To celebrate Juneteenth, please join us at the library for one or all of the following book discussions!
Please join us for the monthly meeting of the Narrative Nonfiction Book Club as we discuss this month’s selection The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom. Come pick up a copy of the book at the Reference Desk and join us, Thursday, June 2nd at 4pm, in the Hermann Meeting Room, to share your thoughts! Register Here.
“This is a story of a mother’s struggles against a house’s entropy, and that of a prodigal daughter who left home only to reckon with the pull that home exerts, even after the Yellow House was wiped off the map after Hurricane Katrina.”
Please join us for a special Book Club meeting to discuss On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed. Come pick up a copy of the book at the Reference Desk and join us, Wednesday June 15 at 6pm, in the Hermann Meeting Room. Register Here.
“As Juneteenth morphs from a primarily Texan celebration of African American freedom to a proposed national holiday, Gordon-Reed urges Texans and all Americans to reflect critically on this tangled history. A remarkable meditation on the history and folk mythology of Texas from an African American perspective.” ― Lesley Williams, Booklist, starred review
The FPL Fiction Book Club is currently meeting in person in the Hermann Room this month. June’s book is Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, and we’ll be meeting on Tuesday June 21st at 4pm. Register Here.
“Two half sisters, unknown to each other, are born into two different tribal villages in 18th century Ghana. Effia will be married off to an English colonial, and will live in comfort in the sprawling, palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle…Esi will be imprisoned beneath Effia in the Castle’s women’s dungeon, and then shipped off on a boat bound for America, where she will be sold into slavery. Stretching from the 18th century to the present, this modern masterpiece moves through generations and places.”
The Falmouth Public Library is hosting a free, online Libby webinar by the experts at OverDrive on Wednesday, May 11th at 10am! With the Libby app, you can access the entire CLAMS digital library collection to read and listen to eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines all for free with your library card!
Register today to learn how to sign into Libby, navigate around, browse and search for titles, borrow titles and place holds, manage notifications, and much much more!
Can’t make this webinar but are interested in learning more about Libby? Register and a recording of the webinar will be sent to you for you to watch whenever it is best for you!
We are happy to announce that The Soul of an Octopus: a Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness, by Sy Montgomery, has been chosen as the Falmouth Reads title for 2022.
The Soul of an Octopus is described as a book that “explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus—a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature—and the remarkable connections it makes with humans.”
Sy Montgomery worked as a volunteer at the New England Aquarium in Boston and developed a unique understanding and connection with their resident octopus. After reading this book your feelings about octopus will be forever changed!
We will encourage children to read Inky’s Great Escape, the fascinating story of Inky, an octopus at the National Aquarium in New Zealand. One night Inky climbed from his tank and slipped through an overflow drainage pipe, escaping back into the ocean!
As we read The Soul of an Octopus and Inky’s Great Escape, we invite the community to borrow library passes to visit the New England Aquarium. Further information about events and activities for Falmouth Reads 2022 will be coming soon.
The octopus in this photo is Ruddy who was a New England Aquarium resident octopus in 2019. Ruddy was particularly photogenic as she like to hang out in the front corner of the tank. We invite anyone visiting the aquarium to submit a digital photo for an online exhibit. While the octopus don’t mind having their photo taken, please do not use the flash; they don’t like that.
“The New England landscape has long been battered by some of the most intense weather in US history. Discover the legendary storms that have devastated New England, including: the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 that killed 564 people; the Worcester Tornado of 1953; the Snow Hurricane of 1804 that demolished orchards and killed dozens of sailors off the coast; and the Blizzard of 1978 that brought Boston to a standstill for weeks.”
Eric Fisher is Chief Meteorologist for CBS Boston’s WBZ-TV News and anchors weather segments weeknights at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m., as well as WBZ-TV News at 10 p.m. on TV38 (WSBK-TV). He is also a contributor for CBS News, often found reporting on breaking severe weather across the country. Born and raised in New England, Eric says there are few places on earth that produce weather like this little corner of the U.S. It offers the challenges of blockbuster snowstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves, frigid cold snaps and dramatic seasonal shifts. Eric vividly remembers Memorial Day of 1995 as a day that helped solidify his path as a meteorologist, when an infamous tornado ripped through Great Barrington in the Berkshires. Glued to the red warnings crawling across the screen and watching the radar, his career in weather was born. Eric joined WBZ-TV News from The Weather Channel in Atlanta where he spent three years as a Meteorologist. He produced and delivered national forecasts and contributed to numerous live reports on extreme weather for The Weather Channel, NBC Nightly News, TODAY and MSNBC. Previously he worked as the morning meteorologist at WGGB-TV in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Mighty Storms of New England is also available for purchase at Eight Cousins.
Check out the video below of Marie Zahn’s talk from Please Tuesday, January 25th from 7pm-8pm as she discussed the Science and History of Shipwrecks: Archaeology and Conservation and answered audience questions!
The journey of an artifact from the past into the present. When it comes to shipwrecks, archaeologists have a potential time capsule of the past. It’s a safe assumption to claim that most shipwrecks happen unintentionally – all of the objects on board, from the parts of the ships themselves to the cargo and personal items of the crew, sink together. What you have is a single slice of history preserved in one place. A small moment in time captured unexpectedly. This discussion into the world of underwater archaeology focusses on the challenges of artifact conservation and the effects of different underwater environments on ships and their artifacts. See how material objects deteriorate and decay over time by looking at shipwrecks from diverse time periods throughout history as well as spanning the globe in terms of construction and final resting places – from ancient Greece to pirate treasure!
Marie Zahn, a Cape Cod native, is the Director of the Brooks Academy Museum and A. Elmer Crowell Decoy Barn Museum for the Harwich Historical Society, as well as serving as the Administrator for the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth. Prior to this, she spent several years working on an early 18th century shipwreck as an archaeologist, conservator, and science education coordinator. When she’s not talking about history, Marie volunteers as a Solar System Ambassador for NASA, acting as a liaison between the space agency and the public, spreading awareness of current and upcoming NASA missions and sharing news about ongoing work in the space sciences and space exploration. Marie’s work in science and archaeology has given her a unique perspective and appreciation for history. She believes that history is a continuous narrative, and that it is of the utmost importance to make connections between the past and where we are today. Marie aims to make science open, inclusive, and accessible to anyone that’s curious about the past, present, and future.
This morning was the last regular WCAI radio show that I will be doing-you can listen to it here! As of October 30th I retired from the Falmouth Public Library. You can take a look at two blogs I wrote about this departure. One is about my being a reference librarian and one is about my time on WCAI. It has been an absolute pleasure to spend time every month with Mindy Todd and whichever book talker happens to be there that month. When Mindy asked me last month what book topic I would like to talk about for my last show, I immediately came up with RADIO! How it is possible that we had never done this topic, I’m not quite sure, but it was the perfect topic for the last show.
Here is the article that includes the Jack Binns Tribute song we mentioned! Scroll to the very bottom to hear it.
The Falmouth Public Library is hosting a free virtual Libby webinar by the experts at OverDrive on Wednesday, September 1st at 10am! With the Libby app, you can access the entire CLAMS digital library collection to read and listen to eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines all for free with your library card!
Register today to learn how to sign into Libby, navigate around, browse and search for titles, borrow titles and place holds, manage notifications, and much much more!
Can’t make this webinar but are interested in learning more about Libby? Register and a recording of the webinar will be sent to you for you to watch whenever it is best for you!
The Falmouth Public Library is excited to announce a local author panel with Mark Epstein, Isabella Stewart and Sandra Stosz on July 12th starting at 4pmvia Zoom! Please join us as this trio presents their first publications with an audience Q&A to follow. If you would like to submit author questions ahead of time, please email your questions to info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org.
This event is free and is open to adults and older teens. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. To register, please contact the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7 or stop by the reference desk. You can also register by clicking here. All three books are available at Eight Cousins for purchase.
They Call Me Pathfinderby Mark Epstein: “Lauded by Coretta Scott King’s cousin, Christine Jackson, as “a book everyone should read!” in this inspiring memoir of an educator, Epstein shares the magic of befriending some of the greatest athletes in history as well as students and parents in the public school system.” (publisher)
Tangled Vince, Island Crimes: Martha’s Vineyard Off-Seasonby Isabella Stewart: “This is not a beach novel taking place in the soft summer winds. It is the flip side taking place in the off-season when the wild vines take hold of vacant summer properties and weaken their foundations, climb and strangle trees, and weave a cloth of deception that is stronger than twine.” (publisher)
Breaking Ice & Breaking Glass: Leading in Uncharted Watersby Vice Admiral Sandra Stosz, USCG (ret): “Admiral Sandy Stosz draws upon 40 years of extensive leadership experience and wisdom to provide tools that will help leaders navigate complexity to reach their goals and succeed at every level.” (publisher)
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month where we recognize and celebrate the heritage and cultures of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and their contributions and influences on the United States and its history. For more information and online events, lectures, exhibits, collections, videos and images, please visit https://asianpacificheritage.gov/
In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the Falmouth Public Library has put together a reading list of 2020 and 2021 books for all ages that are available from the library.
The Falmouth Public Library Book Bike is hitting the road once again for its 2021 touring season! Come check out the Book Bike on its first ride, Monday, May 17th from 10:30 to 11:00 am when it will be at the Choate Lane Apartments.
All members of the community are invited to stop by. You can sign up for a library card, pick up free books and DVDs, and meet FPL staff. We are looking forward to seeing you and spreading our love of the Library throughout town!
Please note all visits are weather permitting:
Choate Apartments, Choate Ln: 10:30-11:00 am on May 17, July 12, September 13
Cape Cod Apartments, 62 Locust St: 10:30-11:00 am on June 21, August 16, September 27
Dillingham Place, 110 Dillingham Rd: 10:30-10:50 am on June 4, July 16, August 13, September 10
Harborview Apartments, 115 Scranton Ave: 10:30-11:00 am on June 7, August 2
Rose Morin Apartments, Rose Morin Ln: 11:00-11:20 am on June 4, July 16, August 13, September 10
Salt Sea Apartments, Salt Sea Ln: 10:30-11:00 am on May 24, July 19, September 20
Surf Drive Beach Storytime: 4:45-5:15 pm on July 8, July 15. July 22. July 29, August 5, August 12, August 19, August 26
For the most up to date information on the Book Bike and for additional visits, visit our Book Bike webpage by clicking here and by following @falmouthbookbike on instagram.
