Books, Bytes & More Newsletter
February 2017
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NWRLS Library Locations

Headquarters:
Bay County Public Library
850-522-2100

Panama City Beach
850-233-5055

Parker
850-871-3092

Springfield
850-872-7510

Corinne Costin
Gibson Memorial Library
Port St. Joe
850-229-8879

Charles Whitehead
Public Library
Wewahitchka
850-639-2419

Harrell Memorial
Public Library
Bristol
850-643-2247

Jimmy Weaver
Memorial Library
Hosford
850-379-3300

Featured Items
 
 
The Princess Diarist
by Carrie Fisher

The Hollywood icon best known for her role in "Star Wars" shares interconnected essays exploring her life as the child of Hollywood royalty, adventures on the sets of "Star Wars," and struggles with biploar disorder.

 
The Lost City of the Monkey God
by Douglas Preston
 
Bestselling author, Douglas Preston, takes readers on an adventure deep into the Honduran jungle in this riveting, danger-filled true story about the discovery of an ancient lost civilization.

 

The Sleepwalker
by Chris Bohjalian
When Annalee Ahlberg goes missing, her children fear the worst. Annalee is a sleepwalker whose affliction manifests in ways both bizarre and devastating. The morning of Annalee's disappearance, a search party combs the nearby woods. When the police discover a small swatch of fabric, a nightshirt, ripped and hanging from a tree branch, it seems certain Annalee is dead, but Gavin Rikert, the hazel-eyed detective, continues to call, continues to stop by the Ahlbergs' Victorian home. As Lianna peels back the layers of mystery surrounding Annalee's disappearance, she finds herself drawn to Gavin, but she must ask herself: Why does the detective know so much about her mother? Why did Annalee leave her bed only when her father was away? And if she really died while sleepwalking, where was the body? 

 

The Dry
by Jane Harper
 

After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke's steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn't tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead. Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.
   
Ring of Fire
by Brad Taylor
Fifteen years ago, in order to win a contract in the Kingdom, a desperate defense contractor used a shell company to provide a bribe to a wealthy Saudi businessman. Now a powerful player in the defense industry, he panics when the Panama Papers burst onto the public scene. Providing insight into the illicit deeds of offshore financing, they could prove his undoing. To prevent the exposure of his illegal activities, he sets in motion a plan to interdict the next leak, but he is not the only one worried about spilled secrets. The data theft has left the Taskforce potentially vulnerable, leaving a trail that could compromise the unit. Back in the good graces of the new president, Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill are ordered to interdict the next leak as well, in order to control the damage. 
 
The Signal Flame
by Andrew Krivak

 
The stunning second novel from National Book Award finalist Andrew Krivak - a heartbreaking, captivating story about a family awaiting the return of their youngest son from the Vietnam War.

 
This is How it Always is
by Laurie Frankel
Frankel's third novel is about the large, rambunctious Walsh-Adams family. While Penn writes his novel and spins fractured fairy tales from the family's ramshackle farmhouse in Madison, Wis., Rosie works as an emergency physician. Four sons have made the happily married couple exhausted and wanting a daughter; alas, their fifth is another boy. Extraordinarily verbal little Claude is quirky and clever, traits that run in the family, and at age three says, "I want to be a girl." 

 
The Book that Changed America
by Randall Fuller

 
In this inventive work, which weaves two powerful events into a vibrant tapestry of antebellum intellectual life, Fuller, professor of English at the University of Tulsa, beautifully describes how the engagement by a group of Transcendentalists with Darwin's newly published On the Origin of Species deepened their commitment to the antislavery movement.
The Mistress
by Danielle Steel
  

A dazzling contemporary novel that interweaves the lives of a Russian mistress and the young French painter who falls in love with her. Set in the South of France, London, and Paris, a gorgeous, innocent mistress of a Russian oligarch gradually finds independence via her own efforts and through her friendship with the artist son of a world-renowned painter and his devoted muse/now restaurateur mother, reminiscent of Picasso and La Colombe D'or in St-Paul-de-Vence. 
The Case Against Sugar
by Gary Taubes

    
A groundbreaking, eye-opening expose that makes the convincing case that sugar is the tobacco of the new millennium: backed by powerful lobbies, entrenched in our lives, and making us very sick. Among Americans, diabetes is more prevalent today than ever; obesity is at epidemic proportions; nearly 10% of children are thought to have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. And sugar is at the root of these, and other, critical society-wide, health-related problems. 

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Northwest Regional Library System
Customer Satisfaction Survey
February 2017


Help us plan for the future by taking this short customer satisfaction survey (click on link or image). This information will be used to develop the next Long Range Plan for the library. We value your feedback!
BooksAlive: We Are Charleston


Bay County Public Library  
Friday, February 3rd @ 6:00 p.m.

The community is invited to join in song and attend the "We are Charleston" authors' talk with Herb Frazier, Dr. Bernard Edward Powers and Marjory Wentworth.  The book covers extensive interviews with family and friends of "The Emanuel Nine" - the church members who lost their lives on June 17, 2015, when a young man opened fire on a prayer meeting at the church.  Learn more about the 200-year history of the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and how the community has continually triumphed over adversity through powerful acts of love and forgiveness.
 
Event is sponsored by the Bay County Public Library Foundation. Copies of "We are Charleston: Tragedy and Triumph at Mother Emanuel" will be available to purchase. Event is free and open to the public.

For more information, 
call (850) 522-2120 or visit http://www.booksalive.net/ .
Children's Classes @ Your Library

Bay County Public Library

Book Babies (Birth - 17 months with caregiver)
Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Terrific Tots (18 - 36 months with caregiver)
Tuesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. 

Read, Rock & Rhyme Time (Ages 3 - 5)
Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
 
Book Babies at Bay County Public Library
 
Panama City Beach Public Library 

Book Babies (Birth - 2 years with caregiver)
Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.  

Beach Kids (K - 5th grade)
Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.  

PCB Storytime (3+ years) 
Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.  

Homeschool Huddle (Students of all ages)
Thursdays from 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.  
    
Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library 

Tuesday Tales (Birth - 3 years with caregiver)
Tuesdays from 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Stories and More (3 years and up with caregiver)
Fridays from 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
 
Charles Whitehead Public Library  

Wee Read (Preschool age)
Mondays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

After School Story Time (K - 5th Grade)
2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at 3:30 p.m.

Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library 

Story Time 
Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
'Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening' Book Talk with Dick Wall

Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library in Port St. Joe 
Tuesday, February 7th @ 2 p.m.

Dick Wall will discuss his wife's memoir "Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening: How I Learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart." This program  is free and open to the public. For more information,
call (850)229-8879.


Book Description: This is a memoir about Carol Wall's unlikely friendship with Giles Owita, a Kenyan-born landscape designer who took on the arduous task of rehabilitating Wall's neglected yard in Roanoke, Virginia. More importantly, though, he tended to Wall's wounded spirit. Diagnosed with cancer before she met Owita, Wall had begun to lose faith in her religion, humanity and herself. The book follows their blossoming friendship; their unusual relationship creating a bond that bridged their disparate backgrounds and taught them both about the wonderful secrets life has in store.
Dolores King Artist Talk
Bay County Public Library 
February 7th @ 6 p.m.

Dolores King's work Encaustics: Painting with Beeswax will be display for the month of February in the Bay County Public Library. King's Artist Talk will cover her unique use of encaustics (pigment in hot wax) and her creative process. The talk will be in the meeting room. Event is free and open to the public.
Family Game Night
Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library
February 27th @ 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Every 4th Monday of the month, you are invited to play family board games at the library - feel free to bring a game you would like to play!  For more information, call 850-379-3300.
Memoir Writing Workshop
Panama City Beach Public Library
February 2, 9, 16, and 23 @ 3 p.m.

On Thursdays during the month of February, come learn how to write your own personal memoir with author Deborah Tainsh.  Call (850) 233-5055 or see PCB Staff to register. 


Each Tuesday afternoon of January & February at 2 pm, we will have a speaker and/or demonstration. The programs are free and open to the public. 

Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Library in Port St. Joe

February 7: 'Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening' Book Talk with Dick Wall 
February 14: History of Sculpture with Sarah Burris
February 21: Living Shoreline with Apalachicola Reserve
February 28: Herb Gardens and Cooking Demonstration with Ray Bodrey and Melanie Taylor, Gulf County Extension

For more information, call 850-229-8879 or visit www.nwrls.com.

Bay County Public Library

February 7: Hearing Musical Forms with Christina Kettering
February 14: Valentine's Makerspace with Heather Ogilvie
February 21: 'Lettuce' Show You How to Grow Vegetables in Small Spaces with Janet Psikogios, Master Gardener from UF/IFAS Extension Office Bay County
February 28: Winter Birding in Bay County with Bay County Audubon Society

For more information, call 850-522-2120 or visit www.nwrls.com.

Panama City Beach Public Library

February 1st @ 10:30 a.m.  
Beach Book Club A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

February 8th @ 10:30 a.m.
Peter Fletcher ConcertConcert with renowned, classical guitarist Peter Fletcher.

February 15th @ 10:30 a.m.
Adult CraftingLearn a new craft technique and create a DIY craft that you can take home with you. 

February 22nd @ 10:30 a.m.
Beach BingoAn hour of Bingo fun & you may even win a prize!

The programs are free and open to the public. Beach Bingo, Adult Crafting, and the concerts are sponsored by the Panama City Beach Library Foundation. 

For more information, call 850-233-5055 or visit www.nwrls.com.
Book Clubs

BCPL Book Club
Bay County Public Library
February 9 @ 10 a.m.
Miller's Valley
by Anna Quindlen

The BCPL Book Club meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. For more information, please call 850-522-2107.

Library Lions Teen Book Club
Bay County Public Library
February 21 @ 4 p.m.

No assigned book! Talk about what you're reading or a favorite book. Ages 13-19.  For more information, please call 850-522-2114.  Refreshments provided by the Friends of the Bay County Public Libraries.

Beyond the Lens: Book and Film Series
Bay County Public Library
February 21 @ 5:30 p.m.
Film: PBS Documentary High Tech, Low Life 
Book: Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, & Faith in New China by Evan Osnos.
Guest panelist: GCSC Political Science Professor, David Fistein

The Beyond the Lens: Book and Film Series meets every 3rd Tuesday of each month.  For more information, please call 850-522-2120.   Refreshments provided by the Friends of the Bay County Public Libraries.

Beach Book Club
Panama City Beach Public Library
February 1 @ 10:30 a.m.  
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

The Beach Book Club meets the 1st Wednesday of each month at 10:30 a.m. For more information, please call 850-233-5055.

Library Book Club
Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library
February 20 @ 10:30 a.m.
The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit

The Library Book Club meets the 3rd Monday of each month at 10:30 a.m. For more information, please call 850-229-8879.
Local Recipe Cooking Contest

BAY COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY MEETING ROOM            February 11 @ 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Make and bring in your favorite dish from the Bay County cookbook of your choice! To register, call 522-2132 and tell us your name, recipe and title of the cookbook. Deadline to register is Friday, February 3rd.  Limited to 25 entries.

Don't have a local cookbook?  Visit the Local History Room and we can copy a recipe from our collection. Setup begins at 11 a.m. After the contest, the food will be available to the public.
New E-books and Downloadable Audiobooks @  Your Library

We recently added new items to our digital collection, including:
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes
by Brad Ricca
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes tells the incredible true life story of Mrs. Grace Humiston, the New York lawyer and detective who solved the famous cold case of Ruth Cruger, an 18-year-old girl who disappeared in 1917. Grace was an amazing lawyer and traveling detective during a time when no women were practicing these professions. She focused on solving cases no one else wanted and advocating for innocents. Grace became the first female U.S. District Attorney and made ground-breaking investigations into modern slavery.

Thank You for Being Late
by Thomas L. Friedman
Thank You for Being Late is a work of contemporary history that serves as a field manual for how to write and think about this era of accelerations. It's also an argument for "being late"-for pausing to appreciate this amazing historical epoch we're passing through and to reflect on its possibilities and dangers. 

Booked
by Kwame Alexander
In this follow-up to the Newbery-winning novel THE CROSSOVER, soccer, family, love, and friendship, take center stage as twelve-year-old Nick learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. Helping him along are his best friend and sometimes teammate Coby, and The Mac, a rapping librarian who gives Nick inspiring books to read. 

You can check out e-books and downloadable audiobooks for free from your library. All you need is your library card number and PIN. Forgot your PIN? Just give us a call at 850-522-2100 or stop by your local branch and we'll set one up for you.

To access e-books and downloadable audiobooks, click here or:
Go to www.nwrls.com
Click on Books, Etc.
Click on eBooks & eAudio
Click on OverDrive to find books
 
Need assistance with e-books and downloadable audiobooks? Just call us at 850-522-2107 or stop by your local branch.