All are welcome to join us for a discussion of Andre Dubus III's House of Sand and Fog in the Reading Room. New participants are always welcome (no commitment!) - copies of next month's book, In the Blood by Lisa Unger, are available at the Information Desk for checkout.

"On a road crew in California, a former colonel in the Iranian Air Force sees a way to restore his family's dignity in an attractive bungalow available on county auction. But the house's owner, a recovering alcoholic and addict down on her luck, will fight for the one thing she has left. And her lover, a married cop, will be driven to extremes to win her love. In this masterpiece of American realism and Shakepearean consequence, Andre Dubus III's unforgettable charaters careen toward inevitable conflict, their tragedy painting a shockingly true picture of the country we live in today." 

All teens and tweens (ages 12-18) are welcome to join us for Teen Tuesdays! Stop by the Pioppi Room every Tuesday for video gaming, crafts, movies, Anime, and more - we'll have something different every week.

This month's schedule:

Mar 3: Wii Gaming - Drop in to play some Wii games!

 Mar 10: Movie - Maleficent - Get ready for Disney's new Cinderella with a re-watch (or first watch!) of this live-action retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

Mar 17: Fairy Tale Jeopardy - Celebrate the release of Disney's new live-action Cinderella by testing your knowledge of fairy tales

Mar 24: Movie - If I Stay - We'll be showing If I Stay right after school - bring tissues, this one's a tearjerker!

Mar 31: Anime Day - Drop by to see a screening of a new anime - TBA 

Teen and Tween Chess Club 

Every other Saturday from 10:30 a.m. - Noon, stop by the Teen area to play chess! You can get lessons from Adam & Ben Piche, who will be there to help, or just challenge them to a match.  

This month's dates are March 7 & 21.

Genealogist and Research Librarian Charlene Sokal will present a program demonstrating how to get the most of the genealogy databases - Ancestry.com and Family Search. As March is National Women's History Month, there will be emphasis on finding female ancestors that can be difficult to track.

Robert McMaster, Southbridge native and author of Trolley Days, has published a new historical novel set in Massachusetts. Please join us in welcoming him back to JEL for a talk about The Dyeing Room, followed by a book signing.

"Spring - 1917. War is raging in Europe and America has just cast its lot against the German war machine. Back home, the nation is reeling with social strife: workers marching for their rights, immigrants demanding fair treatment, suffragettes clamoring for the vote. 

In Holyoke, Massachusetts, seventeen-year-old Jack Bernard has a new job at one of the city's largest textile mills, hoping to save money for college. Meanwhile, his friend, Tom Wellington, appears to have taken control of his demons and set himself on a new course. Soon the lives of both young men, their families and friends, will be torn asunder by forces and events far beyond their control. 

The Dyeing Room, Robert T. McMaster's second novel, is an absorbing blend of adventure, mystery, and romance populated with characters so life-like they seem to leap from the pages and materialize before our very eyes. Readers young and old will be captivated by this story from a century past, the world of our forebears, an era that, however distant, still speaks to us across the generations."