MPL Hours of Service:
Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sidewalk Holds Pickup:
Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 am to Noon (door near library driveway)
VETERANS DAY: Monterey Public Library and Bookmobile will be CLOSED on Thursday, November 11.
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We are grateful and excited to have been selected again to participate in the Monterey County Gives! campaign, which kicks off on Thursday, November 11. How can you participate?
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Beginning Thursday, make a gift or learn more about The Resilience Project, our Big Idea, by visiting montereycountygives.com/mpl
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Let us know why you support the Monterey Public Library by dropping us a note on social media or via email to info@investinmpl.org
- Talk to your own circle of family and friends about why you support the Monterey Public Library
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Honor Veterans on November 11
On Veterans’ Day we thank the men and women who serve in the military and risk their lives for our freedom. On Thursday, there will be a commemoration at Devendorf Park in Carmel at 11:00 am, hosted by the American Legion. The Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce presents an event at 10:30 am at Lovers Point Park, including ceremonies, live music and military speakers. Finally, the Veterans for Peace are holding a 10:30 am rally at Window on the Bay in Monterey, to bring awareness to the fact that Veterans Day was originally celebrated as Armistice Day (a day dedicated to world peace). For stories honoring veterans, and exploring themes of peace, loss, and honor call MPL at (831) 646-3933 or visit our website.
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Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday Trivia
Sign up for our final Sweet Thursday: Hooptedoodles event on Wednesday, November 10 at 4:00 pm. We'll host a Zoom trivia game, based on John Steinbeck's book and the programs we've been having this fall. Each participant will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a walking tour with historian Tim Thomas and other Cannery Row-themed prizes. Pre-register on the MPL website calendar, and prepare to dazzle with your Steinbeck trivia prowess.
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Native American Heritage Month
Two of the local Native American tribes of the Monterey Bay area are the Ohlone and Esselen. Since 1990, when President H.W. Bush designated the month of November as National American Indian Heritage Month, we have honored the the foundational contributions made by Native Americans to the establishment and growth of the U.S. Proponents of establishing an “American Indian Day” had called upon the country since 1915 to observe such a day. While 24 state governments endorsed the idea on December 14, 1915, there is no record of such a national day being proclaimed. Visit the National Native American Heritage collaborative website, or visit the Library for a wide selection of titles that pay tribute to the experiences and rich traditions of Indigenous Americans.
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Mystery Basket Finale
Chopped At Home: Sign up to make a dish with mystery ingredients provided by Monterey Public Library! Our final weekend is November 19. This program for adults and teens has been popular starting in the summer, with ingredients such as quinoa, potatoes, balsamic vinegar, and chocolate flakes (not all at once!). Pick up your "mystery basket" on Friday afternoon, then you have a weekend to brainstorm a creative dish, and you'll get fame when showcased on our social media. Call (831) 646-3933 for details.
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Monterey Abalone History
Tim Thomas' Magical History "Tour" of Monterey returns with an online presentation about Monterey's celebrated abalone industry. Pre-register here for the Thursday, November 18 talk at 4:00 pm. Art Seavey, owner of Monterey Abalone Farm, is the guest speaker. The local Ohlone tribe harvested abalone 3,000 years ago. State law prohibited commercial abalone fishing starting in the late 1990s.
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Holly presents the Fieldwork check to Diane de Lorimier, F&F President. |
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Thank you Fieldwork Brewing!
In May, when our reopening date was still uncertain, an employee at the Fieldwork Brewing taproom on Munras Avenue named Holly reached out, telling us:
Almost everyday, a woman comes in with her coffee from Peet’s (since our businesses share the taproom). She frequents the libraries in the area, and the last time she and I spoke, she said that …. while she’s happy that at the very least she can…[check out items from Sidewalk Service]… she misses using the computers. If the Fieldwork Brewing Community Fund were able to donate to MPL, what would the money go towards?
Over the next several months, we discussed the Monterey Learns! campaign's giving opportunities with Holly, and she discussed our situation with Fieldwork’s Community Fund Committee. As a result of Holly’s advocacy, last month Fieldwork made a $2500 gift to the Friends & Foundation to support the purchase of new books and other materials. With the acquisitions budget at 50% of what it was pre-pandemic, Fieldwork’s support could not be more welcome, nor more appreciated!
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NaNoWriMo
New Internet acronym? Nope, it's time for National Novel Writing Month, a program for aspiring novelists to get a big jump on their writing. Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to write 50,000 words in November. NaNoWriMo is been providing guidance, inspiration and writer's block support since 1999.
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Monterey Public Library Staff Picks! |
We're all busy, but we love to read, right? Take a look at what some Monterey Public Library staff are reading recently... (Reviews taken from MPL database Novelist):
Guncle by Steven Rowley. This warm and deeply funny novel from bestselling author Rowley has been hailed by O Magazine as “one of the LGBT books changing the literary landscape.” The plot revolves around sitcom star Patrick O’Hara who has retired to Palm Springs. All is peaceful and routine until Patrick’s sister-in-law dies and he is left in charge of his nine-year-old niece and six-year-old nephew for the summer. Although some of the plot is predictable there’s true insight into the psychology of gay men, Hollywood, parenting, and loss. Readers will find it delightful and illuminating (Publishers Weekly)
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. O’Farrell concocts an outstanding masterpiece of Shakespearean apocrypha in this tale of an unnamed bard’s family living in Stratford-upon-Avon while his star is rising in London. In 1596, 11-year-old Hamnet ’s twin sister, Judith, comes down with a sudden, severe illness. Hamnet searches urgently for help, and is treated cruelly by his drunken grandfather, John, a glove maker. Hamnet ’s mother, Agnes, known and feared for dispensing mysterious homeopathic remedies, is at Hewlands, her family’s farmhouse. When she returns home, Judith shows undeniable signs of the bubonic plague, and the diagnosis is confirmed by a doctor. This is historical fiction at its best. (Publisher's Weekly)
Lift by Minh Le. Young Iris loves elevators. She especially loves when her parents let her push the button. However, her relationship to elevators—and to her little brother—changes when he starts pushing the buttons. How rude! In an act of rebellion, Iris pushes all the buttons and breaks the elevator. When she finds the busted button panel in the garbage, she tapes it up near her closet to create an imaginary elevator of her very own. What wondrous places will it take her? Beautiful art enhances an uplifting story that encourages readers to share secret wonders with one another—even annoying kid siblings. (School Library Journal)
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. When Eva Mercy and Shane Hall met as teens, their instant attraction was so explosive that the relationship burned itself out before it had a chance to get off of the ground. Now Eva is a bestselling erotica author and Shane is a literary darling—and the pair are thrown back together in New York City. But will they be able to make their relationship work as adults or will their dark pasts get in the way? The well-crafted love story alone would delight readers, but Williams generously provides even more. She explores motherhood and womanhood, the passion to write, and the sometimes fine line between romance and heartache. (Publishers Weekly)
Winter is Coming by Tony Johnston. A dark-haired girl sits alone in the woods, observing the behavior of animals from a platform up in a tree. Each animal that ventures into the clearing is getting ready for winter ’s cold. Though the foliage glows, food is becoming harder to find: “The mother bear snuffles for food among the flaming leaves. The cub snuffles too. But no luck.... Winter is coming .” The girl’s narration makes it clear that her family possesses a store of knowledge about the natural world. This gentle, lyrical celebration of the natural world will reward similarly observant readers. (Publishers Weekly)
--Kim, Librarian
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Mindfulness Meditation: Every Wednesday, 12:15-12:45 pm. More info and register here.
Indoor Preschool Storytime: Due to colder weather, storytime is moving inside to the Library picture book area. Miss Lisa will entertain with songs, stories, games and puppets, every Thursday at 10:15 am. All visitors over 2 years old must wear a mask indoors.
November Book Flight Postponed: The Book Flight Book Club discussion of The Vanishing Half has been postponed until Tuesday, November 23, due to rainy weather. Call (831) 646-3933 for details.
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Monterey Public Library | (831) 646-3933 | www.monterey.org/library
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