the day on July 15 and will be available for pick up after August 31.

If you haven’t picked up a copy of Station Eleven, drop by the Main Library or request a copy through the online catalog! Watch this space for announcements or more events and activities about Station Eleven.

Aging With Pride Screening and Discussion

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Decades of legal and structural discrimination have affected the well-being and economic status of many LGBTQIA+ older adults. The unique social, economic and health challenges they face are explored in the documentary Aging Matters: Aging with Pride, produced by Nashville Public Television. Join us for the viewing of this half-hour film that sheds light on what many in the Stonewall Generation have had to endure and fight for in hopes of enacting positive change for the community in the ongoing pursuit of equality. 

This event will take place Friday June 2, 2023 at 3:30pm in the Hermann Room. All are welcome, and there will be light refreshments. We encourage you to Register.

Supported by Waquoit Church, Falmouth Jewish Congregation, Neighborhood Falmouth, Falmouth Senior Services, Falmouth Human Services, Falmouth Public Library and No Place for Hate.

 

Bike to the Library Day: Saturday May 20!

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On Saturday May 20 you’re invited to ride your bike to the Main Branch of the Library! From 10aam-2pm we’ll have a little pop-up event focused on the fun of bicycling.

We’ll have the Book Bike out on the Library Lawn for intrepid riders to try, as well as Lawn Games for all ages, and a display of books about bicycling that you can check out on the spot!

Everyone arriving by bicycle is eligible for one of our in-demand library octopus tentacle stickers.

Rain will cancel this event.

The Book Bike Rides: Summer 2023!

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Our beloved Book Bike has a busy schedule lined up for this summer. Look for us at the following dates and locations, and keep your eyes open – we might make surprise visits to other community locations and events! Wherever we go the story is free books for all ages.

Summer Mondays at Cape Cod Apartments:

  • The Book Bike will visit 62 Locust Street one Monday each month this summer.
  • Find us there on these Mondays at 10:30 AM: May 15, June 12, July 17, August 7, September 11, October 2.

Summer Thursdays at the Farmer’s Market:

  • The Book Bike can be found Thursdays at the Falmouth Farmer’s Market at Marine Park, 180 Scranton Ave.
  • We are there from 12:30-1:30 PM, starting when the Market opens May 25, and until they wrap it up on October 5.

Select Homes Games of the Falmouth Commodores:

  • We’ll be there some nights the Falmouth Commodores play at Fuller Field, behind 790 Main Street (Gus Canty Recreation Center).
  • Find us there Tuesday June 13, Tuesday June 20, Wednesday July 19, Wednesday July 26, and Wednesday August 2, all at 6pm.

In general, rain that’s more than “misting” cancels a Book Bike visit so let’s hope for a sunny summer! See you soon, and be sure to wave if you see us pedaling around downtown.

 

Falls and Fractures in Older Adults: Causes, Prevention and Myths

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More than one in four people age 65 years or older fall each year. The risk of falling — and fall-related problems — rises with age. However, many falls can be prevented. Join the Library in partnership with Neighborhood Falmouth for a presentation on Falls and Fractures in Older Adults: Causes, Prevention, and Myths.

Dr. Michael Bihari, President of the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Falmouth, will lead a discussion about why older adults fall and what you can do to manage your risk, including a look at the pros and cons of medical alert systems. A list of resources will be provided including a home inspection checklist.

Join us Thursday May 25 at 1:30pm in the Hermann Room. This program is free and open to all. Please register.

Neighborhood Falmouth is a non-profit organization that provides support services to seniors in the Falmouth community. The organization aims to help seniors live independently and maintain their quality of life by providing services such as transportation, grocery shopping, yard work, minor home repairs, and friendly visits. Neighborhood Falmouth operates on a volunteer-based model, where volunteers from the community are matched with seniors who need assistance. This allows seniors to receive personalized support while also fostering a sense of community and connection among volunteers and seniors. 

Smythe Scholarship Forms Available for 2023

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Applications are now available for scholarship aid from the Henry Herbert Smythe Trust. The total amount of the award this year is $54,400.  The committee awards multiple scholarships each year.

The application deadline is FRIDAY, May 26, 2023 by 12:00 P.M.  All supporting documents must be submitted by that date in order for the application to be considered. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS will not be CONSIDERED. Decisions will be announced by June 30, 2023.  Applications for the Henry Herbert Smythe Trust Scholarships are available by visiting the Falmouth Public Library’s Teen Page, in hard copy in the Young Adult Room of the Library, or emailing jcarrara@falmouth.k12.ma.us. 

All applications must be returned to the Falmouth High School Guidance Office, 874 Gifford Street, Falmouth, MA 02540 or by emailing your completed application to jcarrara@falmouth.k12.ma.us.

Mr. Smythe’s will stipulates that the money may be used for “boys or girls in Falmouth, Massachusetts.”  A maximum age of 24 years as of January 1, 2023 will apply.  Only applicants who are themselves voting residents of Falmouth (or whose parents are) are eligible for the grants.  Applications cannot be considered from families who have second homes in Falmouth.

Scholarship recipients do not have to be graduates of Falmouth High School; they may have attended a private or parochial school in another town.  Recipients may be pursuing a variety of post-high school educational plans at any accredited college or technical school.

Scholarship money is available both to students currently graduating from high school and to those already started in a post-secondary degree or training program.  However, work beyond a bachelor’s degree cannot be considered for scholarship aid.  Post secondary applicants must submit evidence of current educational progress (most recently completed college transcript as of May 2023).  A copy of your personal grade report for the spring semester can be accepted but an OFFICIAL transcript for the fall must be submitted.  All decisions are made by annual applications; no renewals are automatic. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS will not be CONSIDERED

The trust agreement states that “character be given equal consideration with scholarship,” and evidence of both personal characteristics and school success is asked for on the application forms.  Financial need is a secondary factor in determining recipients.

The committee will continue its practice of limiting scholarships to one per family.  If two children from the same family apply, the committee will decide which seems most deserving of the scholarship.

The rector of St. Barnabas Memorial Church; Superintendent of Schools in Falmouth, Ms. Lori Duerr; and the Principal of Falmouth High School, Dr. Alan Harris are established by the conditions of the trust as the committee which governs the granting of scholarships and which makes the final selections.  The Bank of America administers the trust fund left by Henry Herbert Smythe.

Virtual Mystery Book Group S/S 2023: Murder in Italy

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We are happy to announce that the Virtual Mystery Book Club will be spending our spring-summer sessions (May, June, and July) discussing murders in Italy this year! The VMBG meets 9 times a year, exclusively by Zoom, to discuss mystery novels or stories. Each group of three months focuses on a specific theme. Read on to learn about the titles for the coming months and register to join us for one or all of the sessions.

Death at La Fenice, by Donna Leon, on Wednesday May 10, 4:30-5:30pm. Register. Books in CLAMS.

Donna Leon (1942- ) is an American who lived and taught in Italy from 1981-2015, mostly based in Venice. (She has now retired to Switzerland). Death at La Fenice (1992) is the first in a long series of novels featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti.

Description: Beautiful and serene Venice is a city almost devoid of crime. But that is little comfort to Maestro Helmut Wellauer, a world-renowned conductor whose intermission refreshment comes one night with a little something extra in it–cyanide. For Guido Brunetti, vice-commissario of police and genius detective, finding a suspect isn’t a problem; narrowing the large and unconventional group of enemies down to one is. As the suave and pithy Brunetti pieces together clues, a shocking picture of depravity and revenge emerges, leaving him torn between what is and what should be right–and questioning what the law can do, and what needs to be done.

The Shape of Water, by Andrea Camilleri, on Wednesday June 14, 4:30-5:430pm. Register. Books in CLAMS.

Andrea Camilleri (1925-2019) was born in Sicily and originally pursued a career as a writer before finding success as a director, first of plays, then of television shows for the Italian channel RAI. Only late in life did he return to writing and find success with his dark detective novels. The Shape of Water (1994) introduces Inspector Salvo Montalbano and the imaginary Sicilian town of Vigàta.

Description: Silvio Lupanello, a big-shot in Vigàta, is found dead in his car with his pants around his knees. The car happens to be parked in a part of town used by prostitutes and drug dealers, and as the news of his death spreads, the rumors begin. Enter Inspector Salvo Montalbano, Vigàta’s most respected detective. With his characteristic mix of humor, cynicism, compassion, and love of good food, Montalbano battles against the powerful and corrupt who are determined to block his path to the real killer. 

The Bellini Card, by Jason Goodwin, Wednesday July 12, 4:30-5:30pm. Register. Books in CLAMS.

Jason Goodwin (1964 – ) is a British writer who was educated in Byzantine history, and once walked from Poland to Istanbul and then wrote a book about it. His has written five historical mysteries set in the Ottoman period, of which The Bellini Card (2010) is the third. His first book featuring investigator Yashim won an Edgar Award.

Description: Istanbul, 1840: the new sultan, Abdülmecid, has heard a rumor that Bellini’s vanished masterpiece, a portrait of Mehmet the Conqueror, may have resurfaced in Venice. Yashim is promptly asked to investigate, but – aware that the sultan’s advisers are against a repurchase of the painting – decides to deploy his disempowered Polish ambassador friend, Palewski, to visit Venice in his stead. Palewski arrives in disguise in down-and-out Venice, where a killer is at large as dealers, faded aristocrats, and other unknown factions seek to uncover the whereabouts of the missing Bellini. In the end, only Yashim can uncover the truth behind the manifold mysteries.