December 2024 Newsletter

 Announcements:



The Library will be closed on December 24th and 25th for the Christmas holiday and December 31st and January 1st for the New Year holiday. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

The Holiday Tea is on Thursday, December 19th from 11-3 in the festively decorated Williams Reading Room. Join members of the staff and Board of Trustees as we celebrate the holidays with a spot of tea and cookies. We have a sign-up sheet at the main desk for those who would like to donate cookies for the event.

From the Staff:

Warmest of Wishes from your friends at the Library! Having winter upon us means it’s time to talk about that dreaded, or celebrated S word….Snow! If you love to get out in the fluffy stuff don’t forget that we have our snowshoes available for checkout in our Library of Things. If we have to close the library due to bad weather, we will post on Facebook, as well as on the local news channels.

If you make it to the Sanford Alumni Association’s Spree of Trees this year take a look at the library’s tree. We’re calling it Reindeer Games. Dawn had a jolly time making this tree happen with the a little help from staff and volunteers.

We are holding our Holiday Pop-Up shop in the community room, all proceeds from the sale benefit the library. Lots of wonderful things to see and do this month at your local library!

Children's Programs

Mondays Baby Rhyme Time @ 10(12/2, 12/9) Babies under 3 meet together with parents or caregivers for 20 minutes of rhymes, songs and books.

Mondays Lego Builders Club @ 3:30 (12/2, 12/9) in the Children’s Room. We provide the Legos and a challenge. Your creations are on display for the whole week!

Thursdays @ 10 (12/5, 12/12) Sensory Story Time for ages 3-6 will incorporate a visual schedule and sensory activities to support neurodiversity.

Home School Meet-up will meet again in 2025!

Make it/Take it Craft Wednesday,December 11, from 2-5 We will be making festive Christmas Trees with paint, and toilet paper rolls. All materials will be provided. Suggested for ages 5-12.

Get ready to Bundle up and Read! The children’s winter reading program begins on January 6th and will run until March 8th. The book bundles are themed backpacks full of some super fun books and activities to try.

Pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus in the Children’s Room on Sunday, December 15, @10 -12. The library will be closed but Santa will here waiting to hear your Christmas wishes! This is a by donation event. All proceeds benefit the library.

Adult Programs

Knit Lits meets every Tuesday, from 3-4:30 in the Williams Reading Room. All fiber artists are welcome.

Cook the Book (program is currently full) meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month in the community room at 5:30.On December 10 . If you would like to be added to the waiting list for this program please ask at the main desk.

Sam’s Book Club meets on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 5:30 in the community room. We will be discussing No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister on December 4th. We will be reading The Women by Kristin Hannah for the January discussion.

Want to play Cribbage? We have a newly formed group that is ready to play! Every Tuesday from 1-3 in the Community Room you can watch, play or learn the game of cribbage. If you have a board feel free to bring it along!

Introduction to Microsoft Springvale Library is collaborating with the National Digital Equity Center to bring you this 3 day series for those new to Word or would like to expand your skills. Learn to format text, use paragraph dialog boxes, add indents, work with tables and columns, and do more with your documents. This will be held in our community room on January 13-15 from 2-3.    Laptops will be provided. See our website to register.

Staff Best Books of 2024

The Women Kristin Hannah *Sam and Lesley

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books Kirsten Miller *Sam

All the Colors of the Dark Chris Whitaker *Sam

How to Read a Book Monica Wood *Dawn

The Frozen River Ariel Lawhon *Dawn

The God of the Woods Liz Moore *Dawn

Where the Dark Stands Still Poranek *Sheila

A Grave Robbery Raybourn *Sheila

The Many Lives of Veronica Hawkins Perez *Sheila

The Lion Women of Tehran  Marjan Kamali *Lesley

The Cliffs J. Courtney Sullivan *Lesley

How to ADHD Jessica McCabe *Kaity

A Novel Love Story Ashley Poston *Kaity

The Stars Too Fondly Emily Hamilton *Kaity

 Mark Your Calendars…

1/6 Bundle up and Read Children’s Winter Reading Program begins!

1/14 Cook the Book

1/8 Sam’s Book Group

1/13-1/15 Intro to Microsoft Series

Some of our New Fiction Titles

Five Star Stranger Kat Tang

Fire and Bones Kathy Reichs

The Perfect Son Freida McFadden

An Intrigue of Witches Esme Addison

A Great Marriage Frances Mayes

Joy Danielle Steel

Angel of Vengeance Preston and Child

After Oz Gordon McAlpine

By Any Other Name Jodi Picoult

Death at the Sign of the Rook Kate Atkinson

New Fiction Titles cont.

Talking to Strangers Fiona Barton

Safe Enough Lee Child

Creation Lake Rachel Kushner

Fatal Intrusion Jeffery Deaver

The Life Impossible Matt Haig

A Farewell to Arfs Spencer Quinn

Margo’s Got Money Troubles Rufi Thorpe

City of Secrets P.J. Tracy

Capture of Kill Vince Flynn

House of Glass Sarah Pekkanen

Passions in Death JD Robb

Agony Hill Sarah Stewart Taylor

Somewhere Beyond the Sea TJ Klune

Tell Me Everything Elizabeth Strout

 Non-Fiction

The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty Valerie Bauerlein

Cue The Sun: The Invention of Reality T.V. Emily Nussbaum

Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They   Destroyed Maureen Callahan

Embracing Hope: On Freedom, Responsibility and the Meaning of Life Viktor E. Frankl

Lovely One Ketanji Brown Jackson

Confronting the Presidents: No Spin Assessments From Washington to Biden Bill O’Reilly

Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs Luis Elizondo

First in the Family Jessica Hoppe

Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks From the Sone Age to AI Yuval Noah Harari

The New Whole 30: The Definitive Plan to Transform Your Health Habits, and Relationships with Food Melissa Urban