Category: Books

Solar Eclipse Viewing Party

Posted on by Clint Johnson

On Monday, April 8th bring a chair or blanket and join us on the library lawn from 2pm-4:30pm for games, music and solar eclipse viewing!

In Falmouth, the solar eclipse starts around 2:16pm with a 89.3% max coverage around 3:30pm and ends around 4:39pm.  A free pair of solar eclipse glasses (provided by Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries) will be available to attendees while supplies last.  

This event is weather permitting.  

Solar Eclipse Viewing Party Flyer

 

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us at (508) 457-2555 x7 or by email at info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org

 

Zoom talks happening in March!

Posted on by Sue

We are fortunate to have many exciting Zoom talks in March! Please note that these talks are virtual only, and will not take place in the library (some talks may be recorded, and you can view the recording later by registering). Click the links for details and to register.

From the Library Speakers’ Consortium, we have three great author talks! These talks are funded for us by the Library Support Fund.  Click here for a more detailed list of their upcoming talks! 

Wednesday, March 6th, 4-5 pm, “The Power of Friendships with NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg“
Thursday, March 14th, 4-5 pm, Christopher Paolini, author of teen Eragon series and more!
Thursday, March 21st, 7-8 pm, Madeline Miller, author of Circe and more! 

Also, we have these talks, generously shared by other Massachusetts libraries, and sponsored for us by the Library Board of Trustees

March 5th, 7-8 pm, New England Lighthouses and the People who Kept Them (also part of our Falmouth Reads Together series) and also The Real Score: Unraveling Myths About Trans People in Sports

March 13th, 7-8 pm, Author of The Girls, from Gilmore to Golden

 

February Zoom talks from the Library Speakers’ Consortium!

Posted on by Sue

This great series continues, with more authors in February! Each month will have at least three live virtual events that you can attend remotely from the comfort of your home – and if you have a time conflict, they are recorded for later to be watched at your leisure. Click here for upcoming talks, and click on the links below to register!

Spice, Spirit, and Swoon–A Guaranteed Happily Ever After with Rom-Com Author Tessa Bailey
#1 New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line, and Sinker
Thursday, February 8th at 8:00 PM EST
See More and Register

Exploring Identity, Love, and Being Black in America in Fiction Writing: A Conversation with Award-Winning Author Jason Mott
New York Times Bestselling Author and National Book Award Winner
Tuesday, February 20th at 4:00 PM EST
See More and Register

Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity: An Author Talk with Kim Scott
New York Times Bestselling Author of Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity and Radical Respect: How to Work Together Better
Wednesday, February 28th at 2:00 PM EST
See More and Register

This series is funded by the Library Support Fund.

More Zoom programs in February!

Posted on by Sue

We have a bounty of virtual programs, many from our Library Speakers Consortium, thanks to the Library Support Fund (click here for the February talks!), and a few more shared with us by other Massachusetts libraries-see below! Just click on the links to register, and you will receive the Zoom links before the events. Please note that these are virtual only and do not take place at the Falmouth Library. View the list below, and scroll down for full descriptions and registration!

Monday, February 5th from 7 – 8 pm, Zoom talk: Effective Grassroots Movements that Impact Voting Rights,  via the Ashland Library, click here for details and registration.

Wednesday, February 21st from 7-8 pm, Zoom talk, : Bending Towards Justice: African Americans as Subject and Creators in American Art, via the Boxborough Library and our Library Board of Trustees, click here for details and registration.

Thursday, February 22nd from 3-4 pm, Zoom program: Author of The Globemakers, via the Ashland Library, click here for details and registration.

 

Winter Reading Bingo 2024

Posted on by Library User

During the next couple of months when the most sensible thing to do is curl up with a good book, we invite you to play Winter Reading Bingo with us at the Library!

This is a reading challenge, like traditional summer reading, in the form of a bingo card. This year we have a bingo card for adults and teens as well as one for kids!

in 2024 the challenge begins January 16, and runs through March 15.

It’s easy:

Pick up a Bingo Card at the North, East, or Main Branches of the Falmouth Public Library – including in the Children’s Room.

Read books to get a Bingo.

Turn the card in at a service desk to receive a small gift AND be entered into a random drawing to win a prize – a $50 gift card to Eight Cousins!

(One prize will awarded at random to one completed adult/teen bingo card and one children’s bingo card.)

Monthly Author Talk Series Debuting in 2024

Posted on by Library User

Thanks to the Library Support Fund, the Falmouth Public Library has a new series of virtual author talks including bestselling authors coming in 2024. Each month will have at least three live virtual events that you can attend remotely from the comfort of your home – and if you have a time conflict, they are recorded for later to be watched at your leisure.

In January, we’ll be hosting:

Embrace Love in the New Year: A Heartfelt Conversation with Rebecca Serle on Wednesday, January 10th at 8:00 PM EST (Learn more and Register)

 

Your Retirement: Dream or Disaster? How to Avoid the Hidden Traps in Retirement Planning Advice with Rajiv Nagaich on Tuesday, January 23rd at 2:00 PM EST (Learn more and Register)

The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine: An Author Talk with Dr. Robert Lustig on Tuesday, January 30th at 2:00 PM EST (Learn more and Register)

You can peek ahead to future months (don’t miss Nina Totenburg coming in March!) and library users also have access to earlier recorded author talks (like Joy Harjo, John Irving, and Rick Steeves to watch any time.

CAP Therapy Dogs: Tales to Tails!

Posted on by Library User

The good boys and girls are coming back! On Tuesday, January 9 at 2pm in the Hermann Room join a group of certified therapy dogs from CAP for Tales to Tails! Children can read a book to these gentle, attentive dogs – this has been shown to increase children’s confidence in reading, and we’re pretty sure the dogs like it too. But this event is also open to people of all ages who just want to visit with a trained therapy dog who will give you acceptance and love in return for attention and belly rubs. It’s the ultimate de-stress afternoon break.

All ages are welcome; small children should bring their grown-ups. Nobody should bring their own dogs. If you are allergic to dogs, this event is probably not for you. Drop-in, registration is not required.

This is a Falmouth Public Schools early release day.

Exciting Zoom programs in January!

Posted on by Sue

We have a bounty of virtual programs, shared with us by other Massachusetts libraries! Just click on the links to register, and you will receive the Zoom links before the events. Please note that these are virtual only and do not take place at the Falmouth Library. View the list below, and scroll down for full descriptions and registration!

Tuesday, January 9th at 7 PM, KonMari Method: Spark Joy!
Thursday, January 11th at 7 PM, What Works in Community News
Thursday, January 17th at 7 PM, Fierce Females: Women in Art
Monday, January 29th at 7 PM, Challenges of Being a Debut Author
Monday, January 30th at 7 PM, Food Waste, Food Insecurity & the Globalization of World Banks
 
KonMari Method: Spark Joy! Click here to register, and please put “Falmouth Library” in the home field!
 

Certified KonMari Consultant, Kerry Adams, will lead us through a presentation on what the KonMari Method is and how to successfully implement the method into your life. Grab a notebook and join us from the comfort of your own home.

The KonMari Method of organizing was developed by Marie Kondo, world acclaimed Japanese organizer and author of the best selling books, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”, and “Spark Joy”, as well as star of the Netflix series, “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo”. Rather than discarding things in a negative way, it’s about keeping the things that you love, the things that support your vision for the lifestyle you want. You’ll learn to focus your intention, discover what supports your goals, and respectfully leave behind the things that don’t. This has been generously shared with us by the Eldredge Library in Chatham, and is also sponsored by the Board of Trustees. Please note that this event is virtual only, and does not take place in the library.

Thursday, January 11th at 7 PM, What Works in Community News, click here to register

Journalism professor and author Dan Kennedy will discuss his new book, What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate, which serves as a groundbreaking study of the journalism startups that are solving the local news crisis one community at a time. Local news is essential to democracy. Meaningful participation in civic life is impossible without it. However, local news is in crisis. According to one widely cited study, some 2,500 newspapers have closed over the last generation. And it is often marginalized communities of color who have been left without the day-to-day journalism they need to govern themselves in a democracy. 

Dan Kennedy is a professor in the School of Journalism at Northeastern University and a nationally known media commentator. He was a panelist on the GBH News television program Beat the Press (1998–2021) and also served as a weekly columnist for the network. Dan is a recipient of the Yankee Quill Award from the New England Academy of Journalists and the James W. Carey Journalism Award from the Media Ecology Association. This event has been shared with us by the Tewksbury Public Library, Please note that this event is virtual only, and takes place when we are closed.

Thursday, January 17th at 7 PM, Fierce Females: Women in Art, click here to register!

Women have long been the subject of art, often depicted as nothing more than objects of desire. How do images of women change when women become the creators? This program examines the history of women in art in brief and then explores the lives, careers and works of several major women artists from the Renaissance to the twentieth century, including Artemisia Gentileschi and Mary Cassatt.

We are offering this via the  Sargent Memorial Library in Boxborough, and we thank the Library Board of Trustees for sponsoring it. Click here to register on their site, and receive the Zoom link! Please note that this event is virtual only, and takes place when we are closed.

Monday, January 29th at 7 PM, Challenges of Being a Debut Author click here to register!

This time, we welcome authors Lauren J. A. Bear, Rita Chang-Eppig, and Nishita Parekh to our virtual stage. We’ll be talking all about getting into publishing, the pitfalls, challenges, and roadblocks as well as the excitement, fulfillment, and reader enthusiasm that makes it all worthwhile. Bring your questions as this will be in a Q&A format. The Zoom event has been shared with us by the Ashland Public Library. Please note that this event is virtual only, and takes place when we are closed.

Tuesday, January 30th at 7 PM, Food Waste, Food Insecurity, and the Globalization of Food Banks 

So many of us are passionate about finding ways to reduce food waste so we’re thrilled to be hosting author and professor Daniel N. Warshawsky for a virtual discussion of his new book Food Waste, Food Insecurity, and the Globalization of Food Banks“. The Zoom event has been shared with us by the Ashland Public Library! Click here to register. Please note that this event is virtual only and does not take place in our library!

 

 
 

 

Best of 2023 Book Lists

Posted on by Library User
The last six weeks of the year see the publication of lists of the best books published! The lists have begun to arrive and we’re collecting them here. Do you have any we might add? Hopefully we have each and every book on the lists in CLAMS – and if we don’t, just ask and we can get one for you.
 
 
New York Times, 100 Notable Books (this is a gift link and will work for anyone)
 
 
 
 
 
What were your top books of the year? Let us know, and tell us what you liked about them!

Zoom Programs Online in December

Posted on by Library User

In December we have two online-only programs happening on Zoom for you to choose from!

Baking Demo and Discussion with Chef Erin Jeanne McDowell
Tuesday December 5 from 7-8pm, online from your home via Zoom

Who doesn’t like a bit of holiday baking? We are so pleased to welcome Chef and Cookbook Author Erin Jeanne McDowell to our virtual stage! Erin will demonstrate how to make one of her favorite recipes and then will have some time to chat with attendees about all of our “burning” questions :). 

Erin Jeanne McDowell‘s first book, The Fearless Baker (2017) was named one of the Best Baking Books of the year by the New York Times. Her second, The Book on Pie, (2020) is a New York Times Bestseller. Her latest, Savory Baking (2022) is about baking beyond sweets – for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between! She hosts the award-winning series Bake it Up a Notch on Food52, where she shares deep-dives into baking methods and troubleshoots common mistakes.

This Zoom program is hosted by the Ashland Public Library, and we at Falmouth are happy to have been invited to partner with them. Please register to get a link to attend the program.

Holiday Romance Book Recommendations with Booklist Reviewer, John Charles
Monday December 11th, 7-8pm, online from your home via Zoom

With the holidays right around the corner, take a minute (or an hour) to relax and find some good holiday romance reads! John Charles will give us his “best of” list of 2023 that will have your TBR pile tipping over and your holidays spent cozying up to a good book (bring your own hot toddy!). No need to bring papyrus and quill, we’ll send out a list after the session.

After working in public libraries for thirty years, John Charles retired and then immediately went to work for the Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale’s independent bookstore. In addition to reviewing for Booklist and Library Journal, John is the co-author of Romance Today: An A to Z Guide to Contemporary American Romance Writers, The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Mystery, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Ultimate Reading List.

This Zoom program is hosted by the Ashland Public Library, and we at Falmouth are happy to have been invited to partner with them. Please register to get a link to attend this Zoom program.