We had a great Recently Read evening July 22! It is amazing the amount of good reading material available to us. We have a variety of people come which means we also have a variety of reading materials and authors shared. We read from “Actual Books” from our library, our own collections and other libraries in the area. We also have some that read online with the State Library or other reading apps. Audio books were also used and some wondered when we listen to them. It was generally agreed that housekeeping is more fun while listening to a book, but driving while listening can be distracting. Titles we enjoyed through the month are:
• “The Flower Sisters” by Michelle Collins Anderson - It’s 1978 and 15-year-old Daisy Flowers gets dumped at Grandma’s house in Possum Flats, Missouri. Grandma and the family’s 50-year-old secret are both unknowns to Daisy until she uncovers a 50-year-old newspaper.
• “By Any Other Name” by Jodi Picoult - Who really wrote Shakspeare’s Plays? Was it a woman?
• “Home Front” by Kristin Hannah - Everyday pressures and 12 years of marriage are about to tear a family apart, then Mom gets deployed to the war zone.
• “Madonna in a Fur Coat” by Sabahattin Ali - A classic of love and longing set in Berlin in 1943.
• “The Rhino Keeper” by Jillian Forsberg - A Kansas Notable Book - An 18th century Dutch sea captain travels across Europe with his pet hippo Clara. True Story.
• “The Grey Wolf” by Louise Penny - Inspector Armand Gamache has his peaceful Sunday afternoon interrupted by a phone call that could devastate the largest of cities and the smallest village.
• “Reminders of Him” by Coleen Hoover - After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong.
• “Lucky Duck” by Mike Garretson - A book set in Central Kansas filled with 1980s nostalgia.
• “With a Vengeance” by Riley Sager - One train. No stops. A deadly game of survival and revenge.
• “Parents Weekend” by Alex Finlay - Five families gather during Parents’ Weekend waiting for their children to join them. They never show up.
• “The Measure” by Nikki Erick - How all moments, big and small, can be the measure of a life.
• “Broken Country” by Clare Leslie Hall - A Reese’s Book Club Book pick - “This is an unforgettable story of love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives … but it’s also a masterfully crafted mystery.”
Our farm family is out on country roads all day long. We have been very concerned about all the blind corners, because of growing crops. Each one of us have seen drivers blow through intersections like they are driving on the interstate. Please be aware of blind corners and hills and pray that others will be careful to. A young lady in the Pratt area just lost her life at a blind corner. Our prayers are with her loved ones and others affected. Country roads are always dangerous but during the growing season they are especially deadly. Please drive defensively.
We are excited about all the Stafford football stories and the Alumni Band. This Friday night is going to be a special evening at Larabee Library. Come join us and engage your bragging rights, listen to peppy music and enjoy eating Free Food with friends!
Coming up
• Monday Mornings 10-11 a.m. Preschool Story Hour “Color Our World” and “Oceans of Fun”
• Every Wednesday except 2nd Wednesday - ESOL with Rachel Sandoval 6 p.m.
• August 1- book challenge ends - please get reading sheets back to me this week.
• July 1- August 5th “Color Our World” & “Oceans of Fun” summer reading program. Tuesday mornings starting 10:30-11:30 will be K-2nd and Tuesday afternoons 1:45-2:45 grades 3-5. July 22, 29, & Aug. 5th. save the dates.
• August 1 - SAVE THE DATE! We are celebrating Stafford Football at our First Friday Event. Alumni Pep Band (see Linda Mayes Hiebert if you want to participate), football stories (please share some), and free food!
• August 26 - 5:30 Recently Read Book Group - Come enjoy books.
• Next board meeting: August 13
Gerry Hildebrand is the head librarian for the Nora Larabee Memorial Library, 108 N. Union St. in Stafford. Phone 620-234-5762, email larabeelibrary@gmail.com or visit Facebook at Nora Larabee Memorial Library.
