Books, Bytes & More Newsletter
January 2019
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NWRLS Library Locations

Headquarters:
Bay County Public Library
850-522-2100

Panama City Beach
850-233-5055

Parker Public Library
No phone at this time.

Corinne Costin
Gibson Memorial Library
Port St. Joe
850-229-8879

Charles Whitehead
Public Library
Wewahitchka
850-639-2419

Harrell Memorial
Public Library
Bristol
850-643-2247

Jimmy Weaver
Memorial Library
Hosford
850-379-3300

Featured Items 
 
 
Swing
by Kwame Alexander

Noah and his best friend Walt want to become cool, make the baseball team, and win over Sam, the girl Noah has loved for years. When Noah finds old love letters, Walt hatches a plan to woo Sam. But as Noah's love life and Walt's baseball career begin, the letters alter everything.
 
Becoming
by Michelle Obama

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her--from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it--in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations--and whose story inspires us to do the same.
 
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told: An Oral History
by Megan Mullally

Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman reveal the full story behind their epic romance--presented in a series of intimate conversations between the couple, including photos, anecdotes, and the occasional puzzle.
 
Let's Go (So We Can Get Back): a memoir of recording and discording with Wilco
by Jeff Tweedy

Few bands have inspired as much devotion as the Chicago rock band Wilco, and it's thanks, in large part, to the band's singer, songwriter, and guiding light: Jeff Tweedy. But while his songs and music have been endlessly discussed and analyzed, Jeff has rarely talked so directly about himself, his life, and his artistic process.
Until now. In his long-awaited memoir, Jeff will tell stories about his childhood in Belleville, Illinois; the St. Louis record store, rock clubs, and live-music circuit that sparked his songwriting and performing career; and the Chicago scene that brought it all together. 
   
The Spy and the Traitor
by Ben Macintyre
 
If anyone could be considered a Russian counterpart to the infamous British double-agent Kim Philby, it was Oleg Gordievsky. The son of two KGB agents, Gordievsky grew to see his nation's communism as both criminal and philistine. He took his first posting for Russian intelligence in 1968 and eventually became the Soviet Union's top man in London, but from 1973 on he was secretly working for MI6. For nearly a decade, as the Cold War reached its twilight, Gordievsky helped the West turn the tables on the KGB, exposing Russian spies and helping to foil countless intelligence plots, as the Soviet leadership grew increasingly paranoid at the United States's nuclear first-strike capabilities and brought the world closer to the brink of war. 
Unfolding the three-way gamesmanship between America, Britain, and the Soviet Union, Gordievsky's nail-biting escape from Moscow in 1985 may be Ben Macintyre's best book yet.
 

A Map of Days
by Ransom Riggs
Having defeated the monstrous threat that nearly destroyed the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back where his story began, in Florida. Except now Miss Peregrine, Emma, and their peculiar friends are with him, and doing their best to blend in. But carefree days of beach visits and normalling lessons are soon interrupted by a discovery--a subterranean bunker that belonged to Jacob's grandfather, Abe. Clues to Abe's double-life as a peculiar operative start to emerge, secrets long hidden in plain sight. New wonders, and dangers, await in this brilliant next chapter for Miss Peregrine's peculiar children.

 

The Clockmaker's Daughter
by Kate Morton
 
A rich, spellbinding new novel from the author of The Lake House - the story of a love affair and a mysterious murder that cast their shadows across generations, set in England from the 1860's until the present day. 
   
Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit
by Amy Stewart
Trailblazing Constance's hard-won job as deputy sheriff is on the line in Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit, the fourth installment of Amy Stewart's Kopp Sisters series. After a year on the job, New Jersey's first female deputy sheriff has collared criminals, demanded justice for wronged women, and gained notoriety nationwide for her exploits. But on one stormy night, everything falls apart.

   
The First Prehistoric Serial Killer
by Teresa Solana
 
An impressive and very funny collection of stories by Teresa Solana but the fun is very dark indeed. The oddest things happen. Statues decompose and stink out galleries, two old grandmothers are vengeful killers, and a prehistoric detective trails a triple murder that is threatening cave life as the early innocents knew it. The volume also includes prize-winning Connections, a sparkling web of Barcelona stories--connected by two criminal acts--that allows Solana to explore the darker side of different parts of the city and their seedier inhabitants.
   
Leadership
 by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The Pulitzer Prize-winning Goodwin has spent five decades studying presidential history, so you can bet she can offer insight into what makes a good leader, especially in the worst of times. Studying Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson (in the area of civil rights), she finds no common paths but common traits: ambition, resilience, and moral purpose. 

   
Transcription
 by Kate Atkinson
In 1940, eighteen-year old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathizers, she discovers the work to be by turns both tedious and terrifying. But after the war has ended, she presumes the events of those years have been relegated to the past forever. Ten years later, now a radio producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, but Juliet finds herself once more under threat. A bill of reckoning is due, and she finally begins to realize that there is no action without consequence.
   
Elevation
 by Stephen King
In small-town Castle Rock, Scott Carey is losing weight and barely gets along with the married lesbians next door. But as the town resists the couple's efforts to open a restaurant, Scott confronts his own prejudices and intervenes to help, even as his mysterious illness inspires compassion.

   
Look Alive 
Twenty-Five
 by Janet Evanovich
Stephanie Plum faces the toughest puzzle of her career in the twenty-fifth entry in Janet Evanovich's #1 New York Times-bestselling series.
There's nothing like a good deli, and the Red River Deli in Trenton is one of the best. World-famous for its pastrami, cole slaw, and for its disappearing managers. Over the last month, three have vanished from the face of the earth, and the only clue in each case is one shoe that's been left behind. The police are baffled. Lula is convinced that it's a case of alien abduction. Whatever it is, they'd better figure out what's going on before they lose their new manager, Ms. Stephanie Plum. 


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NWRLS is a department
of
Bay County

Thank you for choosing to receive the library newsletter, where you will learn about upcoming programs and the many services provided in our libraries.
Holiday Closures 

All Northwest Regional Library System branches will be closed on the following holidays.

New Years Day
Tuesday, January 1st
Branches will close early on Monday, December 31st at 5 p.m. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday, January 21st
Parker Public Library Bookmobile

Parker Public Library has been donated a bookmobile from the Rotary Club of Chesterland, Ohio while the library is undergoing repairs!!

Hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) 
Location: Next to the Parker Public Library (4710 Second St., Parker, FL 32404)
Ukulele Orchestra of St. Andrews, Inc.
 
Bay County Public Library received a $10,000 donation from the Ukulele Orchestra of St. Andrews (UOSA) to enhance ukulele and other music programming for Bay and Gulf Counties. Stay tuned for more music in the library. Thank you UOSA for supporting music appreciation and education in our communities!!

The UOSA also donated 12 new ukuleles to the Northwest Regional Library System.  The new ukes are shown in picture above!  All you need is your library card to check out a ukulele for three weeks at a time. 
Ukulele Orchestra of St. Andrews Concerts

Panama City Beach Public Library 
Wednesday, January 9th 
10:30 a.m. -  11:30 a.m. CT

Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library 
in Port St. Joe
Saturday, January 19th
12 p.m. -  1 p.m. EST

The Ukulele Orchestra of St. Andrews will perform favorite songs that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face!  Free and open to the public. Come early to get a good seat.  
Youth  Classes @ Your Library

Bay County Public Library

Babies and Tots (0 - 3 years with caregiver) 
Tuesdays @ 10:15 a.m.
(January 8th - 29th)

Read, Rock, & Rhyme Time (Ages 3 - 5) 
Thursdays @ 10:15 a.m.
(January 10th - 31st)

Crafternoons (Elementary and Middle School) 
Wednesdays @ 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(January 9th - 30th)
Join us for a hands-on craft project!

Panama City Beach Public Library 

Book Babies (0 - 3 years with caregiver) 
Tuesdays @ 10:00 a.m.

Beach Kids (Ages: 5 and up) 
Class will meet every other Tuesday @ 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.  
Join us for a hands-on STE(A)M project. Registration Required.
January 8th - Monster Paint
January 22nd - Build with LEGO

Sail into School (Ages 3 -4 years with caregiver)
Thursdays @ 9:30 a.m. 
(January 10th - 31st)
Let's learn about colors, numbers, letters, and rhymes. We will focus on getting kids ready for kindergarten.  

Code Club for Kids (Ages 8 - 14)
Thursdays @ 3:30 p.m. 
(January 10th - 31st)
Learn how to make apps, games, and websites while gaining skills needed for college and career readiness and life success. This program is made possible through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the North Dakota State Library in partnership with Prenda and the Association of Rural and Small Libraries.

Crafternoons at Bay County Public Library

Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library in Port St. Joe
 
Tuesday Tales (0 - 3 years with caregiver)
Tuesdays @ 10:30 
Stories, songs, and finger plays for instilling a love of literacy!

Charles Whitehead Public Library in Wewahitchka 

Budding Bookworms (Ages: 3 - 6 years)
No Budding Bookworms or other programming until further notice. Our branch currently is housing a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center. 

Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library in Hosford

Storytimes
Saturdays @ 10:30 a.m. 
Friends of the Bay County Public Libraries Annual Membership Meeting 
Featuring music by The Wabi Sabis

Bay County Public Library
Thursday, January 10th @ 6 p.m.

You are invited to attend the Friends of the Bay County Public Libraries Annual Membership Meeting weather you are a current member, thinking of becoming one, OR would like to enjoy the concert!

Agenda items include an overview of the year's accomplishments and election to the 2019 Board of Directors. The musical entertainment for the evening will be performed by The Wabi Sabis. Light refreshments will be provided. Free to attend.
Career Online High School

Going back to school makes a great New Year's resolution!  Northwest Regional Library System's Career Online High School (COHS) offers adults the opportunity to earn an accredited high school diploma and a career certificate online. The library's program provides a limited number of scholarships to qualified students who are looking to advance their careers, and prepare for workforce entry or continue their education.

Residents can learn more about Career Online High School at any branch of the Northwest Regional Library System or by visiting http://www.nwrls.com/CareerOnlineHighSchool.html.
For more information or questions, please contact the Bay County Public Library at 850-522-2100.

Teen Programming

Bay County Public Library

Color and Chill
Wednesdays @ 4 p.m.
Come chill with coloring pages and soothing music! Program geared for teens ages 11 and up. Located in the Teen Zone.

Book Dragons
Tuesday, January 29th @ 4 p.m.
Join us for book talks and snacks in Youth Services! Please come prepared to discuss a book you've read and what you'd like to see happening for teens in your library. Program geared for teens ages 11 and up. If you are 14 and up, you can earn volunteer hours with Book Dragons.  Snacks provided by the Friends of the bay County Public Libraries. 

Tuesday @ 2 and Adult Winter Programming

Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Library 
in Port St. Joe

Hurricane Michael Briefing
Tuesday, January 8th @ 2:00 p.m.
Learn about what is happening following the major Category 4 Hurricane that hit the area in October of 2018-and how you can help in the recovery from this devastating storm. Warren Yeager (Assistant Administrator of Gulf County) will address the impact of the storm and also the county's progress and plans in regard to the aftermath of Michael. Kelli Godwin (Tourist Development Council) will share ways our winter community can contribute to the recovery process while in the area.

Honey Bees, an Amazing Insect
Tuesday, January 15th @ 2:00 p.m.
Many of our everyday food sources depend on pollinators such as honey bees--but what do we really know about our busy friends? Daphney Glass from Sweet Lips Honey will share her knowledge about caring for honey bees - including interesting facts about their Queen.

Catching More Fish on St. Joe Bay
Tuesday, January 22nd @ 2:00 p.m.
Increase your odds of a better catch with tips from Captain Phil Cox (Phil's Charter Service) on where to fish and the mental aspects of fishing. As a bonus, Captain Phil will share his favorite recipes for cooking up your catch.

Kokedama Workshop
Tuesday, January 29th @ 2:00 p.m.
What is Kokedama you say? A ball of soil, covered with moss, on which an ornamental plant grows. The idea has its origins in Japan, where it is a combination of the bonsai and kusamono planting styles. This "hands on" workshop is led by members of the Garden Club of Port St. Joe. After the session, you will walk away with your very own planting to take home and enjoy-but don't forget to water it!

Panama City Beach Public Library

Florida Black Bears 
Wednesday, January 16th @ 10:30 a.m.
Learn all about our black bear population in Bay County. Scarlett Dunn from Camp St. Helen State Park will talk about the bear's basic biology, ecology, behavior, and conservation efforts taking place. 

Genealogy Basics, Part 1
Wednesday, January 23rd @ 10:30 a.m.
New to genealogy, but don't know how to get started? Come to this class and learn the terminology, forms, and process for delving into your family history confidently. 

Genealogy Basics, Part 2
Wednesday, January 30th @ 10:30 a.m.
Learn more about common records genealogists use for research and how to use them to find clues to your family history.

Bay County Public Library

The Taming of the Shrew: A Love Story
Monday, January 7th @ 2:00 p.m.
Retired professor, Robert Lamphear, will share how  The Taming of the Shrew may be William Shakespeare's best love story.  
Program will be held in the Youth Services Programming Room.

Florida Stories Walking Tours
Tuesday, January 29th @ 2 p.m.
The Panama City Publishing Museum will share their new walking tour app to explore historic St. Andrews. The app is free to use. Bring your iOS device or smart phone to the program. Program will be held in the Youth Services Programming Room.
Book & Film Clubs
 
Beach Book Club
Panama City Beach Public Library
Wednesday,  January 2nd 
@ 10:30 a.m.

Dark Places
by Gillian Flynn

The Beach Book Club meets the 
1st Wednesday of each month. 
For more information, please call 850-233-5055.

BCPL Book Club
Bay County Public Library
Program will resume in 2019.

Beyond the Lens: Book and Film Series
Bay County Public Library
Tuesday, January 15th @ 4:00 p.m. 
Film: Spirited Away (2001) PG
Book: Half World by Hiromo Goto OR
The Essence of Shinto by Motohisa Yamakage
Program will be held in the Youth Services Department. Refreshments provided by the Friends of the Bay County Public Libraries.

Film Fan Club
Bay County Public Library
Program will resume in 2019. 

Library Book Club
Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library
Monday, January 14th @ 10:30 a.m.

I Feel Bad about my Neck 
by Nora Ephron

This meeting will include a vote to choose upcoming titles for 2019. For more information, please call 850-229-8879.
Classes @ Your Library

Bay County Public Library

Color + Crafts: Van Gogh's Starry Night in Pencil
Friday, January 4th @ 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Take a 1 - hour art class, bring your own projects, and/or color! Craft and coloring supplies provided. Try our Cricut Explore Air paper cutting machine. Program open to all ages. Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Panama City and the Friends of the Bay County Public Libraries.  Program will be held in Youth Services programming room. 

VR VRiday
Friday, January 4th @ 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Experience Virtual Reality using PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift. Ages 13 & under must be with a parent. Contact the Reference Desk to make a reservation or to learn about the VR experiences available, 850-522-2107.  Program will be held in Youth Services programming room. 

Ukulele Social Club
Saturday, January 5th @ 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Everyone is welcome! The first part of the class is for beginner basics. The second part is for jammin'! We will have a few loaner instruments available, but you are encouraged to bring your own.  Program will be held in Youth Services programming room. 

Bonjour! Basic French Class
Monday, January 14th @ 6:00 - 6:45 p.m.
Learn basic conversational French at the library. No previous knoweldge required. This is a short class for the month of January (normally a 1.5 hour lesson).  Program will be held in Youth Services programming room. 

Mountain Dulcimer Class
Friday, January 18th @ 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Join us for a mountain dulcimer class. If you don't have a dulcimer, we have a few spare instruments available for class. First part is a beginner lesson; second part jam session. Music provided.  Program will be held in Youth Services programming room.

Panama City Beach Public Library

Sea Needles
Fridays @ 10 a.m.
Bring your needlework crafts to work on at the library. Sea Needles meets every Friday at 10 a.m.

Novel Writing with Joleen Long
Tuesdays, January 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th @ 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
This class will focus on the parameters of the novel, beginnings, endings, manipulating time, subplots, characterization, point of view, and theme. While some basic knowledge of fiction writing is encouraged, students do not need any prior knowledge in order to attend the class. Class limit: 25 students, registration required. Call 850-233-5055 to register.

Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Library in Port St. Joe

Tuesday @ 2 Programming
Tuesdays @ 2:00 p.m. EST

Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library in Hosford

Craft Day
Thursdays @ 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Bring your favorite craft or learn something new!
New E-books and Downloadable Audiobooks 

We recently added new items to our digital collection, including: 

The Reckoning
by John Grisham

October 1946. Pete Banning was Clanton, Mississippi's favorite son-a decorated World War II hero, the patriarch of a prominent family, a farmer, father, neighbor, and a faithful member of the Methodist church. Then one cool October morning he rose early, drove into town, and committed a shocking crime. Pete's only statement about it-to the sheriff, to his lawyers, to the judge, to the jury, and to his family-was: "I have nothing to say." He was not afraid of death and was willing to take his motive to the grave. 
Reminiscent of the finest tradition of Southern Gothic storytelling, The Reckoning would not be complete without Grisham's signature layers of legal suspense, and he delivers on every page.

Unsheltered
by Barbara Kingsolver

Unsheltered is the compulsively readable story of two families, in two centuries, who live at the corner of Sixth and Plum in Vineland, New Jersey, navigating what seems to be the end of the world as they know it. With history as their tantalizing canvas, these characters paint a startlingly relevant portrait of life in precarious times when the foundations of the past have failed to prepare us for the future.

The Witch Elm
by Tana French

Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who's dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life - he surprises two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Struggling to recover from his injuries, beginning to understand that he might never be the same man again, he takes refuge at his family's ancestral home to care for his dying uncle Hugo. Then a skull is found in the trunk of an elm tree in the garden - and as detectives close in, Toby is forced to face the possibility that his past may not be what he has always believed.

You can check out e-books and downloadable audiobooks for free from your library. All you need is your library card number and PIN. Forgot your PIN? Just give us a call at 850-522-2100 or stop by your local branch and we'll set one up for you.

To access e-books and downloadable audiobooks, click here or:
Go to www.nwrls.com
Click on Books, Etc.
Click on eBooks & eAudio
Click on OverDrive  to find books  
Need assistance with e-books and downloadable audiobooks? Just call us at 850-522-2107 or stop by your local branch.