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Skidompha Library Winter Survival Guide

It may not feel like it today, but there is no denying that winter is here, and will be for some time yet.

While a very common and normal response to this might be to 
shutter the windows, stockpile bottles of water, rolls of toilet paper, cans of soup, and set a timer for April, there is another way!
 

Here is the SKIDOMPHA LIBRARY WINTER SURVIVAL GUIDE for getting through the season without climbing the walls, or risking the mental health of yourself or your loved ones:

  1. Read a book that reminds you that there are seasons other than winter. (We recommend “Commonwealth” by Ann Patchett, exploring the deep connections between two interwoven families, full of humor, heartbreak, and summers spent together in Virginia.)
  2. Yes we know it’s dark and cold, but get out of the house and come to one of our FREE Thursday night movies. There will be hot popcorn and people to talk to other than your dog.
  3. Go out for a walk in the snow. You’ll be amazed at how good it feels to come back inside and feel your toes and fingers again.
  4. Drink hot chocolate. Not only will it keep your hands warm, chocolate releases serotonin and endorphins that lessen pain and decrease stress. Bonus points if you drink hot chocolate with a friend while talking about that great book you are reading, “Commonwealth.”
  5. And last but not least, CALL YOUR MOTHER. Complain vigorously about the weather (this is scientifically proven to burn calories), invite her to go see a movie with you while drinking hot chocolate, and suggest that she also read “Commonwealth.”
We’re all in this together!

 

Teens! Come join us during your February break!

WRITE-ON: The Skidompha Teen Writing Workshop
Tuesday, February 20th through Friday, February 23rd
10 am to 3 pm daily at Skidompha Library.

“If you’re alive, you’re a creative person.”  Elizabeth Gilbert

 

Unleash your creativity and tell your story! In this four-day creative writing workshop, you will work with other teens interested in creative writing. We’ll play writing games and complete prompts to get your creative juices flowing. We’ll peer-edit, discuss style choices, and offer reflections as a group. If you’re interested in storytelling, this group is for you!

Sign-ups will begin in January. If interested, please email Youth Services Coordinator Kelsey Gibbs. This group is open to teenagers in 9th through 12th grades. Admission is FREE, but class size is limited to 8 slots, so early registration is encouraged!

Skidompha Library Holiday Book Guide
Shopping for the bibliophile in your life?
Let our librarians recommend some gifts for the upcoming holidays!

For the CHEF:
“The Lost Kitchen: Recipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine” by Erin French
No one can bring small-town America to life better than a native. Erin French grew up in Freedom, Maine (population 719), helping her father at the griddle in his diner. An entirely self-taught cook who used cookbooks to form her culinary education, she now helms her restaurant, The Lost Kitchen, in a historic mill in the same town, creating meals that draw locals and visitors from around the world to a dining room that feels like an extension of her home kitchen. The food has been called “brilliant in its simplicity and honesty” by Food & Wine, and it is exactly this pure approach that makes Erin’s cooking so appealing–and so easy to embrace at home.
For the HOMESTEADER:
“The Smallholder’s Handbook: Keeping & caring for poultry & livestock on a small scale” by Suzie Baldwin
This book is a detailed manual for starting, planning and managing your own smallholding. Suzie explains the level of work involved, how much space you need and how to prepare your land. There are chapters on keeping poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese), as well as pigs, goats and sheep, cows and bees. She also explains why having a variety of animals makes the best use of your resources and how many of each type to keep. Comprehensive advice includes choosing breeds, transporting, feeding, housing, daily care and wellbeing, as well as international legislation that applies to livestock.
For the MYSTERY-LOVER:
“A Strange Scottish Shore” by Juliana Gray
Scotland, 1906. A mysterious object discovered inside an ancient castle calls Maximilian Haywood, the new Duke of Olympia, and his fellow researcher Emmeline Truelove north to the remote Orkney Islands. No stranger to the study of anachronisms in archeological digs, Haywood is nevertheless puzzled by the artifact: a suit of clothing that, according to family legend, once belonged to a selkie who rose from the sea and married the castle’s first laird.
But Haywood and Truelove soon realize they’re not the only ones interested in the selkie’s strange hide. When their mutual friend Lord Silverton vanishes in the night from an Edinburgh street, their quest takes a dangerous turn through time, which puts Haywood’s extraordinary talents-and Truelove’s courage-to their most breathtaking test yet.
For the ROMANTIC:
“In the Midst of Winter: A Novel” by Isabel Allende
In the Midst of Winter begins with a minor traffic accident which becomes the catalyst for an unexpected and moving love story between two people who thought they were deep into the winter of their lives. Richard Bowmaster, a 60-year-old human rights scholar, hits the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young, undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn. What at first seems just a small inconvenience takes an unforeseen and far more serious turn when Evelyn turns up at the professor’s house seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant Lucia Maraz, a 62-year-old lecturer from Chile, for her advice. These three very different people are brought together in a mesmerizing story that moves from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil, sparking the beginning of a long overdue love story between Richard and Lucia.

For the YOUNG ADULT:
“The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue”by Mackenzi Lee
This hilarious and swashbuckling teen historical fiction novel was named one of summer’s 20 must-read books by Entertainment Weekly! A New York Times bestseller!
Henry “Monty” Montague doesn’t care that his roguish passions are far from suitable for the gentleman he was born to be. But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quests for pleasure and vice are in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy. Witty, dazzling, and intriguing at every turn, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is an irresistible romp that explores the undeniably fine lines between friendship and love.

 

For the CURIOUS KID:
“Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World” by Rachel Ignotofsky
A charmingly illustrated and educational book, New York Times best seller Women in Science highlights the contributions of fifty notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), from the ancient to the modern world. Full of striking, singular art, this fascinating collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields, and an illustrated scientific glossary. The trailblazing women profiled include well-known figures like primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American physicist and mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

The Story of the Skidompha Secondhand Book Shop

This week I would like to tell you a story…
35 years ago the Skidompha Board of Directors was deeply saddened by the passing of one of the great champions of knowledge and culture, a bright and spunky woman named Mary Wallace Smith, who died in 1982 at the age of 86.
Mary was a trendsetter in her day, believing that Skidompha Library could stand at the epicenter of pleasure and learning for the communities it served, a model example to the world of the best a “modern” library could be. Mary was also a tireless advocate for resources for children, and did much to increase the library collection and services for young ones in the 50s and 60s – a legacy that continues with our robust programs and resources for kids and teens today.
But her greatest accomplishment for the community was the visionary idea of starting the Skidompha Secondhand Book Shop in 1968, originally located in the carriage house of the Old Skidompha Library at 170 Main Street (currently Sotheby’s). Mary filled shelves and shelves with donated books for the singular purpose of raising money for her beloved library. And it worked. The Skidompha Secondhand Book Shop became a significant source of funding for the library – one that has helped to keep Skidompha thriving even in uncertain times.  
 
The shop now welcomes its second and third generation of customers into the light-filled rooms at Backstreet Landing, where it overlooks the Damariscotta River. Next time you’re in, say a quiet thank you to determined Mary Smith, and take a look at the plaque above the fireplace honoring her memory and extraordinary service to the cause.
 
Have an inspired week,
 
Pam Gormley 
Executive Director

Get Caught Reading a Banned Book!

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and express controversial ideas.

Why read banned books?
By reading a banned book, you are exercising your first amendment rights, and exploring themes or topics that were at one time – or are now – controversial. Can you imagine a library without these books?

“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” by Mark Twain
“A Wrinkle in Time,” by Madeleine L’Engle
The “Harry Potter” series, by J.K. Rowling
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou
“The Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger
“Alice In Wonderland,” by Lewis Carroll
“Charlotte’s Web,” by E. B. White
“Green Eggs And Ham,” by Dr. Suess

Yeah, we can’t either!!

Read-Aloud Book Club Begins at Skidompha Library!

Wednesdays at 12pm, Library Atrium

A.K.A the You Bring It, I’ll Read it Club.
Please join this group of readers interested in the art of the spoken word as we dive into the rhythmic texture and fabric of verse, from pre-classic to post-apocalyptic works.
Bring a work of fiction, non-fiction, poetry or song to share and speak, and hear other works as they roll off the tongue.
Past sessions have included swapping sonnets and poems to try “cold” reading, with discussions on interpretation of the piece once performed out loud. NO experience necessary – come and practice in an open, fun environment!

Special Event: Mr. Drew and His Animals Too!

Saturday, September 30th at 10 am

Join us as we celebrate a new season of Storytimes here at Skidompha!
Our special guest will be Mr. Drew, an animal rehabilitation specialist who helps exotic animals in need. 
Mr. Drew will bring a variety of species to the library, from birds and insects to reptiles and amphibians, many of which you can touch and interact with. 
 
This show is FREE and promises to be exciting and informative for all ages!