LIBRARY NEWS for THE TIMES OF SHREWSBURY JUNE 2025
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS & COUNTING
Monday 10 am to 12 pm
Tuesday 7 pm to 9 pm
Wednesday 10 am to 5 pm & 7 pm to 9 pm
Thursday 7 pm to 9 pm
Friday 10 am to 12 pm
Saturday 10 am to 12 pm
STOP IN TO SEE OUR 50th ANNIVERSARY QUILT, REFINISHED FLOOR, PAINT JOB, and NEW MEETING ROOM CARPET!
Wonder if the Library has a particular book or DVD? Want to put a hold on an item or renew one you’ve borrowed? Please visit www.shrewsburylibrary.org.
To suggest a book to add to our collection, please contact DONNA SWARTZ for
Children’s and Young Adult titles ([email protected]) and JOAN ALESHIRE for Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction ([email protected]).
We can request books on Inter-Library Loan, if the cut in federal funding allows.
We will buy books depending on our budget and our collection’s needs.
MANY THANKS to BEN ALESHIRE for serving on the Board for the past year! He is stepping down as he works to open a photography studio and gallery in Brandon, but will help out as needed, and will borrow books!
TRUSTEE OPENING: With Ben’s resignation, we have an opening on the Board of Trustees. If you’re interested in joining us, please contact a member of the Nominating Committee: Gail Hartigan ([email protected]); Ed Sawyer
([email protected]); or Dirk Thomas ([email protected]).
THE PAUSE on BOOK DONATIONS continues as we search for ways to handle
discarded books. We’ve had some good suggestions as we hope to continue our annual book sale. We’ll keep you posted.
MANY THANKS to Cuttingsville’s own WILL PATTEN, who came back to town May 9th for a stimulating discussion about his new book, Rescuing Capitalism: Vermont Shows the Way. Check it out at the library, thanks to Will for the donation!
And SPECIAL THANKS to the trustees for pitching in to move furnishings out, and back into, the Meeting Room for the carpet installation: TRISH, JENNY, LISA, ED, and GAIL. It wouldn’t have happened so smoothly without you!
COMING EVENTS:
Saturday, May 31 @ 4pm: 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION: Panel discussion, refreshments, conversation; please see our ad in this issue!
Saturday, June 21 @ 4 pm: LIBRARY WRITERS’ GROUP READING. Please join us to hear what the writers have been up to, and feel free to join in! Contact
Penelope Weiss ([email protected]) or Joan Aleshire ([email protected]).
Saturday, June 28 @ 2pm: SANDGLASS THEATER presents PUNTSCHI at the Russellville Schoolhouse. Free will donation. See our ad in this issue.
CONTINUING PROGRAMS:
Sunday, June 1 @ 4pm: WRITERS’ GROUP: Let’s meet to plan the Open Reading scheduled for Saturday, June 21st. Please contact Penelope Weiss ([email protected]) or Joan Aleshire ([email protected]) for info!
Sunday, June 15@ 4pm: FAMOUS BOOKS BOOK CLUB: Yes, it’s Father’s Day, but we’ll meet to discuss The Great Gatsby, the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald that is 100 years old this year. Copies will be available at the Library.
Sunday, June 22nd @ 4pm: SCIENCE BOOK CLUB: Best Science and Nature Writing 2024, edited by Bill McKibben. Print and e-books are available. Please contact Margery Salmon ([email protected]) if you’d like a copy.
New Books include:
*Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton: The deeply moving memoir of a woman who
adopts an orphaned newborn hare, against all advice and her own caution;
*Mark Twain, the new biography of the writer by Ron Chernow;
*Notes to John: Journal entries by Joan Didion, published after her death;
*Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing, by the actor Lili Taylor;
*My Name is Emilia del Valle, the new novel by Isabel Allende;
*Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and
Shaped America by Russell Shorto;
*My Friends: A new novel by Fredrik Backman;
*Snafu: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screw-ups by Ed Helms: Jaw-dropping, appalling, hilarious accounts by the podcast host;
*Gandolfini: Jim, Tony and the Life of a Legend by Jason Bailey: A biography of
the late actor and Sopranos star;
*Fever Beach: The latest novel by Carl Hiaasen, if you need some laughs!
——Submitted by Joan Aleshire
SEPTEMBER 2021
LIBRARY HOURS:
MONDAY 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
TUESDAY 7-9 p.m.
WEDNESDAY 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. & 7-9 p.m.
THURSDAY 7-9 p.m.
FRIDAY 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
SATURDAY 10 a.m. ton 12 p.m.
* With the surge in DELTA VARIANT infections, we are asking everyone to please wear a mask in the Library until further notice. Masks are available at the door, if you’ve forgotten yours, and we have hand sanitizers too.
* MANY THANKS to everyone who helped make the STREET DANCE a wonderful evening: all who made cupcakes and helped set up and clean up; all who came, danced, enjoyed the music, and donated to the Library! SPECIAL THANKS to LISA SHARROW for the publicity, and for bringing the fire pits and wood; and to DONNA and DICK SWARTZ for all the ice, water bottles and ice chests. We wouldn’t have such great dances without our own COMMUNITY BLUES BAND: MARCOS LEVY, AARON SCHNEIDER, EMMETT SIRJANE, PAUL SGALIA, VICKY ARTHUR, DIRK THOMAS, and MIGUEL LEVY: THANKS to ALL of YOU, and EXTRA THANKS to VICKY for the extra publicity, and to BETSY JESSER for making sure the whole town knows what it needs to know!
* CONGRATULATIONS to CARRIE CLANCY, who has just accepted a teaching position in our school district! However, Carrie’s new job will leave her no time to fulfill her responsibilities as a Library Trustee, and she has resigned from the Board for now. CARRIE has been a vital member of our Children’s Committee; we will miss her, and hope she will return to the Board when she has time!
* OPENING on the BOARD: With CARRIE’s resignation as a Trustee, we have an opening to fill. If you love books and ideas, and working with a vital small organization; can attend meetings the second Tuesday evening of every month; can staff during library hours at least twice a month, using our simple automated circulation system; serve on a committee and help out at events, please contact a member of our Nominating Committee: Gail Hartigan (492-3605), Trish Krueger-Norton (492-3653), or Lisa Sharrow (492-3732).
* CALLING ALL CURRENT & PROSPECTIVE TRUSTEES & VOLUNTEERS: We will meet at 6:30 p.m. before the regular Library meeting on SEPTEMBER 14th to review check-out procedures and new book locations. Please join us then!
Coming Events: Saturday, September 25 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ANNUAL BOOK SALE under the tent. We welcome books and DVDs in good condition, starting SEPTEMBER 1. Please leave books in the Library during Library Hours: NOT IN THE BOOK DROP or ON THE PORCH, please! NO encyclopedias, textbooks or damaged items!
Continuing Programs:
Sunday, September 19 @ 4 p.m. FAMOUS BOOKS BOOK CLUB: Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe: More than a boys’ adventure, this page-turner deserves a closer look! Copies will be available at the Library. Please contact Joan if you need another: 492-3550.
Sunday, September 26 @ 7 p.m. SCIENCE BOOK CLUB: Second discussion of The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes.
Please contact Margery Salmon if you want a print or an e-copy
(492-3315).
New Books include:
* Pastoral Song: A Farmer’s Journey by James Rebanks: A vivid account of a family farm in England’s Lake District.
* The Appalachian Trail: A Biography by Philip D’Anieri. A history of the dreamers, builders, and hikers who made the Trail we know.
* The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller: A new novel high on the best seller list, full of secrets, lies, love and money on Cape Cod!
* An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination by Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang: The product of 15 years of investigative reporting about the social media giant.
* A Gambling Man by David Baldacci: A new thriller in the popular Archer series by this politically attuned writer.
* The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris: A best-selling novel about race, class, and gender in the publishing industry.
* Wetland, Woodland,Wildland: A Guide to the Natural Communities of Vermont: 2nd Editin. An indispensable handbook.
New DVD:
* Nomadland:The acclaimed feature directed by Chloe Zhang, starring Frances McDormand, who won an Academy award for her acting here.
—— Submitted by Joan Aleshire
LIBRARY NEWS for THE TIMES OF SHREWSBURY: MARCH 2021
*The LIBRARY TRUSTEES are very happy to welcome JUDY KEANE to our
Board! Judy is one of the best neighbors ever, planting and caring for our front
garden, offering a bouquet of fresh herbs for anyone who wants them. It’s great
to have her officially on Board!
*MANY THANKS to LUKE MACKINTOSH, who volunteered to work in the Library while on a mid-winter break from Norwich University. At Donna’s direction, Luke re-shelved returns and “read the shelves,” putting books in their correct sections, and in alphabetical order: no small task! Our Library gets many requests from other Vermont libraries on Inter-Library Loan; Luke did the vital library work of helping staffers locate books that readers want. THANK YOU!
*The Library is again requesting $7,500 in Town tax support for basic operating expenses: level funding since 2005. Your approval pays our bills for heat, electricity, telephone and internet, and insurance. Please see our report in the Town Report for 2020; if you have questions, please come to the electronic Information Meeting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 27th or call Joan at 492-3550.
*We’re still OPEN for in-person visits with the appropriate masking and distancing, on MONDAYS 10-12; WEDNESDAYS 7-9 p.m. and SATURDAYS
10-12. For requests, parking lot pick-ups or home deliveries, please call
492-3410 or e-mail [email protected].
COMING EVENT: SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday,August 14 @ 6 p.m. STREET DANCE with MARCOS LEVY and Friends. More details (about food, etc.) to come!
Continuing Programs (via Zoom):
Sunday March 21 @ 4 p.m. FAMOUS BOOKS BOOK CLUB: TBA
Sunday, March 21 @ 4 p.m. SCIENCE BOOK CLUB: Ghost Map by Steven Johnson: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic. Please let me know if you want an e-book; otherwise, copies of the print edition will be available in the
Library.
New Books include:
*Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May.
*Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by
Douglas W. Tallamy.
*Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad: A moving and helpful account of illness and recovery.
*The Ratline: The Exalted life and Mysterious Death of a Nazi Fugitive by Phillipe Sands: A true story of deception, double-dealing, and discovery by a veteran journalist.
*The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron by sports writer Howard Bryant: The struggles and triumphs of the baseball great.
*The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine To Women and Women to Medicine by Janice Nimura.
*Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding
by Daniel Lieberman: Surprising and helpful new insights by an expert.
*The Crooked Path to Abolition: Abraham Lincoln and the Anti-Slavery Constitution by James Oakes: More of what we were never taught in school.
New DVDs next time!
- Submitted by Joan Aleshire