Thomaston Library News

Intergenerational Book Club to Discuss

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

On Tuesday, October 21st, at 2:30 PM, the Thomaston Public Library's Intergenerational Book Club will discuss A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and Washington Post Top Ten Book of the Year. The story takes place in wartime Chechnya, where love provides the means to overcome the surrounding destitution.

The main character, Havaa, is an eight-year-old girl separated from her family and burned out of her home. A neighbor, Akhmed, takes her to an abandoned hospital in which the only remaining doctor, Sonja Rabina, reluctantly takes the two under her wing. Sonja is exhausted by the influx of patients she already has to care for, but during the first five days of Akhmed and Havaa’s stay, things begin to change in extraordinary ways that bond the three together.

 

On the third Tuesday of every month, the Intergenerational Book Club, a group of men and women of all ages, comes together to share their opinions and ideas about the book selection. Extra copies of the books are purchased by the Friends of the Thomaston Public Library from the Annual Appeal funds. We thank you for your donations. All are welcome at the Thomaston Library on October 21st at 2:30  p.m.

If you live in Thomaston and would like to attend but need a ride, please call the library at 354-2453 a week before the discussion date.

Bake Sale at Thomaston Public Library

There's no need to wait until Halloween to satisfy your sweet tooth. The Thomaston Public Library will hold a bake sale on Saturday, October 25th, from 9 AM to 1 PM. The sale will be held in the main room of the library and feature all manner of baked goods, sweet and savory. All proceeds from the sale will be used to support library programs. Donations of baked goods for the sale will be happily accepted too and can be dropped off at the library Friday, October 24th between 11 AM and 7 PM or anytime Saturday morning, the dale of the sale.

Saltwater Film Society Screening of Donnie Darko

On Thursday evening, October 23rd, at 6:30 PM, the Saltwater Film Society will show Richard Kelly's 2001 debut feature Donnie Darko, a daring, original film featuring a remarkable performance by Jake Gyllenhaal as the troubled title character. This screening takes place in Room 200 of the Thomaston Academy building.

In the tradition of Urban Legends and Final Destination, Donnie Darko is an edgy, psychological thriller about a suburban teen coming face-to-face with his dark destiny. Jake Gyllenhaal leads a star-filled cast (including Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze and Mary McDonnell) as a delusional high-school student visited by a demonic rabbit with eerie visions of the past - and deadly predictions for the future. This nail-biter will keep you on the edge of your seat until the mind-bending climax and will definitely get you in the mood for Halloween.

For more information about the Saltwater Film Society, please see their website, http://www.saltwaterfilmsociety.org/.

Banned Books

Head Librarian, Ann Harris, recently posted this link from ACLU to Facebook.

“The right to free expression includes the freedom to read whatever we choose. Yet state governments and local school districts have attempted to ban the books shown on this bookmark. Since its inception, the ACLU has fought censorship - because a government that polices what we read polices our thought.” (Shades of 1984)

Hover over each book below to learn a bit about its history.

https://www.aclu.org/free-speech/infographic-banned-books-week

Find the graphic for each banned book on this site and then hover over it. The books included are: Gone With The Wind; As I lay Dying; Catch-22; Brave New World; The Color Purple; Death of a Salesman; The Catcher in the Rye; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Howl; A Light in the Attic; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; James and the Giant Peach; The Joy of Sex; Lord of the Flies; Native Son; Of Mice and Men; Portnoy’s Complaint; The Sun Also Rises; The Pentagon Papers; Sophie’s Choice; Slaughterhouse-Five; To Kill a Mockingbird; Ulysses.