LIBRARY NOTES

It seems like summer just started, and now it’s almost time for the kiddos to go back to school. Our last program for the Collaborative Summer Reading Program will be on Tuesday, Aug. 10, at 10 a.m. at the library. Be sure and mark that date on your calendars because you won’t want to miss Chris Espinosa XYZ.

Courtesy of the Texas Commission on the Arts, the children will take center stage to create exciting and unforgettable moments using nothing but their imaginations. Chris Espinosa XYZ is an arts integrated teaching artist, improvstoryteller and author. I have watched some of his videos, and I think the children will thoroughly enjoy his show. After the program we will have the drawing for the grand prizes for summer reading. Remind your children to turn in their reading sheets at the library. For every ten books read they will get to pick a prize from the treasure chest, and their name will be entered into the drawing for the grand prize. They do not have to be present to win.

Back to school also means back to school supplies! We will be doing our second annual back-to-school supply drive so that we can help take some of the burden off of the parents the expense of going back to school can bring. We already have many supplies. Some were left over from last year, and some were donated by the Springs of Life Church in Roaring Springs and Helping Hands of Dickens County.

There will be a need for things on the schools’ supply lists that we don’t have. Right now I can tell you we do not need 24 count or 8 count crayons, portfolios of any kind, #2 pencils, or kinder mats. Once we get the lists for all of the grades and both Spur ISD and Patton Springs ISD, we will know what the needs are. I have the forms ready for parents or guardians to pick up at the library. The only qualification we require is that you fill out the form. We will do our very best to supply every item on their list.

While here they might want to take a look at the new book section and check out one of these books we have just added to our shelves. Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Time, The Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, Entertainment Weekly, Marie Claire, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Parade, Goodreads, Fortune and BBC is “The Other Black Girl” by Zakiya Dalila Harris. A whipsmart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace, “The Other Black Girl” will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.

In large print we have a Book of the Month Club selection “The Hunting Wives” by May Cobb. This is what bestselling author Amy Gentry says about it: “Big Little Lies, but twice as naughty and every character has a shotgun.”

Heather Graham brings us a psychic working with a special agent trying to bring down a serial killer in “Deadly Touch.” From bestselling author of “Lily and the Octopus” and “The Editor,” Steven Rowley, comes a warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer in “The Guncle.” In large print Christian fiction we have Jenna Jaxon’s “The Widow’s Christmas Surprise.” Also in large print we have “Blush” by Jamie Brenner. These books were all bought with funds awarded with the Tocker Foundation Grant.

We have had a few books donated by some of our patrons. Among those we’ve added to our shelves are “Pearl Harbor: A Novel of December 8” by Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen; “Thread of Deceit” by Catherine Palmer; “In Search of Eden” by Linda Nichols; and “Reignite: Fresh Focus for an Enduring Faith” by Jack Graham.

Check it all out at the library.