Spalding Public Library

One of author Sandra Dallas’ novels, “The Persian Pickle Club” is December’s chosen book by the library’s book club members. The story takes place in the 1930s, and hard times have hit Harveyville, Kansas, where the crops are burning up, and there’s not a job to be found. For Queenie Bean, a young farm wife, a highlight of each week is the gathering of the Persian Pickle Club, a group of local ladies dedicated to improving their minds, exchanging gossip, and putting their quilting skills to good use. When a new member of the club stirs up a dark secret, the women must band together to support and protect one another. In her magical, memorable novel, Sandra Dallas explores the ties that unite women through good times and bad (from the publisher).

What is the story of the pickle ornament? A very old Christmas Eve tradition in Germany was to hide a pickle ( ornament ) deep in the branches of the family Christmas Tree. The parents hung the pickle last after all the other ornaments were in place. In the morning they knew the most observant child would receive an extra gift from St Nicholas. And now you know!

Stop by the library soon and pick up your copy of “The Persian Pickle Club” by Sandra Dallas.

We will be discussing the novel, “The Husband’s Secret” by Liane Moriarty at the library, on Monday, Nov. 6th at 5:00pm.

November’s chosen book is “Haven’s Wake” by Ladette Randolph. It is a Nebraska story about love and loyalty, and the restorative power of family and tradition.
Haven, the aptly named patriarch of a rural Mennonite family in eastern Nebraska, dies in a bizarre tractor accident, which reunites his family for several days in July 2009. Disparate and even dysfunctional, the Grebel clan is forced onto the farm’s close quarters where long-ignored secrets and tragedies threaten to surface, despite the desperation of Haven’s widow, Elsa, to keep them buried. Will Elsa finally forgive her son for renouncing the Mennonite religion and lifestyle? Will brothers Jonathan and Jeffrey let a sibling’s horrific but decades-old death tear them further apart? (from Booklist). Stop by the library and get your copy of “Haven’s Wake” to find the answers to these questions and so much more!!

The Spalding Public Library has many new adult fiction audiobooks available for check out. These audio books are on a three month loan from the Central Plains Library System. Titles include: Sandra Brown- “No Rest For The Dead”, Bruce Henderson- “Rescue At Los Banos”, Mary Kay Andrews-“The Weekenders”, Lauren Groff- “Fates And Furies”, Fredrik Backman- “My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry”, Wanda E. Brunstetter- “The Restoration”, Megan Abbott- “You Will Know Me”, Jayne Ann Krentz- “Dream Eyes”, Sara Gruen-“At The Water’s Edge”, Min Jin Lee- “Pachinko”, Brian Kilmeade- “Thomas Jefferson And The Tripoli Pirates”, Agatha Christie- “Spider’s Web”, Jan Karon- “Come Rain Or come Shine”,Tess Gerittsen- “The Mephisto Club”, Kate Alcott- “The Hollywood Daughter”, Ella Carey- “The House By The Lake”, Jussi Adler-Olsen- “The Alphabet House”, Nina George- “The Little Paris Bookshop”, Lee Child- “61 Hours”, and Tim Johnston- “Descent”.

October’s chosen book by the library’s book club members is “The Husband’s Secret” by author Liane Moriarty. Imagine your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret-something with the potential to destroy not only the life you have built together, but the lives of others as well. And then imagine that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive…Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all–she’s and incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything–and not just for her. There are other women who barely know Cecilia–or each other–but they, too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret (from the publisher). Liane Moriarty is the author of “Three Wishes”, “The Last Anniversary”, “What Alice Forgot”, “The Hypnotist’s Love Story” and the number one New York Times bestsellers: “The Husband’s Secret” and “Big Little Lies”. Stop by the library and check out a copy of “The Husband’s Secret”.

The Spalding Public Library’s book club members will be meeting at the the library on Monday, October 2nd at 5pm. They will be discussing the book, “Little Princes: One Man’s Promise To Bring The Lost Children Of Nepal”, a memoir by Conor Grennan. All are invited to join in on our monthly book discussions!!

Author Sue Grafton’s latest book, “Y Is For Yesterday” has been added to the adult fiction collection at Spalding’s Public Library. Other recent additions include Jonathan Kellerman’s book “Heartbreak Hotel”, Patricia Cornwell’s bestsellers, “Dust”, “Postmortem”, “Body Of Evidence”, and “Chaos” which completes the collection of the Kay Scarpetta book series of books at our library (24 books). We have added more of Brian Freeman’s novels, which are “The Bone House”, “The Burying Place” and “Season Of Fear”, and author Allison Brennan’s books “Make Them Pay” and “Best Laid Plans”. The library now has the complete collection of The Godmothers series books by author Fern Michaels. Stop by and check out these bestsellers!

The Spalding Public Library’s book club members this month, are reading a memoir by Conor Grennan entitled, “Little Princes: One Man’s Promise To Bring Home The Lost Children Of Nepal”. In search of adventure, 29-year-old Conor Grennan traded his day job for a year-long trip around the globe, a journey that began with a three-month stint volunteering at the Little Princes Children’s Home, an orphanage in war-torn Nepal. Conor was initially reluctant to volunteer, unsure whether he had the proper skill, or enough passion, to get involved in a developing country in the middle of a civil war. But he was soon overcome by the herd of rambunctious, resilient children who would challenge and reward him in a way that he had never imagined. When Conor learned the unthinkable truth about their situation, he was stunned: The children were not orphans at all. Child traffickers were promising families in remote villages to protect their children from the civil war—for a huge fee—by taking them to safety. They would then abandon the children far from home, in the chaos of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. For Conor, what began as a footloose adventure becomes a commitment to reunite the children he had grown to love with their families, but this would be no small task. He would risk his life on a journey through the legendary mountains of Nepal, facing the dangers of a bloody civil war and a debilitating injury. Waiting for Conor back in Kathmandu, and hopeful he would make it out before being trapped in by snow, was the woman who would eventually become his wife and share his life’s work. “Little Princes” is a true story of families and children, and what one person is capable of when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. At turns tragic, joyful, and hilarious, “Little Princes” is a testament to the power of faith and the ability of love to carry us beyond our wildest expectations (from the publisher). Stop by the library and get your copy of this book. The next book club meeting will be Monday, October 2nd at 5:00pm.

The Spalding Public Library is once again inviting all students, day care providers and Preschool through 12th grade instructors, to utilize all the resources available at the library, this school year. Thirty minute story times for groups of preschoolers through 2nd grade students can be arranged to fit around teacher’s and daycare provider’s schedules. Call or stop by the library during its regular business hours for more information. New books for elementary children include “Shark Kiss, Octopus Hug”, “The Big Book Of DC Super Friends”, “Bedtime At The Swamp”, “Mom School”, “The Runaway Hug”, “See How They Work & Look Inside Diggers”, “Nickelodeon Story Time Collection”, and “Feet Go To Sleep”. New adult books include “The Identicals” by Elin Hilderbrand, “Abomination” by Colleen Coble, “Immoral” by Brian Freeman, and the Fallen Angels series books by historical romance novelist, Mary Jo Putney. Also, new book titles by favorite authors Fern Michaels, Susan Wiggs, Nora Roberts and Allison Brennan have been added to the library’s adult fiction collection. Come visit your library soon!!

The Spalding Library has added “Wonder”, “Auggie & Me”, and “We’re All Wonders” by author R. J. Palacio for kids and adult reading enjoyment this summer! Over 5 million people have read the #1 New York Times bestseller “Wonder” and have fallen in love with Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face.  Born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. The story begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance (from Amazon.com).

The book “Auggie & Me” also written by R. J. Palacio, expands on some of the characters found in the book, “Wonder”. This book is not a sequel, it’s not meant to pick up where “Wonder” left off, but instead tells the stories of three of Auggie Pullman’s friends. The Auggie that kids fell in love with in “Wonder” appears in each story, but as a minor character. I think anyone who enjoyed “Wonder” will want to read this book. Both “Wonder” and “Auggie & Me” are written with a target audience of 8 to 13 year olds but are also great reads for adults too.

“We’re All Wonders”, written and illustrated by R. J. Palacio, is a great tool to start an open discussion with children about physical deformation and/or choosing kindness when meeting someone who looks different. It’s simple message is “I may look different but I’m just like everyone else in so many ways.” No one wants to feel alone. It’s a heart warming book with great pictures and simple sentences so that we can start teaching our little ones the importance of compassion, acceptance, & friendship. It features Auggie and Daisy on an original adventure. This picture book is a perfect companion to “Wonder” or as a stand alone for younger kids.

Stop by the library and check out these books!!

July’s chosen book by Spalding Library’s book club members Is “The Promise Of Stardust” by Priscille Sibley. “The Promise Of Stardust” is a haunting and unforgettable debut novel about life and death and love, set against a moral dilemma that may leave you questioning your own beliefs. Matt Beaulieu has loved Elle McClure since he was two years old. Now married and expecting their first child, Elle suffers a fatal accident. To keep the baby alive, Matt goes against his wife’s wishes and keeps his wife on life support. But Matt’s mother thinks that Elle should be euthanized, and she’s ready to fight for what she believes is the right thing. A stunning, compassionate examination of one of the most intricate ethical issues of our time, “The Promise of Stardust” will stay with you, long after the last page has been read (from Amazon.com).

Stop by the library and get your copy of this book soon!!