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Welcome to your library news update!
Our all-ages Summer Reading challenge is in full gear, and it's easy to record your reading with the Beanstack Tracker App! Read what you like--all summer long! Adults may wish to consider our list of hot debut novels, including a number with an LGBTQ+ focus. See our website's Pride Month landing page for additional titles and events, including a book reading by local transgender authors. Teens looking for more good reads (and listens!) can check out the very latest list of Cafe Book Top Teen Picks.
Book groups are a terrific way to keep on track with your reading while making new friends, and CRRL has a lot of them for all ages, both in person and virtual. We have two new groups for adults beginning this month--Books & Coffee in the Spotsylvania Courthouse area and Rainbow Reads for LGBTQ+ and allies.
Bring your chairs or blankets to join us Monday nights at Fredericksburg Branch for Music on the Steps. This concert series, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is in its 38th year and features a wide range of talent for relaxed summer evenings.
Our virtual Author Talks this month are a great way to expand your horizons without leaving the comforts of home. On 6/7, Mike Rucker, author of The Fun Habit, talks about changing your life through "the pursuit of joy and wonder." You can also take a trip to the French countryside on 6/15, as photographer/author Jamie Beck shares her journey as An American in Provence.
Super Summer Smash parties for teens are happening the first and second Fridays in June, and, for the elementary-aged crowd, Wild Stories from the Wildlife Center of Virginia will be going on at many of our branches this month. Preschoolers can have fun getting ready for their first school days at our special Grow a Reader series, Feeling Ready, running through June and July at several branches. Story Explorers, our book group for elementary-age readers, is reading Amelia Erroway - Castaway Commander and talking about it online 6/13.
June brings Juneteenth, the commemoration of slavery's end in the United States. The library is closed in observance, but we're celebrating a little earlier with a Grow a Reader special at Howell Branch, and we've also gathered a related list of terrific children's titles to share with young readers.
There's nothing like a pal to hang out with on a hot summer day. We encourage new readers to sign up for Paws for Reading so they can practice their skills over the summer by reading to a furry friend. Teens and adults with disabilities can spend Time with a Therapy Dog. Both programs are staffed by Blue Gray Therapy Dogs--and their handlers.
Join Us for Lunch is coming back to several library branches, providing nutritious lunches for children and teens throughout the summer. For teens and adults, IdeaSpace has the tech you want to try as part of its Tech on the Go collection, and, for June, they’re featuring the Novation Launchpad kit, a powerful soundboard that can be programmed with dramatic lighting effects.
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