November 2025 Newsletter

Announcements

The Library will be closed on Tuesday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day. We will also be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, November 26th and 27th for Thanksgiving. Have a safe holiday!

 

We are collecting items for the holiday fair. We’re looking for handicrafts, holiday ornaments, and other lovely things. We appreciate your donations! Be sure to come by December 1-6 to do some shopping.

  

The Holiday Tea is coming! Save the date for Thursday, December 11th from 11 to 3. We have a sign up sheet for those who would like to bake cookies for the annual event at the front desk. Please have your cookies to us the day prior to the tea. We look forward to celebrating the season with you! Come enjoy the spirit of the season with some tea or hot chocolate and cookies galore. Bring friends or meet some new ones. This tea is always a highlight of the year.

 

From the Director

As the year winds down, I find myself reflecting on all the Library has accomplished—and how those efforts connect back to you, our vibrant community. Whether it’s the number of programs we’ve hosted, the new books we’ve added, or the Library of Things items you’ve borrowed, each number tells a story about how we’re meeting your needs. Are we doing enough of the right things for you? That’s the question we ask ourselves often, and we’d love to hear your thoughts. Your suggestions help shape what comes next.


A few fun numbers: this past year, we circulated $1,122,225 worth of books and hosted 391 programs with a total attendance of 10,672. Our refreshed Spice Library, paired with Sam’s monthly recipe, has been a flavorful success—over 100 portions of spice circulated in just the last few months. We’ve also added new programs like Music After Hours, Paint Nite, and a growing lineup of children’s activities. Business is booming—and it’s all thanks to you.



Warmly,

Lesley 

Children's Programs


Weekly Programs


Mondays

Baby Rhyme Time at 10am & 11am. Babies under 3 and their grown-ups meet together with Miss Sheila for 20 minutes of rhymes, fingerplays, songs, movement, and board books. 


Lego Builders Club at 3:30pm in the Children’s Room. We provide the Legos and the challenge. Your creations will be on display for the whole week! 


Thursdays

Sensory Story Time at 10am for ages 3-6 incorporates a visual schedule and sensory activities to support neurodiversity.


Monthly Programs


Homeschool Meet-Up the second Friday of each month from 10-11am. On Friday, November 14th there will be a special presentation by the Maine Audubon Society.  


Make-it/Take-it Craft on Wednesday, November 19th come by the Children's Room any time between 2-5pm to make your fancy turkey! 


Did You Know?


Did you know that only male turkeys gobble? Female turkeys purr and cackle. Historians have no record of turkey being eaten at the first Thanksgiving! Instead ducks, geese, and swans were the birds that were eaten. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird. Bring your turkey trivia to your Thanksgiving!

Adult Programs


Weekly Programs


Knit Lits meets on Tuesdays from 3:00-4:30pm in the Williams Reading Room. All fiber artists are welcome.


Cribbage meets on Tuesdays from 1:00-3:00pm in the Williams Reading Room. Everyone who wants to play is invited to join!


The Dulcimer Group meets on Tuesdays from 5:45-6:45pm and is open to new and beginner players and singers. They play and sing hymns and traditional folk songs on Mountain Dulcimers in a simple style.


*NEW!* Weekly Game Night meets on Wednesdays at 5:00pm in the Williams Reading Room. Bring a game and make new friends!


Monthly Programs


Cook the Book meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30. The group will be meeting on November 18th this month due to the holiday the week prior. It's Friendsgiving! (This program is currently full. Please call or visit the library to be added to the waitlist.)


Sam’s Book Club meets on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 5:30pm in the community room. On Wednesday, November 5th we will be discussing Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller.

 

Special Programs


Holiday Craft with Dawn and Lesley

On Wednesday, November 12th at 5:30pm come make angels with book paper for our Alumni Spree of Trees Tree, then take a few home for your tree as well! Don’t forget to check out all the trees between December 4th-7th at the Memorial Gym.


Paint Nite @ the Library

On Wednesday, November 19th at 5:30pm local artist Kristin Barker will lead you through a fun painting tutorial. No painting experience is needed and all supplies will be provided. Register on our website ASAP! There is a 20-person capacity for this program.
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Staff Picks

Sam's Picks


  • The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller
  • Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
  • Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell


Dawn's Picks


  • The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens
  • Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
  • Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein

 

Kaity's Picks


  • Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare
  • The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
  • The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab


Paula's Pick


  • The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware


Lesley's Pick


  • Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon & Harlan Coben

Spice of the Month


The November Spice of the Month is... Turkish sumac! Turkish sumac is a tangy, lemony spice made from the ground berries of the sumac shrub, native to the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, particularly Turkey. It is used to add a bright, tart flavor and a reddish-purple color to dishes like grilled meats, salads, and hummus. The recipe we have for you is Turkish Sumac Onions. A Mediterranean staple side dish!

Save the Date


  • 12/1-12/6 Holiday Fair
  • 12/3 Sam’s Book Group
  • 12/9 Cook the Book
  • 12/11 Holiday Tea
  • 12/17 Paint Nite @ the Library
  • 12/24-12/25 Closed
  • 12/31-1/1 Closed

Some New Fiction Titles


  • The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
  • Hotel Ukraine by Martin Cruz Smith
  • Typewriter Beach by Meg Waite Clayton
  • The President’s Shadow by James Patterson
  • Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler
  • The Love Fix by Jill Shalvis
  • Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell
  • I’ll be Right Here by Amy Bloom
  • The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley
  • Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell
  • Edge of Honor by Brad Thor
  • Coded Justice by Stacey Abrams
  • An Inside Job by Danielle Steel
  • Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
  • The Death Mask by Iris Johansen
  • Daikon by Samuel Hawley
  • It Happened on the Lake by Lisa Jackson
  • Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts
  • A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan
  • Mrs. Plansky Goes Rogue by Spencer Quinn
  • My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein
  • Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor
  • The Compound by Aisling Rawle
  • Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden

Some New Non-Fiction Titles


  • We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate by Michael Grunwald
  • Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home by Stephen Starring Grant
  • It’s Only Drowning: A True Story of Learning to Surf and the Search for Common Ground by David Litt
  • Dinner With King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-Creating the Sights, Sounds, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations by Sam Kean
  • Milk Street Backroads Italy: Finding Italy’s Forgotten Recipes by Christopher Kimball
  • Foraging New England: Edible Wild Food and Medicinal Plants from Maine to the Adirondacks to Long Island Sound by Tom Seymour
  • The Boys in the Light: An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival, Faith, and Brotherhood by Nina Willner
  • JFK: Public, Private, Secret by J. Randy Taraborrelli
  • The Beast in the Clouds: The Roosevelt Brothers’ Deadly Quest to Find the Mythical Giant Panda by Nathalia Holt
  • Strata: Stories From Deep Time by Laura Poppick
  • Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America by Scott Ellsworth
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Springvale Public Library | 443 Main Street | Springvale, ME 04083 US

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