Librarying

February 2023

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"What a blessing it is to love books"

-Elizabeth von Arnim

New Book Spotlight

Filled with clever criminals, second chances, and wry and witty women, Parini Shroff’s The Bandit Queens is a razor-sharp debut of humor and heart that readers won’t soon forget.

Five years ago, Geeta lost her no-good husband. As in, she actually lost him—he walked out on her and she has no idea where he is. But in her remote village in India, rumor has it that Geeta killed him. And it’s a rumor that just won’t die.

It turns out that being known as a “self-made” widow comes with some perks. No one messes with her, harasses her, or tries to control (ahem, marry) her.

Freedom must look good on Geeta, because now other women are asking for her “expertise,” making her an unwitting consultant for husband disposal.

And not all of them are asking nicely.

Let’s get started.

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE

My brother

My stepsister

My wife

My father

My mother

My sister-in-law

My uncle

My stepfather

My aunt

Knives Out and Clue meet Agatha Christie and The Thursday Murder Club in this fiendishly clever blend of classic and modern murder mystery.

Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.

I’m Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I’d killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.

Who was it?

In Rough Sleepers, Kidder shows how one person can make a difference, as he tells the story of Dr. Jim O’Connell, a gifted man who invented ways to create a community of care for a city’s unhoused population, including those who sleep on the streets—the “rough sleepers.”

When Jim O’Connell graduated from Harvard Medical School and was nearing the end of his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, the chief of medicine made a proposal: Would he defer a prestigious fellowship and spend a year helping to create an organization to bring health care to homeless citizens? Jim took the job because he felt he couldn’t refuse. But that year turned into his life’s calling. Tracy Kidder spent five years following Dr. O’Connell and his colleagues as they served their thousands of homeless patients.

Bonus Borrows in February

Choose from more than a hundred titles in our Bonus Borrows collection. These hoopla Instant titles will be at NO cost to libraries and require ZERO patron borrows.

Click here to see what's free in February

Now on Hoopla, you can access select classes from MasterClass, the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world's best across a wide range of subjects, on hoopla Digital. Courses like Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing; Neil Gaiman Teaches the Art of Storytelling; and Gabriela Camara Teach Mexican Cooking are available now, with more coming over the next few months.

See the MasterClass collection

Upcoming

Trivia Night is back!

Saturday, March 4

at the Centerbrook Meeting House

Doors open at 7:00, game begins at 7:30

Tickets are $15 or buy a table of up to 8 for $100

Click here to register

We're on the ballot at Essex Savings Bank

During the month of February, customers (any person having a loan, deposit account or safe deposit box with Essex Savings Bank) may each complete one ballot form with votes for up to three non-profit organizations.

The Ivoryton Library would appreciate your vote.