Thomaston Library News

Library Fundraiser at Thomaston Cafė

The Thomaston Cafe is hosting a fundraiser for Thomaston Public Library the evening of Thursday, November 20th. You can wine and dine at the Cafe that night and help support the library at the same time. The Cafe will offer two seatings that evening -- at 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM -- along with its regular menu. A portion of all revenues will be donated to the library, to support library programs.

Reservations are highly recommended. You can call the Thomaston Cafe at 354-8589 to make a dinner date for November 20th and help support Thomaston Public Library.

Fall into Winter Book Sale

Through the month of November, The Friends of the Thomaston Public Library are offering a two-for-one Fall into Winter book sale in the Hallway Bookshop at the library.

The sale features an assortment of music CDs (mostly classical) and books particularly suitable to winter: craft books, cookbooks, and all-around, snuggle-up-while-it-snows good reads.

The Thomaston Public Library is located in the Thomaston Academy building at 60 Main Street. Parking and the library entrance are at the rear of the building. For more information, please call 354-2453.

Intergenerational Book Club to Discuss

Hit the Road by Caroline Cooney

 

On Tuesday, November 18th, at 2:30 PM, the Thomaston Public Library's Intergenerational Book Club will discuss Hit the Road by Caroline Cooney.

Brit has had her driver’s license only eleven days when her parents drop her off to stay at her grandmother’s house for two weeks while they go on vacation. Little do they know Brit is headed for a three-state road trip with Nannie to pick up her college roommates, Florence, Aurelia, and Daisy, and bring them to their alma mater for their 65th — and most likely final — reunion.

A reluctant recruit at first, Brit is anxious as well as annoyed when she finds herself responsible for her fragile passengers. But things change as she sits behind the wheel and listens to “the girls” in the backseat laugh and reminisce about their 65 years of friendship. Inspired by their lifelong loyalty, Brit is willing to do whatever it takes to get the former college roommates to their reunion safely.

From bestselling author Caroline B. Cooney, Hit the Road is a heartwarming look at friendship, both young and old.

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 November 18th 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.

 

 

Writing a Readable Memoir Workshop…in December

Sign Up Now

The Thomaston Public Library is currently taking sign-ups for a Writing a Readable Memoir workshop that will take place Thursday, December 4th, from  2 PM to 4 PM. Writer and personal historian Meghan Vigeant will present the workshop, to help writers and non-writers alike write their memoirs.

Everyone has a story worth writing, but creating a memoir that future generations will want to read can present all sorts of challenges. The book must be honed, shaped, and crafted with care. Vigeant will address all of the following big questions: What parts of your life story should go into your book? What parts should you leave out? Will you include photos? How should you put it all together? Vigeant will share some of the basic tenets of a well-told story and how to apply them to one's own life story. She will also give an overview of the steps to turn a completed manuscript into a beautiful bookstore-quality book to last for generations.

This presentation will be of particular interest to those who are contemplating writing a memoir or family history book and to those who have already started writing memories down and want to figure out how to put it all together.

Meghan Vigeant is a writer, documentarian, and personal historian. She helps people to write their memoirs and family histories with her business, Legacy Preserves. Vigeant started her storytelling career as an actress, and then as a documentarian. She has worked with communities to document, preserve, and share their history in books and documentaries. She is the author of Guts, Feathers, and All: Stories of Hard Work and Good Times on Swan’s Island, and the producer of Untouchable Love, a documentary about inter-caste marriage in Nepal. She holds a B.A. in Theater & Speech Communications from Siena Heights University in Adrian, MI.

This workshop is free and open to the public. Signing up in advance is highly recommended. You can call the Thomaston Public Library at 354-2453 or email tpl@thomaston.lib.me.us to sign up.

 

Saltwater Film Society Screening of Broadway Danny Rose

On Thursday, November 13th, at 6:30 PM, the Thomaston Public Library will host the Saltwater Film Society screening of Woody Allen's 1984 black-and-white gem, Broadway Danny Rose, which features a low-level talent agent, specializing in truly dreadful acts, who finds unexpected success representing a washed-up singer. Success, however, has complications, particularly when Danny tries to cover for the singer's affairs and as a result ends up hunted by the mob in this charming, comedic tribute to show business.

Janet Maslin of the New York Times wrote that Broadway Danny Rose is “one of the funniest and most touching characters Mr. Allen has yet created. . . . As for Ms. [Mia] Farrow, her comic talents here are a revelation.”

For more information about the Saltwater Film Society, please see their website.

Another Letter of Praise from Volunteer, Patty McDonald, received via email on 11/20

I wanted to take the opportunity to expand on Diane Giese’s letter “Thomaston Public Library, a Diamond in Our Midst.”  In her letter, Diane eloquently described the 40 Days of Summer program, where library staff and volunteers provided activities and lunches for area children.  As a new resident of Thomaston and a new volunteer to the library, I want to stress how impressed I am with the resource that the Thomaston Public Library provides for children beyond this program and throughout the year. 

As a recently retired elementary school teacher, I quickly felt at home in the children’s library.  I’ve been very impressed by the extent of the children’s literature collection here and by the welcoming, comfortable atmosphere created by the library staff.  In my short time there, I’ve loved seeing grandparents reading with their grandchildren, boys in their Halloween costumes excited about checking out their favorite books, and parents encouraging their children to read books that they loved as children.

There was one incident in the children’s library that, to me, represents the importance of the Thomaston Public Library in the lives of the children of our town.  I was shelving books in the children’s library when two middle school-aged girls were looking for books.  One of the girls stopped me.  With a huge smile on her face, she showed me a book that she had found on diabetes and told me how excited she was to read the book.  She told me that almost all of the books that she read repeated the same advice about how to cope with the disease when you are first diagnosed.  “This book,” she said, “looks like it goes beyond that.  It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for.”  The two girls settled into the lap of the large stuffed bear on the floor and spent the afternoon enjoying the books that they had just taken off of the shelf.

By providing a safe, warm environment, Thomaston Public Library fosters a love of reading and an enthusiasm for learning for all children who walk through the door.   It truly is the heart of our town.

Patty McDonald, Thomaston