Recap of Recaps: May 17–May 22

Submitted by Joanie Goforth

Check out these unique programs that took place systemwide between May 17–May 22.

Take a Moment patrons made sparkling suncatchers after yoga and mindfulness exercises

Thorngate Subdivision family checks out books

Thorngate mom with her curious little one plus a browser checking out the collection

Take a Moment at Sharon Forks Library

"We started May's Take a Moment with a brief introduction to the presenters, then moved into mindfulness centering by imagining that we were putting all our mental busyness in a container and leaving it outside the door for later. Then we took part in a short chair yoga session and listened to Lacey's presentation about the benefits of sunlight. Lacey discussed studies from stress release to vitamin D production of sunlight to sleep improvement due to melatonin release from sunlight early in the day. The presentation included color psychology to inspire patrons in their plans for their suncatcher. All the materials for suncatchers were provided, and many were excess from previous programs. The attendees were all creative in different ways and seemed to enjoy the opportunity to take a moment for themselves.” –hosted by Lola Nichols

Orchestrating Change - A Film Screening at Cumming Library

”Orchestrating Change tells the inspiring story of the Me2 Orchestra, the only classical music organization in the world created by and for people with mental illness. One concert at a time, across New England, the orchestra is combating stigmas about mental illness, dispelling stereotypes, and demonstrating what people with mental illness can accomplish while working together. The patrons really enjoyed the film, and appreciated the education and awareness. Several were interested in where they could watch it to show it to others.” –hosted by Kaitlyn Bowers

Hooked on Books at Hampton Park Library

"We had six people join us to discuss The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. The novel is about a journalist, Lo Blacklock, who was assigned to review an exclusive North Sea luxury cruise. She witnesses a woman being thrown overboard and is baffled when all passengers remain unruffled and accounted for, a nightmare that unravels as Lo struggles to convince everyone that what she saw was real (Novelist Plus). We all agreed that it was difficult to get into it until about half-way through. Some of the characters were not very likable and the plot was a little far-fetched. It had some twists at the end that made it interesting, but not enough to want to read another book by Ruth Ware or recommend it to a friend. Some people thought that Ware had a good style of writing and appreciated some of the techniques that she used. Everyone is looking forward to our next book talk.” –hosted by Diana Wolski

Bookmobile Visit to Thorngate Subdivision

“The bookmobile was invited to Thorngate Subdivision to help promote FCPL’s summer reading program! Lured by the promise of an ice cream truck and excited summer readers, Jeanine and I set off for an awesome afternoon. The visit went even better than expected and we were so appreciative of the community support. We had 48 visitors and none of them had been aboard Loanie before! We also answered some great questions about summer reading, branch programs, and 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. One family picked a bunch of our curated storytime books and shared how much they love visiting the library in the summertime. They were thrilled to hear about the Where’s Loanie scavenger hunt and assured us that they would be paying close attention to our social media accounts!” –contributed by Katie LeDuc

A Life of Spice at Post Road Library

”Cookbook author Nandita Godbole started off her presentation by giving a brief overview of India's history. Nandita showed us early examples of cookbooks written to show British citizens Indian cooking. She explained that this was when the generalization of spice blends, chutney, and curry started. We learned that ‘cookbooks’ for Indian cuisine have been around since the 12th century, but during the British colonization and subsequent Freedom Movement they were a way to help encourage local pride. She used the example of masala to illustrate the difficulty in consolidating and categorizing Indian cooking because of the sheer number of variations from family to family. Nandita broke down the different regions of India and gave some examples of different dishes that she's featured in her cookbooks, then encouraged everyone to explore Indian and Asian markets in the area to see what each offers as far as spices, grains, and seasonally fresh produce. ‘Right now we're all fighting over the same case of mangoes!’ she joked. Patrons lingered afterwards to ask about the different topics of her cookbooks and where to start looking for Indian ingredients.” –hosted by Hailey Brett