Liz O’Donnell, author of Working Daughter: A Guide to Caring for Your Aging Parents While Earning a Living

We are pleased to welcome Liz O’Donnell, author of Working Daughter: A Guide to Caring for Your Aging Parents While Earning a Living, on Saturday afternoon, September 9th, at 3 p.m. at the Falmouth Public Library. Liz will share her own experiences, both humorous and heart breaking, and pass on her lessons learned. Please register by clicking here, or call us at 508-457-2555 x 7.

Working Daughter is a revealing look at adults caring for their aging parents, and how these unpaid family caregivers are trying to manage eldercare along with raising their children, maintaining relationships, and pursuing their careers. It shares Liz’s story- she was enjoying a fast-paced career in marketing and raising two children when both of her parents were diagnosed with terminal illnesses on the same day. The book will be available for sale after the event by Eight Cousins Books.

Liz is the founder of Working Daughter, a community for women balancing eldercare, career, and more. An award-winning writer, Working Daughter is her second book, which Library Journal named one of the Best Books of 2019.

A former family caregiver, she is a recognized expert on working while caregiving and has written on the topic for many outlets including The Atlantic, Forbes, TIME, WBUR and PBS’ Next Avenue and has delivered keynotes on the topic to many audiences including Harvard University, MIT, the Marketing to Moms Conference, and the Women Leading Government Conference.

We thank the Board of Library Trustees for sponsoring this event.  

Mystery Book Group Fall 2023: Political Murder!

I am happy to announce that the Virtual Mystery Book Club will be spending our fall sessions reading books on the theme of Political Murders. Also starting this fall, the book group will be available as a hybrid – if you love Zooming in with us, that continues, but people may also join us in the Bay Room if they prefer to be present in person for the discussion.

Mark your calendars and start reading! Murder on K Street already has print copies waiting at the Reference Desk.

Murder on K Street, by Margaret Truman, on Wednesday September 13, 4:30-5:30pm. RegisterIn CLAMS.

Margaret Truman (1924-2008) was the only child of President Harry Truman, so she came by her understanding of the machinations of Washington, D.C. honestly. She began her long-running Capitol Crimes series in 1981 with Death in the White HouseMurder on K Street (2007) is the 23rd in the series, and taken as a whole they demonstrate that whatever we think of today’s political environment, the past wasn’t any better either.

Description: Arriving home from a fund-raising dinner, senior Illinois senator Lyle Simmons discovers his wife’s brutally bludgeoned body. And like any savvy politician with presidential aspirations, his first move is to phone his attorney. In this case, it’s his old friend and college roommate, former DA Philip Rotondi, who gamely agrees to step out of quiet retirement and into the thick of a D.C.-style political, criminal, and public relations maelstrom from which no one will escape unscathed.

The Death of a Red Heroine, by Qiu Xiaolong, on Wednesday October 11, 4:30-5:30pm. Register. In CLAMS.

Qiu Xiaolong (1953-  ) was born in Shanghai and his family was considered counter-revolutionary during the Cultural Revolution. He studied English literature in China and was a professor at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences before a job took him to St. Louis, where he stayed out of concern for his future following the Tiananmen Square protests. He has written poetry, translated English-language poetry into Chinese, and written scholarly works. He began his series of detective novels featuring Chen Cao and set in his native county in 2001, with Death of a Red Heroine.

Description: A young “national model worker,” renowned for her adherence to the principles of the Communist Party, turns up dead in a Shanghai canal. As Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Special Cases Bureau struggles to trace the hidden threads of her past, he finds himself challenging the very political forces that have guided his life since birth. Chen must tiptoe around his superiors if he wants to get to the bottom of this crime, and risk his career—perhaps even his life—to see justice done.

When Gods Die, by C. S. Harris, Wednesday November 8, 4:30-5:30pm. Register. In CLAMS.

Candice Proctor (1954- ) received a B.A. in Classics and an M.A. and Ph.D in European history. She taught history at the college level, worked as an archaeologist, and spent many years as a partner in an international business consulting firm. She has written the Sebastian St. Cyr series of mystery novels set in the British Regency period under the name C. S. Harris since 2005; When Gods Die is the second book of the series.

Description: The young wife of an aging marquis is found murdered in the arms of the Prince Regent. Around her neck lies a necklace said to have been worn by Druid priestesses – that is, until it was lost at sea with its last owner, Sebastian St. Cyr’s mother. Now Sebastian is lured into a dangerous investigation of the marchioness’s death – and his mother’s uncertain fate. As he edges closer to the truth – and one murder follows another – he confronts a conspiracy that imperils those nearest him and threatens to bring down the monarchy.

Coming Soon: Peter Abrahams aka Spencer Quinn!

Local Author Talk & Book Signing

The Falmouth Public Library and Eight Cousins are excited to welcome Cape resident Peter Abrahams, also known as Spencer Quinn, author of the popular Chet and Bernie mysteries for a reading, talk, and book signing for his newest book Mrs. Plansky’s RevengeThis event will take place at the Falmouth Public Library on Tuesday, August 22nd at 6:30pm in the Hermann room.   

Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge is the first novel in a new series since the meteoric launch of Chet and Bernie–introducing the irresistible and unforgettable Mrs. Plansky, in a story perfect for book clubs and commercial fiction readers.

“I absolutely adored this book. Really fun but with a few teeth, as well. Mrs. Plansky is a terrific character. The story ticks along like a good watch.” –Stephen King

“Mrs. Plansky is a wonderfully memorable heroine, full of wit and equally plausible as an ace tennis player and a motorcycle-driving detective with Romanian gangsters hot on her tail. Readers will be eager to see what Mrs. Plansky gets up to next.”  Publishers Weekly

Peter Abrahams is the Edgar-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Chet and Bernie mystery series, as well as the #1 New York Times bestselling Bowser and Birdie series for middle-grade readers. He lives on the Cape with his wife Diana and dog Pearl.

Come and join us for this exciting author event that is free to the public.  Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge will be available for purchase and signing from Eight Cousins after the author talk and reading.  Registration to attend is required.  Please register by clicking here or visit/call the reference desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

Enjoy some virtual lectures from other Massachusetts libraries this month!

These are Zoom lectures put on by other libraries, who have shared the registration links with us, so our patrons can attend!

There are two at the same time on Tuesday night, August 1st at 7 pm:

White House By The Sea — A Century Of The Kennedys At Hyannis Port, offered by the Tewksbury Public Library-click here for more details and registration! You will also receive a link to the recording after the event.

“Author Kate Storey will discuss her brand new book, “White House by the Sea: A Century of the Kennedys at Hyannis Port,” in this ZOOM webinar. The book provides a sweeping history of an American dynasty that has left an indelible mark on our nation’s politics and culture.”

7 Scientific Reasons to Meditate Now, by the Shrewsbury Public Library-click here to register on their site!

“Join the Shrewsbury Public Library with Manish Saggar, PhD and Assistant Professor in Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, for a virtual presentation of data from recent neuroscientific studies on how regular meditation practices improve our physical, mental, and emotional health. He will also discuss how, by focusing one’s attention during meditation, we can gain happiness and harmony.”

Later in the month, on Monday, August 28th at 7 pm:

An Evening with Bestselling Authors Lisa Jackson & Nancy Bush, also from Tewksbury Library; click here for details and registration!

“Bestselling authors (and sisters!) Lisa Jackson and and Nancy Bush will discuss their latest books in this ZOOM webinar. Jackson will discuss The Last Sinner, a gripping novel of suspense featuring two veteran homicide detectives matching wits with a twisted serial killer lurking in the shadows of New Orleans. Bush will discuss The Camp, a chilling novel of suspense where a diabolical modern twist on Friday the 13th meets Yellowjackets at a summer sleepaway camp isolated in the woods of Oregon.”

 

 

Falmouth Reads: Graphic Novel Events

Our 2023 Falmouth Reads book, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, is named for the graphic novel that is created by one character, and much loved and carried around by another. Did reading the book get you wondering more about graphic novels, where the medium came from, and maybe even how you make one yourself? Our day of graphic novel exploration is for you! Join a visiting graphic novelist and educator for a lecture and a hands-on workshop.

Visual Literacy & the Graphic Novel, Wednesday August 16, 10:30am in the Hermann Room.

From the Bayeux Tapestry to Maus, Hokusai to airplane safety cards, sequential visuals have long been used to entertain and inform. Unlike verbal literacy, visual literacy is not generally taught, yet an understanding of it is employed for comprehension and analysis on a daily basis. Via a brief history of comics and an overview of the rise of the graphic novel, we’ll explore the significance of visual literacy and how it features in literary culture today. If your interest in graphic novels was piqued by reading 2023’s Falmouth Reads Together title, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, this lecture will help you learn more about the medium’s history and current status. Please register.

Hands-on Graphic Novel Creation Workshop, Wednesday August 16, 2:00pm in the Hermann Room.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to create your own graphic novel? Join us for a hands-on workshop with experienced author-illustrator Marika McCoola that will get you brainstorming, storytelling, writing, and drawing – even if you’re a complete novice! If reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, the 2023 Falmouth Reads Together title, got you inspired to explore your creativity in this format, join us for the Graphic Novel Workshop on Wednesday August 16 from 2-3:30 in the Hermann Room. This workshop is suitable for teen and adults, and we ask you to register as space is limited.

Marika McCoola is an illustrator, educator, and the New York Times bestselling author of Baba Yaga’s Assistant. She holds a MFA in Illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland and an MFA in Writing for Children from Simmons College.

Author Sarah DiGregorio, Taking Care

Come hear Falmouth native Sarah DiGregorio discuss her new work, Taking Care: The Story of Nursing and Its Power to Change Our World, on Tuesday evening, August 8th, at 6:30 p.m. in the Hermann Room.  She will read from her book and take questions from the audience-light refreshments will be served! The book will be available to buy from Eight Cousins Books. Registration is requested-click here!

From the New York Times: “The author explores the history, culture and crucial importance of nurses…DiGregorio’s storytelling is pitch-perfect ….this is a brilliant book, and DiGregorio is a beautiful writer. Taking Care deserves to be on the reading list for nursing and medical schools, and on the bedside table of all politicians.” 

 Sarah grew up in Falmouth, and her mother was a children’s librarian at Falmouth Public Library! She is also the author of Adventures in Slow Cooking: 120 Slow-Cooker Recipes for People Who Love Food and Early: An Intimate History of Premature Birth and What It Teaches Us about Being Human.  She is a journalist who has written on health care and other topics for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Slate and Insider, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her daughter and husband. For more information, click here for her website.

This event is free.  Registration is requested; go to falmouthpubliclibrary.org/events or call the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7.

We’ve Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care

Please join author Dr. Amy Finkelstein and former Obama administration official Dr. Christina Romer in a conversation about Dr. Finkelstein’s new book, We’ve Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care. The conversation will take place on Thursday August 17, at 2pm, in the Speck Auditorium at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. The Speck Auditorium is in the Rowe Building, at Water Street and MBL Street. Books will be available for purchase via Eight Cousins.

We’ve Got You Covered, by Finkelstein and Liran Einav of Stanford, presents a wholly original argument and comprehensive blueprint for an American universal health insurance system that will surprise and provoke.

Amy Finkelstein

We’ve Got You Covered is the clearest diagnosis of the American health care system I have seen. Thought-provoking, readable, and realistic yet optimistic, this book should and will reset the debate about how to fix health care.”
— Siddhartha Mukherjee, physician, biologist, and author of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

“I never thought the day would come when I say this about an economics book, but this is unputdownable. Witty, erudite without being overbearing, opinionated, and convincing–this book is a jewel. If you open the first page, you will want to know how it ends!”
— Esther Duflo, Nobel Laureate in Economics and co-author of Good Economics for Hard Times

Christina Romer

Dr. Amy Finkelstein is an Professor of Economics at MIT, a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, and a lifelong summer resident of Falmouth.

Dr. Christina Romer was the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors under President Obama in 2009-2010, and now teaches at the University of California, Berkeley.

Please register as space is limited.

Falmouth Reads Book Discussions

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

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

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.