The Summer Reading Adventure begins on Tuesday, May 28th! Register to participate at the library or in the Beanstack app, where you can log your minutes and spend your tickets on grand prize baskets!
NEW this year! At registration, youth will receive their first book! Adults, at registration, will receive a $2 Book Nook coupon to spend until August 31, 2024. Additional book prizes and Book Nook coupons will be earned at 500 and 1,000 minutes.
There will be 10 grand prize baskets for readers to put their entries into. Grand prize baskets this year are a $100 gift card to Cherry Blossom Spa, $50 Texas State Parks gift card, Fast Food Fest featuring gift cards to various local fast food spots, School Supply Basket, Drawing Kit, LEGO Basket, Craft Kit, Film Alley Fun Basket, Science Kit, and Manga Basket! So many goodies to choose from!
For every 500 minutes up to 10,000 minutes, you earn an additional entry into the grand prize basket of your choice!
We’ve got fun activities planned every day of Opening Week. So stop in to register (or register wherever you have internet access via the Beanstack app) and have some fun, too!
Tuesday, May 28: Adventure Scavenger Hunt from 12:00-8:00 p.m.
Start your summer off with an adventure! Stop by the Children's Area to pick up a scavenger hunt that will take you on an adventure through Main Street and Fisherman's Park. Participants will receive an entry into the Opening Week Basket and a s'mores bar snack!
Wednesday, May 29:
Our packing list of camping supplies isn’t quite ready to share with this activity yet. Check back later!
Thursday, May 30: Mario Kart Tournaments
We’re have three different tournaments for three different age groups! Are you and your thumbs quick enough to win the prize?! Each tournament will run for 45 minutes, so there are two tournaments per program to hopefully accommodate all gamers! Extra tv’s and consoles for free play will be available, as well. Participants will receive an entry into the Opening Week Basket and a s'mores bar snack!
Kids: 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Teens: 4:45-6:25 p.m.
Adults: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Friday, May 31: Whodunit? The Missing Camping Gear from 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Someone hid Ms. Bonnie's camping gear! Can you help us solve the mystery? Stop in at the Children’s Area for your first clue before heading out throughout the library! Participants will receive an entry into the Opening Week Basket and a s'mores bar snack!
Saturday, June 1: Silent Reading Club from 10:00-3:30 p.m.
All ages are welcome to bring your book --or pick one off the shelves-- and get cozy in a Snug Reading Space. When you participate, you earn DOUBLE minutes for Beanstack AND an entry in the Opening Week Basket!
Movie Mondays are back this year! Bring a blanket or pillow, and we’ll provide the movie and a small snack. Use the clues below to see if you can figure out the movies or call the library at 512-332-8880 for the title.
June 3:
In a city where fire-, water-, land-, and air-residents live together, our two protagonists discover how much they actually have in common.
June 17:
Our favorite Italian brothers travel through an underground labyrinth, trying to save a captured princess.
July 1:
A young girl wishes on a star, but gets more than she bargarined for when a trouble-making star comes down from the sky to join her.
July 15:
A prequel to a Roald Dahl favorite, we follow a young candy-maker in his dream of opening his own chocolate factory.
We’re going on an adventure with these bi-weekly programs for elementary kids!
Monday, June 10: Games Galore from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Come out for some fun summer-camp games! All games are inside, but closed-toed shoes are recommended.
Monday, June 24: Crafting Around the World from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Go on an adventure and travel around the world by making a craft for each of the seven continents!
Monday, July 8:
This camper isn’t ready to get up yet! The sleeping bag is just too cozy! Come back later for more details on this Adventures program.
Monday, July 22: Minute-to-Win-It from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Does your elementary-aged kid have some energy to burn off? Come out to the Bastrop Public Library for some games and super-fast speed! So many games and so much fun; you won't want to miss it!
Storytime for preschoolers includes books, fingerplays, songs, counting, and more. Here are our themes for this summer:
MAY
May 29 & 31: Treasure Hunt
Come start your summer adventure by hunting for hidden (and not so hidden) treasure.
JUNE
June 5 & 7: Jungle Adventure
What will we find in the jungle? Lions? Monkeys? Elephants? Join us on a book trek through the foliage to see what we can find.
June 12 & 14: Under the Sea
The ocean may sparkle in the sun, but whats underneath the surface is the real star of storytime today. I will be a fish-tastic day!
June 19: Library closed for Juneteenth
June 21: Yoga Storytime
Bend, stretch, and breath as we explore the calming practice of yoga for kids.
June 26 & 28: Superheroes
Heros are everywhere! Join us as regular kids, hear some stories, sing some somgs, and leave as a superhero. You might even get a cape!
JULY
July 3 & 5: Wiggle and Move
It's hot outside, but we will be cool as we wiggle, jiggle, jump, and dance. We will explore movement and how our bodies move with stories and songs.
July 10 & 12: Dragons
Who's afraid of dragons? Not us! Loveable, adorable, friendly dragons are our topic today.
July 17 & 19: Transportation
Cars, and trucks, and trains, oh, my! We'll be vrooming and zooming through stories about how we get from place to place. Buckle up for a fun story ride.
July 24 & 26: Bubbles
We are ending the summer reading program with a fun morning of bubble stories and bubble play. Come float in the breeze with us!
Join us in the Pressley meeting room for a fun storytime presented in English and Spanish.
June 6: Colors! Colores!
June 20: Los Dinosaurios
July 18: Lost Insectos
Únase con nosotros para disfrutar de una divertida hora de cuento presentada en inglés y español.
6 de junio: Colors! Colores!
20 de junio: Los Dinosaurios
18 de julio: Lost Insectos
Get cozy in your pajamas, grab your favorite stuffed animal or blankie, and come to the library for our monthly evening storytime with Ms. Bonnie and Ms. Ariel. Listen to stories, sing songs, and wind down before tucking into bed. It’s great for anyone with children under 5 years old.
June 18: Rock-a-Bye Baby
Sweet baby stories and songs will guarantee lots of cuddles this evening.
July: 16: 5 Fingers, 5 Toes
Simple counting stories provide a time for interacting with your child tonight.
We supply the LEGO’s. You supply the creativity! Building challenges, group interaction, and more. Geared toward elementary kids, tweens, and families, however everyone is welcome. Children under 8 years of age must be supervised by an adult.
LEGO Club meets on third Tuesdays (June 18 and July 16) from 3:00-4:30 p.m. Sign-up to receive email reminders on our website.
Family LEGO Fun this summer will be on Saturday, July 13 from 10:30-12:30 p.m.! Bring the whole family for some STEM fun!
Let's pair-up your elementary-aged child with a teen to read together! RSVP your child and teens at info@bastroplibrary.org to participate. All minutes read count for Beanstack logging!
There are two Dungeons and Dragons campaigns for experienced players! Bring your character and join us for a teen campaign! Players must be between 13 and 17 years old.
Mondays: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Teen Room
Thursdays: 2:00-4:45 p.m.
Maynard Conference Room
Do you have a half-finished sewing or quilting project gathering dust? Bring it to our Sewing & Quilting Group where you cat chat and stitch and finish --or start!-- a project!
We meet every Monday from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in the Maynard Conference Room.
Do you enjoy knitting or crocheting? Bring your current project and chat and stitch with other knitters!
We meet every Friday from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in the Maynard Conference Room.
Meet us for a classic movie at the library! This program is geared for adults, but all ages are welcome.
Use the clues below to see if you can figure out the movies or call the library at 512-332-8880 for the title. Movies will start at 1:00 p.m.
June 13:
The teenage girls Esther and Rose are paired off, and the Smiths get to visit the World's Fair as one big happy family.
July 11:
A cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.
Meet us for card and board games at the library! This program is geared for adults, but all ages are welcome.
Thursday, June 27th from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 25th from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
All adults who love books, want to talk about books, and meet new people are welcome! You don’t have to read the chosen book to attend or participate in the conversation!
June 15: The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
Find it in the library: NOV Eme
July 20: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Find it in the library: NOV Law
Read the ebook or eaudio
Bastrop County Master Gardeners are joining us twice this summer to share their gardening expertise! Both programs are from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in the Pressley Meeting Room.
June 20: Growing Vegetables
Learn from Bastrop County Master Gardeners how to grow vegetables with our Central Texas climate and soil.
July 18: Building Fantastic Growing Soil
Learn from Bastrop County Master Gardeners how to cultivate fantastic growing soil-- the lazy way!
Padres bilingües, vengan con sus hijos para que ellos jueguen mientras ustedes conocen a otros padres y disfrutan una tacita de café.
Bilingual parents, bring your children so they can play while you meet other parents and enjoy a cup of coffee.
Come craft and chat with a community of like-minded crafters!
We meet on fourth Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Maynard Conference Room. To receive an email reminder, subscribe on our website.
Teens 13-17 years old are welcome to attend Teen Thursdays every week from 4:45-6:15 p.m. for fun and friends!
MAY
May 30: Mario Kart Tourney for Teens
Are you and your thumbs quick enough to win the prize?! The first tournament will run from 4:45-5:30 and the second tournament will begin at 5:30, in case you can’t make the first one. Extra tv’s and consoles for free play will be available, as well.
JUNE
June 6: Board Games
Join us for a variety of table-top games and lots of fun!
June 13: Splatter Painting
Let's paint outside using water guns and markers! Please wear clothes you do not mind getting paint on!
June 20: Tropical Treats
Try a variety of tropical fruits, snacks, and drinks that you may have never had before!
June 27: Diamond Painting
Relax in the A/C with some coaster diamond painting and pixel coloring sheets.
JULY
July 4: Closed for Independence Day
July 11: AgriLife and AcaiBowls
Make your own acai bowls as you learn about AgriLife!
July 18: LEGO Olympics and Oreos
Can you complete some Lego challenges? Snack on some oreos as we compete with Legos this Thursday!
July 25: Guessing Game
Test your 5 senses as we touch, see, hear, smell, and taste mystery items. Guess with us this Thursday!
Are you over 60? Do you suffer from chronic illness pain or struggle with diabetes? The Area Agency on Aging is offering two new 6-weeks-long classes to help you manage your well-being!
If you live with a chronic condition, are interested in symptom and medication management, want to learn proper exercise and nutrition, and want to know what questions to ask your doctor, you are a perfect candidate for attending Chronic Illness Pain Management.
In these classes, you’ll learn to manage your symptoms, incorporate exercise, monitor your nutrition, talk with your doctor, make informed treatment decisions, deal with emotions, and control stress.
The Chronic Illness Pain Management course will meet weekly on Tuesdays, May 7th through June 11th from 1:00-3:30 p.m. in the Maynard Conference Room. Registration is required. To reserve your spot, please call the library at 512-332-8880. There is no cost for you!
If you have type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, or a family member of someone with type 2 diabetes; you are interested in symptom and treatment management; want to learn proper exercise and nutrition; want to know what questions to ask your doctor, you would be the exact right person to take the Diabetes Management classes.
Experts on living with diabetes will share with you how to prevent low blood sugar, monitor your nutrition, plan low-fat meals, talk with your doctor about your diabetes, care for your feet, set weekly goals, and control stress.
The Diabetes Management course will meet weekly on Tuesdays, June 4th through July 16th (skipping July 9th) from 10:00-12:30 p.m. in the Maynard Conference Room. Registration is required. To reserve your spot, please call the library at 512-332-8880. There is no cost for you!
If your chronic illness pain or diabetes is making it difficult for you to play with your grandchildren, participate in a hobby, or otherwise live a fulfilling life, call and register for one or both of these classes today!
Tuesday, June 11th at 2:00 p.m. in the Bastrop Convention Center
Mad Science of Austin will bring a spectacular science show that will entertain kids and parents alike with chemical reactions, fantastic forces, and amazing demonstrations. This will be especially enjoyable for elementary age kids, but everyone is welcome.
Tuesday, July 23rd at 11:00 a.m. in the Bastrop Convention Center
Mad About Hoops brings an exciting hula hoop experience to you. Join us for an energetic and informative show that emphasizes fun and fitness. This will be especially enjoyable for elementary age kids, but everyone is welcome.
Celebrate the end of our summer program with a twilight Camping Adventure! Eat a hotdog, sing at the "campfire," and play some games before we raise a loud cheer for all of our summer readers and draw for the Summer Reading Grand Prize Baskets.
Coffee with Catherine has gotten an update after Catherine's retirement!
We are now "Coffee & Friends," but we're still here for the same thing: friends, conversation, and a cup of joe!
Here are the topics we'll be covering this summer:
MAY
May 29, 2024: Summer Reading: Adventure Begins
Our theme for the Summer Reading Program this year is Adventure Begins, and we are taking a camping route! Bring in a picture and/or a memory about when you've gone camping. Did it go well? Were there lots of bugs? Have you ever worked at a summer camp?
JUNE
June 5, 2024: We're still working on this one!
June 12, 2024: Memorable Travel Experience
What is one of your most memorable travel experiences? Was it spontaneous or well planned? Did you experience a different culture? A favorite food? How did it enlighten you?
June 19, 2024: Closed for Juneteenth
June 26, 2024: Bed Turning
A bed turning is an old-fashioned activity where women used to get together to show off their quilts. Our Sewing and Quilting Group will be bringing several of the quilts they completed to show off. But you're invited to share, too! Bring a quilt or blanket you've made or is a family heirloom to share the story behind.
JULY
July 3, 2024: Parks and Recreation Month
July is National Parks and Recreation Month. Join Cami from Bastrop Recreation Center and hear how you can get involved in the fun they host in our community!
July 10, 2024: State Parks Volunteering
Here some of Kathy's great stories about her time as a state parks volunteer! Would you have what it takes?!
July 17, 2024: We're still working on this one!
July 24, 2024: Christmas in July
Let's celebrate the best time of the year twice! Join us a for a fun Christmas-themed topic as we melt fast as snowmen in this Texas heat!
Can you find your way home from this camping adventure?
Follow the clues and solve the puzzles to see if you and your friends can escape in time. Registration will open on June 25th and is required.
This year, there are 22 slots available for your group of six to reserve. Reservation times will be between Tuesday, July 9 and Saturday, July 13. All participants must be at least 8 years old.
Registration will open June 25. Be on the lookout for details on how to register closer to that date!
Saturday, June 8 from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Come learn about and celebrate a Texas hero, Silvia Webber, who escaped from slavery and devoted much of her life to helping others escape tool. You will make a paper quilt that tells the story and it will be displayed in the Bastrop Freedom Colonies Museum this summer.
This program is designed for kids, but all ages are welcome!
Book Suggestions
We’re expanding who writes newsletter reviews so that we can get a variety of genre suggestions for all types of readers! If you’ve read a book and want to write a positive review for the newsletter, please email us at info@bastroplibrary.org.
News of the World by Paulette Giles
Library Book Club choice – March 2024
We had a small group at the March meeting. Most of us enjoyed News of the World, especially Jiles's descriptions of Central Texas in springtime. We talked about other books that we've read depicting captives, both fiction and nonfiction, including Olive Oatman's Blue Tattoo, Scott Zesch's The Captured, and Philipp Meyer's The Son.
Find it: NOV Jil + LT F Jil + Libby ebooks
Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
17-year-old scuba diver Jay is swallowed by a sperm whale while trying to find his estranged father's remains. This unusual book is both quite disturbing and fascinating! Does Jay survive and get out of the whale by using knowledge passed down from his late dad? Or is Jay just smart enough himself to figure a way out? Based on true science of whales and other sea life, this book is like nothing I have read in a while. Glad I took a chance, picked it up, and read it with great apprehension and pleasure. You should too!
Find it: SFF Kra + Libby ebooks + Libby eAudio
The Seven Day Switch by Kelly Harms
Amanda Shuman, library patron
Freaky Friday, but for moms! This book was so relatable: I felt like the author was in my head at times. It was funny, entertaining, and made you thankful for your family (whatever it looks like). Highly recommend if you need a good laugh!
Find it: NOV Har
The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
This witty and conversational narrative nonfiction book is my favorite so far this year! Written in laymen's terms and with humor, it is a fascinating look at the human body and how it functions. I promise you will learn something new, and it's such a fun read.
Find it: 612 Bry + CD Book 612 Bry + Libby ebooks + Libby eAudio
Geared toward preschoolers and their grown-ups, come and play with peers!
Tuesday, June 4 from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Building Blocks: Join us in the Children's Area and have some fun with our foam blocks and more!
Tuesday, July 19 from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Dinosaurs: Join us in the Children's Area and have some fun with everything dinosaur!
Join us in the Children's Area for some simple and fun crafts! All ages are welcome, but the crafts are geared towards younger elementary schoolers. Grown-ups' help with fine motor skills will be needed to a small extent.
Friday, June 14 from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Fireflies in the Night Sky: Have you noticed the fireflies on summer nights? Come craft with us and make your own firefly hand puppet!
Friday, June 28 from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Red, White, and Blue: Getting ready for our local Patriotic Fest? Come craft with us and make your own streamers to celebrate with!
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Library Book Club choice – February 2024
Waiting to be chosen by a customer, an Artificial Friend programmed with high perception observes the activities of shoppers while exploring fundamental questions about what it means to love. This introspective and character-driven story is so relevant to current events including AI essays in schools, legal briefs in the justice system, and how all of this is affecting society as a whole. If you want to really explore how you feel about the AI explosion, Klara and the Sun is a great read.
Find it: NOV Ish + Libby ebooks
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Reese's Book Club Pick describes this book as a "fast-paced read [that] has everything you could want in a thriller,” and I totally agree! The main character, Evie, doesn't really exist; she's a con artist at her very best. This page-turner has some romance, a lot of complications, blackmail, deceit, flashbacks, and more trickery than Loki the trickster god. Get your work done early because you won't want to put this mystery down until you finish it!
Find it: MYS Els (New) + Libby ebooks
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Cary Kittrell, library staff
Evie is forced to accept a job with Rennedawn’s most infamous villain in this cozy fantasy. This book balances just the right amount of romance; humor; mystery; twists; severed heads; errant eyeballs; and a terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. But something rotten is growing in this town, and someone wants to take the nefarious villain out, which would put Evie back to looking for a new job—not something she wants to do again. Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss, but also figure out who is sabotaging his work… I enjoyed this book so much that I will be waiting with very little patience for the next book!
Find it: SFF Mae (New) + Libby ebooks
Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
Bethany Dietrich, library staff
This powerful novel features three Canadian women across three decades that explores wanting to be a mother and not wanting to be a mother—and all the gray areas in between. Angela, in 2017, is trying to conceive via IVF. In 1960, Evelyn is forced into an “unwed mothers” home to give up her baby. And, in 1979, Nancy is horrified by witnessing a cousin’s sordid back-alley abortion. How do these women’s lives intersect and how will they each influence one another? This character-driven novel tells a moving story of girl power and feminism that I absolutely loved.
Find it: NOV Mar + Libby ebooks
El día de los niños
Sea parte de la primera celebración de Dia: El día de los niños/ El día de los libros en Bastrop. Tendremos una hora de cuento bilingüe, libros, actividades divertidas, ¡y mucho más!
martes, 30 de abril de 2024
6:00-7:00 p.m.
Día Celebration
Children’s Day/Book Day
Join us to celebrate Bastrop's first Día: Children's Day/Book Day with a bilingual storytime, books, fun activities, and much more!
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
6:00-7:00 p.m.
Learn more about Día
Bastrop is in the path of the total solar eclipse!
The eclipse will be visible throughout Bastrop and the Lost Pines Region from approximately 12:20 pm - 2:25 pm CST on April 8, 2024. Bastrop is located just outside the path of totality, but the viewing experience should be very close to those inside the path of totality. Bastrop locals and visitors will experience about 1 minute and 46 seconds of the (almost) total solar eclipse at 1:36 pm CST.
Join Bastrop Public Library, Bastrop Recreation, and Visit Bastrop for a Solar Eclipse Watch Party!
Bob Bryant Park
600 Charles Blvd.
Bastrop, TX
April 8, 2024
12:00-2:00 p.m.
There is no charge to attend and those in attendance will receive solar glasses as supplies last.
For more details, visit https://www.visitbastrop.com/event/bastrop-solar-eclipse-watch-party-2024/6941/ and https://www.visitbastrop.com/2024-eclipse/.
Join Austin Financial Center at Bastrop Public Library in April to boost your financial know-how!
Participants receive an entry for a door prize of a $25 gift card to HEB each time they attend a Financial Literacy program in April!
Saturday, April 13, 2024: Increasing Cash Flow and Debt Management - The average Texan has over $52,000 of debt according to Business Insider. Let's learn from Austin Financial Center how to resize your income for your "outcome" of bills, groceries, student loans, car payments, and more.
Saturday, April 20, 2024: Retirement Planning and Optimizing Social Security and Medicare Benefits - According to AARP, about 20% of retirees are working either part- or full-time. Whether or not this describes you or someone in your family, let's learn from Austin Financial Center about retirement planning and optimizing social security and medicare benefits.
Saturday, April 27, 2024: Estate Planning for Health and Wealth - Are you part of the 67% of Americans that don't have a will and/or have done estate planning? Let's fix that with Austin Financial Center!
Each program will run from 11:00-12:00 p.m. in the Pressley Meeting Room.
Improve your finances by attending even just one session!
Join us for Library Book Club on Saturday, April 20, 2024 from 11:00-12:30.
We’ll be discussing The Sentence by Louise Erdrich.
Find it: NOV Erd + Libby ebook + Libby eaudio
Sign-up to receive monthly reminders of upcoming LBC sessions.
Join the Master Gardeners as they share information on Texas native and adapted plants and Texas superstar-growing plants.
They'll also share information on seed gathering so that you can join the cycle of seed saving and sharing with Bastrop Public Library's seed library!
Thursday, April 4, 2024
7:00-8:30 p.m.
Pressley Meeting Room at Bastrop Public Library
Sign-up to learn about future gardening programs at the library.
A Look into McDade’s Wild West History will be presented by Vicky Rose on Saturday, April 27th from 1:30-2:30.
The coming of the railroad to McDade brought gamblers, pimps, pickpockets, and thieves, all intent on draining the wages of railroad workers. The aftermath of the Civil War brought an out-of-control crime spree that extended to every person who lived in the area. It soon became an all-out war between vicious gangs and vigilantes determined to stop them.
Mark your calendar, because this will be a tale that's truth-- not tall!
Sign-up to receive save the dates and reminders of upcoming history programs at Bastrop Public Library.
Was your New Year's Resolution to be calmer and more relaxed? How's that goal coming along?
Join retired UT professor and author Farnaz Masumian at the Bastrop Public Library on Saturday, April 6th from 11:00-1:00 to reinvigorate your goal of tranquility and peace.
Whether you enjoy Skip-Bo, Hand and Foot, Scrabble, Monopoly, or other games, Meet at the Library for Games!
Join us on fourth Thursdays of the month from 1-3pm in the Pressley Meeting Room.
If movies are more your cup of tea, make sure to Meet at the Library for Movies on second Thursdays of the month!
For the movie buffs, Meet at the Library for Movies on second Thursdays of the month from 1-3pm in the Pressley Meeting Room.
We have a great line-up of movies for the next five months. Can you figure them out from these clues? Call us at 512-332-8880 to confirm the movie titles, but just show up each month to watch them!
Jan. 11 – A man builds a baseball field and hopes they will come.
Feb. 8 – A renegade reporter and a young runaway heiress are stuck with one another when their bus leaves them behind.
Mar. 14 – John Wayne, playing a retired American boxer, falls for a spirited redhead whose brother is contemptuous of their union.
April 11 – Nightclub performer Fred Astaire hires a naive chorus girl to become his new dance partner to make his former partner jealous in this musical that proves we aren’t in Kansas anymore.
May 9 – Shirley Temple is a mischief-maker when she’s sent back to Maryland.
You are welcome to bring light refreshments for yourself to munch on while watching the movie.
If games are more your speed, make sure to join us for Meet at the Library for Games on fourth Thursdays.
Get ready for Festival De La Cultura – a vibrant celebration of Hispanic heritage! Join us for an authentic, family-friendly fiesta featuring a kaleidoscope of artists, a feast of culinary wonders, and a colorful tapestry of traditions from every corner of the Hispanic world.
Experience the heartbeat of Hispanic heritage at Mayfest Park on April 27 and 28, 2024.
For more details: https://festivaldelacultura.com/
The Friends of Bastrop Public Library and Lost Pines Garden Club are teaming up again this year for the Book and Plant Sale!
Friday, May 3rd from 10:00-6:00
9:00-10:00am on Friday: First pick for FOL members!
Saturday, May 4th from 10:00-3:00
Lost Pines Garden Club’s Plant Sale on Saturday from 10:00-whenever plants sell out!
Summer Reading 2024 kicks off with Opening Week on Tuesday, May 28 and goes through Saturday, July 27!
Be on the look out for updates on Adventures Begins at Your Library later this spring!
We are proud to share months of behind-the-scenes research, rewriting, and editing that produced something to help us ensure all library users have a safe and comfortable library experience.
We talk about writing policies, one of the less exciting, vital, obligations libraries have to everyone who uses the library. We're sure this isn't something that would cross many library visitors' minds, but just as your workplace, your bank, and other places have policies, so does the library.
Library staff research extensively when updating policies, asking questions such as, "What are the best practices for libraries right now?" What do the state and national library associations recommend as guidelines?" "How can we ensure staff and visitors are safe?" "What can we do to create a positive and comfortable experience for all?" "What works in our current policy and what needs to be update?"
Recently, the Library User Responsibility and Conduct Policy was approved by the Library Advisory Board and the Bastrop City Council. This policy, previously known as the Patron Behavior Policy, went through quite a transformation. The goal was to create consistent standards of behavior that allow everyone to have an emjoyable experience in a safe and welcoming environment. Instead of a list of do's and don't's, the policy sets expectations for acceptable behaviors and outlines how all of us have the responsibility to make the library a safe space.
Here are a few of those responsibilities:
Communicate in a moderate, respectful, conversational tone.
Set electronic devices to silent or vibrate.
Respect other people's time and space by engaging in a pleasant manner that does not interfere with their use of the library.
Adults occupying the teen or children's areas must be supervising or assisting a child/teen or browsing for items.
If you're interested in viewing the full policy, you may do so on our website.
We want people to come to the library and we want them to keep coming back. Thank you for helping us create a safe and positive place to be.
Not going anywhere for Spring Break? That’s okay! Come spend time at the library with us as we have a variety of programs for all ages happening that week !
Get a take-and-make in the Children's Area all week long (or as supplies last)!
Take-and-makes are a craft you and your little one can make at home. We provide the majority of supplies, but you may need some scissors, crayons, or glue from home.
These are a great way to allow your kid an opportunity to be creative!
- Numbers Hunt for all ages throughout the library, where you can win a $25 gift card to the Bearded Baking Company!
Help us celebrate Pi Day!
All week long, hunt around the library for hidden numbers, then glue them in the right spot to receive an entry for a $25 gift card to Bearded Baking Company.
We love the idea of celebrating Pi Day with a yummy pie!
Not going anywhere for Spring Break? That's okay! Come spend time at the library with us as we have a variety of programs for all ages happening that week!
Monday:
- Sewing and Quilting group for adults from 1-3pm
Do you have a half-finished sewing or quilting project gathering dust? Bring it to our new Sewing & Quilting Group where you can chat and stitch and finish--or start!--a project!
Please bring your own sewing machine and supplies
Meets every Monday from 1-3pm in the Maynard Conference Room for ages 18+
No registration required.
- Lego® Free Build for kids and tween from 2-4pm
We supply the Lego®. You supply the creativity! Building challenges, group interaction, and more.
Elementary kids, tweens, families, and Lego® fans of all ages are welcome to join us for some Lego® free building. Children under 8 years of age must be supervised by an adult.
Join us on Monday, March 12th from 2-4pm!
Not going anywhere for Spring Break? That's okay! Come spend time at the library with us as we have a variety of programs for all ages happening that week!
Tuesday:
- Mystery Box Craft for kids and tweens from 2-4pm
Elementary-aged kids and tweens are invited to put on their thinking--and creativity!--hats with an art-based challenge! What will you pull out of the mystery box: a feather? a pipe cleaner? a clothespin? It'll be different for everyone!
Join us in making a creative masterpiece on Tuesday, March 12th from 1-4pm.
Not going anywhere for Spring Break? That's okay! Come spend time at the library with us as we have a variety of programs for all age happening that week!
Wednesday:
- Storytime for preschoolers at 10:30 am
Join us every Wednesday and Friday at 10:30 am for storytime and to grow your little one's early literacy skills.
We'll read some stories, sing a song or two, have a finger play, practice counting and listening, and more!
For Spring Break week, and in honor of St. Patrick's Day, we will celebrate all thing green. Be sure to wear something green!
- Coffee with Catherine for adults from 3-4 pm
Take an afternoon break and join us for coffee and conversation every Wednesday from 3:00 - 4:00 pm.
On March 13th, we'll be celebrating different languages! Come and share with the group the workd "hi" or another greeting in a different language.
Not going anywhere for Spring Break? That's okay! Come spend time at the library with us as we have a variety of programs for all ages happening that week!
- Meet at the Library for Movies from 1-3pm
March's movie features hats, parades, singing, and romance. Can you figure it out from our clue below?
Nightclub performer Fred Astaire hires a naive chorus girl in this musical that proves we aren't in Kansas anymore.
Call the library to confirm your guess--or just show up the day of!
Meet at the Library for Movies is a monthly program on the 2nd Thursdays from 1:00 - 3:00 pm. We hope you'll join us each time we Meet at the Library!
- Teen Thursdays: Video Games for ages 13-17 from 4:45-6:15 pm
Take a break this spring and join us for a video game tournament! Participants will decide on Mario Kart or Mario Bros.
Teen Thursdays meets every Thursday from 4:45 - 6:15 pm in the Pressley Meeting Room and is open to 13-17 year olds.
Not going anywhere for Spring Break? That's okay! Come spend time at the library with us as we have a variety of programs for all ages happening that week!
Friday:
- Storytime for preschoolers
Join us every Wednesday and Friday at 10:30 am for storytime and to grow your little one's early literacy skills.
We'll read some stories, sing a song or two, have a finger play, practice counting and listening, and more!
For Spring Break week, and in honor of St. Patrick's Day, we will celebrate all things green. Be sure to wear something green!
Do you enjoy knitting or crocheting? Bring your current project and chat and stitch with other knitters!
Join us every Friday from 3-5pm.
For 13+
Limited supplies available for beginners to try out knitting!
No registration required
Not going anywhere for Spring Break? That's okay! Come spend time at the library with us as we have a variety of programs for all ages happening that week!
Saturday:
- Library Book Club for adults from 11:00-12:30 pm
All adults who love books, want to talk about books, and meet new people are welcome!
In March, we'll be discussing News of the World, by Paulette Jiles. Even if you didn't get to read it, join us and share what you have been reading lately!
Find it in the library: NOV Jil + LT F Jil + Libby ebook + Libby eaudio
Sign-up to get discussion questions and reminder emails of upcoming LBC dates.
Book Suggestions
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Library Book Club choice - January 2024
In the early 1960s, chemist and single mother Elizabeth Zott, the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show due to her revolutionary skills in the kitchen, uses this opportunity to dare women to change the status quo. While we had mixed reactions (some loved it, some didn’t enjoy it, and others were so-so), most could relate to the issues in the book such as sexism, discrimination, and violence against women. Either way, we had a great discussion. If you read it, be sure to look out for the most sensible character in the story: the dog!
Find it: NOV Gar + Libby ebooks
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
60-year-old Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in her downstairs teashop. Although she has never met the man, obviously she can determine the murderer much better and much more quickly than the police! There are five suspects in Miss Wong's sights, and she befriends them all-- as a matchmaker, a mom, an aunt, or as just the opinionated, frustrating, bossy, intelligent, lonely older Chinese lady she truly is. As I read this delightful book, I was less interested in finding the guilty suspect and more engaged in seeing Vera make new friends and a family. I wholeheartedly recommend this excellent mystery! It will make you smile!
Find it: MYS Sut + Libby ebooks
Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena
Cary Kittrell, library staff
William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair-- an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter Avery unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper. Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing. This book kept me wondering who and why? I was very caught up in trying to figure it out and wasn’t prepared for the twist this story takes! I was super disappointed in how the author ended the book; I needed more answers! However, it leaves the story wide open for a sequel.
Find it: MYS Lap (New) + CD Book F Lap (New) + Libby ebooks
Big by Vashti Harrison
Bethany Dietrich, library staff
This picture book won several awards at the Youth Media Awards in early February, including the Caldecott Illustrators’ Award. The illustrations, alone, make this book beautiful, but the story is beautiful, too! It’s about a little Black girl who is told over and over again that she’s not pretty and that she can’t do what others are doing because she’s fat. But she persists and prevails! As a fellow fat person, it helped heal the message that I heard as a kid. And it’s a message that today’s kids need to hear, too.
Find it: E Har (New) + Libby ebooks
Are you a gardener? Or maybe you’ve dreamed of having a garden some day? Either way, you are invited to grow your knowledge and grow a new opportunity at Bastrop Public Library!
Join us for Seed Saving for Gardeners, a one-time program presented by Louise Placek from Central Texas Seed Savers.
Louise and CTSS are helping us get a seed library started at Bastrop Public Library!
What is a seed library?
A seed library is a free distribution of seeds from local growers. But we ask that farmers and gardeners bring back some of their seeds to allow other growers to use them for the next growing season.
What will this program be about?
Come and learn how to harvest your seeds and become "seed savers."
When and where is it?
Seed Saving for Gardeners will be Saturday, March 2nd from 2:30-3:30 in the Pressley Meeting Room at Bastrop Public Library.
Do I have to have a garden or be a gardener to attend?
No! As we get the seed library going, we will need volunteers to help us maintain it and all skill levels of gardener are welcome to volunteer!
Do I have to register or RSVP?
There is no registration required.
Do I have to have a library card to attend?
No, any and all are welcome!
Will there be other gardening programs?
Yes! We are working on a second spring gardening program presented by the Master Gardeners on Thursday, April 4 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. and getting more on the calendar for June, July, and August! Sign-up to get emails about gardening programs!
We'll see you on March 2nd!
Nine senior ladies sit around the tables in the Pressley Meeting Room. Many have gray hair, but the room is filled with sunny chitchat that would chase gray clouds far, far away.
Despite not knowing each other before attending Coffee with Catherine the first time, they laugh and joke with another as if they’ve been friends their entire lives. Indeed, that warm, friendly, welcoming environment is what makes Coffee with Catherine a favorite part of their week.
But what is Coffee with Catherine? From a bird’s eye view, it’s very simple: it’s a library program where people, often retired but not always, drink coffee and chat.
From the participant’s point of view, it’s so much more: it’s an opportunity to meet new people; make amiable friends; belly laugh like you’ve never laughed before; learn a new skill or dabble with poetry, painting, dancing, card-making, and other crafts and topics; but most importantly it’s a chance to be part of a caring community.
“When I was new to town,” Sylvia shared, “Kathy and Janie were quick to get me involved in all sorts of things at the library, Rec Center, and Senior Center. I love getting to spend time with these people who have lived rich lives.”
Carol, a snowbird who lives the other half of the year in Minnesota, loves Coffee with Catherine so much that she looks forward to it every time she returns to Bastrop for winter. Additionally, she’s taking it back to her library in Minnesota to have a similar group.
For some, Coffee with Catherine is more than just a weekly activity. “I struggled a lot after my husband died,” Beatrice confided. “But attending Coffee with Catherine has helped a lot. I love our ‘family.’”
Katherine added, “I enjoy coming here, where it doesn’t matter what my hair looks like, to a place that is non-threatening and fun.”
That pleasant and lively atmosphere is intentional. The group has guidelines to make sure they are welcoming to all and that no one person dominates the conversation: they stay away from political and controversial topics.
Instead, they talk about games they played as kids, share old family photos, exchange favorite recipes, give advice on kitchen renovations and plumbers to hire—or stay away from, and more.
Occasionally, a guest speaker or presenter will share with the group. A favorite presentation the ladies mentioned was when the Bastrop Police Department came last summer and shared about personal safety. Another favorite was Fabergé egg artist Debbie Grassel’s talk on her art. The group enjoyed her so much she was asked to come back this past summer.
If you’d like to join our community, make new acquaintances, and be welcomed like an old friend, join us for Coffee with Catherine every Wednesday from 3-4 pm in the Pressley Meeting Room. We’d love for you to come laugh with us!
Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen by Sarah Bird
Library Book Club title – December 2023
In 1864 Missouri, newly freed slave Cathy Williams makes the difficult decision to fight in the army disguised as a man with the Buffalo Soldiers. Her story is one of wits, courage, and heartbreak and provides much food for thought. We recommend this book to anyone looking for a strong female character who enjoys immersive storytelling. Two thumbs up!
Place a hold on a print copy
Place a hold on a Libby ebook copy
After Death by Dean Koontz
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
A government conspiracy is thwarted by a hero who died but actually –and amazingly!-- awoke with incredible skills. Now he is a supercomputer hacker, but only needs to use his mind! Michael Mace can stop cars, read hidden reports, find info about anyone, sic armed robot dogs on evil pursuers, but he is also human and wants to better mankind with his new powers. This is another excellent story by the king of imagery and thrills. Koontz has nailed the "good vs bad" story line again. He reminds us that kindness and love can often conquer the evil lurking everywhere in our world. And...of course, there is a golden retriever!
Place a hold on a print copy
Place a hold on a LT print copy
The Night House by Jo Nesbo
Becky Bennett, Library Board member
In part one of this three-part novel, 14-year-old Richard, after the deaths of his parents, goes to live with his aunt and uncle where he is a social outcast. Richard comes under suspicion when two of his friends go missing within days of each other and Richard claims the first one was eaten by a phone and the second one turned into a bug and flew out the window. In part two, we find out that is just what it is. It’s 15 years later, and Richard is a celebrated writer. However, when he returns to the town where he spent his teen years, things start to get weird. Again. Part three of the book brings all the threads together. The Night House is a distinct departure for Nesbo, but the novel is tense, thrilling, and a lot of fun.
Place a hold on a print copy
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Bethany Dietrich, library staff
Despite breaking up months earlier, picture-perfect couple Harriet and Wyn still haven’t told their friends about the split. At the annual Maine getaway, Harriet’s “happy place,” they attempt to pretend they are still together. Told from different points on the timeline of their relationship, the reader gets to experience this character-driven and heartwarming story. Afterall, is a true “happy place” really a place—or is it a person? (I promise there is a happily ever after in this story!)
Place a hold on a print copy
Place a hold on a CD Book copy
Place a hold on the Libby ebook copy
Patron Lisa H. loves the library so much and she wants you to love it as much as she does. Here are her top 10 reasons to love the library:
- The parking lot wifi is great.
- I can go there and print if needed.
- If my book club chooses a book, the library has it or has it ordered.
- When I request a book, they promptly respond and automatically put me on the list.
- Self checkout is so easy to use.
- I like that I can bookmark on my account and reference it when I need another read.
- The Information Desk is so helpful and patient if you have questions on how to use Libby and a multitude of other things.
- When I get a receipt after checkout, it tells me how much money I have saved that year on books.
- I love the Book Sale.
- Over the past 20+ years that I've lived here, it has grown and changed with the community.
Take a look back at all ten of these "in action" --and more-- that happened at Bastrop Public Library in 2023 in the annual report.
We can't wait to see you in 2024 so that we can help you love the library, too!
- Knitting Group begins Jan. 5th
- Fridays from 3-5pm
- Maynard Conference Room
- Bring your own projects and supplies.
- Limited supplies available for beginners
- Crocheters also welcome!
- Join us to work on a project and chat with other crafters!
- Meet at the Library for Movies on Jan. 11th
- Second Thursdays of the month from 1-3pm
- Pressley Meeting Room
- Join us for a movie!
- Here’s the clue for January’s film: A man builds a baseball field and hopes they will come. Call the library at 512-332-8880 to confirm the title.
- Sewing & Quilting Group begins Jan. 22nd
- Mondays from 1-3pm
- Maynard Conference Room
- Bring your own projects, sewing machines, and supplies.
- Join us to work on a project and chat with other crafters!
- Meet at the Library for Games on Jan. 25th
- Fourth Thursdays of the month from 1-3pm
- Pressley Meeting Room
- Join us for games!
- We’ll have Skip-Bo, decks of cards, Monopoly, and other games!
We’re expanding who writes newsletter reviews so that we can get a variety of genre suggestions for all types of readers! If you’ve read a book and want to write a positive review for the newsletter, please email us at info@bastroplibrary.org.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Library Book Club choice – November 2023
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. We love the theme that the little things really do matter, and that life is always worth living. The message of hope is very refreshing when the world around us is hard. Two thumbs up from LBC!
Find it: NOV Hai + CD Book F Hai + Libby ebooks
Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain
Library Book Club choice – October 2023
Recently widowed, architect Kayla Carter moves into her new home in Round Hill where she is faced with threatening notes and a neighbor who is harboring long-buried secrets about the dark history of the land on which her house was built. The “who done it” aspect of this suspenseful story had us guessing until the end! Many of us grew up not hearing about the atrocities happening during Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement, so this book shed light on this part of history—including the terror that Klan anarchy really did inflict. One thumb up from LBC.
Find it: MYS Cha + CD Book F Cha + Libby ebooks
The Challenge by Danielle Steel
Cary Kittrell, library staff
When the Pollock and Brown kids meet Juliet, new to town after her parent’s bitter divorce, they are all soon inseparable, spending their summer days swimming, horseback riding, hiking, and fishing. But one August afternoon, their latest adventure takes a dangerous turn--and quickly escalates into a battle for survival--when they find themselves trapped on Granite Peak. Fear reverberates through the town as their parents grow ever more desperate to hear the word that their children have been found. As the parents—and the town-- come to lean on one another for support, a media frenzy ensues, heightening tensions and testing some already fragile relationships.
Find it: NOV Ste + CD Book F Ste + LT F Ste + Libby ebooks
Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
A pregnant assassin with a strict moral code (think Dexter) and a divorced protective mother who teaches botany are suddenly pitted against each other in this smart, fast-paced thriller. A sniper attack at college move-in day doesn't kill the intended targets. Who was supposed to die? How are these two flawed women involved? What will each of them do to protect their families? I admired these smart yet flawed ladies and trusted neither one. This exciting book is full of surprises: even until the final two chapters! It's on my top ten list of the summer. Read it!
Find it: MYS Cha (New)
Book Suggestions
We’re expanding who writes newsletter reviews so that we can get a variety of genre suggestions for all types of readers! If you’ve read a book and want to write a positive review for the newsletter, please email us at info@bastroplibrary.org.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Becky Bennett, Library Board member
The story opens in southwest India in 1900. Mariamma, age 12, is to be married to a 40-year-old widower whom she has never met. After Mariamma's stepson, Jojo, drowns in a few inches of water in a ditch, Mariamma’s husband confides his family’s secret: in every generation at least one person dies by drowning. Grief-stricken, Mariamma begs God that if He can’t cure the affliction, at least send someone who can. Mariamma has two of her own children, a daughter and a son. The story follows the family through several generations of the family. This is the story of a family’s resilience and devotion to God and each other. It is a sweeping narrative that incorporates science, superstition, and magic. It reveals the power of both faith and science, and is a masterpiece of love, grief, and triumph.
Place a hold on the print copy (New)
Place a hold on the CD Book (New)
Place a hold on Libby eBook copy
Place a hold on Libby eAudiobook copy
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Kit is a home health aide starting a new job at dilapidated Hope's End mansion. Lenora Hope, now in a wheelchair, and totally mute, can only communicate via an old typewriter. Ms. Hope was accused but never convicted of her family's massacre over 50 years ago in this same mansion. With Lenora's help, will Kit finally solve the gruesome murders? Is someone close to Kit involved? A true gothic "whodunit" that you won't want to put down until you discover the truly awful truth. You might want to keep the lights on with this one!
Place a hold on the print copy (New)
Place a hold on Libby eBook copy
Place a hold on Libby eAudiobook copy
And Finally: Matters of Life and Death by Henry Marsh
Susan N., library patron
This masterful memoir is an unflinchingly candid and engaging work on death, life, and neuroscience. It hits everything I want in a memoir: moving, reflective, and authentic. But it also leaves me with a message. No spoilers here, but And Finally’s lesson revolved around compassion. I enthusiastically recommend this!
Place a hold on the print copy (New)
Lessons from the Edge by Marie Yovanovitch
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
With incredible strength and determination, Yovanovitch served as a U.S. ambassador to three countries, including Ukraine, before returning to the U.S. Her first battle was against gender discrimination within the State Department ranks and her final was the testimony she gave at Former President Trump's impeachment trial covering Ukraine. This memoir is a must-read for any woman who wishes to pursue a career in the U.S. Foreign Service.
Place a hold on the print copy
Place a hold on Libby eBook copy
Place a hold on Libby eAudiobook copy
Join us for great holiday cheer at the Annual Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 9, 2023 from 10:00-4:00pm! Mingle with Library Board Members, Friends of the Library, library staff, volunteers, and neighbors and community members to celebrate the holiday season.
Our traditional Graham Cracker House Decorating event will be a sure-fire family hit! We will have 300 houses to decorate throughout the day. Each hour from 10:00-3:00, we will seat 60 people in the Meeting Room and also have a limited number of kits available as an alternative to decorating a house at the library. We will have frosting, candy, and other goodies to create a masterpiece. You won’t want to miss it!
A variety of musicians will perform including
the Honor Choir; last year’s crowd favorite Mary Smith, accordionist;
singer Terry Moore; jazz saxophonist Juan Rangel; guitarist Max Butler;
and Phil Hurley! Your favorite holiday song is bound to be performed at
least once from these awesome musicians!
The fourth annual Great City Decorating Contest (GCDC) challenges City departments to decorate a graham cracker house, and you get to decide which department did the most spectacular job. The competition is fierce, so be ready to make the hard decision! Winners receive Facebook fame, a fabulous trophy, and bragging rights for the entire year!
In between shopping downtown on Saturday, December 9th, stop by the library to celebrate the season!
Are you a history nerd? Do you enjoy the history content we share? Did you attend the History Fair last month?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, here’s an opportunity for you to help preserve Bastrop’s heritage! We are fundraising to expand our History Preservation Project. This project began last year when we started digitizing the historical records held in Bastrop Public Library.
So, what does “digitizing” mean? It means that we take something physical, like a newspaper clipping, scan it, save it digitally, then store and share it on the internet so it is easily accessed and searched by everyone. We’ve just gotten started but there is lots and lots (like more than 3 filing cabinets worth!) of newspaper clippings, pictures, transcriptions of oral histories, cemetery records, and more that need to be digitized and preserved.
As we scan these items and make them accessible online, you and anyone with internet access around the world can dive into Bastrop’s fascinating history and do research anytime! This project ensures that our history won’t get forgotten in a box or crumble in a file folder but be available to people for years to come.
Unfortunately, we have reached a point where we will not be able to make meaningful progress without your help. We started the project where we could, with the tools we had, to see if our dream of digitizing our massive amount of materials was even possible. Now we know we can do this successfully!
Bastrop Train Depot
So what will it take to continue to digitize and preserve our local history content? We need an upgraded scanner that clearly and efficiently saves documents of different sizes. We need additional online storage with Preservica, the portal that provides access and preservation of our digitized items. We want to expand our project, because history isn’t just held on a piece of paper or a picture. So, in order to include VHS tapes, audiocassettes and vinyl recordings we need converter equipment and a dedicated computer to run a variety of software.
Finally, we’d like to purchase a microfilm reader. Currently, no one can view historic records housed only on microfilm in the library. In the future, we’d like to have these digitized as well, but that’s a different project!
Since this is a preservation project, once we become familiar with the equipment, we want to make the digitization equipment available for use by the public. We will be happy to teach and assist you with the machines so you can digitize your memories for future generations.
That is a lot of information to absorb, so here is our History Preservation Project in a nutshell.
Total project cost: $11,000
Level 1 needs: $800
- Flatbed scanner
- Preservica storage upgrade for 2 years
Level 2 needs: $3,200
- VHS converter
- Audiocassette converter
- Vinyl converter
- High speed computer with touchscreen monitor
Level 3 need: $7,000
We need your help to realize our goal of preserving and digitizing our local history materials. Your support will help us ensure everyone has access to these materials for years to come.
Donate today by mailing a check to the Bastrop Public Library, Attn: Veronica Nuñez, PO 670, Bastrop, TX 78602. Or you can stop in and make a donation with cash, check, or credit card. Be sure to mention the History Preservation Project when you donate. Please include your name and return address so that we can send you a thank you card!
If you’ve got a history buff in your family, this would make a great holiday gift! When donating, let us know it is a gift, and we will give you a card to put in a stocking, under the tree, or with a pretty ribbon.
Nash's Ferry
Those who donate by December 21st will receive a star on the Christmas tree in our lobby with your name or the name of the person you are giving in honor of.
Help us bring Bastrop history into the 21st century by donating to our project today!
Main Street
Eva is our newest addition to staff, and we’re so excited she is here! She brings creative energy and new ideas to teen and elementary programming as the Youth Services Librarian. Introduce yourself to Eva the next time you see her at the Information or Check-Out Desks.
What is your preferred way to have caffeine?
Soda/Coke
What was the name of the library you went to as a kid/teen?
Sterling Municipal Library
Which part of the library do you use the most?
Fellowship and programs
Waffles or pancakes?
Pancakes
Where is your dream vacation?
Yellowstone National Park
What was your last act of random kindness?
I translated for a person at the leasing office before heading into work.
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
No
Which mythical creature would make the best pet?
Phoenix
What was the last TV show you watched and enjoyed?
The Crown
Look to your left. What is one object you see?
Houston Astros tumbler
Thanks, Eva! We’re so glad you’ve joined the Bastrop Library Team!
Book Suggestions
We’re expanding who writes newsletter reviews so that we can get a variety of genre suggestions for all types of readers! If you’ve read a book and want to write a positive review for the newsletter, please email us at info@bastroplibrary.org.
An Honest Man by Michael Koryta
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
All but a few inhabitants of Salvation Point Island are corrupt. Israel Pike is almost an honest man. A convicted killer, he finds an abandoned yacht with seven dead men onboard. On another part of the island, Lyman Rankin, an abused 12-year-old, encounters a young woman wielding a hatchet in a nearby collapse of a house. Can these three solve the murders while also avoiding those who wish them harm? This book grabs you quickly and won’t let you go! All the emotions are there: bitterness, heartbreak, greed, love, but also hope. You will feel them all! A truly great suspense novel!
Place a hold on the print copy (New)
Place a hold on the CD Book copy (New)
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Becky Bennett
Aging former horror-film director Abel meets and reveals to fans Monserrat and Tristan that he has one reel of his last film--which was never finished--shot on silver nitrate. Abel explains that the film was the idea of a German occultist as a way to amplify a spell. After the German was killed and the film abandoned, all of those involved with experienced bad luck. Abel persuades Monserrat and Tristan to help him dub the sound for the film, thus breaking the curse and bringing them good luck. And it seems to work, at least for a little while… until the dead and the undead appear! The combination of interesting characters, a fast-moving plot, and suspense make this novel a fun read.
Place a hold on the print copy (New)
Place a hold on the Libby ebook copy
Place a hold on the Libby eAudiobook copy
Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth by Bryan Burrough
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Talk about poking the “sacred bull” in the eye with a stick! This is a fun and fact-filled romp that dispels the myths surrounding the Alamo. This informational book, written with meticulous care and humor by three noted Texan writers, rearranges the one-sided Texas-Anglo narrative forever. If you liked Cult of Glory by Doug J. Swanson, you’ll like this one, too!
Place a hold on the print copy
Place a hold on the Libby ebook copy
Place a hold on the Libby eAudiobook copy
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Philip L., library patron
It’s 1952, and a meteorite has stuck earth, causing a global cataclysm. Now that earth is poised to collapse, the space race—and exploring space as an alternative living arena—is on the fast track. Elma, a mathematician and WASP pilot, wants to be one of those astronauts to lead the exploration. But it’s the 50’s, and sexism is rampant. If you enjoyed Hidden Figures and/or Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, this engaging and richly detailed book needs to be your next read!
Place a hold on the print copy
Have you ever wondered how libraries get ebooks and eaudiobooks to patrons? How does it work?
Bastrop Public Library belongs to the Central Texas Digital Consortium. The 70 libraries in the consortium pool their money to purchase titles with our vendor OverDrive. Then, patrons from all 70 libraries have access to borrowing those titles.
Why do we belong to a consortium? Why don’t we just buy titles for Bastrop patrons to read?
Because ebooks and eaudiobooks are expensive for libraries!
Do you remember, about 20 years ago, when Napster and streaming music was all over the news? One customer would buy a CD then share the files electronically, cheating the music industry out of a lot of money.
The book publishing world saw this happen and put heavy restrictions on libraries to make sure ebook and eaudiobook sharing is regulated.
Let’s compare pricing of ebooks and eaudiobooks for the average reader and the library. The price of The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, a New York Times Bestseller for 20+ weeks, is $14.99 for the ebook on Amazon Kindle and $5.95 on Audible.
If we purchase it for the library through our vendor, the ebook is $60 and the eaudiobook is $109. BUT there are further complications!
Library ebooks and eaudios are metered, which means that after a certain number of checkouts or time in the library’s digital collection, it goes away. If the library wants to offer it again, it has to be purchased again.
Let’s say it’s a very popular title or a book club selection and more than one person wants to read the book at the same time. The library has to purchase additional copies because only one “copy” can go out at a time—just like physical books on the library shelves.
Let’s look at another example: Holly, Stephen King’s newest release. On Kindle, it’s $14.99 and $5.95 on Audible. On OverDrive, the ebook is $64.99 and the eaudio is $99.99 but, after 24 months, they disappear, and we have to buy another copy.
The question we get when explaining this is, why don’t libraries just buy from Kindle? Because we can’t. There isn’t a way for us to share those electronic files with other readers.
So why are we telling you this?? Because we see you ebook and eaudio readers! And we love that you are taking your books with you wherever you go! Each year we are incrementally increasing, how much we budget toward ebooks and eaudiobooks. Unfortunately, the money doesn’t go very far! If we are unable to purchase your title, please extend grace to us as we have to factor in all of our ebook and eaudio readers. But keep borrowing ebooks and eaudiobooks because that allows us to justify the need for more funding to meet our readers, and listeners, demands.
If you would like to make a donation to purchase additional ebooks and/or eaudiobooks, send us a check with “ebooks” in the memo line or drop it at the Circulation Desk. You are helping us make our collection better! Thank you!
This summer, Bastrop local Mary Smith offered to teach beginning sewing at the library, and it was such a fabulous time that she is teaching quilting this fall!
In June and July, participants made a tote bag and a small fabric bin. Becky Bennett plans on continuing to make these bins, embellished with another talent of hers, embroidery, to give as holiday gifts.
And while a few participants had a little prior knowledge of sewing, others like María Tuttrup did not: “I have never before sewn so all I learned in class was new. […] Now I own a sewing machine, know how to thread a needle and a bobbin, can sew a pant’s hem, and I am working towards sewing on a straight line.”
Currently, everyone is working on a small lap quilt. But the enjoyment and fellowship that accompanies the weekly classes is anything but small. Becky explained: “Most of the time sewing is a solitary activity. However, during class, I get to hang out with and talk with other people who love to sew. The camaraderie is as enjoyable as the sewing.”
Indeed, Dorene Ruggs shared that she “really enjoys participating in the class and feels that [she] [has] established new friendships.” Liz Alejos called the group “the new Golden Girls!”
Like with many hobbies, participants have learned additional skills as well, such as patience and precision. But Dorene has gotten something extra special from the classes: “Mary has helped me with quilt pieces left to me by my grandparents. They left enough projects for six quilts, and I have completed three since June 2023. They will bring a lot of happiness to my family with the memories left by my grandparents.”
For Rachelle Caviness, who used to sew but hadn’t in years, this summer’s “class reignited my passion for sewing!” And María loves the “peace and relaxation.”
If you’re interested in reigniting your sewing passion, curious about sewing a basic hem, or have never even threaded a needle, Dorene “would strongly recommend anyone interested in learning to sew to come and participate in a class with Mary. Everyone in class now is really enjoying the full experience of learning and accomplishing sewing techniques and making totes, bins, and quilts.”
Because of limited space and supplies, we do have to cap how many people can attend the classes. However, we may do more sewing classes after the holidays. If you’re interested in getting on that waitlist, please email us at info@bastroplibrary.org.
Thank you, Mary, for teaching us a new skill!
Bonnie is our fearless leader and director! She oversees the library building, programs, services, collections, and staff. One of the major parts of her job is “big picture thinking” such as strategic planning, budgets, State Library qualifications and certifications for our library, and so much more. But she still makes time for a part of her previous role: Pajama Time Stories, which meets on third Tuesdays at 6:30pm. Bonnie has worked diligently to make the library a patron-centric place, and we love that—and hope you do, too!
What is your preferred way to have caffeine?
Hot coffee
What was the name of the library you went to as a kid/teen?
Calhoun County Public Library
Which part of the library do you use the most?
Fellowship and programs
Waffles or pancakes?
Pancakes
Where is your dream vacation?
Italy/Rome
What was your last act of random kindness?
The neighbor's dog got out when she wasn't home. I put the dog back in the yard and blocked the hole so he couldn't get out.
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Yes
Which mythical creature would make the best pet?
These all seem like a lot of work. I'll just keep my cat.
What was the last TV show you watched and enjoyed?
Emily in Paris
Look to your left. What is one object you see?
A plant from the table decorations from my dad's 85th birthday party.
Thanks, Bonnie! If you get a chance to chat with Bonnie, don’t pass it up!
In honor of the upcoming Texas Book Festival, here are reviews of some of the featured authors’ books!
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
Warning: This is a dog book! Ted (the human) and Lily (the dog) are best friends. Then Lily picks up a friend that Ted names The Octopus. The Octopus that no dog or person should have and it’s so sad all of the things they go through. If you love animals, you WILL cry and you WILL love this book! Hold your doggos close, everyone.
Place a hold on the print copy
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
An excellent, gritty novel about how eventually, all sins must be reckoned with, one way or another. After a shooting at the local high school, Titus, the Black sheriff, must navigate local politics, grapple with his own traumas, and figure out who the brutal serial killer in the town’s midst is. There is nonstop action, a protagonist with so much depth, and a dark truth that you won’t forget easily.
Place a hold on the print copy
Place a hold on the Libby ebook copy
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Water Isaacson
What do the coronavirus, medical miracles, gene editing, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and feminists in science have in common? Jennifer Doudna! Doudna helped discover CRISPR, an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA. But while making us less susceptible to viruses seems like an obvious positive, what about other possibilities… like preventing depression or allowing parents who can afford it to enhance the height or muscles or IQ of their kids? Isaacson breaks down these moral quandaries with Doudna in this thought-provoking biography.
Place a hold on the print copy
Tumble by Celia C. Peréz
Twelve-year-old Addie loves her stepdad, but when she finds a photo of her absent biological dad, she has lots of questions. To Addie’s surprise, when she meets her bio dad’s family, they turn out to be Mexican wrestlers! As Addie learns, being part of a family is hard—it’s about showing up, taking off your mask, and working through challenges together. If your middle schooler likes books with colorful characters, authentic family dynamics, and themes of belonging, then this one is for them!
Place a hold on the print copy
Place a hold on the Libby ebook copy
Veronica (AKA Ronni) is often seen at the Circulation Desk, helping checkout books. But, most often, she’s not seen at all. That’s because she handles a large portion of the behind-the-scenes tasks and responsibilities as the Executive Administrative Assistant. She’s amazing at placing orders, making sure the budget is all neat and tidy, tracking everything under the sun in a spreadsheet, organizing all the cabinets and cupboards, and so much more. And she does an amazing job at it!
Ronni - dressed in pink
What is your preferred way to have caffeine?
Tea
What was the name of the library you went to as a kid/teen?
Bastrop Public Library
Which part of the library do you use the most?
eBooks and eaudiobooks on Libby
Waffles or pancakes?
Pancakes
Where is your dream vacation?
Italy
What was your last act of random kindness?
Helping a volunteer move all the books we received over the long holiday
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
No
Which mythical creature would make the best pet?
Sphynx
What was the last TV show you watched and enjoyed?
Blockbuster
Look to your left. What is one object you see?
A coffee cup
Thanks, Ronni! If you get a rare sighting of Ronni at the Circulation Desk, make sure to say hi!
If you look in the dictionary
(In 423— not the glossary!),
Under the word “generosity,”
“Friends of Bastrop Public Library,”
You are sure to see.
With your kindness and benevolence--
There is no lack of evidence--
All year long, we have books and supplies
For programs, apps, and reading prizes.
Something for everybody.
But we can’t forget the big book sale!
Nor the Book Nook’s everyday retail.
You sort the donations and discards.
Your volunteers work so very hard.
You need more than three!
If you love your Bastrop library
Please consider this good company
To join for the community here.
You get to make a difference so dear.
Join at the desk with your fee!
If you love your Bastrop library
Please consider this good company
To join for the community here.
You get to make a difference so dear.
Join at the desk with your fee!
Happy National Friends of the Libraries Week!
We are so thankful for the generosity of our wonderful Friends of Bastrop Public Library. Thanks to the items purchased in the Book Nook year-round and at the spring book sale, the Friends are able to support the library by providing prize books during Summer Reading, program supplies such as construction paper and scissors, a variety of services such as the Mango language-learning app, and much more!
But they need more members! To sign-up, ask for an application at the Circulation or Information Desks and pay the annual $15 dues. With your membership, you get to enter the annual book sale an hour early!
If you’re looking to do more than just financially support, the Friends always need more volunteers to help organization donations, restock the Book Nook, and run the Friends of the Library. This is a great opportunity for anyone looking for a way to give back to the community!
Do you like books? Have you ever wanted to meet your favorite author in-person? You can at the Texas Book Festival!
This year’s Texas Book Festival is November 11th and 12th at St. Edward’s University in Austin. It’s a free and open celebration of books and reading that is open to the public!
This year, they have over 300 distinguished and award-winning national and Texas authors slated to attend! Some of these big names are:
- Ann Patchett (author of The Dutch House, 2023’s Tom Lake, and more)
- S.A. Cosby (Razorblade Tears, Blacktop Wasteland, and more)
- Justin Cronin (Passage trilogy, The Ferryman, and more)
- Ali Hazelwood (The Love Hypothesis series)
- Walter Isaacson (The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race; Steve Jobs; and other biographies)
- Paulette Jiles (News of the World, 2023’s Cenneville, and more)
- Rebecca Makkai (I Have Some Questions for You, The Great Believers)
- Tim O’Brien (The Things They Carried)
- Steven Rowley (Guncle, Lily and the Octopus, The Celebrants, and more)
- John Scalzi (The Kaiju Preservation Society and more sci-fi stories)
- Luis Alberto Urrea (The House of the Broken Angels and more)
- Abraham Verghese (Covenant of Water, Cutting for Stone, and more)
And bring the kids and teens to see their favorite authors, too!
- Max Brallier (Last Kids on Earth series)
- Nathan Hale (Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series)
- Juana Medina (Elena Rides, Juana y Lucas, and more)
- Celia C. Peréz (The First Rule of Punk, Tumble, and more)
- Rachel Renée Russell (Dork Diaries series)
- Neal Shusterman (Scythe series, Skinjacker trilogy, and more)
- Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give and more)
- Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming, Harbor Me, and more)
Book Suggestions
The Sanctuary by Katine Engberg
Becky Bennett, library board member
After Copenhagen police find a suitcase with half of a body in it—the left half-- detective Anette Werner travels to the tiny Danish island of Bornholm, following clues to try to determine the victim’s identity and find his killer. She and her partner begin to suspect that the body is the son of a famous--and deceased--anthropologist. The story alternates between the present investigation and the scientist's life. The plot is intriguing as Anette and her team meticulously and methodically investigate the gruesome murder. There are plenty of suspects, and readers are treated to great action and suspense at the climax! If you like international mysteries, you’re welcome to read this as a stand-alone or as the fourth in the series.
Find it: MYS Eng (New)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
This classic is set in a bleak, dystopian future, where books and the houses (and also sometimes people) that hide them are burned. If you read this book years ago, read it again. Society often comes full circle. Never read it? It is short enough, good enough, and thought provoking enough to read in one setting.
Find it: SFF Bra + LT F Bra + CD Book F Bra + Libby ebooks
Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendship by Nina Totenberg
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Dinners with Ruth is a wonderful book, highlighting the importance of friendship, especially between professional women. It also shares an insightful look into Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a Supreme Court Judge and as an individual. This book grew my understanding of her fairness, ethics, and attention to the rule of law—which I didn’t think was possible. A delightfully easy read: it may make you shed a tear or two for our collective loss.
Find it: 92 Tot (New) + Libby ebooks
Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler
Bethany Dietrich, library staff
This rom-com had me giggling and rooting for, not only the HEA (Happily Ever After), but the successful delivery of, you guessed it, Mrs. Nash’s ashes. There are small town festivals, questionably decorated bed’n’breakfasts, missed flights, a deer with a death wish, a protagonist who doesn’t believe in happily-ever-afters, and more. If you need an easy laugh to battle the Sunday Scaries, this one fits the bill!
Find it: ROM Adl (New) + Libby ebooks
September, in libraries across the nation, is Library Card Sign-up Month. Well, many of those who receive this newsletter are already cardholders, so it seemed silly to promote that—a little like “preaching to the choir”!
Instead, we want to highlight the impact libraries and librarians have so that you continue to visit us and continue to incorporate books and reading in your and your family’s lives. As such, here are library memories from our staff’s childhoods. Keep reading, keep adventuring, keep learning!
From Bethany: Britton Public Library in Britton, South Dakota
Every summer, my brother and I would spend 2-3 weeks at Grandma and Grandpa's house in South Dakota. The two-day long drives were worth the fun of the Leave It to Beaver-esque town that G&G lived in. We rode our bikes everywhere: to the pool, to the grocery store, to day camp at the church, and to the parks. But my favorite spot was the library.
I can still remember the smell of that 1921 Carnegie library: a little bit musty, a little bit chlorine-y from the pool next door, and a little bit of hairspray that followed the librarian around.
The shelves were tall, like 10-feet-tall tall. But perhaps they just seemed tall to younger me. Either way, I remember climbing on stools just like the ones we have here at Bastrop Public Library to reach the Baby-Sitters Club books. They had all 131 of them, and I read them multiple times over my stay-- and completed their Summer Reading Program during that short time, too.
In the years since, they've moved to a new location, but I hold fond memories of visiting the library there as a kid.
From Cary: Clovis-Carver Public Library in Clovis, New Mexico
Libraries didn’t become important to me until I was in high school. When I was in elementary school, we read on a machine-- more like speed reading--, and it was difficult to comprehend what you were reading. You were tested on what you read, and most of the time, I failed, making reading a nightmare for me. I am not a fast reader; I like to take my time and process what I am reading.
Then, during my junior and senior years of high school, I was an aide in our elementary library. The librarian noticed that I was not a big fan of the library and decided to change my view on it. She started me off with little projects and made getting new books a huge thing. She would ask me to “look through” the new easy books. You can’t just “look through” new easy books without reading them! I begin to get hooked.
She taught me how to repair the books, the Dewey Decimal System, and that reading wasn’t an evil thing. My love for reading kept growing and has taken me to many exotic places I might never get to visit. I have figured out many mysteries, cooked new recipes, learned better organization, and how to fix/repair things. Libraries are a safe space for me, and a world of adventure!
From Bonnie: Calhoun County Public Library in Port Lavaca, Texas
My family always went to the Calhoun County Public Library during the summer. Each year,the librarians would create a diorama for the lobby that was based on the summer reading program theme. My brother and I loved looking at that diorama! When you registered for the reading program, you would get a blank bookmark with the theme across the top. At different reading points you would get a little picture to add to your bookmark and by the end of the program your bookmark would resemble the lobby display. It was so exciting to add to the bookmark and watch it fill up as you read more and more books. Since this was way before the internet and clip art, I can only imagine the number of hours the librarians spent drawing and cutting out tiny pictures just so each child could have something to mark their reading achievement! It really was one of my favorite things about the summer and I’m sure I still have one of those bookmarks tucked away in a box of childhood memories.
From Catherine: Spooner Public Library in Spooner, Wisconsin
I never went to the public library as a young child because we lived on a small farm away from the rural town of Shell Lake, Wisconsin. I never really thought about why we didn't go to the library....maybe our small town didn't have one or maybe because my mother didn't see the need of reading for a pastime because she never had time for leisure.
When I was in seventh grade, we moved to the outskirts of Spooner, which was one of the largest towns in northwest Wisconsin… with the population of 2,444.
During the summer, after our morning chores were completed, we had the afternoons for free time. I was able to ride my bike to Spooner Library! I remember how quiet it was. I can't remember more than three or four people in the library at a time. I can still see the glass doors that I went through and the turn to my left that led me to the books that would be my friends during the long summer months.
I never saw my mother read a book for pleasure; however, she never stopped me from reading the summer afternoon hours away.
From Ronni: Bastrop Public Library in Bastrop, Texas
Growing up, I was not an avid library user. I have sporadic, yet pleasant memories, of the programs I occasionally attended during my elementary school years. Nonetheless, the library still had a place in my youth. My friends and I often did things downtown, be it was spending a day at the park, meeting for a meal or dessert, or simply walking around. Regardless of what we had planned, the library was almost always our start and end point, our home base.
Being in the heart of downtown, the library was the perfect meeting spot that we could always rely on. Either before or after setting off on our excursions, we’d often find ourselves working on the community puzzle, having a quick study session, or simply enjoying each other’s company in a comfortable environment.
From Amie: Small town, Texas
I loved going to my local library as a child. I don’t have a specific memory, but I have a feeling I think of when approaching my favorite section of books.
Thinking of my old library brings that feeling back in a rush. It’s a hard feeling to explain, but I think it was the excitement I had for the freedom to discover and choose my next book.
When I was younger, I loved flipping through the picture books, and I specifically remember getting excited when I figured out that I could always find the Eric Carle books in the same place.
When I was a little older, the best place in the library was the bottom two shelves by the copier. That was where the Boxcar Children and the Baby-sitters Club series were packed in. There was one shelf for each of them, and, to this day, I’m still pretty sure I never did accomplish my goal of reading them all.
As I grew older, the section that brought anticipation changed, but the excitement was always there.
I find it even now when I walk back to the fiction section here at Bastrop Public Library. Who knows what I will find, and what story or world I can get lost in next!
From Jackie: Melrose Park Public Library in Melrose Park, Illinois
I grew up in the Melrose Park Public Library. Every year, I would join their Summer Reading Program and, even though I never won the big prize, I always looked forward to the next one. I would spend hours reading books, putting together puzzles, and playing computer games. I would always leave with new books, a fresh bookmark, and a big smile! Even though I do not live in Illinois anymore, the Bastrop Public Library always brings back all those happy memories.
From Terry: Birmingham Public Library in Birmingham, Alabama
When I was about 19 and in college, and my sister was working on her master’s thesis, and I used the downtown Birmingham Public Library to help her research. She paid me $100, but I really enjoyed it! It was an economic piece, and I had to look up her sources –pre-internet!-- for her and gathered information that she could then use to write up her paper.
It was a fun experience because I got to work with my oldest sister, Sandra. As the youngest of eight, I didn’t always get to spend much time with my oldest siblings. And with that $100, I bought clothes! I was going to be the coolest, bell-bottom-wearing, afro-having guy at college after that!
Terry Carwell
Show us what library you have fond childhood memories of by placing a pin on this Google map or using a physical pin on the map in the library!
What a Fantastic Summer!
This summer, 980 readers read 1,416,860 minutes! Wow! That means that 47% kids, tweens, teens, and adults reached their goal of reading at least 500 minutes!
That’s a lot of book prizes given away! 514 readers picked up a prize book from the cart in the Children’s Area and 179 adults spent their $2 coupon in the Book Nook. Keep reading, everyone! We are so proud of you!
Throughout the summer, we also had fun programs, such as:
- Community Skillshare: Sewing with Mary that reignited sewing passions
- Storytime with Bastrop Police Offices that brought in community helpers
- No-Bake Iron Chef for teens with guests from Stem & Stone
- Art with Callan Clark, Jana Lynch, and others at Coffee with Catherine
- Creativity at LEGORAMA
- The Real Mad Hatter brought the laughs and the bubbles
- An Escape Room that 16 groups solved
- A presentation from the Bastrop County African American Cultural Center and Freedom Colonies Museum
- A skit with Abigail Adams and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
- and more!
We heard lots of love for the library this summer:
Do you have a positive note or story to tell the librarians? Share it here. We use these to show our value in the community, and it just makes our days brighter! Thanks in advance!
We can’t wait for the adventure of summer reading 2024!
Have you chatted with Cary recently? She spent a year or two over at City Hall, but she’s been back at the library for a while now, and we are so glad to have her back! She can often be found at the Circulation or Information Desks, and she is our tech whiz! She makes sure all of our technology is working and translates IT speak so we can all understand,, and designs beautiful fliers, graphics, and even the newsletter you’re reading right now! Cary adds creativity, a big smile, and a listening ear to our team.
What is your preferred way to have caffeine?
Diet Coke
What was the name of the library you went to as a kid/teen?
Clovis-Carver Public Library
Which part of the library do you use the most?
Checking out audiobooks
Waffles or pancakes?
Pancakes
Where is your dream vacation?
Hawaii
What was your last act of random kindness?
Treated the car behind me!
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Yes
Which mythical creature would make the best pet?
Unicorn
What was the last TV show you watched and enjoyed?
Love You (and Asian drama)
Look to your left. What is one object you see?
Cell phone
Thanks, Cary! Come catch up with Cary, and share your latest favorite Asian drama shows, too!
The Infinite Jeff by Will Holcomb
Grace Dacy, Friend of the library
Local author, Will Holcomb has written a delightful book about an everyday man named Stanley who takes a road trip and gives a ride to a most extraordinary hitch hiker. The tale is heartwarming, humorous, and thought provoking.
Find it: NOV Hol
Unseen Worlds: Real-Life Microscopic Creatures Hiding All Around Us by Helene Rajcak and Damien Laverdunt
Bethany Dietrich, library staff
Is your I Spy fanatic in need of a new seek-n-find book? Unseen Worlds has got you covered! AND they get to learn about microbiomes and science! Yay science!
Find it: J 579 Raj
Women We Buried, Women We Burned by Rachel Louise Snyder
Dianne Tripp
What a story! It’s incredible that this woman survived family upheaval, religious extremity, emotional and physical abuse to become a gifted writer! At seventeen years old, she was handed a suitcase and kicked out of the family home. Homeless and without an education, she persevered to travel throughout Asia and became an accomplished writer for women's rights, with a focus on spotlighting their many strengths when under duress. If you like women’s stories of tenacity like Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Maid by Stephanie Land, this one should be on your list to read.
Find it: 92 Sny (New)
Trust by Hernan Diaz
Becky Bennett
This Pulitzer winner is in four parts: the fictitious novel “Bonds,” about a Wall Street mogul and his wife in the 1920s and 30s; the unfinished autobiography of the man (who proudly claims he bends the truth to fit his desires) the novel was based on; the memoir of the woman who ghost-wrote the autobiography; and an excerpt from the journal of the mogul’s wife. Each part reveals the supposed truth and the actual falsehoods of the previous parts. Together, they will give readers a great deal to think about. What is truth? Can we ever really know what is true and what is illusion?
Find it: Libby ebooks
Last winter, Public Services Librarian Bethany Dietrich received a call from an out-of-towner. We get lots of calls at the library, but this was a unique and interesting one: “I need to get a copy of my son’s birth certificate. He was born at the hospital in Bastrop in the 1970’s, but that hospital doesn’t exist anymore. Can you help me?”
Yes, we can help you!
Bethany went deep in the research rabbit hole of digitized The Bastrop Advertiser issues and found loads of fascinating information about health care in Bastrop going back more than 100 years! For example, did you know that the first healthcare building, called “Bryson Sanitarium,” was opened in 1921 and located nearly across the street from the library… and is still a doctor’s office!
Here are some interesting snippets of the timeline:
- Several years later in 1924, it was updated by Dr. Bryson and local community members to a “modern hospital” and renamed F.A. Orgain Memorial Hospital.
- In 1969, Bastrop Memorial Hospital opened at Loop 150 W, and ten years later, the Bastrop Clinic moved from Church Street to join them. These two healthcare facilities were a community enterprise under the Bastrop Hospital Authority, something that many of us forget about as a healthcare option in a world of co-pays and high insurance deductibles!
- In June 1981, the old F.A. Orgain Memorial Hospital on Church Street was sold and remodeled into apartments.
- Throughout the 1980’s, Bastrop Memorial Hospital was plagued with financial woes. According to the Bastrop Advertiser, it was largely because Medicare was “’going through a computer change,’ which ha[d] delayed government reimbursements since [November 1980].”
- Ever wonder why the police department is on Hospital Drive? Because the road was named when the old hospital was there!
- From 1982-1991, healthcare in Bastrop went through numerous and varied name, management firm, and leadership changes, and in 1989, the Bastrop county commissioners decide that Bastrop “won’t have a tax-supported hospital district” anymore.
- In 1998, The Bastrop Advertiser noted that Smithville Regional Hospital would open a new Bastrop clinic at 441 Highway 71W in the “old Wal-Mart building.” This new Bastrop Medical Center gave “Bastrop services it ha[d] been without for more than a decade” including cardiologist, urologist, labs and x-ray services, and more.
Unfortunately, this is where the trail started to grow cold. 2000-2006 issues of The Bastrop Advertiser have not been digitized yet.
- In July 2013, construction begins on Lone Star Circle of Care at 605 Old Austin Highway as a collaboration between Seton Healthcare Family and Lone Star Circle of Care. Lone Star Circle of Care is “a multi-service clinic for the 18,000 uninsured and underinsured residents in Bastrop and surrounding areas.”
- Later that summer, Seton Smithville (another name change!) only had ten beds remaining (compared to 36 beds in 2010) after the ICU was closed and other services were reduced.
This is where the research trail dries up completely as we don't have access to Bastrop Advertiser issues beyond 2015. So we need help filling in the gaps. Do you have more information or maybe ideas for alternative search terms to comb through old, digitized newspapers? If so, please email us at info@bastroplibrary.org so that we can round out this aspect of history in Bastrop!
If you’re interested in citations and the full timeline (as close as we can determine), you can read it here.
Whether you are a group of one studying or a group of 100 assembling for a non-profit’s annual meeting, we have space for you!
Study Booths
We have three study booths that are available for patrons to utilize, whether you have a library card or not. Study booths comfortably seat one to two people and can squeeze a third in.
To use a study booth, visit the Information Desk and ask if one is available. If one is open, the librarian will assign it to you for an hour. At the one-hour mark, you may request to extend your time for a second hour if no one is waiting. The booths are not soundproof, so headphones are required if you need to listen and/or watch content online. Reservations are available up to two weeks in advance for time-sensitive appointments, such as a video interview, an online test, a meeting with a client, etc.
Maynard Conference and Pressley Meeting Room
The Maynard Conference Room features a large conference-style table that comfortably seats ten participants. All reservations require a $100 deposit in addition to the hourly rate. Nonprofits may use the room for no additional hourly rate and for-profits for $25/hour. All set-up and clean-up must be handled by the group.
The Pressley Meeting Room is a large room that allows for up to 100 people in presentation-style seating or 50 people at tables. All reservations require a $100 deposit in addition to the hourly rate. Nonprofits may use the room for no additional hourly rate and for-profits for $50/hour. Tables, chairs, and all set-up and clean-up must be handled by the group.
The reservation form is available online and all inquiries for date availability can be directed to Terry Carwell, either in-person at the library or via email at tcarwell@bastroplibrary.org.
More information and pictures of the rooms are available on the library’s website.
We hope to see you and your group utilizing library space soon!
Have you met Amie? She is a jill-of-all-trades and can be found at the Information Desk and the Circulation Desk! She’s our cataloger, making sure that the books get in the catalog and on the shelves in an organized manner. She also was the brains behind the summer’s escape room, so tell her thank you if you enjoyed the fun! Amie adds methodical thinking and creative problem solving to our team.
What is your preferred way to have caffeine?
Iced coffee
What was the name of the library you went to as a kid/teen?
Seguin Public Library
Which part of the library do you use the most?
Ebooks and eaudiobooks on Libby
Waffles or pancakes?
Waffles
Where is your dream vacation?
Galapagos Islands
What was your last act of random kindness?
Asking if I could take a group picture for strangers
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
I've never tried it, and at this point it has become too divisive for me to get involved.
Which mythical creature would make the best pet?
Sphynx
What was the last TV show you watched and enjoyed?
The Mandalorian
Look to your left. What is one object you see?
An Umbrella (Schefflera) plant
Thanks, Amie! If you are a Star Wars OR a plant geek, come nerd out with Amie!
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding this year’s end of summer reading celebration:
Q1: What is the Readers’ Jubilee?
A1: The Readers’ Jubilee is a reading reward celebration at the end of the Summer Reading 2023 Program.
Q2: Can I attend the Readers’ Jubilee?
A2: Kids who have read and logged 500 minutes in Beanstack are eligible to attend (with their grown-up).
Q3: How do I make sure my kid can attend the Readers’ Jubilee?
A3: Make sure they have logged at least 500 minutes in Beanstack by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, July 21, 2023. If you need help logging minutes, please talk to staff at the Summer Reading Desk in the Children’s Area.
Q4: Do I need a ticket or something similar to attend?
A4: Yes! When you pick up your prize for 500 minutes, you will get a physical ticket with entry information. Additionally, the week of July 17th, you will receive an email from library staff with that information (and a virtual ticket).
Q5: When is the Readers’ Jubilee?
A5: For kids who read and log 500 minutes, the Readers’ Jubilee is Saturday, July 22nd from 6:30-8:00pm.
Q6: What kind of activities will be at the Readers’ Jubilee?
A6: This year, we are having fun –and getting messy!—with paint! We’ll have pizza, play games, do paint-y activities, and even throw some paint a librarian or two!
Have you met Catherine? She’s often behind the Circulation Desk helping patrons checkout books. She also facilities Coffee with Catherine on Wednesday afternoons at 3:00 p.m. If you’re in need of a listening ear and connection –or maybe just a good cup o’ joe—join them! Catherine adds empathy and kindness to our team.
What is your preferred way to have caffeine?
(Hot) coffee
What was the name of the library you went to as a kid/teen?
Spooner Public Library in Wisconsin
Which part of the library do you use the most?
Buying used books at the Book Nook
Waffles or pancakes?
Waffles
Where is your dream vacation?
Train trip through Canada
What was your last act of random kindness?
Serving others
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
No
Which mythical creature would make the best pet?
Fairy
What was the last TV show you watched and enjoyed?
College or NFL football
Look to your left. What is one object you see?
Family pictures
Thanks, Catherine! If you are from the Midwest (especially Wisconsin) or have a great story to tell, come talk with Catherine!
Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Andrew's wife Brie goes missing while he supposedly has gone fishing. Is it always the husband? Six year later, a woman looking quite similar to Brie shows up at his home, and, just as suddenly, disappears again! Every character is suspicious, and the clever ending comes out of nowhere!
If you love a psychological suspenseful thriller, this book (and author) is a definite choice for you.
Find it: MYS Bar
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Kingsolver has nailed one of the most elusive settings in her latest: an accurate portrayal of Appalachia. (And I would know because I lived in Tennessee from 1964-1982.) In a heart-wrenching narrative, we follow Damon, the hungry orphan son of a teenage mother, as he weathers the foster care system, institutional poverty, and living in a community wracked by the opioid epidemic. Art, though, may just be his savior. If you loved The Poisonwood Bible, you won’t want to miss this one. Brava, Kingsolver!
Find it: NOV Kin (New) + CD Book F Kin (New) + Libby ebooks
Bake: My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics by Paul Hollywood
Cary Kittrell, library staff
In Bake, Paul Hollywood shares his best-ever recipes for classic bakes like Victoria Sandwich, Chocolate Fudge Cake, foolproof Sourdough, Sausage Rolls, and Danish Pastries. Whether you have a sweet tooth, savory tooth, or doughy tooth, these are the only recipes you'll need to create perfectly delicious bakes time and time again. If you’re a fan of The Great British Baking Show as I am, you will enjoy reading through the recipes.
Find it: 641 Hol (New)
Zero Day by David Baldacci
Mary McCormick, library patron
A family of four has been murdered in rural West Virginia coal country. John Pullen, Army Criminal Investigator, joins forces with Samantha, a local homicide detective to determine why the family was murdered. They plunge into one scrape after another as they peel through the many layers of this complex murder investigation. A captivating read.
Find it: MYS Bal + LT F Bal + CD Book F Bal + Libby ebooks
All the readers in Bastrop are blowing us away with their participation! But keep it up because there are still several weeks to read and log your minutes!
As readers have been logging their minutes, we’ve been asking, what’s a good book you’ve read this summer? And here are some of their answers:
Picture books:
1st readers:
Teens:
Adults:
What’s a good book you’ve read this summer? Don’t forget: lots of things count as reading: audiobooks, magazines, newspapers, books, ebooks, books you read to your (grand)kid, fanfiction, and more! So, let us know by sending a pic of you with the book to info@bastroplibrary.org.
All together, we’ve read 192,466 minutes, and we’re excited to see what else you read this summer!
Don’t be late for these very important dates! The Summer Reading 2023 calendar is officially here!
There is something for all ages this summer, so mark your calendars because you won’t want to miss it.
Tuesday, May 30 kicks off summer reading with five full days of Opening Week of fun at the library. Tuesday YOU get to help finish our summer reading display. All together, we, the community, are the library. It’s not the Ms. Bonnie Library or the Mr. Terry Library or the Storytime Library. It’s the BASTROP Public Library. All are welcome to come together to display our favorite books and put your own (hand)stamp on this display and on the library as a whole. Read more about Opening Week activities online.
After Opening Week, there are still seven weeks of the summer reading program and lots of activities available for all ages. What kind of fun are you looking to participate in this summer?
Be a part of the Bastrop Public Library community this summer! Break out of isolation, battle the loneliness epidemic, connect with others and maybe even make some new friends. We can’t wait to see you!
Click on the icons below to learn more...
Learn more about Summer Reading 2023, including how to register, log minutes, and earn prizes. We’ll see you this summer!
Have you met Bethany? She’s often hanging out with the teens and helping people at the Information Desk. She’s also the one behind many of the Facebook and Instagram posts. She adds data-driven decision-making to the library team and rarely can be found talking about anything other than books or spreadsheets.
Bethany and Grandpa Kenny, 1990
What is your preferred way to have caffeine?
Diet Coke
What was the name of the library you went to as a kid/teen?
Hewitt Public Library
Which part of the library do you use the most?
Checking out books
Waffles or pancakes?
Pancakes
Where is your dream vacation?
UK
What was your last act of random kindness?
I shared CCHS's tree-plenish project to my neighborhood's Facebook group to get more people involved.
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Yes
Which mythical creature would make the best pet?
Dragon
What was the last TV show you watched and enjoyed?
Ghosts
Look to your left. What is one object you see?
Clock
Thanks, Bethany! If you have a great book you just finished or want to swap Excel tips and tricks, come talk with Bethany!
Book Suggestions
Lone Women by Victor LaValle
Becky Bennett, library board member
Adelaide flees her family’s farm in 1915 after setting fire to the house with her parents’ corpses inside. She takes with her an impossibly heavy trunk that she does not like to let out of her sight. She heads to Montana, one of the few states that allow lone women to homestead. When Adelaide discovers her trunk open and empty, people begin to die. LaValle’s genre-busting novel is equal parts western, historical, mystery, and horror. There is plenty of action and blood, but there is plenty to think about also. Adelaide contends with loneliness, isolation, allowing herself to trust others, and "the shame" she hides in the steamer trunk.
Find it: NOV LaV (New)
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Sofia Robles, teen patron
Emoni is struggling to juggle being a high school student, a teen mom, and a chef-in-training. She receives a lot of negative attention for being a teen mom, but she works hard to not fit their stereotyping, even avoiding dating to spend time and energy on her daughter and her passion for cooking. But then she meets someone who is willing to do anything and everything for Emoni and her little family. If you like a good teenage romance, you will enjoy Acevedo's With the Fire on High.
Find it: YA F Ave + Libby ebooks
The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth
Mary McCormick, library patron
Diana, a pillar of the community and advocate for refugees, is found dead. Beside her is a suicide note claiming she had advanced breast cancer and no longer wanted to live. The autopsy report showed not signs of cancer but of suffocation. How did Diana die? And why? There was Lucy, the daughter-in-law, who had always had a strained relationship with Diana. There was Ollie, Lucy‘s husband and Diana’s son, who was having serious financial problems. There was Nettie, Diana‘s daughter, who wanted a baby so bad it was all she could think of. And there was Patrick, who wasn’t all he should be as a husband to Nettie. Everyone has a story to tell, but who holds the truth?
Find it: MYS Hep + Libby ebooks
The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
This impassioned and thought-provoking book is an overall look at how climate change works plus the changes that have, are, and will take place if we ignore the science they present. For the most part, the chapters are written in layman’s terms. If you are looking for a more in-depth understanding of climate change and proposed responses to it, this is a must read!
Find it: 363.738 Thu (New) + Libby ebooks
Summer reading will begin on Tuesday, May 30th with fun Opening Week activities!
It starts Tuesday with a collaborative art display that will be up in the library all summer long.
Wednesday, we will have a Read-A-Thon from 2-4pm where participants –of all ages!—will earn extra minutes for reading at the library!
Thursday, it’s a kid vs. adult battle with a Mario Kart Tournament. Are you and your thumbs quick enough to win the prize?! The first tournament will run from 1:30-2:30 and the second tournament will begin at 2:30, in case you can’t make the first one. Extra tv’s and consoles for free play will be available, as well.
Friday join the Egg-cellent Library Hunt, and search for the jeweled eggs hidden around the library. When you find one, bring it to the Circulation Desk for a small prize—and then YOU get to re-hide it for someone else to find!
On Saturday's Bike Day, ride your bike to the library and earn an entry in the Opening Week Prize Basket! If you live too far away, don't fret-- take a picture of you riding and show us at the Circulation Desk for your entry.
Why would you want to do any of this? First, it will be a blast and second, by participating in the activities, you earn a ticket for our Opening Week Prize Basket. This great basket has an outdoor activity theme to coincide with the Bastrop Parks & Recreation Community Bike Ride planned for Saturday, June 3.
Click here to learn more about Summer Reading 2023: All Together Now.
To participate in Summer Reading, all you need to do is create a Beanstack account—or log back in to your account from a previous year. Beginning May 30th, you will be able to log online at bastroplibrary.org and click on the Summer Reading tab or you can download the app directly to your phone and use the timer in the app. Activate your Beanstack account at the library during Opening Week and earn an additional entry for the Opening Week Prize Basket.
Anything that is read counts! Reading your toddler a bedtime story? Yes! It counts for BOTH reader and listener! Walking in Fisherman’s Park listening to an audiobook? Yes! It counts! Reading fanfiction on your phone? Yes! It counts! Reading emails? Yes! It counts! Reading the back of the cereal box? Yes! It counts!
Youth reading 500 minutes will earn a free prize book that is theirs to keep AND an entry into one of ten grand prize baskets of their choice. Adults (18+) reading 500 minutes will earn a $2 Book Nook coupon and an entry into the grand prize basket of their choice.
At 1,000 and 1,500 minutes logged, participants get additional books (youth) or Book Nook coupons (adult) and entries into grand prize basket drawings. Any additional minutes read, up to 10,000 minutes, earn even more entries in 500-minute increments. There are lots of opportunities to win prizes, so mark those calendars to start logging minutes in Beanstack on Tuesday, May 30th!
All minutes must be logged and ticket entries submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, July 21 because we will be drawing winners at the Readers’ Jubilee on Saturday, July 22.
This year we are celebrating the end of the summer reading program with a party for everyone who completed their 500 minute goal. It will be on Saturday, July 22 from 6:30-8:00pm. Kids who have read and logged 500 minutes by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, July 21 will receive an invitation to attend. We’ll have pizza, t-shirts, paint activities, and maybe even a little paint tossing at a staff member or two!! You’ll want to attend our Readers’ Jubilee, so make sure you read and log 500 minutes!
If you need assistance with Beanstack, you can watch one of our tutorial videos on YouTube or you can stop in at the Summer Reading Desk in the Children’s Area, where staff will be more than happy to help. Many additional questions can be answered on our website in the Summer Reading tab or by any staff member.
Click here to learn more about Summer Reading 2023: All Together Now.
Community Skillshare: Composting with David
Several people commented on the pictures from when David taught the teens about composting that they would enjoy it, too, so David Barrow from Eden East Farm and Store House Market and Eatery on Main Street will be here to teach you how to compost!
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, June 27th at 6:30 p.m. so you don’t miss this informative session. No registration required.
Coffee with Catherine
Take an afternoon break and join us for coffee and conversation in the Pressley Meeting Room at Bastrop Public Library. We meet every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. for conversation, connecting, and coffee. There is a whole host of special presentations lined up this summer, such as Preserving Family Heirlooms with Nicole DeGuzman from the Bastrop County Museum and Visitor Center on May 31st and an ice cream and pie social on July 19th. No registration is required.
- May 31: Preserving Family Heirlooms with Nicole DeGuzman from the Bastrop County Museum and Visitor Center
- Have you ever wondered what to do with your wedding dress or had photo albums fall apart? In this presentation, Nicole DeGuzman, Executive Director of the Bastrop County Historical Society, will detail various preservation methods for typical family heirlooms. Nicole DeGuzman has over 25 years of experience in the museum profession and will bring samples of reliable storage materials and tools.
- June 7: Daughters of the American Revolution with Peggy Caffalette
- Come see Abigail Adams (in period clothing) as she discusses the writing of our nation’s constitution with her friend.
- June 14: Fairy Lanes with Brenda Hitchcock
- Come and see little “Fairy Lands” and hear how these creations were made by the passionated Brenda Hitchcock.
- June 21: Safety in Your Surroundings with Bastrop Police Department
- You can never be too watchful when it comes to your safety. Join the Bastrop Police Department and learn a tip or two to be safe in your surroundings.
- June 28: Jana and the Butterflies with Jana Lynch
- Join us for a hands-on event to paint, glitter, and jewel a wooden butterfly to honor a loved one who has passed on. Your butterfly will be installed in Bastrop’s community art installation called the Message of Hope Garden located at Eden East Farms on Main Street.
- July 5: Callon and Still Art with Callon Clark
- Learn the millennia-old tradition of still life drawing and hone your artistic skills with a one-time lesson taught by Callon Clark. Callon is a Bastrop native currently residing and teaching art and art history in Katy, TX. She holds bachelor's and master’s degrees in Studio Art and loves to share this carefully developed passion with others.
- July 12: Egg Art with Debbie Grassel
- Debbie Grassel is a renowned egg artisit who creates beautiful, unique egg dioramas. Known for her intricate creations, Grassel was chosen in 2018 to create the annual egg for the White House.
- July 19: Ice Cream and Pie Social
- Come and enjoy different pies and ice cream! If you would like to bring your favorite pie, please do; if you just want to come and enjoy pie and ice cream, please do!
Bastrop County African American Cultural Center and Freedom Colonies Museum
The BCAACC will present a program on the Freedom Colonies in Bastrop County on Tuesday, June 6 at 5:00 p.m.. With Juneteenth just around the corner, you know it will be interesting! Look for more details closer to summer.
The Clue in the Library Escape Room
Calling Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and other super sleuths! Can you solve the mystery and work your way through the clues to escape?!
You and a group of up to six people are invited to register to participate in our first all-ages (well, 8 and up) Escape Room! Registration will open June 12th. Look for specific dates of Escape Room times in early June.
Click here to learn more about Summer Reading 2023: All Together Now.
Uno Challenge
Can you hold a hand of cards?! You’re eligible to join in not one, but TWO Uno Challenges this summer on Friday, June 16 and Friday, July 14 from 3:00-5:00 p.m.! There will be great glory to be won each month by the winner!
STEM Day
Stop in on Saturday, June 10 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. to have some STEM fun! We’ll have stations for each Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math for all curious elementary-aged thinkers.
LEGORAMA and Family LEGO Fun
Have bricks, will build! Join us for LEGO® fun during LEGORAMA this summer!
- Tuesday, June 20 from 3:00-4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, July 18 from 3:00-4:30 p.m.
Geared toward tween and elementary age kids , however everyone is welcome at LEGO Club. Children under 8 years of age must be supervised by an adult.
Sign-up to receive monthly email reminders about LEGO Club.
Family LEGO Fun on Saturday, July 8th from 1:00-3:00 is an opportunity for moms, dads, grandma, grandpas, uncles, aunts, and the whole family to join the building fun. Bring all your great ideas and be ready for a few challenges.
Movie Mondays
Escape the heat with a family-friendly movie! We’ll provide build-your-own snack goodies, and you bring the blankets. Movies run from 2:00-4:00. Call the library for movie titles or test your movie-know-how with our clues below!
- June 5: A large family from South America learns that everyone is special and that no one should be left out. Lots of great songs are included and singing along is welcome!
- June 26: A blue hedgehog is back for more action in this live action sequel!
- July 10: This loyal gang of dogs and cats (and more!) are here to save the day when their leader is dognapped!
Click here to learn more about Summer Reading 2023: All Together Now.
We’ve got some fun performers lined up this summer!
Tuesday, June 13, 2:00 p.m.: Mad Hatter at the Bastrop Convention Center (1408 Chestnut St.)
Join the Real Mad Hatter for whimsical music, magical lighting, and wondrous bubble creations that will make even the most serious viewer relive the magic of bubbles!
Tuesday, July 11, 2:00 p.m.: Stars and Science at the Bastrop Convention Center (1408 Chestnut St.)
View the stars and the universe beyond earth’s atmosphere in this science-filled experience!
Click here to learn more about Summer Reading 2023: All Together Now.
Storytime will be Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:30 a.m. all summer long, and Ms. Carmen has planned a few extra-special ones that you won’t want to miss!
- Friday, June 9th: Storytime with a Cop
- Wednesday, July 19: City Friends Storytime: Sandy Holder from the City of Bastrop Public Works Department
Pajama Time Stories is on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. and is all about calming down for bed. Sign up to receive a monthly email reminder.
- Tuesday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m.
Click here to learn more about Summer Reading 2023: All Together Now.
Teen Thursdays meets every week from 4:45-6:15pm and is open to 13 to 17 year olds. We do lots of movement-filled programs that are full of fun, laughter, and thinking creatively. Here is the line-up of activities for this summer:
- June 1: Video Game Tournament
- June 8: How Does Your Garden Grow?
- June 15: No-Bake Iron Chef
- June 22: Superhero or Supervillain?
- June 29: Candy Olympics
- July 6: Board Games
- July 13: Empty Bowl Project with Bastrop County Emergency Food Panty and Lions Club
- Participants are eligible to earn volunteer/service hours. Please be sure to bring your sheet, and Bethany will sign it at the end of the program.
- July 20: Nerf and NICE Cream Sandwiches
Click here to learn more about Summer Reading 2023: All Together Now.
Summer Reading is almost here, and we’ve got fun for the whole community planned!
Summer reading will begin on Tuesday, May 30th with fun Opening Week activities! It starts Tuesday with a collaborative art display that will be up in the library all summer long. Wednesday, we will have a Read -A-Thon from 2-4pm where participants –of all ages!—will earn extra minutes for reading at the library!
Thursday, it’s a kids vs. adults battle with a Mario Kart Tournament. Are you and your thumbs quick enough to win the prize?! The first tournament will run from 1:30-2:30 and the second tournament will begin at 2:30, in case you can’t make the first one. Extra tv’s and consoles for free play will be available, as well.
Friday join the Egg-cellent Library Hunt and search for the jeweled eggs hidden around the library. When you find one, bring it to the Circulation Desk for a small prize—and then YOU get to re-hide it for someone else to find!
Why would you want to do any of this? First, it will be a blast, and, second, by participating in the activities, you earn a ticket for our Opening Week Prize Basket. This great basket has an outdoor activity theme to coincide with the Bastrop Parks & Recreation Community Bike Ride planned for Saturday, June 3.
To participate in Summer Reading, all you need to do is create a Beanstack account—or log back in to your account from a previous year. Beginning May 30th, you will be able to log online at bastroplibrary.org and click on the Summer Reading tab, or you can download the app directly to your phone and use the timer in the app. Activate your Beanstack account at the library during Opening Week and earn an additional entry for the Opening Week Prize Basket.
Anything that is read counts! Reading your toddler a bedtime story? Yes! It counts for BOTH reader and listener! Walking in Fisherman’s Park listening to an audiobook? Yes! It counts! Reading fanfiction on your phone? Yes! It counts! Reading emails? Yes! It counts! Reading the back of the cereal box? Yes! It counts!
Youth reading 500 minutes will earn a free prize book that is theirs to keep AND an entry into one of ten grand prize baskets of their choice. Adults (18+) reading 500 minutes will earn a $2 Book Nook coupon and an entry into the grand prize basket of their choice.
At 1,000 and 1,500 minutes logged, participants get additional books (youth) or Book Nook coupons (adult) and entries into grand prize basket drawings. Any additional minutes read, up to 10,000 minutes, earn even more entries in 500-minute increments. There are lots of opportunities to win prizes, so mark those calendars to start logging minutes in Beanstack on Tuesday, May 30th!
All minutes must be logged and ticket entries submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, July 21 because we will be drawing winners at the Reader’s Jubilee on Saturday, July 22.
This year we are celebrating the end of the summer reading program with a party for everyone who completed their 500 minute goal. It will be on Saturday, July 22 from 6:30-8:00pm. Kids who have read and logged 500 minutes by 11:59 on Friday, July 21 will receive an invitation to attend. We’ll have pizza, t-shirts, paint activities, and maybe even a little paint tossing at a staff member or two!! You’ll want to attend our Reader’s Jubilee, so make sure you read and log 500 minutes!
If you need assistance with Beanstack, you can watch one of our tutorial videos on YouTube or you can stop in at the Summer Reading Desk in the Children’s Area, where staff will be more than happy to help. Many additional questions can be answered on our website in the Summer Reading tab or by any staff member.
This summer is sure to be lots of fun, so mark your calendars, put a post-it on the fridge, do whatever you need to do to not forget! Let’s celebrate our community this summer All Together Now.
Have you met Sheila? Probably, since she’s been working at Bastrop Public Library for nineteen years—and she volunteered for several years before that, too! She’s a Library Associate for Circulation Services with an emphasis on finances. You’re likely to see her chatting with patrons as she checks out their books or swapping stories about Bastrop and Austin with old timers. She adds great historical, anecdotal, and institutional knowledge to the Bastrop Public Library team.
What is your preferred way to have caffeine?
Mocha iced espresso and caramel macchiato mixed 1:1
What was the name of the library you went to as a kid/teen?
Austin Public Library
Which part of the library do you use the most?
Checking out books
Waffles or pancakes?
Waffles
Where is your dream vacation?
Two weeks in the fall at a beachfront condo
What was your last act of random kindness?
Letting a woman with a sleepy toddler check out ahead of me at the grocery store
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
It depends: What other toppings are on the pizza?
Which mythical creature would make the best pet?
Mogwai (from the 1984 movie Gremlins): Mythical? Maybe. Cute and cuddly? Definitely!
What was the last TV show you watched and enjoyed?
Woodsmith Shop (PBS)
Look to your left. What is one object you see?
Photo of 8th grade class at reunion
Thanks, Sheila! If you also grew up in Austin and have a story to swap or are a fan of the movie Gremlins, come share with Sheila!
We are doing some shuffling at the library. Not cards, but of shelves! We will be turning the adult fiction, large type, and audiobooks shelves 90 degrees to improve visibility in this area. The change will significantly improve our ability to assist everyone whether you are searching for something specific or just browsing. We know it will be a little confusing for a while, but we will get through it together.
Shelves and books are heavy, so we have hired company to do all the lifting for us. The good news is that library staff aren’t having to hurriedly working on their bench-presses. The bad news is that the library will have to be closed for a few days to accomplish this change.
We will be closed Monday, May 22, Tuesday, May 23, and Wednesday, May 24 for the move and to put all the books back where they belong.
We appreciate your patience as we continually work to improve our customer service to the community!
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Lisa Gossett, library board member
If you enjoyed The Hunger Games trilogy, then you don’t want to miss this prequel! The story takes place during the 10th annual Hunger Games, when Coriolanus Snow is only 18 years old, and relates his experience as a mentor to the female tribute from District 12. I found the book hard to put down, and I was fascinated by how differently the tributes were treated in these earlier games!
Find it: YA F Col + Libby ebooks
Dinners With Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendship by Nina Totenberg
Annie Marrs, patron
Dinners With Ruth, is, first and foremost, about friendships. Totenberg, a well-known and respected investigative reporter, focuses primarily on her 50-year friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a much admired, deceased, U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Anecdotes about their relationship range from the mundane to the sublime. But I also gained a clearer insight into how both professions, reporter and justice, function in the real world of politics. It is impressive how both women diligently strove to respect the boundaries of each other’s profession. Perhaps that explains why their friendship successfully spanned the course of over 50 years. This book is very interesting and very informative. An excellent read!
Find it: 92 TOT (New) + Libby ebooks
An Honest Lie by Tarryn Fisher
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Vivid imagery, crazy twists, and timelines that merge effortlessly into one of the best psychological thrillers I have read in a while make this a must-read! It all starts with a girls' weekend in Vegas, a missing friend, and a wild adventure to find her. Rainy, the protagonist, uses her cult upbringing to end the hunt for her friend. Who says that your past should always be left behind? I recommend you pick up this book for a wild weekend (or day!) of your own.
Find it: MYS Fis
Shadows Reel by C.J. Box
Cary Kittrell, library staff
A day before the three Pickett girls come home for Thanksgiving, Joe is called out for a moose poaching incident that turns out to be something much more sinister: a local fishing guide has been brutally tortured and murdered. At the same time, Marybeth opens an unmarked package at the library where she works and finds a photo album that belonged to an infamous Nazi official. When a close neighbor is murdered, Joe and Marybeth face new questions: Who is after the book? And how will they solve its mystery before someone hurts them or their girls? There is something compelling about listening to an audiobook, especially when the reader is good—and this narrator David Chandler will enthrall you in this next installment in the Joe Pickett series.
Find it: MYS Box + LT F Box + CD Book F Box + Libby ebooks
The Friends of Bastrop Public Library’s Used Book Sale is nearly here, and we’re counting down the weeks!
What are the Friends doing 5 weeks before the book sale? Looking for nice and newer book, DVD, and puzzle donations from the community.
What are the Friends doing 4 weeks before the book sale? Pricing and sorting items into boxes for easy transport to the Meeting Room.
What are the Friends doing 3 weeks before the book sale? Making sure there are enough volunteers to help at the book sale.
What are the Friends doing 2 weeks before the book sale? Printing signage to help direct people at the book sale.
What are the Friends doing 1 week before the book sale? Moving furniture and setting up tables full of books to be all ready for customers that weekend!
What are you doing on Friday, April 21st and Saturday, April 22nd? Coming to the Used Book Sale, of course!
Friday, April 21, 2023
FOL Preview: 9:00-10:00am
Book Sale 10:00-6:00pm
Saturday, April 22, 2023
Book Sale: 10:00-4:00pm
Add a calendar reminder with these details so you don’t miss one of the best deals in town!
Make plans to take advantage of this great sale!
The Lost Pines Garden Club will not be joining this annual event this year. To learn about other local plant sales, please visit the Bastrop County Master Gardener Association’s website.
April 17-23, 2023 is National Volunteer Week, and our thank you list is long!
We have so many amazing teen and adult volunteers who help us out in so many ways! We appreciate that you check in books, shelve books, mend books, facilitate programs while we are out sick, search for missing books, cut and assemble program supplies, put up book displays, run stations during kids’ programs, sort donations, and so much more! We certainly couldn’t do everything without all of them.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
This year, we’d like to honor and celebrate two volunteers who have gone above and beyond: Barbara Leeper and Cookie Adkins!
Barbara has been working closely with Catherine Lombardo to facilitate Coffee with Catherine while Catherine on medical leave. Barbara also checks in books, helps find missing books, and many other tasks asked of her. Her faithfulness and dedication to the library sets her apart! Thank you so much, Barbara, for all that you do for Bastrop Public Library!
Barbara decided to volunteer at the library because she wants to help the library break through the stereotype that libraries are just about books –instead, that they have evolved to also be a community resource. Barbara has such a love of libraries that she has SEVEN library cards and volunteers at TWO different libraries! She has cards from Elgin, Giddings, Brenham, Smithville, Bastrop, and Houston, as well as a TexShare card. She volunteers at the Bastrop Public Library and at the Elgin Public Library.
If you want a great way to get to know people, the area, and everything the library has to offer, she recommends you become a volunteer!
Cookie is a longtime familiar face at Bastrop Public Library as she worked here for 26.5 years before retiring in December 2018. Now we are fortunate to have her as a volunteer. Since retiring, Cookie has faithfully worked behind the scenes checking in books and has even stepped up when the library is understaffed to help at the front desk. It’s like riding a bike: once you work in customer service, you never forget!
Cookie originally got into library work because she grew up loving libraries. Even married to a military man, living all around the world, she made sure to have a library card. And she has continued volunteering because, like many retired folks, she wanted to get out and do something. More importantly, she’s continued volunteering because she loves being here and she loves the people—the staff and the patrons.
If you want a fun place to volunteer, Cookie recommends you start at the library-- it’s not all shushing and shelving!
Thank you again to all our wonderful volunteers! If you are interested in getting to know the community through volunteering at the library, keep reading several articles below.
The library is looking for teen and adult volunteers to help with various projects and programs this summer!
Teens must be 14-17 years old. There are a limited number of spots available, so get your application in sooner rather than later. Applications and details for teen volunteers are available online. Please direct questions to Bethany at bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org.
Adult volunteers help with shelving and other projects. Those who are interested need to stop by the Circulation Desk for an application. Questions can be directed to Catherine at clombardo@bastroplibrary.org.
If your teen is looking to make a little money this summer, we will be hiring two students for the eight weeks of the summer reading program. Students must be a minimum of 16 years old and be classified as a junior or senior for the 2023-2024 school year. These student clerks work 20 hours a week and help patrons sign-up for summer reading and log minutes, give out prizes, assist at programs and events, and more. They must have good attention to detail, be self-directed in accomplishing tasks, and comfortable talking with people of all ages and abilities. Anyone interested in the student clerk position, email Bethany at bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org. Please specify you are applying for the student clerk position.
Happy National Library Week! Libraries are full of stories in a variety of formats from picture books to large print, audiobooks to ebooks, and more. But there's so much more to the story. Libraries of Things lend items like puzzles, cake pans, and hotspots. Library programming brings communities together for entertainment, education, and connection through Storytime, Teen Thursdays, Coffee with Catherine, LEGO Club, summer reading, and Open House. Library infrastructure advances communities, providing internet and technology access, literacy skills, and support for businesses, job seekers, and entrepreneurs.
Celebrate National Library Workers’ Day on Tuesday, April 25th by sharing a time that the library made an impact on you or your family. Tell us about it with an email to info@bastroplibrary.org.
Maybe we helped you print your boarding pass so you could go on your first vacation since before the pandemic. Maybe we helped you find a book about dementia that allowed you to better connect with your ailing parent. Maybe we provided an outlet for you with Coffee with Catherine to make a new friend. Maybe we provided a cool space in the summertime when you couldn’t afford to keep the a/c on at home. What do we mean to you? We love hearing about the big things, the small things, and all things in between.
In further celebration, the Friends of Bastrop Public Library are offering a special deal to supplement the membership fee for people who live outside the Bastrop city limits. New library memberships are $10 from Monday, April 15th through Saturday, April 29th, 2023.
To be eligible for this great discount:
Live outside the City of Bastrop limit
New memberships only
Limit 1 per household
1-year membership
Please help us share this opportunity to all your friends and family in the area who meet these criteria.
Come Circulation Desk between Monday, April 15 and Saturday, April 29, 2023, mention this deal, and you’ll be on your way to being a member of the Bastrop Public Library!
Happy National Library Week!
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
Mary McCormick, library patron
John Paul Fitzpatrick has a secret. A secret with the potential to ruin the lives of his family and others. One wild night, he wrote it in a letter to his wife: “To Cecelia, to be opened after my death.” He meant to destroy it, but the letter got lost. Many years later, while John Paul was still very much alive, Cecelia finds the letter and reads it. What should she do with this earth-shattering news? What could she do? Should she act like she never read the letter? Should she tell someone? Secrets... Would you want your deepest and darkest secret to get out? Read this… you may change your mind!
Find it: MYS Mor + CD Book F Mor + Libby ebooks
Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
Brenda Smith, volunteer
The Cunningham family gather at an Australian ski resort for a family get-together and welcome home party for one of their own who is just getting out a prison for....you guessed it!...killing someone! Written by a comedian, this is the funniest whodunit I have ever read. How and why is each family member responsible for the death of someone? And how many more will die at the snowed-in ski lodge? If you love a good mystery and want to laugh out loud, this book is definitely for you!
Find it: MYS Ste (New) + Libby ebooks
One: Simple One-Pan Wonders by Jamie Oliver
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
This cookbook is a delight! Oliver has curated perfect one-pan recipes that are easy-peasy on prep AND clean-up. The meals are especially geared towards 1- or 2-person households, but there are recipes that serve up to 8. The simple steps are great for novice cooks or anyone with the ingredients!
Find it: 641.82 Oli (New)
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
Becky Bennett, library board member
In this sixth installment of the series, cartoon creator Edie Ledwell tries to hire Strike and his partner Robin to unmask an internet troll who has already driven Ledwell to one suicide attempt and continues to harass her. Robin listens to Ledwell and is sympathetic but explains that, unfortunately, they have a client waiting list. Disappointed, Ledwell leaves. Days later, she is brutally murdered. The police fail to make any progress in the case, so the film company who wants to adapt Ledwell's cartoon to the big screen hires the detectives to find the troll, whom many believe to also be the killer. Series fans should not be intimidated by the book's 1012-page length. You will love it. It meticulously recreates the hours and hours of surveillance, research, and careful reasoning and deduction that go into a successful investigation. Readers will love the hours they get to spend with the detectives, sorting clues and eliminating suspects.
Find it: MYS Gal + Libby ebooks
Eaudiobooks are audiobooks that you can download to your phone in the Libby app and listen wherever you are. Our staff love listening to them on their commutes, while folding laundry, walking the dog, and cleaning the house.
Eaudiobooks are so much better than physical audiobooks because you aren’t limited to your car’s CD player or the stereo in your living room.
Here are some eaudiobooks that you won't be able to put down:
Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Find more literary fiction here!
Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutano
Find more mysteries here!
Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
Find more nonfiction here!
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Find more sci-fi and fantasy here!
Pro-tip: If it’s not available for check-out right now, put a hold on it because we may buy more copies so you can get it sooner!
Not sure how to use Libby? Keep reading in this newsletter, and we’ll give instructions in the article titled “OverDrive App Sunsetting.”
So, give your ears a gift of enthralling narration and use Libby for eaudio today!
Have you met Terry? He’s a Library Associate for Circulation Services. You’re likely to see him chatting with patrons as he checks out their books or helping people borrow books from other libraries through the Interlibrary Loan program (more about that later here in the newsletter!). He adds empathy and so many years of experience in the workforce to the Bastrop Public Library staff. Let’s hear all the tea-- as the teens say—about Terry!
What is your preferred way to have caffeine?
Tea
What was the name of the library you went to as a kid/teen?
Birmingham Public Library
Which part of the library do you use the most?
Checking out hotspots
Waffles or pancakes?
Pancakes
Where is your dream vacation?
Ethiopia
What was your last act of random kindness?
Baking a cake for a friend
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Yes
Which mythical creature would make the best pet?
Dragon
What was the last TV show you watched and enjoyed?
White Collar
Look to your left. What is one object you see?
Social envelopes
Thanks, Terry! If you also grew up in Birmingham, Alabama or enjoy baking and cooking, stop by and talk with Terry!
If you were an early adopter of reading ebooks and eaudiobooks from the library, you probably used the OverDrive app. It looked like this in your device:
Alas, time marches on, and so do apps.
OverDrive, the ebook vendor, is sunsetting the original OverDrive app, and it will no longer be useable at the end of April 2023.
But never fear! You may still read ebooks and listen to eaudiobooks --and all of your holds and current check-outs in OverDrive will transition seamlessly over to Libby! You just need to download the Libby app to your device.
Downloads below:
If you need help with Libby, watch a tutorial video on YouTube or stop in and ask at the Information Desk. Please bring your device to the Information Desk with you, as that helps with troubleshooting.
Happy reading!
Do y’all remember in the 90’s when “sick” was a good thing: “That movie was sick! It might be my new favorite!” or “Mom’s spaghetti last night was sick! I hope she makes it again soon.” Well, ILL –un-abbreviated as InterLibrary Loan—is sick! It’s awesome! It’s great! We love it! And so do many of our patrons! Have you tried it yet?
Frequently Asked Questions about ILL:
Q: What is ILL?
A: ILL is where you want to read a book that Bastrop Public Library doesn’t have in the collection. We then ask another library to mail us their copy for you to borrow.
Q: How long does it take to get a book?
A: About 2-3 weeks on average.
Q: How long do I get to keep the book?
A: Typically 2-3 weeks. It depends on the library’s rules that the book came from.
Q: Can I renew the book?
A: Sometimes. Again, it depends on the library’s rules where the book came from.
Q: Is there a cost?
A: Yes, it costs $3 per item to help us cover shipping charges.
Q: Is there a limit to how many books I can request through ILL at once?
A: Yes, you can have five ILL requests going at once.
Q: Are all books eligible for ILL?
A: Not quite—but so many are! Unfortunately, there are some books out there that aren't owned by any Texas library. We can request fiction books that have been published for at least six months and non-fiction books that have been published at least 12 months. Items must have an Amazon list price of less than $100.
Q: How do I get an ILL started?
A: You can fill out this form–or ask for a copy at the Information or Circulation Desks. If you fill it out at home, you’ll still need to stop by the Information Desk to have us confirm the information.
Happy reading!
Book Suggestions
Becky Bennett, library board member
We Spread by Iain Reid
Penny lives at Six Cedars, an assisted living residence, where strange things happen. There are mysterious gaps in her memory. Her slippers fit fine one day but are too small the next and too large the day after that. She wakes from naps she doesn’t remember lying down for. Then, there are the people there: only four residents and a small handful of staff. Is it just dementia… or something more sinister? This psychological thriller will certainly leave the reader thinking about how we live our lives, especially how we end them, and how much we should rely on our own perceptions. Certainly not light reading, the novel is rewarding for those who appreciate an unreliable narrator and an ambiguous ending.
Find it: NOV Rei (New)
Lyn Dowdy, patron
Interred with Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell
This compelling mystery pulls you into the story and intertwines you through England, the United States, Shakespeare, and Don Cervantes’s Don Quixote. There are murders on two continents, stealing, spelunking, libraries, and a little bit of romance. If you enjoyed The Da Vinci Code, you’ll love this one!
Find it: LT F Car
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
This excellent book is an unexpected time travel experience you will find hard to forget! It begins when a loving mother witnesses her perfect teenage son kill a stranger. This distraught mom then wakes up the next morning, and it is a week before the crime. Each day she may wake up further in the past, trying to figure out how and why this man was killed. Along the way, she uncovers other secrets, especially about her beloved son and husband. Mom-turned-detective discovers hidden truths and lies about everything in her life in order to solve this mystery before coming back to the present time. A beautiful look at motherhood that you will completely love.
Find it: MYS McA (New) + CD Book F McA (New) + Libby ebooks
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa
In this hopeful and reflective biography/action plan by the 2021 co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Ressa outlines “a vision of the internet that binds us together instead of tearing us apart.” In addition, it tells her story as a reporter who stayed alive and stayed true to her profession’s credo of telling the truth in the face of the manufactured lies of the Philippine’s President Duterte. Her expertise of social media and authoritarianism and where and how they intersect (but should not) make this an intriguing read for those who enjoy reading on global politics.
Find it: 92 Res (New)
Image/Photo by Literary Hub - Emily Temple
Think about a book without a cover. White pages, lines of text, borders, maybe a page number in the bottom corner. It’s all quite unremarkable. Now add a cover. Suddenly the written word is transformed into something worth protecting. It is a hidden trove of phrases, thoughts, ideas, and feelings waiting to be explored. The cover makes all the difference.
If you go back to early, early book covers, they were purely functional. They protected the pages. Today, book covers display intriguing details, rich colors, and striking images that can certainly be considered art. Art that draws you in, makes you stop, and compels you to reach out and explore what’s inside. So, let’s judge some books by their covers.
Bold, bright, super saturated, with a hint of nostalgia, the line drawings of Lessons by Ian McEwan make it stand out. This cover definitely hints at its historic fiction content and draws you into a story that spans one man’s lifetime of struggles and opportunities.
Find it: NOV MCE + Libby ebook
Dark clouds and raindrops! The Harbor by Katrina Engberg feeds into the perfect atmosphere for reading and looks like a travel poster. This book transports you to Copenhagen for a mystery that has been called “thrilling and nerve-wracking.”
Find it: MYS ENG
A beautiful sunrise image worthy of framing gently brings you into A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. The lone figure on the cover is a mere hint of the powerful story of two Sudanese children’s daily efforts to survive.
Find it: JF PAR
One look at the tangled moody image of The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera and you know this story will have twists, turns, darkness, and hope. The play of dark and light is mesmerizing and holds your eye as you wonder where this story will take you.
Find it: JF HIG
The bright, modern, digitized cover of The Candy House by Jennifer Egan is an explosion of color. The novel, like the cover, is compelling as different characters struggle with connection, love, family, and privacy in a technology driven world.
Find it:
NOV Ega +
CD Book F Ega + Libby ebook
Should you judge a book by its cover? Of course not, but the next time you’re browsing for something to read, allow yourself to enjoy the visual richness and art of the books’ covers.
If you are interested in exploring other striking and artistic book covers, browse this article from Literary Hub.
Are you passionate about your community? Do you enjoy helping others? Or maybe you made a resolution to give back this year? We have just the opportunity for you!
The library is looking for people who have skills and are willing to share those skills with our community. Whether you sew, paint, knit, repair household items, know your way around a computer, play an instrument, or something else, the library wants you! Email info@bastroplibrary.org to tell us about your ideas for Community Skillshare or to ask for more information.
We want to start the Community Skillshare programs this summer so we need your help! Programs can be one session or a multi-part series and will take place in-person at the library. We are excited to offer programs that highlight our talented community. Come share your skills with us!
Thank you to everyone who came out to join us for the Library’s Annual Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 10th. It was great to see the smiling faces and to help so many families celebrate a holiday season tradition!
After tallying over 200 votes, the Finance and Utilities department won this year’s Great City Decorating Contest! Eighteen departments and divisions participated, and it was amazingly difficult to vote for only one!
Our Graham Cracker House program had over three hundred kids and their families decorating their own graham cracker masterpieces in the Pressley Meeting Room. It’s always such a joy to see how creative they can be with frosting, pretzel sticks, red hots, and gumdrops.
Another highlight of the day was the opportunity for the kiddos to write letters to Santa. It was a great calm spot amidst the busy-ness of a fun-filled day. Families were invited to drop their letters in Santa’s Mailbox outside the Bastrop County Museum and Visitor Center on Main Street.
Live music was beautifully performed by the Bastrop Honor Choir; two youth cellists from Heart of Texas Music Academy; and Mary Smith, a local accordionist. They all were beautiful, and we are grateful for the merry music they shared.
We look forward to seeing everyone at Open House 2023 the 2nd Saturday in December!
Have you met Carmen? She’s our children’s services associate! You’re likely to see her smiling at storytime and at the Circulation or Information Desk. She adds sparkle and fun to Bastrop Public Library staff! Let’s get to know Carmen a little better:
What is your preferred way to have caffeine?
Hot coffee
What was the name of the library you went to as a kid/teen?
Laredo Public Library
Which part of the library do you use the most?
Fellowship and programs
Waffles or pancakes?
Pancakes
Where is your dream vacation?
Disney World
What was your last act of random kindness?
I just came back from donating blood.
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
NOOOOOOO!
Which mythical creature would make the best pet?
Unicorn
What was the last TV show you watched and enjoyed?
Wednesday (on Netflix)
Look to your left. What is one object you see?
Children’s Reference Desk
Thank you, Carmen! If you also just watched Wednesday or dream of going to Disney World someday, stop by and connect with Carmen!
Have you ever been curious about your ancestors? Maybe you want to know where they immigrated from? Or when they arrived in Texas? Or if your blonde hair is a family trait on your mother’s or father’s side?
Exploring your ancestry is the answer! Now, before you get overwhelmed, we’ve got just the resource to help you be successful: the Bastrop County Genealogical Society!
They are meeting in person for the first time since the pandemic! And you are invited to join them! They meet the second Saturday of the month from 1:00-3:00pm here at the library, in the Maynard Conference Room.
The first three months are dedicated to genealogy basics:
- Saturday, January 14: Genealogy 101: Part 1
- Saturday, February 11: Genealogy 101: Part 2
- Saturday, March 11: Genealogy 101: Part 3
- Saturday, April 8: Tracing Immigrant Ancestors: The Other Ports
To receive the full list of BCGS meeting topics or to learn more, please email us at info@bastroplibrary.org. Some of the meetings will be over Google Meet (online video calls). To receive those links, email us or talk directly with the BCGS leaders via their Facebook page (@BastropCountyGenealogicalSociety).
Mark your calendars today for the February meeting! Even if you missed the January one, you are welcome to attend Part 2!
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Sally Keinarth, library board member
This moving, compelling, and character-driven novel centers around the greatest racehorse in American history, Lexington, and the Black horse trainers in the American South. Brooks’ story, which is jumps between 1850, 1954, and 2019, celebrates the wonders of this amazing animal at the same time showing us the best of human nature and, sadly, the worst: love, dedication, excellence, greed, devotion, forgiveness, strength, fear, racism, resilience.
Find it: NOV Bro + Libby ebooks
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon
Becky Bennett, library board member
In this alternative history, Israel fails as a state in 1948 and Jews flee to southeast Alaska, where the US government designates a federal District of Sitka as their refuge. Now 60 years later, the district is set to revert back to Alaska in two months’ time, leaving Sitka's Jews homeless and desperate once again. Homicide detective Meyer Landsman investigates the murder of a junkie that lives in the same flea-bag hotel as the divorced, alcoholic, and depressed Landsman. Landsman and his partner, who is also his cousin and half Native, learn quickly that things are not as they seem, including the identity of the dead junkie. I loved both the complex, compelling plot and the author's brilliant and exact metaphor. Fans of Dashiell Hammett will enjoy this hard-boiled detective novel.
Find it: MYS Cha
An Immense World by Ed Yong
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
This thought-provoking and engaging nonfiction book is in the same vein as Yong’s Pulitzer Prize-winning I Contain Multitudes. It’s a wonderful journal full of fascinating information that folks, who aren't biologists, can easily understand and be amazed by. I never knew what all dogs smell, songbirds can hear, and bugs courting behavior is like-- and these are just a few examples. This is an excellent read for anyone and everyone on the creatures that share our world.
Find it: 591.5 Yon (New)
The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
If you enjoyed Clark's The Last Flight, be prepared to be just as apprehensive while enjoying the battle of wits between two women set out to destroy each other. One changes aliases as often as her shoes while the other is a journalist who seeks revenge at any cost. Both women are on opposite sides of a situation, but both want to right the wrongs that have occurred in their lives. Will either win or will they join forces to finally expose the destructive powers they encounter? I can tell that this author is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors of thrillers. If you enjoy thrillers, you will devour the book as quick as a flash!
Find it: MYS Cla + Libby ebooks
Dave Tovar, library patron
Shackleton by Ranulph Fiennes
Shackleton is a captivating biography of Ernest Shackleton's attempt to traverse the Antarctic in 1915 aboard the ship, Endurance. The book is written by polar adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes who brings his own experience and insights. Fiennes perfectly captured what it felt like to be on this harrowing and heroic Antarctic journey. The book details Shackleton’s leadership, courage, grit and resolve to fulfill his life-long goal. Be prepared to embark on this incredible expedition. No expensive ship tickets are needed.
Find it: 92 Sha
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
Like Little Fires Everywhere, this is another dystopian wherein the protagonist, twelve-year-old Bird, searches for his Chinese American mother who has been ostracized like other Asians and Asian-Americans in this alternative present. Ng should be nominated for, and in my opinion win, the Pulitzer Prize for 2022 with this suspenseful and heartrending story that feels like poetry. I couldn’t put it down even though many of the scenarios made me uncomfortable.
Find it: MYS Ng (New) + CD Book F Ng (New) + Libby ebooks
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
April appeared to be the ultimate "It" girl, then she was murdered while attending Oxford. Her intimate group of friends went on with their lives until 10 years later, when Hannah receives evidence that someone in their clique may be the murderer. Hannah must investigate and learns that everyone from her college years were not what they appeared to be. Ware has been called "The Agatha Christie of our generation,” and I totally agree! If you love a good mystery, you will love this one.
Find it: MYS War (New) + CD Book F War (New) + Libby ebooks
Becky Bennett, library board member
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
Woody Nickel, a 105-year-old veteran, tells the story of driving two young giraffes from New York to San Diego in 1938. Based on historical fact, the novel tells the story of a thrilling, dangerous, and near-deadly trip across a country with no interstate highways. Woody, a Dust Bowl orphan, is left alone, jobless, and zookeeper Riley Jones race across country over treacherous mountains, under low bridges, and through dark, narrow tunnels. They also have to keep their cargo of “towering creatures of God’s pure Eden” safe from murderous thieves. A flawless novel, the end will leave you in tears of sadness and joy.
Find it: NOV Rut
f
It feels like the holidays have come early to the library! Thanks to a generous gift from the Friends of the Bastrop Library we have a brand-new service to share with our members: Mango Languages!
Mango is a website—or app you can download on your phone or tablet—that is an interactive language-learning portal. Mango is great if you fit one of these:
- You want to brush up on that language you “learned” in high school
- You have a student who needs a bit of extra help on that foreign language grade
- You are giving the gift of an international trip and someone needs to learn, at the very least, how to say, “Where is the bathroom?”
- You want to learn a new language to keep your brain sharp (there is science behind this one!)
- Quieres aprender a hablar inglés.
- You want your kid to grow up bilingually (there’s a kids’ course, too!).
- You just want to learn a new language!
There are over 70 languages you can learn with Mango including Spanish, French, Urdu, Mandarin, Arabic, Korean, and so much more! Click here to see the full list.
To access Mango, follow these steps:
- Go to bastroplibrary.org.
- Click “Search Catalog/Login to Account.” This takes you to the online catalog.
- Enter your card number and your password and click “Log in.”
- Under the scrolling book covers is a column titled “Electronic Resources.” Click “Mango Languages.”
- Click “Click her to visit Mango Languages.”
- Create a free profile and learn away!
No matter what language you speak—or want to learn with Mango-- we want to wish you a happy holidays! Trevlig Helg! holide eximnandi! Forhe Feiertage!
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Freedom by Sebastian Junger
As usual, Junger writes with clarity about the human struggle for survival, autonomy, and interdependence. This book tackles the idea of freedom, and it’s a fascinating journey about four friends and a dog walking the railroad lines from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh for almost a year: camping, cooking, sleeping, and depending on one another for safety and support. This memoir is less Wild by Cheryl Strayed and more On the Road by Jack Kerouac.
Find it: 323.44 Jun + Libby ebooks
Becky Bennett, library board member
Violeta by Isabel Allende
Violeta Del Valle is born in 1920, the same year that the Spanish flu arrives in Chile, her home. In the 100 years of her life, she recalls the changes, disasters, and upheavals of the 20th century as well as the births, deaths, marriages, and love affairs that punctuate her own story. Allende has created another masterpiece that whisks the reader through the last century, offering readers fascinating and endearing characters. The world events in Violeta’s life may be familiar, but Allende presents them in a way that demonstrates the cyclical nature of history and offers a subtle warning about the present.
Find it: NOV All + SPA F All + Libby ebooks
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
You don't want to mess with women of a certain age, and definitely not four seasoned assassins! After 40 years with the "Museum," four friends and coworkers embark on a retirement cruise...only to learn that they are, themselves, targeted for death. Well....too bad for anyone who was part of this endeavor to eliminate these ladies. How about four female James Bonds out for revenge? How many of their attackers will remain? Will the ladies extinguish their own killers before being caught? Although they might not use modern technology, they have been trained quite well! What an enjoyable and exciting read for this "girl of a certain age."
Find it: MYS Ray (New)
Kat Durham, library staff
Rewilding: Bringing Wildlife Back Where It Belongs by David A. Steen and Chiara Fedele
Do you have an elementary-aged kid who loves animals, especially the conservation of animals? This is the perfect book for them! Rewilding is the restoration of land back to its uncultivated state, and the beautiful illustrations will surely inspire the animal- and nature-lovers in your family.
Find it: J 333.72 Ste (New)
Linus walked into the Bastrop Public Library and browsed our newly relocated graphic nonfiction!
Graphic titles are books that use images, usually in a comic book style, to tell a story or share information. Graphic novels and graphic nonfiction tend to have a lot less text to get through, making them less intimidating to readers. The graphic format also has the added benefit of helping new readers develop visual literacy skills, a set of abilities that help readers comprehend what they are reading and transfer their reading experience to real life.
By designating sections for graphic novels and graphic nonfiction, much like we do for large type, audiobooks, and first readers, the library hopes to make graphics more accessible to the readers who benefit from and enjoy this format.
More recently, we started noticing nonfiction graphics were becoming popular. We started ordering more and decided they should have their own section so readers who like history or science and who like the graphic format can easily find these books. Now at the beginning of the juvenile nonfiction section and at the end of the young adult graphic novel section, you can find graphic nonfiction. We hope to see Linus—and all our readers—back to check out another one soon!
Have you always wondered about your family history? Or perhaps you have started your research but need a re-charge? The Bastrop County Genealogical Society will be meeting again starting December 10th during the library’s Open House and then every second Saturday of the month from 1:00-3:00 pm at the library.
Previous programs, prior to the pandemic, included Organizing Your Genealogy While Downsizing, Using Emigrant Guides for Genealogical Research, Google for Genealogy: Search Tricks to Tease Out Information, New Clues from Old Headstones, and more. The first meeting of the new year on Saturday, January 14, 2023 from 1:00-3:00 will be Genealogy 101: Back to the Basics.
There are no fees or membership requirements. Anyone who wants to learn more about their family history or anyone who wants to improve their research skills is welcome! Regardless of whether you are a beginner or a “seasoned” researcher, you will always learn something at our meetings—or be able to share and trade tips with other genealogists!
For more information, check out the Genealogy Program on the Bastrop Public Library website. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find a Beginners’ Kit for Family Research to get you started on your genealogical search! Or visit the Bastrop County Genealogical Society’s Facebook page or their own website[BD1] .
Becky Bennet, library board member
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Civil Townsend, fresh out of nursing school, goes to work in a Montgomery, Alabama family planning clinic in 1973. Two of her first clients are sisters, Erica and India, who Civil is supposed to give birth control shots to. Civil is stunned to learn that the girls are just eleven and thirteen years old. So troubled by the situation, Civil stops giving the girls their shots. When the clinic's director finds out, she takes the girls to the hospital and has them sterilized. Through a lawsuit, it is revealed that over 150,000 low-income women were sterilized under federally funded programs and that 55 percent of these were teens. This story, based on actual events, examines the emotional toll on the women and girls who were coerced or tricked into sterilization and their families. Told through two chronologies, in 1973 and 2016 (as Civil recalls the events), the story is rich in ideas of freedom, fairness, and autonomy. The book is a quick read, and the accessible prose would make this a good novel for both adult and young adult audiences.
Find it: NOV Per (New) + Libby ebooks
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
"Cooking is chemistry...and chemistry is life. Your ability to change everything --including yourself-- starts here." So says Elizabeth Zott, a chemist who winds up hosting a TV cooking show in the early 1960's. Elizabeth, her daughter Mad, neighbor Harriet, and dog 6:30 (named after the time he was found) make a great team trying to overcome prejudice, plagiarism, and single parenthood when women were not supposed to be anywhere but in the kitchen. You will cry and laugh out loud! Lessons is a truly hilarious read.
Find it: NOV Gar (New) + Libby ebooks
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
A Private Cathedral by James Lee Burke
Burke never ceases to entertain with his delicious prose. The characters are fairly one dimensional: good guys vs bad guys. However, his writing style is like viewing interesting illustrations, and that makes this story worth it.
Find it: MYS Bur + CD Book F Bur + LT F Bur
Bethany Dietrich, library staff
Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston
I recommended the first in the Supernatural Investigations series, Amari and the Night Brothers, in January, but now I suggest it even harder since the second one has come out! Amari and the Great Game picks up a year later, right before Amari is supposed to return to summer camp at the Bureau of Investigations. But the League of Magicians plus the mysterious time freeze plus a new less-than-desirable prime minister will make it a challenge summer for Amari and her friends. If your tween loved Harry Potter –or you miss an action-packed, fantasy-filled story—you’ll want to read this series!
Find it: JF Als (New) + Libby ebooks
Why are we talking about Pickleball at the library? Because the Bastrop Area Pickleball Association received the most community votes on their Patriotic Shoebox Parade entry this summer. You can see their lively entry on our Facebook page . This sport has been gaining popularity all over the country and Bastrop is no exception, but what the heck is pickleball?
Pickleball is not a new, adult sanctioned food fight. It’s a sport that combines many elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. It can be played indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court with a slightly modified tennis net. It can be played as doubles or singles and can be enjoyed by all ages and skill levels. Many folks who enjoyed tennis in the past have especially taken to pickleball because the court is smaller, and the ball is hit with less force—which also makes it great for kids!
To play, all you need is a pickleball paddle, a pickleball ball, and energy and enthusiasm! You can learn more about pickleball equipment online at usapickleball.org. If you’re interested in trying out pickleball but aren’t sure yet about committing to the new sport, stop by anyway! BAPA has extra equipment you can borrow while you give it a try.
Here in Bastrop, the Pickleball Association meets at the Bastrop Pickleball Complex at 141 Tahitian Drive (behind the former location of Bassano’s). Join in open play on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 7am; on Wednesdays and Sundays at 5pm; or during Ladies’ Night on Thursdays at 5pm. If you’re brand-new to pickleball and want to learn, email BastropPickleball@gmail.com. Membership is $120/year. If you’d like to learn more about joining BAPA or get scheduling information, please follow their Facebook group or visit their website.
Congratulations to the Bastrop Area Pickleball Association on your winning Patriotic Shoebox Parade entry! For those of you looking for a food fight, you’ll have to keep searching. But for anyone interested in joining a fun activity for the whole family, the BAPA encourages you to give pickleball a try.
Throughout October, Bastrop Public Library will be decked out in purple—not because Harold and his purple crayon, but because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The color purple is a symbol of peace, courage, survival, honor and dedication to ending violence. One in four women and one in seven men in the United States will be affected by domestic violence in their lifetime.
Together with the Family Crisis Center and the Senior Center, we are asking for you to donate care kit items, which will be given to the Family Crisis Center’s women’s shelter.
Please drop off any of the following items in travel sizes at the library or the senior center (1209 Linden St. #1) between October 1st and October 26th.
- Lotion
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Deodorant
- Body wash
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Washcloths
- Socks (of all sizes)
Choose one of these two opportunities to help our community: at the library during Coffee with Catherine on Wednesday, October 26 from 3:00-4:00 or at the Senior Center on Thursday, October 27 from 1:00-2:00.
Raising awareness of domestic violence is an important piece of working to end the cycle of violence. For the month of October, a special display in the main area of the library will provide resources, facts and stories that highlight the issue and promote healthy relationships. There will be books for kids, teens, and adults.
Books on the display will include titles like Consent for Kids by Brian Rachel; The Big Bad Wolf in My House by Valerie Fontaine; Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka; Is It My Fault? Hope and Healing for Those Suffering Domestic Violence by Justin S. Holcomb; and Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart.
Please help us spread awareness about domestic violence. Pick up a book, donate care kit items, help us assemble kits, wear a little purple, and become part of the movement to end the cycle of violence and abuse.
Book Suggestions
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Sleeping Beauties by Stephen and Owen King
What would happen if all the women in the world went to sleep....except one?
How would the men handle life without them? Who is Eve and why is she the only female awake? Does she hold a cure or solution inside? What do the sleeping girls do while they are asleep? Would they rather stay in another realm? The Kings write a superb novel that blends myth with reality. After The Stand, by far my favorite King book, I could almost imagine being in the mind of each well-drawn character. Simply beautiful.
Find it: MYS Kin + Libby ebooks
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann
Children fairy tales rewritten for adults, particularly women, this sardonic story explores misogyny and exploitation with a wink and a nod to reality tv shows. The gruesome fun and entertainment really make it a page turner like I’ve never experienced before. I can’t wait to read Adelmann’s next book!
Find it: NOV Ade (New)
Becky Bennet, library board member
Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
Li Lan is a young woman of Chinese descent in late 19th-century Malaya. Her nearly broke, opium-smoking father mentions that a rich family has asked for her hand in marriage to their dead son, Lim Tian Ching. Li Lan and her nanny are both horrified by the offer, but out of curiosity, Li Lan accepts an invitation to the Lim house. Soon after, Lim Tian Ching begins haunting her dreams, insisting that she become his Ghost Bride. In the real world, Li Lan meets and falls in love with Lim Tian Ching's cousin and now-heir to the Lim fortune, Tian Bai. Li Lan embarks on a quest to learn what crimes Lim Tian Ching is up to and how to end his invasion of her dreams. The mysterious Er Lang advises and helps her as she travels to the afterlife to gather evidence against Lim Tian Ching. Li Lan is a brave and audacious heroine who grabs control of her destiny in a culture that considers girls and women merely the means to gain business advantage.
Find it: Libby ebooks
Mary McCormick, library patron
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
This multi-layered novel pulls the reader deeper and deeper in as the story unfolds: children in a kindergarten have a tough enough time, but the parents have it worse. The book opens with a death and then back tracks to tell how that death came about. An excellent read! Very enthralling!
Find it: MYS Mor + Libby ebooks
Summer Reading 2022: Oceans of Possibilities went FIN-tastically!
This summer, 869 youth and adults registered for Oceans of Possibilities and logged 1,780,998 minutes! Those minutes resulted in 476 participants completing the program by reading 500 minutes. That means 55% of people completed the program! That is WHALE-y impressive, y’all! This is the highest completion percentage ever in the history of Bastrop Public Library! Give yourselves a pat on the back!
Youth readers received over 500 books as prizes and over 150 adults earned $1 Book Nook coupons! Thank you to the Friends of Bastrop Public Library and Lost Pines Garden Club for making these prizes available to our readers!
Highlights from this summer include Storytime with Ms. Carmen, especially City Friends Storytime with Bastrop Recreation Manager Terry Moore when they sang and danced “The Hokey Pokey!” The next City Friends Storytime is Mayor Connie Schroeder on Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. You won’t want to miss it!
LEGO Club had over 100 participants both in June and July, and their creativity was awesome!
Teen programs also had a bump in the number of participants. Multiple homeschooled teens like to attend Teen Thursdays with the goal to meet new people and make new friends, and they do! Many new friendships were created this summer! They appreciate the structure of the activity that also leaves ample room for socializing. Their favorite programs this summer were the Bermuda Triangle Escape Room, the Nailed It Cupcake Challenge (modeled after the Netflix Show), and Statues and Strawberry Ice Cream, where they created human-shaped sculptures out of packing tape—and then ate strawberry ice cream.
Coffee with Catherine attendees enjoyed a variety of pop-up guests this summer, including an Introduction to PanPastels® with Enid Wood, portrait sketching with Callan Clark, local kid-trepreneurs Sisters’ N Goods, and Egg Art with Debbie Grassel. As always, they love the opportunity to socialize and fellowship with one another.
Oceans of Possibilities CLAM-inated in the Tropical End of Summer Party. Over 370 people had a blast with obstacle courses; mini golf; giant, inflatable bowling; guessing jars; human scavenger hunt; prizes; and more fun. The smiles and laughter ringing throughout the library are a joy.
It was a terrific summer reading program and all of us at the library say “thank you!” for making it a FIN-tastic summer!
Attention, OverDrive app users! OverDrive is discontinuing the legacy OverDrive app in early 2023 and transitioning users to the Libby app. Libby is OverDrive’s newer app for browsing and enjoying digital content from our library.
It’s time to give Libby a try! All your loans, holds, and wish list items will be waiting for you in Libby when you add your library card.
Libby also comes with new features we know you’ll love, like:
- Tags to categorize books however you’d like—you can even sync your OverDrive wish list into a tag!
- A central bookshelf for all loans and holds
- Customizable notifications for ready holds
- Compatibility with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Sonos speakers
Learn more here about the switch. Or watch a tutorial on YouTube on how to download Libby to your device.
Note: Our library’s digital collection will continue to be available at https://ctdl.overdrive.com/ctdl-bastrop/content.
The library will be closed Monday, September 12th through Saturday, September 17th to conduct an inventory of our 50,000+ items, find mis-shelved items, and get things in perfect order after an incredibly busy summer. We will re-open on Monday, September 19th at 10:00. No materials will be due during this week but the bookdrop will be open for anything you want to return. eBooks and eaudiobooks through Libby will still be available 24/7; holds may still be placed through the online catalog, but they will not be filled until the library has re-opened. We appreciate your patience as we give some extra care to your community investment.
The new school year has started, and that means homework! Many teachers anticipate that their students have the internet at home, but we know, from the 2021 Connection Nation Texas survey, that 60.5% of Bastrop County residents don’t feel the current internet service meets their needs.
Hotspots from Bastrop Public Library to the rescue! With your library card, you can checkout one of 20 hotspots for three weeks! Read a Q&A on our hotspots from a previous newsletter article here. And good luck with the homework!
The Friends of Bastrop Public Library are in need of book donations to keep the Book Nook stocked with a wide selection of books!
The Friends accept gently used hardbacks, paperbacks, and board books, but please, no textbooks. They also love to receive magazines that have been published in the last 12 months.
If you have fewer than five items to donate, you can put them in the outside bookdrop. For larger donations, please bring them to the Circulation Desk. If you need a cart or assistance bringing items in from your car, please let staff know. We are happy to help. Tax donation forms are available upon request.
All proceeds from the Book Nook support the Bastrop Public Library.
The Friends of the Library are always looking for dedicated folks to help them support the library in a variety of ways. Everyone is invited to The Friends of the Library Annual Membership Meeting on Thursday, September 29th. Join them as they welcome local author Will Holcomb for a discussion of his book The Infinite Jeff, light refreshments, an update on their yearly activities and library programming, and elect new officers. The Friends need members in leadership positions, so please consider stepping in to the Membership and Volunteers or Members at Large roles. If you don’t think you have the gift or experience, but you have the heart, they would still love to have you! The Annual Meeting begins at 6:30pm in the Library’s Pressley Meeting Room.
Explora is one of the over seventy databases the library is able to offer patrons thanks to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
With Explora, you can:
- Search for articles, e-books, news, videos and more using a single search box
- Browse popular topics by category to get research ideas
- Read Topic Overviews to gain the background information you need to start your research
- Limit results to articles that match your reading level
- Hear HTML articles read aloud with EBSCO’s Text-to-Speech feature (coming soon)
- Save articles to Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or password-protected personal folders right in Explora
- Get research tips on identifying relevant sources, citing them properly and avoiding plagiarism
- Use the citation tool to build your list of references/works cited
Explora is offered in three different “levels”: Explora-Elementary is great for elementary students; it provides the information in kid-friendly language and may be less graphic in information shared, for example, about the devastation of 9/11. Explora-High School is for middle- and high-school students. And, finally, Explora-Public Libraries is an easy-to-use search tool for adults who are looking for credible information. Ask about this at the information desk. We’ll be happy to help you navigate and new way of searching for information.
To access Explora:
- Go the library’s website at bastroplibrary.org.
- Click on eResources on the left-hand side, then TexShare Databases & TexShare Application.
- Click on the navy TexShare Databases button.
- Call the library at 512-332-8880 and ask for the TexShare databses password (you don’t need to have a library card to access the databases!)
- Click on “Select Your Library” in the right-hand corner.
- From the drop-down menu, choose Bastrop Public Library and type in the password staff can share with you. Click the “Access” button.
- In the bar across the top, click on “Resources A-Z,” then the “E” button to skip to Explora.
As a former high school English teacher, Public Services Librarian Bethany Dietrich wishes she had known about Explora when she was still in the classroom. It’s a great tool to for students because they don’t have to wade through the mess of “is it credible?” that is a general Google search. It would have saved so much time on research papers and general assignments.
Good luck with the homework, students --and parents! And happy searching to those no longer obligated to do homework!
Dianne Trip, Friend of the Library
A Taste for Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them by Neil Bradbury
This exploration of murderers’ use of poison is clever, well written, and most interesting. Poison is not a subject most writers embrace, so this read was a fascinating experience. If you like true crime and/or nonfiction in the vein of Mary Roach, you’ll enjoy this one!
Find it: 615.9 Bra (New) + Libby ebooks
Mary McCormick, library patron
Ghosted by Rosie Walsh
Lots of emotions come forth in this novel: joy, sorrow, fear, anticipation, anxiety. Sarah meets Eddie. They have a wonderful week together and part with words of love. Then Eddie disappears. Did Sarah really know him—or he her? What happened? It was real love, wasn’t it? Why won’t he respond to her calls, texts, emails, Facebook? Has something happened to Eddie? Sarah begins to hunt him down. And then the truth starts to reveal itself. You’ll be captured by this story and won’t want to put it down!
Find it: ROM Wal + Libby ebooks
Becky Bennet, library board member
The Harbor by Katrine Engberg
When 15-year-old Oscar goes missing, his wealthy, prominent family claim that he’s been kidnapped. But the note left behind is cryptic at best and makes no demand for ransom. As Copenhagen police detectives investigate, the mystery only deepens. A body is found at the city’s waste incineration plant, and Oscar’s backpack is discovered at a dock near the family’s home by the odd caretaker of a fortress island in Copenhagen Harbor. Although not as dark as most Nordic Noir novels, a number of plot twists and no shortage of suspects make the book an interesting and enjoyable read.
Find it: MYS Eng (New)
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
How Lucky by Will Leitch
Since Stephen King recommended this book, how could I not read it?! And, I’m certainly glad I did as it lives up to the suggestion! Daniel is the disabled narrator who thinks he witnessed a kidnapping outside his window (Did you just think Rear Window, too?)
Now Daniel becomes an amateur detective while also being wildly funny and tremendously caring. I laughed and I cried. You will absolutely be lucky reading this book.
Find it: NOV Lei
Library staff and volunteers have been working diligently for nearly a year on a big project: refreshing the juvenile nonfiction books. We looked at all the kids’ nonfiction books and identified the ones in poor condition, ones that aren’t being read anymore, ones that are outdated (bye, bye, 80’s sweaters!) so that there is room on the shelf for new books. Books still in decent condition were donated to the Friends of the Library for their book sale.
Books that already arrived are mostly in the natural sciences section, also known as the 500’s according to the Dewey Decimal System, so animal books, space books, earth science and weather books, counting and simple math books, chemistry and science projects books, and other earth related topics. We’ve also added new books on religion (200’s), social situations and manners (100’s and 300’s), history (900’s), forensics (300’s), holidays (300’s), fairy tales(300’s), and sports (700’s). More books on additional topics will be coming soon. All of these books have been carefully selected for our community based on the credibility of the authors and the publishers, favorable reviews on titles, and data supporting topics of interest.
Browse for these new books in the juvenile nonfiction shelves, on the display in the Children’s Area or online. We know you’ll find something interesting!
Happy reading!
The Texas State Libraries and Archives Commission has teamed up with Texas State University in San Marcos to help businesses –especially minority-owned businesses—grow and be successful. Together, they have created SCALEUP, a partnership to help local business grow.
SCALEUP is focused on researching the unique challenges affecting minority-business growth and developing practical tools to help overcome these challenges. The goal is to close the growth gap, which creates economic and employment opportunities for everyone in the region. Sign-up online to receive more information and start your business’s upward trajectory.
La Comisión de Bibliotecas y Archivos del Estado de Texas se ha asociado con la Universidad Estatal de Texas en San Marcos para ayudar a las empresas, especialmente las empresas pertenecientes a minorías, a crecer y tener éxito. Juntos, han creado SCALEUP, una asociación para ayudar al crecimiento de las empresas locales.
SCALEUP se enfoca en investigar los desafíos únicos que afectan el crecimiento de las empresas de minorías y desarrollar herramientas prácticas para ayudar a superar estos desafíos. El objetivo es cerrar la brecha de crecimiento, lo que crea oportunidades económicas y de empleo para todos en la región. Regístrese en línea para recibir más información y comenzar la trayectoria ascendente de su negocio.
The Noon Lion’s Club and Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry are teaming up at First Friday Art Walks each month in 2022, and they need your help! Stop by their booth at 1110 Main Street (next to the post office) and paint a bowl. These bowls will be fired and then offered during the Food Pantry’s annual Empty Bowl Project next spring.
If your teen needs volunteer hours, this counts! Just make sure they bring their documentation form and have someone from the Lions’ Club sign in it. If your kid just likes art, bring them down! Any and all are welcome to decorate the bowls.
For more information about painting the bowls, visit Facebook. To learn more about the Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry and the Empty Bowl Project, visit their website . And, if you’d like to join the Lion’s Club, there is an evening group and a noon group .
Becky Bennet, library board member
Last Dance on the Starlight Pier by Sarah Bird
Evie Grace escapes Depression-ravaged Houston and becomes the "nurse" for a dance marathon that has been running for weeks. Evie's new career takes her to Chicago and eventually back to Galveston for the most spectacular dance marathon ever with a prize that will change her life. However, not everyone wants the marathon to continue. Author Sarah Bird has created another fast-paced historical novel with endearing characters and true-to-life dialog. The story is suspenseful, funny, and unputdownable.
Find it: NOV Bir (New)
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
The Night Shift by Alex Finlay
In this thrilling mystery, there are two mass murders, fifteen years apart, in the same small New Jersey town. One teenage girl survivor each time. Very pregnant FBI agent Sarah Keller will have to solve the shocking mysteries by delving into the lives of both survivors. Heart-wrenching at times, but quite satisfying in the end, I would have never guessed the murderer!
Find it: MYS Fin (New) + Libby ebooks
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris
David Sedaris’s new book of essays is in the same vein as his previous works: candid, acerbic, and hilariously observant on the absurdity of human behavior. This book, however, is a little darker since he covers the pandemic and the decline and death of his father, whom it seems was not a very nice person to others, including his children. If you enjoy dark humor, this one fits the bill!
Find it: 92 Sed (New) + Libby ebooks
Mary McCormick, library patron
The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank
This entertaining book presents three generations of women from the South Carolina Lowcountry: Maisie, the 80-year-old, quirky but controlling matriarch; Liz, Maisie’s daughter who runs a nonprofit for abused women (to the consternation of her husband); Ashley, the lovely artist granddaughter who aspires to be the next Jackie O; and Mary Beth, Ashley's roommate and best friend. These women are constantly in each other’s lives with their joys, sorrows, and grievances. In the end, a hurricane drives them together to solve and resolve their pasts and futures.
Find it: NOV Fra + Libby ebooks
I have a confession. I’ve really struggled with reading these past six months. Let me amend that: I’ve struggled with reading print/ebook titles. Audiobooks haven’t been a problem, but I haven’t really been able to finish a book.
I’ve picked up and discarded ten books in the past six months. And I’ve only read and finished 15 print/ebook titles. For someone who read 417 books last year –and who is a librarian– that’s a pretty paltry number.
I’ve read the articles that suggest picking up an old favorite, so I tried Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman, which I loved in middle and high school. But, today, it was a bit… racist in its treatment of indigenous peoples. It was written in 1947, so I probably should have expected that.
One of the articles suggested trying to read “candy” books, like fluffy romances. Romance is one of my favorite genres, and is a go-to, so I tried it. I tried THREE fluffy romances, and they just didn’t do it.
I tried reading the newest book by an author that I adored. I loved T.J. Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, so I borrowed his most recently published: Under the Whispering Door. I read some and then never picked it up again.
I attempted reading something that many of the teens are enjoying: Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth. I got pretty far in this one –about 80%, and then I couldn’t take anymore of the protagonist’s whining. Teens will identify with the main character and her struggles, but I could not!
I tried a tween graphic novel: Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur. I thought I could be successful since it is a tween book AND a graphic novel– there are more pictures than words! It’ll fly by! Alas, my brain (as it sometimes does) struggled with following the story via the pictures. I applaud those who can interpret stories from pictures and minimal text because it is not a strength of mine!
In March, I just gave up trying. I still listened to many and various audiobooks while folding the laundry or mowing the lawn, but I cut myself a break and stopped berating myself.
Between bites of sandwich one lunch break, a Library Journal editorial provided coherence on my struggles. “Our social emphasis on getting out of our comfort zones [via stories and books] presupposes that we are already in those zones and have got as much comfort as we need. This isn’t true for an awful lot of people, who may feel they should want novelty but actually want stability to help navigate micro- and macro-level upheaval” (Schwartz 6).
Between the pandemic, preparing for summer reading, navigating months 9-12 of understaffing, managing all of the “hats” I wear for my librarian responsibilities, weathering political and social upheaval, caring for new interpersonal connections, and maintaining my mental health and “spoons,” I didn’t have any energy left to deal with characters’ lives. I barely had enough energy for my own life!
So I just stopped asking this of myself. I couldn’t refuse to do my job or cook myself dinner or call my mom on Mother’s Day. However, I could allow myself to slow down and not worry as much about reading.
But, this past week, I did it! I actually finished a print book! My first in six weeks!
Summer reading is here, so all of the planning and preparing and worrying about it going well was checked off my list. Summer as a public librarian is still stressful, but with the planning hurdle behind me, I had time and space in my brain for a new story.
If you’re also struggling to read, I encourage you to look at Schwartz’s article, but, even more, I give you judgment-free space to take a break. The library will be here when you’re back in the reading groove.
Coconut bras and swimsuits are not required to attend the Tropical End of Summer Party on Saturday, July 23rd from 11:00-2:00 to celebrate the end of Summer Reading 2022: Oceans of Possibilities! The library will only be open that day from 11:00-2:00 for the Tropical End of Summer Party.
There will be games, prizes to win that day, refreshments, a big inflatable slide INSIDE the library, and fin-tastic fun! Make sure you log all your minutes and spend all your virtual tickets in Beanstack by Friday, July 22nd at 11:59 p.m. so that your name is included in the drawings for the grand prize baskets.
SEA you there!
Book Suggestions
Annie Marrs, library patron – July 2022 newsletter
Still Life by Louise Penny
Still Life is the first book in the Chief Inspector Gamach series. If you are a mystery lover, chances are good that you will love this series! Penny is a very descriptive writer, taking your mind and heart into the small village of Three Pines. The plots always pick you up on the first page and carry you eagerly through twists and turns until the final surprise ending. You can read each book independently or in order for great character development.
Find it: MYS Pen + Libby ebooks
Becky Bennett, library board member
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
High school senior Naomi and her young twin half-siblings move from her abuelitos' house in San Antonio to the oil fields of 1936 New London, Texas, to live with her stepfather. There Naomi endures racism at school and sexual abuse at home. She meets and falls in love with Wash, the son of the principal of the Black school. They make plans to run away, but the horrific New London school explosion and racial violence interrupt their plans. This beautiful and heartbreaking story is part Cinderella and part Romeo and Juliet. This book tells a moving story that offers hope even after the darkest events.
Find it: YA F Per + Libby ebooks
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside by Nick Offerman
What a fun book to read! It made me miss traveling and hiking the National Parks left on my bucket list. This is a patriotic and realistic portrait of our history and the very human problems we must confront in order to protect these beautiful lands we inhabit.
Find it: 917.304 Off (New)
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Billy Summers by Stephen King
Billy is a decorated Iraqi War vet: he was an excellent marksman and sniper. Now an assassin for hire, he only kills really bad guys. Before retiring, Billy has agreed to one more job. Unfortunately, just about everything goes wrong except finding an extraordinary friend. This book is not your typical Stephen King horror novel, but a thrilling, fast-paced story about redemption, love, and luck. You’ll be sad it’s over when you turn the last page.
Find it: MYS Kin + Libby ebooks
All of this month’s suggestions come from summer reading 2021 reviews! You can write reviews in Beanstack, too, and be published in upcoming newsletters! Year-round, we also accept suggestions to Bastrop readers at info@bastroplibrary.org.
Santos R., 4.5 years old
Noisy Night by Mac Barnett
Great book for beginner readers and those learning to talk! Together, we practiced making sounds and moving our lips and tongue. We learned new words and really took our time viewing the amazing illustrations, too.
Find it: E Bar
Lydia H., 8 years old
Snow White Lucks Out by Joan Holub
My favorite part was when her Step-mom, the Evil Witch, gave her a new pair of sneakers because her laces broke and she fell back into a bush. It was silly. ??
Find it: JF Hol
Rebekah M., 12.5 years old
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
After reading the Percy Jackson series, I decided to give the Kane Chronicles a try. I absolutely loved this first one. It switches from the point of view of Carter and Sadie, which at times can be a bit tricky and confusing, but I still give it a 10/10.
Find it: JF Rio + Libby ebooks
Cheryl B., adult
When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
I never read crime dramas/mystery/thrillers. But this really kept my attention. Great writing!
Find it: MYS McL + CD Book F McL + Libby ebooks
Isabel F., adult
Dark Horses by Susan Mihalic
Dark Horses was true to its name and it was indeed dark. The author did a great job researching horse competitions and the care of horses, and I loved the personalities of all the horses. The human characters on the other hand were troubling. Things are not what they seem, and, once you realize what lies beneath the happy exterior, that poison permeates into the rest of the interactions. What is read cannot be unread. The book contains disturbing material that may be triggering or difficult for some to read. However, it is a book that stays with you, and I couldn't put it down.
Find it: NOV Mih + Libby ebooks
Summer Reading is almost here, and we’ve got a whole ocean’s worth of fun activities and programs in store!
NEW this summer! No matter your age, all readers who log 500 minutes will accomplish their goal completing the summer reading program! At 500 minutes, you earn an entry into a grand prize drawing of your choice –everyone will get to choose from ten grand prize baskets– and a free book! Books on a variety of reading levels will be available for kids and teens, and adults will receive a $1 coupon to the Book Nook, where 90% of items only cost $1! Participants reading 1,000 and 1,500 minutes will get additional prize books and grand prize entries! Grand prize basket entries can be earned at 500-minute increments beyond 1,500 minutes. You can learn how to register online or sign back in to a previously used account, how to log minutes, and how to spend virtual tickets via our YouTube tutorials. Registration opens for all readers on May 31, so bookmark these tutorials to watch then.
Summer Reading 2022 officially begins Tuesday, May 31 with Opening Week activities! Visit the library any or every day that week, Tuesday through Saturday, for extra activities and opportunities to win a prize basket. If you sign-up to participate in summer reading in the library, you get an EXTRA ticket in the drawing! On Tuesday, we’ll make a mural together; Wednesday, you can test your knowledge with Questions of the Day; Thursday will have a variety of activity stations; Friday is Fishing for Time, where you can earn extra minutes toward your reading log; and Saturday will be the first of three Rockin’ Reading programs.
Rockin’ Reading is a family friendly program led by Bastropian Dr. Allison Bumsted as an opportunity to share her love of music through books and hands-on musical experiences. Rockin’ Reading programs are on the first three Saturdays in June from 1:00-3:00.
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June 4th: Meet the Beatles! Learn how to use a record player and all about the Beatles.
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June 11th: Oh Gosh Golly, It’s Dolly! We learn how Dolly Parton shares her kindness and thankfulness with her home-town community and how that has spread beyond that small town in Tennessee.
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June 18th: All Hail the Queen, Aretha Franklin! For Juneteenth weekend, celebrate the Queen of Soul with local speakers.
Community Adventure is back again this summer, ready to help you explore Bastrop and have fun as a family, with a friend, or even by yourself. You can sign-up to participate at BastropLibrary.org or pick up a print copy at the Summer Reading table in the Children’s Area. Complete 15 of the 40 activities, and you’ll get your name in a drawing for a basket full of local gift cards and goodies. Community Adventure is for all ages so join the fun!
The summer calendar of events is available at BastropLibrary.org by clicking the Summer Reading tab. Read on for more fun happening at the library this summer!
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol by Mallory O’Meara
Girly Drinks is hysterical! O’Meara writes the history of women and alcohol from a true feminist perspective. Wonderfully detailed and researched, this book is a must-read for anyone that is a cocktail enthusiast.
Find it: 362.292 Ome (New) + Libby ebooks
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh
Emma has been married to Leo for 10 years and has been hiding terrible secrets from him. Leo gradually learns the entire truth and is truly shattered. What happened before these 2 met? Why is Emma withholding these experiences? Will long ago decisions destroy the wonderful life they
have built together? Part mystery, part thriller, and part heart wrenching love story, this Good Morning America Club Pick will keep you turning the pages until the very end.
Find it: MYS Wal (New) + Libby ebooks
Becky Bennet, library board member
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
Furniture dealer and sometime fence Ray Carney gets dragged into a hotel heist by his much-crookeder cousin, Freddie. After that, trouble seems to come looking for Carney. He's got to settle a score, protect his business from rioters and mob muscle, and try to keep Freddie and himself alive. Whitehead's latest is funny, thrilling, and gracefully written.
Find it: NOV Whi (New) + Libby ebooks
Bethany Dietrich, librarian
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP) has unexpectedly received custody of his elementary-aged niece and nephew after their mom dies and their dad checks into rehab. While initially wary about the kids, he quickly warms up to them, and they all learn about healing from grief. This is a sorrowful book, as any book on grief is, but it also is a celebration of life: how one can still laugh, still have fun, still grow, and still love even after the death of a loved one.
Find it: NOV Row (New) + Libby ebooks
Libraries are places to get connected to broadband, computers, technology resources, people, programs, ideas—and, of course, books! During National Library Week, April 3-9 and the whole month of April, we challenge you to connect with Bastrop Public Library in a way you haven’t before!
Have you tried connecting with… ebooks? Your library card gives you access to over 21,000 ebook and eaudiobook titles through the Libby app. To access them, download the Libby app on your phone, tablet, or other smart device. Plug in your library card number and phone number, and you’re ready to go! If you need help, feel free to ask a librarian at the Information Desk. Bring your device, too, so we can troubleshoot together.
Have you tried connecting with… hotspots? Hotspots are portable devices that take the internet to you! Thanks to a grant from the Ladd and Katherine Hancher Library Foundation, we have ten hotspots available for checkout. Reserve a hotspot in the catalog or ask about them at the Circulation Desk.
Have you tried connecting with… the wifi in the parking lot? Thanks to the same Hancher Foundation grant, we were also able to extend the wifi out into the parking lot! It’s available with no password needed to access it. So browse away!
Have you tried connecting with… SimplyE? SimplyE is a second ebook collection the library has access to thanks to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC). To view these books, download the SimplyE app from the App Store or Google Play Store and type in your library card number and phone number. All Libby ebooks and eaudiobooks are available in this app in addition to the SimplyE collection provided by TSLAC for all Texas libraries.
Have you tried connecting with… programs? If technology isn’t your thing– or you’re all set in that arena already, join us for a program or two! For the littles, we’ve got Storytime on Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:30am. Teen Thursdays for 13-17 year-olds happens every Thursday from 4:45-6:15pm. Coffee with Catherine is for adults and perfect for those who want to share and connect with others; they meet every Wednesday from 3:00-4:00pm. Lastly, LEGO Club is once a month on the third Tuesday from 3:00-4:30pm (sign up for an email reminder here).
Try connecting with one of these library services during National Library Week– and maybe tell a librarian thank you for all their work they do for you and the community.
The Book and Plant Sale is almost here!
The Friends of the Library Book Sale is Friday, April 29 from 10:00-6:00pm and Saturday, April 30th from 10:00-3:00pm.
Members of the Friends of the Library have first choice of the book selection during a Friends Only preview on Friday from 9:00-10:00am. To join the Friends, ask for an application at the Circulation Desk.
On Saturday, April 30th, the Lost Pines Garden Club will have a variety of plants ranging from shrubs and annuals to budding plants and vegetables. The sale starts at 9:00 and goes until they run out of plants!
Don’t miss these cheap books and great plants! All proceeds directly support the Bastrop Public Library.
Don’t miss these cheap books and great plants! All proceeds directly support the Bastrop Public Library.
The library is looking for teen and adult volunteers to help with various projects and programs this summer!
Teens must be 14-17 years old. There are a limited number of spots available, so get your application in sooner rather than later. Applications and details for teen volunteers are available online. Please direct questions to Bethany at bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org.
Adult volunteers help with shelving and other projects. Those who are interested need to stop by the Circulation Desk for an application. Questions can be directed to Catherine at clombardo@bastroplibrary.org.
If your teen is looking to make a little money this summer, we will be hiring two students for the eight weeks of the summer reading program. Students must be a minimum of 16 years old and be classified as a junior or senior for the 2022-2023 school year. These student clerks work 20 hours a week and help patrons sign-up for summer reading and log minutes, give out prizes, assist at programs and events, and more. They must have good attention to detail and be self-directed in accomplishing tasks. Anyone interested in the student clerk position, please email Bethany at bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org. They need to specify that they want to apply for the student clerk position as opposed to volunteering.
Come say hi to us at these events in April and May.
Movies at the Park is on Saturday, April 2nd in Bob Bryant Park. The library will be there for pre-movie activities! And then stay and watch Peter Rabbit 2. Don’t forget your blanket!
International Walking Day is Wednesday, April 6th, and we are partnering with the Recreation Center and the Parks Board to get us all moving and walking that day! Meet at the library, and then head down as a group into Fisherman’s Park to get a little exercise! Times will be available closer to April 6th, and you can find them on the library’s website.
SpringFest is a family-friendly festival that celebrates National Child Abuse Prevention Month that is put on by the Children’s Advocacy Center Serving Bastrop, Lee, and Fayette Counties and CASA of Bastrop, Lee, and Fayette Counties. Stop by Fisherman’s Park on Saturday, April 23rd between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. There will be a kid’s play zone with inflatable, games for all ages, food trucks, live music and performances, meet and greet opportunities with first responders, and more! For questions, please contact info@CACBastrop.org.
Movies in the Park is on Saturday, May 7th in Bob Bryant Park. If you can't make the April date, come to the May event! We'll be there with a different pre-movie activity. Then, stay and watch-and sing along-with Moana! The movie starts when the sun goes down.
Becky Bennett, library board member
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Tookie, after release from prison, takes a job at a bookstore, but when her most annoying customer dies, the woman’s ghost begins haunting her. This, plus the start of the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd (in Tookie’s hometown of Minneapolis), and on-going childhood trauma, and Tookie’s world and coping skills begin to crash. I immediately fell in love with every character in this book, especially Tookie’s husband. Moreover, nearly all of them are booklovers, and at the end of the novel, Erdrich includes “A Totally Biased List of Tookie’s Favorite Books.” I pored over the list, looking for titles I’d read and titles that I want to read. I even made a copy of the list to keep.
Find it: NOV Erd (New) + Libby ebooks
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Sex Cult Nun by Faith Jones
Faith Jones’s story is a page-turner. She shares a vivid portrayal of how dangerous patriarchal religious cults are and the damage they do with their total control over women and children. Jones was lucky: she figured out how to escape. But it makes me wonder how many have not been able to escape and how many have been permanently scarred and will forever grapple with the emotional fall-out.
Find it: 92 Jon (New)
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
An Ambush of Widows by Jeff Abbott
Two men are found dead in an Austin warehouse. There seems to be no connection between the murdered husbands; yet, their two widows are bound by their need to seek the truth about the unrelated men and the circumstances of the crime. This is a fast and wild ride: you probably should clear your calendar for the day after just the first chapter of this compelling thriller.
Bonus fact: did you know that a group of widows is an "ambush". I wonder if they ambush the killer?!
Find it: MYS Abb + CD Book F Abb + Libby ebooks
Bethany Dietrich, library staff
Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen: A Novel of Victorian Cookery and Friendship by Annabel Abbs
This historical fiction is one part Downton Abbey (the downstairs part) and one part Great British Bake-off. It has the friendly air and social justice attitude of GBBO, too: let's help one another be successful. It's delightful and charming. It's like a Hallmark Channel movie minus the sappy romance: it goes down easily and even better with a nice dish of pie a la mode.
Find it: NOV Abb (New)
Coffee with Catherine is our Wednesday social hour that meets from 3:00-4:00. Catherine and her crew have been bringing the fun this year!
In January, Catherine taught everyone how to make a fancy gift wrap bow. They twisted ribbons and fingers and laughed and laughed. Glitter was everywhere, but it was a fabulous time.
In February, a local Bastropian, Helen, shared her love of ballroom dancing and taught everyone a variety of ballroom steps. It was marvelous to have people of all ages move together!
And all the Wednesdays in-between were great, too. As always, the group celebrates highs and shares comfort amidst the lows. Coffee with Catherine has truly been a gift for those who have felt so lonely during the pandemic.
If you’re looking to laugh, make new friends, or just want some extra socializing, join us on Wednesdays from 3:00-4:00. We’ll be the ones with the coffee and warm smiles.
Is your family staying in Bastrop during Spring Break? Plan to come to the library for some fun self-directed activities– we’ve got something for all ages!
Kids can pick-up a take-and-make craft in the Children’s Area, as well as answer our pretty silly opinion poll. Our regularly scheduled LEGO Club will be this week on Tuesday, March 15th from 3:00-4:30pm, and Ms. Carmen is pulling out all the stops with LEGOrama! If you’d like to receive monthly reminders about LEGO Club, please sign-up online.
Teens also have a poll question that they can answer in the Teen Room. Teen Thursdays that week is Brackets and Brownies. It's March Madness®, and we're having a bracket, but not for winning basketball teams. We are battling for the best… dessert! Teen Thursdays is every week from 4:45-6:15pm.
Last, but certainly not least, a new adult puzzle pack will be available on the New Adult shelves. Last time, we had a word search, crossword, scramble, and sudoku, so if you like to keep your brain thinking, you’ll want to pick this up!
We hope to see you during Spring Break!
In January, the American Library Association announced this year’s Youth Media Award winners! And you can read some of these award-winning stories at the Bastrop Public Library!
Caldecott winner: Watercress by Andrea Wang
The Caldecott recognizes an American illustrator of children’s books.
Embarrassed about gathering watercress from a roadside ditch in this powerful and moving picture book, a girl learns to appreciate her Chinese heritage after learning why the plant is so important to her parents.
Find it: E Wan (New)
Newbery winner: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
The Newbery is awarded to an American author for distinguished contributions to children’s literature.
Petra wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending; earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children--among them Petra and her family--have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet--and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again? This is an emotionally intense and suspenseful story that tweens, teens, and adults will enjoy.
Find it: JF Hig (New) + Libby ebooks
Printz winner: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
The Printz is based on literary merit and is given to an author of teen books.
Daunis has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. As Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug. Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. As the deceptions--and deaths--keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she'll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she's ever known. This intricately plotted and candid thriller will be a hit with any reader who likes mysteries.
Find it: YA F Bou
Coretta Scott King winner: Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford
The Coretta Scott King Award recognizes African American authors and illustrators of children’s and teen books that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.
This powerful title looks at the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation's history. The book traces the history of African Americans in Tulsa's Greenwood district and chronicles the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the Black community. News of what happened was largely suppressed, and no official investigation occurred for 75 years. This picture book sensitively introduces young readers to this tragedy and concludes with a call for a better future.
Find it: E 976.686 Wea + Libby ebooks
If you’d like more Youth Media Award Winners, you can learn more online.
Congratulations to these amazing authors, illustrators, and books!
Cake pans and literacy bags are back and available for checking out again!
We have a variety of cake pans for you to choose from from footballs to Christmas ornaments to race cars to Spider-Man to hearts and everything in-between.
Cake pans can be found between adult Spanish books and adult DVD’s. If you need help locating them, please ask at the Information or Circulation Desks. We do rotate the holiday and seasonal ones, so if you’re looking for Christmas in July or zombies in February, ask, and we’ll see what we can find in the back for you.
For the little ones, Literacy Bags are back, too! Literacy bags are themed kits that include a picture book, finger puppet or small stuffed animal, a rhyming game or activity sheet, and more. Themes include stars, trains, dinosaurs, Old McDonald, elephants, and more.
There is a display of Literacy Bags next to the Children’s Desk and more are located between the children’s audiobooks and children’s puzzles. Again, if you need help locating them, please ask at the Information or Circulation Desks.
Enjoy baking and reading!
The Friend of the Library Book and Plant Sale is Friday, April 29 from 10:00-6:00pm and Saturday, April 30th from 10:00-3:00pm.
Members of the Friends of the Library have first choice of the book selection during a Friends Only preview on Friday from 9:00-10:00am. To join the Friends, ask for an application at the Circulation Desk.
On Saturday, April 30th the Lost Pines Garden Club will have a variety of plants ranging from shrubs and annuals to budding plants and vegetables. The sale starts at 10:00 and goes until they run out of plants!
Put these dates in your calendar so you won’t miss these cheap books and great plants! All proceeds directly support the Bastrop Public Library.
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Stolen by Elizabeth Gilpin
A harrowing account of a 15-year-old whose parents turn her over to a “therapeutic” cult for her behavior problems, this is behavior modification at its sickest. Once you start reading this nightmarish true account about the abusive boarding school industry, you can’t put it down.
Find it: 92 Gil (New)
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda
When Ruby returns to Hollow's Edge after her murder conviction has been overturned, no one in this small neighborhood is happy. Suddenly, suspicion spreads about the murder of the Truett family; not everyone told the truth about that horrible night. You will enjoy the twists and turns of this suspenseful thriller while trying to figure out who really killed the Truetts and why. The ending is quite unexpected-- I was flabbergasted!
Find it: MYS Mir
Becky Bennet, library board member
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
Iron-age Britons Axl and Beatrice leave their village to visit their grown son in another village, a three-day walk from them. On the way, they encounter ogres, pixies, King Arthur’s knight Sir Gawain, and other strange and mysterious creatures and people. They lament that they cannot really remember their son because of a “dense mist which hung over the marshes” that clouds everyone’s minds so that they cannot recall things that happened even a few days or hours ago. This strange and entrancing story offers interesting characters, plot twists, and an exploration of importance and purpose of memory.
Find it: NOV Ish + Libby ebooks
Bethany Dietrich, library staff
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
This is Green’s first foray into adult and nonfiction writing, and he hits it out of the park! This conversational book is essays, always personal, about things that have keenly affected Green. Topics range from Dr. Pepper to Halley’s Comet to the movie Penguins of Madagascar, and he rates each of them on a five-star scale. Despite being a one-star reader of nonfiction, I had to give this one five stars.
Find it: 814.6 Gre + CD Book 814.6 Gre (New) + Libby ebooks
We love living in a community of readers like you! And you all have great taste in picking books! Many of the most checked-out titles of 2021 were by well-known authors (James Patterson, I’m looking at you) or New York Times Bestsellers for weeks and weeks (Matthew McConaughey biography, I’m looking at you), but some were a surprise– even to us!
Take a look at what your neighbors are reading and try them, too. Make an effort to bring them up for conversation the next time you wave while bringing up the trash cans or while walking your dogs.
Mystery:
Dark Sky (#22) by C.J. Box
Find it: MYS Box + LT F Box + CD Book F Box + Libby ebooks
Novel:
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Find it: NOV Hai + CD Book F Hai + Libby ebooks
Romance:
No Way Out by Fern Michaels
Find it: ROM Mic + CD Book F Mic + Libby ebooks
Sci-fi and fantasy:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Find it: SFF Sch + CD Book F Sch + Libby ebooks
Adult nonfiction:
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Find it: 92 McC + CD Book 92 McC + Libby ebooks
Large print:
Missing and Endangered (#19) by J.A. Janc
Find it: LT F Jan + MYS Jan + Libby ebooks
Audiobook:
The Law of Innocence (#6) by Michael Connelly
Find it: CD Book F Con + MYS Con + LT F Con + Libby ebooks
Adult DVD’s:
Broken Trail
Find it: DVD F Bro
Kids’ DVD’s
Rio 2
Find it: DVD JF Rio
Picture book:
Itty-Bitty Kitty Corn by Shannon Hale
Find it: E Hal
1st reader:
Pete the Cat’s Trip to the Supermarket by James Dean
Find it: 1st R Dea
Chapter book:
Guts by Raina Telgemeier
Find it: JF GRN Tel + Libby ebooks
Juvenile nonfiction:
Minecraft: Guide to Ocean Survival by Stephanie Milton
Find it: J 794.815 Min
Young adult:
Komi Can’t Communicate, volume 1 by Oda Tomohito
Find it: YA GRN Kom
Happy reading!
Thank you to everyone who joined us in the festivities at Bastrop Public Library’s Annual Holiday Open House of 2021! It was wonderful to see all the smiles, the expressions of joy, the kids in festive gear, and to catch up with all of you!
Thank you to our wonderful musicians Mary Smith, accordion; the Honor Choir; and youth cellists from the Little Heart Talent Education for sharing their talent and creating a merry atmosphere.
Thank you to the various City of Bastrop departments for decorating masterpieces for this year’s Great City Decorating Contest! Everyone was wowed by the entries, and it was a hard decision on whom to vote for, but the Bastrop Police Department’s entry was this year’s winner!
As always, a highlight of the day was the kids decorating graham cracker houses!
And the teens successfully decorated the library’s float in the Lighted Christmas Parade!
Lastly, thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers! Without you, the day wouldn’t have happened!
We greatly appreciate everyone who helped make our Annual Open House a wonderful day. We hope you will make plans to join us next year.
Is your high school senior looking for scholarships to help pay for college? If they have volunteered at the Bastrop Public Library, then they are eligible to apply for the scholarship awarded by the Friends of Bastrop Public Library!
To apply, fill out an application, which is available online or in the high school counselor’s office. Applications are due March 1, 2022, and they can be mailed to the Friends or dropped off at the library.
If your teen isn’t a senior yet, but would be interested in volunteering so that they can be eligible for the scholarship by the time senior year rolls around, they can learn more about being a teen volunteer and apply online. If they have questions, please email Bethany, Teen Volunteer Coordinator, at bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org.
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
The Push by Ashley Audrain
I flew through this book. It is psychologically fascinating, visceral, and intense as it explores the question, “Do your really know those closest to you?” It reminded me of the 1956 thriller "The Bad Seed.” Excellent first novel for Audrain!
Find it: MYS Aud + Libby ebooks
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
Evelyn's husband, Nathan, has been cheating on her... with a clone he developed. Martine looks like Evelyn but does not behave the same. When Martine kills Nathan in self-defense, we begin to wonder: what does it mean to be human? Does an abusive upbringing determine our adult traits? Can a clone develop emotions? And then there is the impossible: Martine is pregnant. Full of twists and turns, this amazing book is highly recommended!
Find it: MYS Gai
Becky Bennet, library board member
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
Famous London detective Christopher Banks recalls his childhood in Shanghai and the disappearances of his parents when he was nine years old. He spends 20 years researching his most pressing case and finally returns to Shanghai to solve the mystery and rescue his parents. I read this book because I loved Ishigura's most recent novel, Klara and the Sun. Although this novel is much different from Klara, it is no less a compelling masterpiece. The narrator's voice is objective, sometimes detached, as you would expect from a detective. However, the mystery of his parents is secondary. This novel is really an examination of the fallibility of memory and how people delude themselves.
Find it: NOV Ish
Bethany Dietrich, library staff
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
Six months after Amari’s older brother goes missing, she gets an unexpected package: a brightly colored (and very garish) suit and an invite to attend the summer camp her brother had gone to all those years ago. Amari goes, planning on figuring out why her brother disappeared, but she gets a big surprise upon arrival: the supernatural is real, and Amari has unique– dangerous– powers that had previously been dormant. Now she must convince everyone she’s not evil, make friends, solve the mystery of her brother, AND win the junior Bureau training program. This middle grade novel is perfect for 4th-8th graders and is like a mash-up of Harry Potter and Meet the Robinsons; it was such a fun read!
Find it: JF Als + CD Book JF Als + Libby ebooks
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewel
Tallulah, 19, wants to leave her boyfriend, Zach, who is father of their baby boy, Noah.
The pair leave Noah with Tallulah's mom Kim for a night out. When morning arrives, they have not returned home. What happened to them? Are they alive? Have they gone off due to the pressures of young parenthood? Did Zach hurt Tallulah and run off? As with anything Jewel writes, you won’t be disappointed by this captivating page-turner!
Find it: MYS Jew (New)
Becky Bennett, library board member
The Eagles of Heart Mountain by Bradford Pearson
When President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, over 100,000 Japanese Americans, of all ages, were sent to prison camps. To alleviate boredom and the sting of racism and discrimination, a group of high school students at the Heart Mountain, Wyoming internment camp turned to their love of sports. Despite a lack of proper equipment and training field, they were triumphant on the football field. The first half of this excellent book details 150 years of Japanese migration to the US and the blatant racism--from individuals as well as government policy. The second half focuses on the Japanese American community’s resilience and how, even under terrible conditions, they never wavered from the love of their country, the U.S.
Find it: 940.531 Pea (New)
Mary McCormick, library patron
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
This novel leaves a profound effect. Kya, as a child, was abandoned by her family. She grew up alone in the North Carolina swamps. Townspeople ridiculed her, calling her Marsh Girl. She never went to school but taught herself how to survive. She learned the swamp, its places to hide, its passages, and all its creatures. The gulls became her family. This book tells of her survival, her loves, her secrets, and the extraordinary life she lived. A must read!
Find it: NOV Owe + LT F Owe + CD Book F Owe + Libby ebooks
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
I loved this book! There were so many twist and surprises in a very well written novel. I can’t imagine the stress, loneliness, and anxiety of “passing” in another race or gender—plus creating a whole different persona in speech, dress, mannerism, etc. Then there’s the terror of being exposed and the repercussions that would come with said exposure. Read this one if you want to “walk in another person’s shoes” as Harper Lee’s Scout Finch succinctly puts it.
Find it: NOV Ben + CD Book F Ben + Libby ebooks
Join us for great holiday cheer at the Annual Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 11, 2021 from 10:00-4:00pm! Mingle with Library Board Members, Friends of the Library, library staff and volunteers, and neighbors and community members to celebrate holiday cheer.
Our graham cracker house decoration tradition continues with some tweaks to keep everyone happy. Each hour from 10:00-3:00, we will have 40 houses available to decorate. The Pressley Meeting Room will have limited seating so kids are welcome to take a house and a few supplies home to decorate their masterpiece. Groups of up to eight can be accommodated in the Meeting Room.
A variety of musicians will perform including the Honor Choir, student musicians, and a local accordion player.
The second annual Great City Decorating Contest (GC?DC) challenges City departments to decorate a graham cracker house, and you get to decide which department did the most spectacular job. The competition is fierce, so be ready to make the hard decision! Winners receive Facebook fame, a fabulous trophy, and bragging rights for the entire year!
Teens will participate in the Lighted Christmas parade. Space is limited to ten teenagers between the ages of 13-17 (or 18 if still in high school). Registration will open Thursday, December 2.
In between shopping downtown on Saturday, December 11th, stop by the library to celebrate the season!
Stop by the library! We’ll have self-directed and take-home activities for all ages!
In the Children’s Area, there will be interactive questions that ask kids to share their opinion. Plus, there will be a take-and-make craft you can pick up and create at home.
In the Teen Room, teen polls are back! Make sure your teen teen stops by to answer a thought-provoking question… like, “Are hotdogs sandwiches or tacos?”
Outside the Teen Room, the board games have returned! They are hanging on the shelves opposite the Teen Room door, and anyone can play them in the library. Please make sure to put all the pieces back in the bag when you’re done so the next gamers can successfully play.
For those of you who like to snuggle under a blanket on the couch when it’s cold outside, we have created movie “binge boxes,” themed bundles of three movies that will keep you occupied all afternoon long.
For adults, puzzle packs are back! You can find them in the same place they were this summer: on top of the new book shelf. If you can’t find them, please ask a staff member for assistance.
And last, but not least, we have a photo scavenger hunt! This will only be available December 28th-30th, the week after Christmas, and you’ll need a smart phone to participate. This should get your blood flowing-- and make more room for holiday leftovers! The QR code for the photo scavenger hunt will be shared on our Facebook page and in the library.
If you and your kids participate in any of these activities, please share your holiday fun with us on Facebook (@BastropPublicLibrary) and Instagram (@BastropPublicLibrary) by tagging us-- or email us your pictures at info@bastroplibrary.org. We love to see y’all having fun!
Work stress, holiday stress, financial stress, parenting stress, fill-in-your-own-stress-here stress. The stress is real, especially during the holiday season. Try reading middle-grade or tween books!
Middle grade authors are great at breaking down events, topics, and themes into digestible reading. It’s not too complicated when your brain is tired after a full day-- and you can have something to discuss with your own 4th-8th grader!
Here are some of our favorite middle grade reads:
Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen - JF Nie + CD Book JF Nie + Libby ebooks
In this suspenseful and thoughtful historical fiction story, it’s 1893, and 12-year-old Audra lives on a farm in Lithuania. But when Cossack (Russian) soldiers invade the farm, Audra is the only one who escapes and, unsure of what has happened to her parents, she embarks on a dangerous journey, carrying the smuggled Lithuanian books that fuel the growing resistance movement, unsure of who to trust, but risking her life and freedom for her country.
Odette’s Secrets by Maryann Macdonald - JF Mac + Libby ebooks
When Odette's father is sent to a Nazi work camp, her mother sends Odette from Paris to the French countryside where she must pretend to be a Catholic peasant to remain safe, while secrets burn within her in this attention-grabbing and moving novel in verse.
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart - JF Gem + CD Book JF Gem + Libby ebooks
Twelve-year-old Coyote and her father rush to Poplin Springs, Washington, in their old school bus to save a memory box buried in a park that will soon be demolished in this funny and moving story that deals with grief.
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone - JF Sto + Libby ebooks
An 11-year-old boy confronts the realities of race relations, past and present, and the mysterious agenda of his unconventional grandmother during an unplanned spring break road trip through the once-segregated American South in this funny and richly detailed story.
Frankie & Bug by Gayle Forman - JF For (New)
In the summer of 1987 in Venice, California, 10-year-old Bug and her new friend Frankie learn important lessons about life, family, being your true self, and how to navigate in a world that is not always just or fair in this culturally diverse coming-of-age story.
Refugee by Alan Gratz - JF Gra + Libby ebook
Separated by decades, Josef, a Jew living in 1930s Nazi Germany; Isabel, a girl trying to escape unrest in 1994 Cuba; and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015 whose homeland is torn apart by violence, embark on journeys in search of refuge. This serious and suspenseful story of parallel narratives will change your life.
Front Desk by Kelly Yang - JF Yan + Libby ebooks
In this character-driven and thought-provoking story that takes place in the early ‘90s, 10-year-old Mia’s parents, all newly emigrated from China, take a job managing a rundown motel, despite the nasty owner, Mr. Yao, who exploits them, while she works the front desk and tries to cope with fitting in at her school.
Starfish by Lisa Fipps - JF Fip
Bullied and shamed her whole life for being fat, 12-year-old Ellie finally gains the confidence to stand up for herself, with the help of some wonderful new allies in this moving novel in verse.
Tornado Brain by Cat Patrick - JF Pat (New) + Libby ebooks
In this character-driven coming-of-age story, seventh-grader Frankie, who has various sensory disorders, is determined to find her missing best friend, Colette, before it is too late.
OCDaniel by Wesley King - JF Kin (New) + Libby ebooks
A 13-year-old boy's life revolves around hiding his obsessive compulsive disorder until a girl at school, who is unkindly nicknamed Psycho Sara, notices him for the first time and he gets a mysterious note that changes everything. This coming-of-age story will positively change how you view mental illness.
If you’d like more suggestions, ask for Bethany or Bonnie, and we’ll happily recommend titles until the cows come home (from over the river and through the woods)!
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
False Witness by Karin Slaughter
Drug addiction, murder, COVID, race relations, and two very different sisters who share a horrible secret are just a fraction of the suspense in Slaughter's newest book. Leigh is a successful attorney who receives a very high-profile case: she is to defend a wealthy man accused of rape. But: they know each other. How? Why did this horrible person want Leigh as his lawyer? What will happen to Leigh if she loses this case? Will the shared pasts of all involved become too much? Can the trial be sabotaged? Fast-paced and current, this is another excellent read!
Find it: MYS Sla (New) + CD Book F Sla (New) + LT Sla (New) + Libby ebooks
Mary McCormick, patron
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
This powerful story tells of 12-year-old Ril Foss and her four younger siblings, a poor river family who were captured, separated, and sold to wealthy families. It’s based on the true story of Georgia Tann and the Memphis-based adoption agency that kidnapped and sold children all over the country for several decades. The tale is horrifying at times but always riveting.
Find it: NOV Win + Libby ebooks
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
The Afghanistan Papers by Craig Whitlock
Whitlock, an investigative reporter for The Washington Post, digs into the Afghan War in this revelatory work. Drawing comparisons to the Vietnam War, Whitlock analyzes the bad decisions that were made by Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump, as well as their administrations, military brass, CIA, DEA, and many civilian officials. Hopefully, this book will be a warning of group think and lying to the American people.
Find it: 958.104 Whi (New)
Becky Bennet, library board member
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Konstance, 14 years old, lives aboard The Argos, a spacecraft launched 65 years earlier, headed to a distant planet that is to be man's new home. Zeno is 80 years old and leading a group of fifth-graders in a production of Cloud Cuckoo Land, a Diogenean comedy, at the public library. Seymour is a young man who is intent on placing a bomb in that library. Anna is a young girl that works in an embroidery shop with her sister in 15th century Constantinople. Omeir, a Bulgarian boy born with a cleft lip, gets drafted by the Sultan's army in their attack on Constantinople. What links all these characters? A story. A story that was once lost and has been found. A story that saves each of their lives. This love-letter to stories and books is beautiful and enthralling, a masterpiece, and has been predicted to be in the running for next year's Pulitzer. If you love books, you will love this book.
Find it: NOV Doe (New) + CD Book F Doe (New)
Wow! We are just blown away by how much money was raised at this year’s Book and Plant Sale hosted by the Friends of Bastrop Public Library and Lost Pines Garden Club! Thank YOU for coming out and buying up their books and plants!
The Friends raised nearly $2400 and the preliminary estimate from the Lost Pines Garden Club is $3500.
Highlights from the two-day event include, of course, all of the nice, friendly community members who stopped by. There was a good turn-out for the members-only preview sale. If you’d like to get in on that first access to the books, pick up a membership form at the Circulation Desk; annual dues are $15. Other bargain-hunters included those who brought their FOL bag, which is a tote bag you can purchase year-round in the Book Nook. You pay only $10 for whatever you can fit in it at the Book Nook and at larger sales! The most popular items that were purchased were kids’ titles, history books, and mysteries/thrillers.
If you couldn’t make it to September’s Book and Plant Sale, don’t worry: there will be a spinning sale in March 2022!
Bastrop Public Library staff, the Library Board, and the Friends of the Library are hard at work planning for the annual Open House that will be on Saturday, December 11, 2021 from 10:00-4:00. It will be a fun day of great holiday cheer!
Here’s a brief preview of what is happening that day:
Our graham cracker house decoration tradition continues with some tweaks to keep everyone happy. Each hour from 10:00-3:00, we will have 40 houses available to decorate. The Pressley Meeting Room will have limited seating so kids are welcome to take a house and a few supplies home to decorate their masterpiece. Groups of up to eight can be accommodated in the Meeting Room.
A variety of musicians, including the Bastrop Honor Choir, will perform.
The second annual Great City Decorating Contest (GC?DC) challenges City departments to decorate a graham cracker house and you get to decide which department did the most spectacular job. The competition is fierce, so be ready to make the hard decision! Winners receive Facebook fame, a fabulous trophy, and bragging rights for the entire year!
Teens will participate in the Lighted Christmas parade. Space is limited to ten teenagers between the ages of 13-17 (or 18 if still in high school). Registration will open Thursday, December 2.
More details will be available soon. But mark your calendars today so you won’t miss the jolly fun!
Becky Bennett, library board member
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Belle de Costa Greene was the personal librarian to financier JP Morgan. As such, she was a most accomplished businesswoman and moved in elite social circles. However, she had a secret: she is light-skinned Black, spurring an inner struggle with her authentic identity versus her ambition. Throughout this rich story, you will be drawn to Belle’s story as she sacrifices her extended family, marriage, motherhood, and even her father to maintain the life she has built as a white woman.
Find it: NOV Ben (New) + Libby ebooks
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat by Matt Siegel
This book is a blast to read! It has everything: shock, cringe, laugh-out-loud, superstition, gullibility, and the list goes on. This is a must-read for anyone that consumes food (or what they think of as food!). I promise there will be at least one thing in this book that you didn’t know!
Find it: 641.3 Sie (New)
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Survive the Night by Riley Sager
Charlie is a troubled college student looking for a ride home to Ohio. Josh, a stranger, offers to share a ride with her. There is something very suspicious about Josh, and Charlie soon thinks he is the Campus Killer who has murdered girls at her small college. Will she figure out a way to escape or send a message for help while on dark, deserted roads and through sparsely populated towns? How can she survive the night? Enjoy the many twists and turns with a very unreliable narrator until the surprising finale of this quite excellent thriller. I was so enthralled that I read this book in two days!
Find it: MYS Sag (New)
Bethany Dietrich, Public Services Librarian
The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson
June has lived in the same, small British hamlet all her life. She dreamed of going away to university, but then her mom got cancer, and June had to stay and take care of her. Eight years later, June still lives in the house she grew up in, all alone, and works as a library assistant. The town council has decided to potentially close various libraries in the area, including June’s, but several very passionate patrons team up to try to prevent this from happening. Can they count on timid, shy June for help? As a librarian, I’m biased towards loving this book, but it’s so sweet! June has to learn to move forward after grief and how to move out from under her mother’s shadow as the community librarian. If you need an uncomplicated, pick-me-up read, check-out this one today!
Find it: NOV Sam (New)
“I don’t have time to read” is a lament we often hear when people explain why they may not check-out books. Parents who visit the library with their kids for storytime, empty nesters who are inundated with volunteer responsibilities, teens who have mountains of homework every day, parents of middle schoolers who spend a lot of time as a taxi service, and so on are often hard-pressed to find chunks of time to read.
The library has a solution for this: magazines!
The short, picture-heavy articles make it perfect for reading in small chunks, while waiting for soccer practice to finish, before falling asleep, while watching the kids on the playground, before the Zoom host admits you to the meeting, or all of those other mini moments of freetime during the day.
Like books, we have magazines for adults, teens and kids; you can check-out back issues for two weeks (or three weeks if you are a Friend of the Library!). You can view the full list of titles online or browse the options in the round LCRA Reading Room, located in the back of the library, beyond the adult books. Kids’ magazines are located in the Children’s Area, opposite the Children’s Desk.
Check-out a magazine today and enjoy a mini break from your busy schedule!
Veronica Nuñez is the new part-time executive administrator at Bastrop Public Library! She works largely behind the scenes helping with clerical tasks, ordering and receiving supplies, tracking finances, creating reports, and so much more.
Ronni grew up in Cedar Creek and is a graduate of Colorado River Collegiate Academy. She is excited to be a member of the library family because she loves libraries and wants to help make the Bastrop Public Library the best it can be.
The staff is excited to have Ronni here to help the library run more efficiently and smoothly! Welcome, Ronni!
A woman came up to the Information Desk the other week and said, “I’m re-reading Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone series. You know, A Is for Alibi, B Is for Burglar, and so on. And y’all don’t have K Is for Killer. I want to read them in order. What should I do? I don’t want to spend $10 to buy a copy.”
We're always happy to help at the in Information Desk!
“Yes, ma’am! I have a solution for you!” I shared with a big smile on my face. “Interlibrary loan is where we ask another library to send us their copy of the book for you to read! Let’s see if K Is for Killer is available; I bet it is.”
I turn to my computer and let my fingers fly across the keyboard. “Ah! Here it is! Nearly 400 libraries in Texas have a copy! We’ll definitely be able to get this for you!”
“Now,” I wanted to be upfront with her, “it does cost $3 to help cover shipping.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed, “$3 is hardly anything! I can L Is for Lawless AND the next in my sci-fi series, too, for what I could spend on just K Is for Killer at Barnes and Noble! That’s no problem! Do I pay now?”
“You pay when you pick up the book-- just in case we can’t get a title, we don’t want to have to worry about refunds.”
We filled out the form and started the process so she could read it. In just a few weeks, she’ll be back on track for murder… errr Kinsey Millhone will be back on track for SOLVING murders!
If you are looking for a title that we don’t have, interlibrary loans (ILL’s) might be the solution! We do have a few parameters: it must have been published for at least 12 months, it must cost less than $100 on Amazon, and it must be a book (no DVD’s or audiobooks). Stop by the Information Desk to get the form and process started today!
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Falling by T.J. Newman
Newman, a former flight attendant for Virgin Airlines, has written a fast-paced thriller about a flight from LA to New York. A retired pilot's family has been kidnapped and now he has one impossible choice to make: Crash the plane and kill all onboard to save his family OR land the plane safely and doom his family to death. Buckle up your seat belts for an "edge of your seat" thrill ride! This will soon be a movie, so check this terrific book out beforehand.
Find it: MYS New (New) + CD Book F New (New) + Libby ebooks
K.F., library patron
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
When his most prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, is stolen, bookstore owner A.J. Fikry begins isolating himself from his friends, family, and associates before receiving a mysterious package that compels him to remake his life. I got so caught up in the quirky character's lives in this bittersweet and engaging story. If you’re a book-lover, you need to add this to your To Be Read list!
Find it: NOV Zev
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah proved that she is one of the best writers of our time with The Nightingale published several years ago, and The Four Winds further cements that title! This novel’s setting is during the Dust Bowl/Great Depression, and Hannah’s writing makes you live it. Gritty, empowering, and terrifying, one can see how these folks became known as the “Greatest Generation.” I’m not sue my generation of Boomers and those following me have the backbone to have survived those appalling conditions.
Find it: NOV Han (New) + CD Book F Han (New) + Libby ebooks
Becky Bennet, library board member
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
The story opens when Kathy is ending her unusually long career as a "carer" after attending her childhood friends, Tommy and Ruth, through "completion." She recalls their childhoods in Hailsham and later at the Cottages. Their "guardians" at Hailsham teach them that they are special, but outsiders shun them, even seem afraid of them. This gripping masterpiece of social commentary is an examination of human nature and how people can transcend their fate. I chose it because I loved Klara and the Sun so much, and I was not disappointed.
Find it: Libby ebooks
Hippo-hippo-hooray! Everyone had a WHALEY great Summer Reading Program!
This summer, 812 kids, tweens, teens, and adults registered for Tails & Tales and logged 1,334,723 minutes! Those minutes resulted in 437 youth and adults completing the program by reading 500 minutes for youth or 1,000 minutes for adults. That means 54% of people completed the program! Hippo-hippo-hooray! That’s awesome, y’all! This is the highest completion percentage ever in the history of Bastrop Public Library! Give yourselves a pat on the back!
Youth readers received more than 400 books as prizes and nearly 100 adults earned $1 Book Nook coupons! Thank you to the Friends of Bastrop Public Library and Lost Pines Garden Club for making these prizes available to our r
Highlights from this summer included Storytime with Ms. Carmen. Enthusiasm for the return of in-person storytime was overwhelming. It was a joy to reconnect with returning kids and parents and meet new families. An especially hilarious moment was when Bastrop Police Officers participated in singing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” at the June Storytime with a Cop!
Teen programs also enjoyed a return to in-person programming. It was wonderful to experience the teens’ unfettered enthusiasm at being able to spend time with friends and just have fun after the isolation and stress of the past year. Some of their favorite programs were Messy Mayhem, Wet’n’Wild Water Games, Gravity Art, and a scavenger hunt in Fisherman’s Park.
The new program Coffee with Catherine has been a huge success! Catherine Lombardo has worked so hard to make connections with her participants, and their joy is infectious on Wednesday afternoons! It really improves the whole atmosphere in the library! They cherish the opportunity to connect with one another in a supportive environment.
The last program of the summer was A Whale of a Scavenger Hunt. It was great to interact with kids and families as they stopped in to get the instructions and so rewarding to see the smiles on their faces after completing the challenge. The best part of the day was when they found out their prize for participating in the scavenger hunt was an ice cream sandwich!
It was a terrific summer and all of us at the library say “thank you!” for making it a WHALEY good summer!
Fifteen teens signed up to receive three librarian-chosen YA books and goodies each month this summer, and it was a smashing success!
One teen talked about one of their choices on the Teen Discord:
And one parent is jealous that their teen gets this service:
Your teen can also get this great service in September, October, and November by filling out the online survey. The pick-up dates will be September 15th, October 15th, and November 15th.
If you have questions, please email Bethany at bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org. Happy reading!
The Friends of Bastrop Public Library and the Lost Pines Garden Club are teaming up this month to bring you the Book and Plant Sale on Friday, September 24th and Saturday, September 25th!
Current Friends of the Library will have a special first-access on Friday, September 24th from 9:00-10:00am. You can be a part of this great group by getting a membership form at the Circulation Desk. Friends annual dues are $15.00.
The Book and Plant Sale is open to the public Friday, September 24th from 10:00-5:00 and Saturday, September 25th from 10:00-3:00.
Books of all genres and for all ages will be available in the Pressley Meeting Room and plants for fall planting will be available in the library parking lot. All proceeds support the programs and collections of Bastrop Public Library.
Bring your bags, because there will be too many deals for you to want to pass up!
**Any changes to the Book and Plant Sale due to the spread of the Delta Variant of COVID-19 will be available on our website and on our Facebook page.**
Do you struggle to get internet access at home? Checkout a hotspot from the Bastrop Public Library and surf the web to your heart’s content for two whole weeks!
Frequently asked questions:
Q: What is a hotspot?
A: A hotspot is a small device that connects your personal device such as a tablet or laptop to the internet. The hotspot uses T-Mobile data to bring you the internet.
Q: How do I checkout a hotspot?
A: Stop at the Circulation Desk and let library staff know that you’d like to checkout a hotspot. If they are all checked out at that time, we will put you on hold for one to checkout when one becomes available.
Q: What do I need to checkout a hotspot?
A: You must be at least 18 years old with a valid picture ID and current address. Your Bastrop Public Library card must be current and active for at least two weeks with no fines or fees on the account. Additionally, you must read and sign the Hotspot Lending Guidelines and Agreement. A Hotspot Borrowing Agreement must be signed each time a hotspot is checked out to indicate the device is not damaged and all parts are included.
Q: How do I return the hotspot once my two weeks are up?
A: Hotspots must be returned to the Circulation Desk. We want to check the device, with you, at the Circulation Desk to ensure it is not damaged and you are not unfairly charged. Hotspots returned in the bookdrop will be charged a $5 fee.
Q: How long do I get to keep the hotspot?
A: Checkout time for hotspots is two weeks. Any device kept over that time period will be charged $1/day in fines, and there is no grace period. After 48 hours past the due date, service to the hotspot will be turned off.
This exciting new service is made possible by a grant from the Ladd and Katherine Hancher Library Foundation. Stop by the library today to checkout a hotspot and take the internet home!
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
A beautifully written mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie. I promise this isn’t a spoiler, but someone dies. Who? Someone ELSE on the guest list has a true motive for revenge. As you try to solve the mystery, the POV changes by chapter to a different guest, so pay close attention to the clues…. The characters are richly drawn and the island wedding sets the stage for tension. Can you guess the victim and the killer? This is true page turner to keep you up all night! Loved it!
Find it: MYS Fol + CD Book F Fol (New) + Libby ebooks
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
The Daughters of Kobani by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
This nonfiction works is the unforgettable and unusual story of the women soldiers in the Kurdish Militia. These women not only helped defeat ISIS in Syria, but they changed the perception of women’s equality in a very male dominated and traditional Middle East. Recommended for those who want to read about courage, sacrifice, heroism, and the real meaning of sisterhood.
Find it: 956.91 Lem (New)
Mary McCormick, library patron
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
Cussy Mary, one of the last of the Blue People of Appalachian Kentucky, is a packhorse librarian in the early part of the 20th century. She delivers books over treacherous miles, mountains, and terrain on her route, but the treatment she receives for her inherited medical condition is just prejudiced. This book will keep you enthralled and give you insight into these humans-just-like-you-and-me people.
Find it: NOV Ric + Libby ebooks
Becky Bennett, library board member
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Nora Seed's life is full of regrets: she regrets quitting competitive swimming when she was an Olympic hopeful, she regrets quitting her band when they were offered a record deal, and she regrets breaking up with her boyfriend two days before their wedding. One Tuesday, her cat dies, her boss fires her, she runs into an old bandmate and he hates her. That night, Nora decides to end it all. But between life and death is the midnight library where she can try out any life that she didn't live: one where she marries her boyfriend, one where she stays in the band, one where she is an Olympic champion, and many others. While trying to decide which life to choose forever, she learns about herself and what she really wants. This fast-paced, quick read is moving and entertaining. I stayed up way too late finishing it.
Find it: NOV Hai + CD Book F Hai (New) + Libby ebooks
The 74th Annual Bastrop Homecoming & Rodeo is August 4-7th this year, and what better way to celebrate Bastrop than by showcasing some of the resources available in the Local History Room!
First out of the chute are Bastrop Advertiser articles written between 1977-1995 highlight Homecoming & Rodeo events taking place those years. Copies of these articles are in the filing cabinets housing our vertical files.
At the Portal to Texas History, a University of North Texas project to digitize Texas newspaper archives, older Bastrop Advertiser articles about Homecoming can be found online. The first mention of Homecoming is from a cover story in June 1939, which cites “many unusual and interesting events” being held during the festivities.
In a 1940 issue, you can read about a unique fundraiser where townspeople might just get “arrested!” There were several years when there was no Homecoming & Rodeo in the late 1940’s, but there was a call for it to resume. By 1960, those spurred kicks had done their job, and Homecoming was in full-swing with many people who had moved away returning for the festivities. There are 900 more articles about Homecoming & Rodeo at the Portal to Texas History ANDmuch more to explore in the Local History Room, too.
A top-scored item in the Local History Room are the Bastrop county cemetery records. These treasures are visual representations of the burial plots at a number of local cemeteries, including Oak Hill Cemetery in Smithville, Old Red Rock Cemetery, Fairview Cemetery, Elgin Cemetery, Cedar Creek Hispanic Cemetery, and more. Some of this history is in books on the Genealogy shelves (on the left side of the room) and others are paper documents stored in the filing cabinets.
None of the items in the Local History Room can be checked out, but you can make copies for $0.10/page.
If you’re interested in more Bastrop history, here are a few title s worth of the winner’s circle:
- A History of Central Texas by Mary Starr Barkley, written in 1970 - R 976.4 Ame
- In the Shadow of the Lost Pines: A History of Bastrop County and Its People by the Bastrop Historical Society, written in 1955 - R 976.4 Bas
- Bastrop, Texas 1874-1900 by Kenneth Kesselus, written in 2020 - R 976.4 Kes
- Bastrop County, Texas: Historical and Educational Development by William Henry Korges, written in 1933 - R 976.4 Kor
- Austin Colony Pioneers: Including History of Bastrop, Fayette, Grimes, Montgomery, and Washington Counties, Texas by Worth S. Ray, written in 1970 - R 976.4 Ray
There are Bastrop county genealogy resources located on the genealogy shelves on the left side of the room, as well as 19th and 20th century census records, lists of early settlers, old telephone directories, land survey maps, records of marriage licenses, and much more.
Whether this is your first rodeo to the Local History Room or your hundredth, our staff are happy to help you find what you are looking for-- just ask at the Information Desk. You will be a champion researcher in no time!
Mobile circ is a new, grant-funded way to checkout materials!
Have you downloaded the CloudLibrary app (App Store, Google Play Store) to try it?
Here are the steps to do it right now:
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Download the Cloud Library app (App Store, Google Play Store).
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Answer the questions on your screen. (Helpful hint: Your phone number is your PIN/password.)
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Click the Checkout tab at the bottom of your screen.
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Click "Scan barcode."
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Center the barcode in the middle of the frame to scan.
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Once the scan box turns green, click "Finish."
If you’re a visual learner, here’s a brief tutorial video for you.
Whether you’ve tried mobile circ or not, please take this very brief survey and let us know what you think as we work to improve your library experience.
During the pandemic, we all learned a lot: how to make sourdough bread; how to spend time alone; how to work from home; how easy it is to wear sweatpants; and how to stand in a line, six feet apart from others. But we also learned that the digital divide still exists.
The digital divide, according to Merriam-Webster, is the economic, educational, and social inequalities between those who have computers and online access and those who do not. Those of us who live in rural areas, like Bastrop, also know it includes those who live in areas where internet service providers won’t run cables.
During the pandemic, Connected Nation, a nonprofit working to develop and provide tools, resources, and methods to help local communities, states, and federal agencies create and implement solutions to their broadband and digital technology gaps, conducted a survey to assess the state of broadband in Bastrop county. Connected Nation identified five key findings, which explain how much of a struggle internet access is for many in Bastrop county.
To help those who do not have access to adequate internet at home, Bastrop Public Library applied for and was awarded a grant from the Hancher Foundation. We now have 10 hotspots that are available for checkout!
What is a hotspot? A hotspot is a device that you plug into your computer or laptop to access the internet. Our hotspots receive internet service from T-Mobile, so you must be in the T-Mobile service area for the hotspots to work. You can view a T-Mobile coverage map here.
To checkout a hotspot, you must be an adult in good standing, which means you’ve had a library card for at least two weeks and have no unpaid fines or fees associated with it. You must also show your valid, government-issued ID with your current address on it at checkout.
Before checking out, the Hotspot Lending Guidelines and Agreement must be completed and filed at the library. Each time a device is checked out, a Hotspot Borrowing Agreement must be signed.
One hotspot per household may be checked out for 14 days; however, hotspots cannot be renewed. The hotspot must be returned to the circulation desk during operating hours. If the hotspot is not returned on time, its service will be terminated 24 hours past the due date, and it will not work at that time. Overdue fines for a hotspot is $1 per day with no grace period.
You may view the full Hotspot Lending Guidelines and Agreement online. The Hotspot Borrowing Agreement can be obtained at the circulation desk prior to checking out a hotspot.
Additionally, the Hancher Foundation grant enabled us to extend the library wifi available out to the main parking lot! This allows individuals to access the wifi even if the library is not open for business!
To access our wifi, go to the wifi options within your settings on your phone or tablet and choose “Library wifi.” There is no password, so once you have switched over to our wifi, you are ready to access the internet immediately.
Happy internetting, Bastrop!
For the past several months, we’ve had an interactive display in the audiobook section where we asked individuals to tell us what their favorite audiobooks are. And here are your answers:
The Maggie Hope series by Susan Elia MacNeil
- Start with Mr. Churchill’s Secretary (#1)
- After German Luftwaffe bomb London, Maggie Hope--trained in math and code breaking, but only able to find a job as Winston Churchill's secretary--uses the unfettered access her position demands to try to unravel a plot to assassinate Churchill himself in this fast-paced and suspenseful story.
- Find it: Libby eaudio
Anything by CJ Box
- Start with Back of Beyond (#1)
- Cody, a brilliant cop, is an alcoholic struggling with sobriety when his AA sponsor is found burned to death. It looks like the suicide of a man who's fallen off the wagon, but Cody knows Hank better than that and is sure foul play is at hand. After years of bad behavior at the PD, Cody’s in no position to investigate a homicide, but he’s determined to find his mentor’s killer in this gritty thriller.
- Find it: CD Book F Box + Libby eaudio
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The Guests List by Lucy Foley
- An expertly planned celebrity wedding between a rising television star and an ambitious magazine publisher is thrown into turmoil by petty jealousies, a college drinking game, the bride's ruined dress, and an untimely murder in this creepy and intricately plotted thriller.
- Find it: CD Book F Fol (New) + Libby eaudio
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
- Surviving a horrific multiple homicide, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks is unexpectedly offered a full scholarship to Yale, where her mysterious benefactors task her with monitoring the university’s secret societies in this compelling and suspenseful urban fantasy.
- Find it: CD Book F Bar + Libby eaudio
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- Viewed with suspicion in the aftermath of a tragedy, a beautiful hermit who has survived for years in a marsh becomes targeted by unthinkable forces in this leisurely paced and character-driven coming-of-age story.
- Find it: CD Book F Owe + Libby eaudio
Wicked Business series by Janet Evanovich
- Start with Wicked Appetite (#1)
- On Boston's North Shore, pastry chef Lizzie Tucker is recruited by newcomer Diesel to track down a cache of priceless ancient relics while keeping them out of the hands of Diesel's criminal mastermind cousin in this witty and funny story.
- Find it: CD Book F Eva + Libby eaudio
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
- Unable to express himself socially but possessing a savant-like knack for investigating crimes, a teenage boy with Asperger's Syndrome is wrongly accused of killing his tutor when the police mistake his autistic tics for guilty behavior in this complex and well-developed book.
- Find it: CD Book F Pic
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Victoria Schwab
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Victoria Schwab
- Making a Faustian bargain to live forever but never be remembered, a woman from early 18th-century France endures unacknowledged centuries before meeting a man who remembers her name in this sweeping and haunting historical fantasy.
- Find it: CD Book F Sch (New) + Libby eaudio.
We’re nearly half-way through the 2021 Summer Reading Program Tails & Tales! Have you been logging your minutes in Beanstack? Don’t forget that prize books are available for pick-up in the library children’s area and that your virtual tickets can be designated for any of the grand prize baskets in Beanstack! Baskets are ondisplay in the children’s area, too!
The last of our Summer Reading fun is the Whale of a Scavenger Hunt on Saturday, July 24th from 11:00-1:00pm. Anyone can participate in A Whale of a Scavenger Hunt!
This scavenger hunt will have you find lots of BIG things around Downtown! Come on back to the library once you’ve finished to get your sweet (and melty!) treat! We’ll do the grand prize basket drawings on the lawn between Bastrop Christian Church and Bastrop Public Library at 1:00pm that afternoon.
If you can’t make the grand prize basket drawings event in-person, that’s okay! We’ll be Live on Facebook, too! Mark your calendars, because you won’t want to miss this WHALEY fun event!
Mobile circ is another way you can easily check out books! Whether you want to bypass the line at the Circulation Desk, your kid wants to learn some responsibility, or you don’t want to unpack your big tote of items again and again, you can easily download the app and check your books out all by yourself!
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Download the CloudLibrary app (App Store, Google Play Store).
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Answer the questions on your screen (hint: your phone number is your PIN/password).
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Click the Checkout tab at the bottom of your screen.
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Click “Scan barcode.”
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Center the barcode in the middle of the frame to scan.
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Once the scan box turns green, click “Finish.”
Watch this quick tutorial video if you need additional help, or stop at the Information Desk-- we can help you get started!
Happy (faster) reading!
Blood Gun Money: How American Arms Gangs and Cartels by Ioan Grillo
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Grillo is an excellent reporter. He has documented, in layman’s terms, the “iron river” of gun trafficking from the US to Mexico, Central American, and globally. With that flow south comes the inevitable flow north of drugs from the cartels. This globally historic information is the best researched—and the most terrifying—book I’ve ever read. More bloodshed than any fiction I’ve experienced in literature or films.
Find it: 338.476 Gri (New)
Miss Julia Takes the Wheel by Ann B. Ross
Mary McCormick, library patron
Miss Julia is an amateur sleuth in her 60’s who lives in North Carolina and likes to be in everybody’s business, and this time, she is concerned about the substitute doctor that over-prescribes medication for her husband: why did this doctor ask for the unused portion to be returned to him? And why is it that the doctor’s wife looks so downtrodden all the time? And why is it that Lloyd, now a teen, is refusing to work for his father at a job he initially loved to do? There are more questions than answer, but Miss Julia is up to the challenge and is soon eliciting everyone’s help to solve the town’s mysteries!
Find it: MYS Ros + Libby ebooks
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Cheryl Brock, library patron
This nonfiction novel, based on Green’s podcast, is very different from his YA books and other works. It is a collection of essays on different topics relating to the current age of human activity: the Anthropocene. He then rates the topic on a 5-star scale, like much too many things are these days. His voice shines through in each essay, and he is as refreshing as always with hope, honesty, and clarity. If you aren't a fan of nonfiction, this is the book to turn that opinion around. With its reviews on CNN and sunsets, from Piggly Wiggly to plague, you'll be sure to learn, laugh, and think about the intricacies of the human condition you may regularly take for granted. It's an inspiring read—one I give 5 stars.
Find it: 814.6 Gre (New)
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Becky Bennet, library board member
Klara is an AF (artificial friend) waiting to be chosen when 14-year-old Josie sees her in a store window. Klara waits expectantly for Josie to return and take her home. When she does, Klara believes that things will be wonderful for the two of them. However, Josie has bouts of a mysterious illness that keep her bedridden for weeks at a time. Klara concludes that if she asks in just the right way, the Sun will use his special nourishment to cure Josie and save her life. Although often described as a young adult/teen novel, "Klara and the Sun" is a masterpiece that will enthrall adult audiences. The main themes of this novel have to do with love and mortality, but the secondary issues--pollution, consumerism, gene editing, economic displacement, and distrust of others--left me hoping for sequels in the coming years.
Find it: NOV Ish (New) + Libby ebooks
Summer Reading 2021 Tails & Tales starts June 1st with a WHOLE WEEK of fun! Tuesday through Saturday, you can visit the library and participate in a fun activity:
- Monday: Closed for Memorial Day
- Tuesday: Endangered Species Scavenger Hunt around the library
- Wednesday: Vote on which animal sounds you’d like the librarians to make on Facebook Live Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 *Sure to be silly and fun!*
- Thursday: Fishing for Time-- We’ve got a fishing pole and a “lake,” full of fish ripe for catching! Each fish has different a amount of minutes on it that you can add to your reading log!
- Friday: Animal sounds part 2! Which sounds will our librarians have to make on Facebook Live Friday afternoon at 5:30-- you get to choose!
- Saturday: Summer in the City-- visit the library’s booth and help decorate Tails & Tales letters that will be up all summer long!
When you stop in and register to participate in Summer Reading during Opening Week, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a Summer Fun basket worth $50! We’ll also have guessing jars and self-directed interactives for participants of all ages to have fun with.
Community Adventure is back again this summer! As an individual or as a small group, you can sign-up to participate in the Community Adventure. You’ll need to complete 15 of the approximately 40 activities in Beanstack by July 24th. When you do, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a $50 School Supply Basket!
Activities this summer are different from last year, and you’ll have to put on your thinking cap for some of them:
- Find outside art around Bastrop and take your picture with it. If you post it online, tag the library.
- Record you and some friends/family playing air guitars and air drums along to a song. If you post it online, tag the library.
- Look up four animal yoga poses and learn how to do them.
- Walk up and down Main Street and find all the letters of your name in the signs in the shops’ windows.
The Community Adventure opens Saturday, June 5th as part of the Summer in the City event.
New at the library this summer is a “photostand”: a large temporary mural that you can take your picture with! Show off how many minutes you’ve read, how much you love the library, or what kind of fun you can have at the library and post it to your social media!
This photostand will only be around this summer, so stop in and mug for the camera before it goes away forever!
Summer Reading participants will be tracking minutes online through the library's website or a free app you can download to your smart device. You can register on the library’s website and click on the Summer Reading tab, in the Beanstack app (App Store, Google Play Store), and at the library. You can view a tutorial of how to register and a video on how to log minutes if you need help. Or, you can stop at the Summer Reading Desk in the Children’s Area at the library for help.
When youth readers (0-17 year olds) reach 500; 1,000; and 1,500 minutes, they have earned free books of their choice. Books can be picked up at the library beginning June 14th. Additionally, they will have earned virtual tickets to redeem for grand prize baskets. Virtual tickets are earned at every 500 minute increment up to 10,000 minutes. Adult readers earn $1 Book Nook coupons at 1,000; 2,000; and 3,000 minutes read, as well as virtual tickets for grand prize basket drawings at increments of 1,000 minutes up to 10,000 minutes. You may view a tutorial video on how to designate your virtual tickets for grand prize tickets here.
All ages may choose from all of the prize baskets this year! And we’ve got some great baskets lined up:
- Arts and Crafts Basket
- Book Addict Basket
- DIY Basket
- Date Night Basket
- LEGO 1 Basket
- LEGO 2 Basket
- Local Favorites Basket
- Manga Basket
- Snack Basket
- Film Alley Basket
The grand prize drawings will be on Saturday, July 24th at 1:00pm. Join us on Facebook Live or on the lawn between the library and Bastrop Christian Church to see if you are a winner of a great Summer Reading prize basket!
Have questions about Summer Reading? Visit the library’s FAQ page or give us a call at 512-332-8880.
Happy reading and logging and earning of prizes!
Are you a Tolkein fan? Do you inhale anything and everything Christine Feehan publishes? Or maybe Jim Butcher is more your style? You are our only hope!
Whether you prefer sci-fi like Star Wars or Martha Wells’s series The Murderbot Diaries or fantasy like N.K. Jemison’s Broken Earth series or Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, we want to know your opinions on sci-fi and fantasy books by taking our brief survey.
We will be using this information to get a better idea of what sci-fi and fantasy titles to add to the adult fiction collection. We want to add books and authors that you want to read, so please complete this survey now.
There is something new for you and your family to checkout this summer: Interactive Movie Kits! These kits come with a DVD, props, and instructions for how you and your family can interact along with the movie.
For example, in the 101 Dalmatians movie kit, there are some fake flowers. The instructions tell you to sniff your flower when Roger and Anita get married! The instructions also direct you to play an imaginary piano when Roger plays his piano, to clap your hands loudly whenever a door is slammed, and so on.
These kits come with enough props for four people to interact with the movie. Kits are available for 101 Dalmatians, Babe, The Emperor’s New Groove, Detective Pikachu, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. You can find them in the Children’s Area, near the children's DVD's, or you can reserve them in the catalog.
Ms. Carmen is reintroducing Friday Storytimes this summer!
Wednesday Storytimes will continue as they have since mid-March and be in the Pressley Meeting Room in the library. Ms. Carmen will lead 20 minutes of stories, fingerplays, and songs on Wednesdays at 10:30. There is no toy time but we have plenty of space for social distancing so everyone has room to participate and still feel safe.
Meet Ms. Carmen in Fisherman’s Park on Fridays at 10:30 for an outside edition of Storytime! Ms. Carmen will be set up in the shade at the foot of the stairs next to the library. She’ll have a speaker so everyone can hear the stories, fingerplays, and songs. Participants are invited to bring blankets or chairs. Storytime will be the same on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Storytime is a rich in early literacy learning experience for toddlers and preschoolers and provides a supportive community for caregivers. Join us this summer on Wednesdays or Fridays for lots of fun!
We're expanding who is writing newsletter reviews so that we can get a variety of genre suggestions for all types of readers! If you've read a book and want to write a positive review for the newsletter, please email Bethany at bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org.
Becky Bennett, library board member
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Gifty is the American-born daughter of Ghanian parents. Her family struggles with finances and the racial bias one might expect in their Alabama town. When Gifty is just three, her father returns to Ghana having never felt at home in the US. When Gifty is a teenager, her older brother, whom she idolized, dies of a drug overdose; her mother plunges into a deep depression. The story opens when Gifty is in graduate school studying how mice respond to addiction and treatment. Her mother has fallen into another deep depression and their pastor sends her to live with Gifty. This follow-up (not sequel) to Gysasi's award-winning Homegoing is just as much a masterpiece. Beautifully written, bittersweet, heart-breaking, and triumphant, Gyasi manages to artfully blend religion, science, and the pain and joy of loving other people in a narrative that blends two chronologies.
Find it: NOV Gya + CD Book F Gya + Libby ebooks
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain by Shankar Vedantam and Bill Mesler
This nonfiction book examines how beliefs can be powerful in positive and negative ways. One way is understanding that we have the ability to see situations with more fairness and open-mindedness. On the other hand, the opposite is to realize evolution gave us the ability to deceive ourselves in order to ensure our survival and success. Even though I couldn’t see some aspects applying to how I view myself, what Vendantam and Mesler present is the opportunity to do much soul searching on the reasoning for the lies we tell ourselves, our co-workers, friends, family members, and others.
Find it: 153.4 Ved (New)
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
This heartbreaking, yet heartwarming, crime thriller should be next on your reading list! Although this is a murder mystery, it is more about family love and hate. It deals with justice and the triumph over obstacles thirteen-year-old Duchess tackles as she grows up. You really won’t want this book to end… it’s wonderful!
Find it: MYS Whi (New) + Libby ebooks
K.F., library patron
The Children’s Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin
Reading The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin during the artic snap probably wasn't the best way to stay warm! This richly detailed story of the Great Plains Blizzard of 1888 is based on true events, and that make it a hard read at times. However, the teachers’ bravery is astounding. You’ll definitely want a cozy blanket and a nice cup of tea on hand when you’re reading it!
Find it: NOV Ben (New) + Libby ebooks
Every year, the Texas Library Association identifies books that readers of all ages are sure to enjoy and between Bonnie, Bethany, other library staff, patrons, and social media posts of book lovers across the world, we whole-heartedly agree that these books are ones to check out-- or at least put on your to-be-read (TBR) list!
Summer Reading is nearly here! Hip-hip-hooray! Or should we say “HIPPO-HIPPO-hooray” as the theme this year is “Tails and Tales” and will focus on animals!
Summer Reading will begin Tuesday, June 1, 2021, and we will celebrate the whole week, Tuesday, June 1st to Saturday, June 5th. Each day in the library, we’ll have fun activities for you to do or take home to complete. Hint, hint: there will be extra prizes for participants! Also, you can vote for silly things the librarians will do!
Participants will log minutes in Beanstack on the Bastrop Public Library website or through the app. Paper logs can be printed from the website, and a limited supply will be available for pick-up in the library. Youth aged 0-17 years will read 500 minutes to receive their first prize book and virtual tickets into grand prize drawings of their choice. Adults 18 and older will read 1,000 minutes to receive a $1 Book Nook coupon and virtual tickets into the grand prize drawings of their choice. We’ve got some pretty FLY grand prize baskets for readers to choose from this summer!
Community Adventure is back again this summer starting Saturday, June 5th! Participants who complete 15 of this summer’s activities will be entered into a drawing for a $50 school supply basket. The activities run the gamut from visiting the StoryWalk ® in Fisherman’s Park to trying a new recipe and sharing it with a friend or family member. Community Adventure can be completed alone, as a family, or with a group of friends. It’s all about having fun and getting to know your community! Community Adventure will be available on the library website or the Beanstack app. Paper copies will be available at the library.
In June, we will have Storytime twice a week. On Wednesdays, join us in the Pressley Meeting Room and on Fridays, we’re down at FISHerman’s Park. Ms. Carmen may even convince some of the Bastrop police officers to join us for Storytime with a Cop! Look for those dates on the calendars that will be available in mid-May on our website and at the library.
LEGO Club will continue to meet virtually on Zoom to provide a safe environment for participants. There will still be lots of opportunities for kids to show off their CREATURE creations and have social time together. You can sign-up to receive notice of LEGO Club challenges via email here.
Teen Thursdays will start meeting in-person again on Thursday, June 3 at 4:45 p.m. Many of the programs will take place outside, but we will initially meet in the Pressley Room. Because the heat is often unBEARable during Texas summers, programs have been planned where participants will likely get wet and/or messy and/or eat ice-cold treats. As such, participants are encouraged to wear clothes that can get wet and/or messy. And Teen Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) will also continue to meet on Fridays at 4:45 p.m. Campaigners of all skill levels are welcome.
Crafters Anonymous will continue to meet in-person in the Pressley Meeting Room on third Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. Cary has some creative ideas up her sleeves for PAWticipants, so make sure you save your spot as registration is limited to 10. To sign up, call or visit the library the Thursday before the program (i.e. June 10 and July 15).
It’s going to be a fun summer, so MULE want to mark Tuesday, June 1st on your calendars! Drop by the library to register for Tails & Tales Summer Reading 2021! It will be PAWSitiviely great!
Are you perpetually busy? Or maybe you’re still being super careful about social distancing and activities? Or maybe you’re antisocial? Or your couch is more comfortable than the meeting room chairs at the library? Any way you swing it, we have a new book club for you: Laid-Back Book Club!
Laid-Back Book Club is for adults who like to read but don’t have time or the inclination to participate in a regular monthly book club meeting. Instead, you are invited to read all (or some) of the titles at some point between May 1, 2021 and August 31, 2021 and talk about them in our new Facebook group. (Join here and look for the welcome post!).
There is one book per month, but you can read them in any order. If you read the May book in August, go back and find the posts from May to add your two cents. If you think just the June book looks interesting, only read the June book and participate in those discussions. This should be stress-free and as the name suggests… laid back!
Without further ado, here are the books for this summer’s Laid-Back Book Club:
May 2021: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Find it: SFF Klu + Libby ebooks
June 2021: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Find it: MYS Mic + CD Book F Mic (New) + Libby ebooks
July 2021: The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are by Libby Copeland
Find it: 929.107 Cop (New) + CD Book 929.107 Cop (New) + Libby ebooks
August 2021: Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore
Find it: NOV Wet + CD Book F Wet (New) + Libby ebooks
These books were chosen because library staff have read them and recommended them or they have appeared on the NYT Bestsellers’ Lists and/or the Texas Library Association’s Lariat or Topaz Lists. The library has purchased additional copies--or they will soon be added to the collection-- plus audiobooks and eBooks and eAudiobooks where available.
If you have questions about LBBC, please email Bethany at bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org.
Happy reading! We can’t wait to hear your thoughts about these titles in the Facebook group!
The third Tuesday of every month, Ms. Carmen and kids meet for LEGO Club!
To keep kiddos and their adults safe, Ms. Carmen leads this program over Zoom. A week before the program over Zoom, Ms. Carmen emails a challenge for kids to make prior to the program. Each participant can “show and tell” their creation at the program before Ms. Carmen calls out several quick-build challenges.
To receive the LEGO Club challenge and Zoom information, sign-up for email reminders on our website.
We're expanding who is writing newsletter reviews so that we can get a variety of genre suggestions for all types of readers! If you've read a book and want to write a positive review for the newsletter, please email Bethany at bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org.
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
The Big Door Prize by M.O. Walsh
Imagine going into HEB and seeing a DNAMIX booth by the front doors. For $2, it will tell your life's destiny: the mayor will be a cowboy, the high school principal a carpenter. But what about those who are happy with their current lives? What about the twin who lost his brother and never gets a reading? The most happily married couple you have ever met? The priest and his wayward niece? The community itself is changing, but is it for the better? If you are looking for some optimism, humor, and love, you need not look any further as this book has it all!
Find it: NOV Wal
Mary McCormick, library patron
After You by Jojo Moyes
After You will make you cry—and laugh! Louisa was caregiver for Will, a quadriplegic who took his life; she had fallen in love with him and then lost him. After a night of grieving and drinking, she slips on the rooftop of her flat and falls two stories. Handsome and kind ambulance driver Sam rushes her to the hospital. Louisa’s once grievous and confused life begins to turn on end after her recovery as she has to balance a new teenage “daughter” and a love interest. This compelling book causes you to look with new eyes at both loss and life.
Find it: NOV Moy + Libby ebooks
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
This haunting and character-driven story reminded me of an African version of Giant by Edna Ferber. While Giant is a white, sanitized epic of Texas and wealth, Homegoing blunter and more disturbing. It is a Ghanaian saga exploring how the slave trade and its aftermath in the U.S. profoundly affects lives and legacies—even today, 300 years later. What I found most blatant was the treatment of black women; how little has changed.
Find it: NOV Gya + Libby ebooks
K.F., library patron
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
In this amusing and heartwarming romance, Emilia finds support from family-like customers as she struggles to hold on to her family’s bookshop after her father dies. The prose is difficult to follow at times because of British emoting, but, you can tell this author is well-read. This lighter read was enjoyable!
Find it: ROM Hen
If you missed the biggest piece of news in March coming from Governor Abbott’s office, Texas is open again! In conjunction with that decision, the City of Bastrop City Council decided to move the library and other City departments from Phase 3 to Phase Out. So what does this mean for the library?
Bastrop Public Library will gradually be returning to 100% service. Thank you for your patience as we add furniture, bring back computers, begin in-person programs, and open meeting spaces.
We want to reassure everyone that patrons’ and employees’ safety is our priority. The City of Bastrop recommends the use of a mask or face covering inside government or public buildings, while interacting with others, and especially when social distancing cannot be maintained. Bastrop Public Library employees will continue to wear masks. There are no more temperature checks, but if you are feeling unwell, please refrain from visiting the library until you feel better. This helps keep everyone well.
Storytime officially began in-person again on Wednesday, March 17, 2021! Join Ms. Carmen in the Meeting Room for 20 minutes of stories, fingerplays and songs on Wednesdays at 10:30 or 11:00. There is no toy time but we will have "zones" for social distancing to ensure everyone has room to participate and still feel safe. Virtual Storytimes will continue to be posted on the library’s Facebook on Fridays at 10:30am.
LEGO Club will continue on Zoom as keeping all of our LEGO clean is a massive challenge. If you’d like to join Virtual LEGO Club with Ms. Carmen each month, please email her at cserna@bastroplibrary.org to get the monthly challenge and the Zoom link. At the Zoom event, participants will be able to show off their creation and participate in several quick build challenges. For every participant who joins, their name will be entered into a drawing with some fun LEGO prizes!
Teen Dungeons and Dragons will resume on Fridays in April at 4:45. Participants aged 13-17 of all skill levels are invited to campaign! We will have character sheets, player handbooks, polyhedral dice, and other supplies to share. We will meet for the first time again on Friday, April 9 in the Meeting Room here at the library. Teen Thursdays will continue to be virtual, on Discord, until Thursday, June 3rd, when we will move back to our regular time at 4:45pm.
Crafters Anonymous also began in-person earlier this month. Participants had a lovely time creating mini canvas photos-- perfect for showing off the loved ones in their families! Seats are limited to 10, and sign-ups will start the Thursday before the event (April 15th, May 13th, etc). To reserve your spot, you must call the library at (512) 332-8880 during open hours (1pm-9pm Tuesday and Thursday; 10am-6pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and 10am-4pm on Saturday). Facebook messages, private messages through social media or voicemails left on an answering machine will not be accepted.
Coffee with Catherine has moved to in-person! Participants meet on Fridays at 10am in the Meeting Room. Please bring your own coffee or tea and join us for lovely conversations where we check in with one another.
Study Booths and Meeting Rooms will become available as we transition our furniture back into the public areas of the library. Study rooms will be available by April 1. The Pressley Meeting Room will be available in late April. The Maynard Conference Room will be available for small groups of up to six in June. Any group or organization interested in reserving the Pressley Meeting Room should review our Meeting Room Policy under the services tab on our website and complete the reservation form available on our website.
We appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue to transition back to 100% service with community safety in mind.
Bastrop Public Library will be closed for the Easter holiday so that staff may spend time with their families. The library will be closed Friday, April 2 and Saturday, April 3. We will re-open Monday, April 5th at 10am.
Thank you to the several hundred people who completed the survey in February! We were tickled by all of the kind sentiment and have sorted the ideas for improvement into a variety of categories to help us as we work on our five-year, long-range plan for the Texas State Libraries and Archives Commission.
The survey consisted of general information questions, questions ranking services, and written response questions. Participation in the survey was optional and all questions were not answered by every respondent. A total of 406 surveys were returned. Of these, 86% of participants have a library card and 40% visit the library weekly.
The survey asked respondents to rate several library services. 73% said staff customer service is excellent. Our facility is also viewed as excellent by 68% of participants. Hours of operation and online or internet services were rated excellent by about 30% of respondents.
Borrowing materials such as books and DVD’s is considered very important by 78% of the people. Online services are important to 52%, and internet access is important to 48% of participants. Community spaces, including study and meeting rooms, and programs were ranked important by 25% of respondents.
When asked to write in what they valued most or what could be improved, the top responses all mentioned books or the library’s collection. 56% reported that the variety of formats and availability of materials is what they value the most about the library. When looking at how the collection was rated as a service, it received a good or fair mark by 60% of respondents.
Overall, participants responded favorably about the library and the services it provides. We received positive comments about the staff, the facility, the hours of operation, the programs available, and the benefits the library brings to the community. And, as you can see in the following chart, respondents are, overall, pleased with the library:
With your help, we are identifying how to best serve the City of Bastrop, and we are looking forward to improving --or continuing to improve-- the collection, the programs, the publicity, the outreach, the services, and a variety of other aspects of the library.
The Friends of the Library’s storage is overflowing! And they need to get rid of some books fast! Which is to YOUR advantage!
On Saturday, April 10, there will be a pop-up book sale in the library parking lot. It will be from 10:00-3:00. If it rains that day, the pop-up book sale will be moved to Saturday, April 17. Cash is preferred, but if you must pay with a card, you’ll have to go into the library to pay at the Circulation Desk.
Titles include adult and children’s fiction include suspense, romance, westerns, sci-fi, DVD’s, and more! All books will be $1 or less.
Coupons for kids to get a free children’s book will be available at the library’s Circulation Desk beginning in early April. Kids will be able to redeem it at the Pop-up Book Sale for a juvenile title of their choice!
Make sure you put Saturday, April 10 on your calendar so that you can snatch up these great deals before the full Book and Plant Sale in September.
Every month, collection selectors order new books for the library, and we want to put these books in your hands! In order to do this, we are creating a second newsletter “A Little Word Told Me” to share with you the newest adult fiction and nonfiction titles.
If you sign up to receive this monthly newsletter, you’ll be one of the first to know which new titles will soon be in circulation. You’ll be able to put yourself on the reserve lists for them so you can read them as soon as they arrive at the library!
To sign up, go online to our website and check the box next to New Adult Fiction & Nonfiction Titles (Monthly).
Here's a preview from what would have been sent in February:
Happy reading!
The Doctors Blackwell by Janice P. Nimura
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
This was an excellent (if wordy) biography of the sisters that were responsible for establishing and inspiring women to break the stereotype that they should never be physicians. Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell persisted against the chauvinistic medical establishment that believed women were "too delicate in nature" to handle the rigors of medical practice. This period was also when the women's suffragette movement was coming of age, slavery was dividing the north and south, and Florence Nightingale was creating modern nursing guidelines. Interestingly, the sisters weren't feminists.
Find it: 920 Nim (New) + Libby ebooks
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
K.F., library patron
D’Aprix Sweeney truly lures readers into the lives of her cast of flawed characters in this sardonic yet moving story of a dysfunctional family that has lived for years with simmering tensions. It made me count my blessings about how well my family of origin still gets on!
Find it: NOV Swe + Libby ebooks
The Searcher by Tana French
Becky Bennett, library board member
Cal Hooper, retired from Chicago PD, buys a run-down farm in a tiny Irish village looking for peace and a way to forget the trauma of his career and his failed marriage. His plans are upset when a local teen shows up asking for his help. Trey's brother has been missing for six months. At first Cal resists--this is exactly what he is trying to escape--but finally relents and agrees to help Trey. What he learns is that his little Irish village is not as idyllic as it seems. Of all French's novels, this one definitely has the happiest ending. The conclusion is not as tidy as some crime novels--with the bad guys dead or captured--but at least it presents a resolution and allows Cal and Trey some peace.
Find it: MYS Fre (New) + CD Book F Fre (New) + Libby ebooks
If It Bleeds by Stephen King
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
If you love King, but don't want to tackle one of his long books right now-- or if you want to get started with the master of horror-- these 4 novellas fit the bill. All four stories have one of his recurring themes. Rat King: writer's block and an isolated cabin, Mr. Harrigan's Phone: Death and a cell phone buried with the deceased, The Life of Chuck: well...just insane, and If It Bleeds: Holly Gibney from Mr. Mercedes returns to bring down an Outsider, who this time appears for decades as a tv reporter. I devoured this book more quickly than his other offerings-- it was that good!
Find it: MYS Kin + Libby ebooks
Bastrop Public Library has been awarded grant money from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and CARES to help with community safety as the pandemic continues: mobile circulation!
Mobile circulation allows patrons to download the Cloud Library app (iTunes app store, Google Play Store) to your phone all without having to touch items that others may have come into contact with previously. The first time you log-in to the app, you input your library card number and phone number.
Within the app, you can scan books, and then check them out. After that, you’re good to check-out books straight from your phone! You can by-pass lines at the Circulation Desk and Selfcheck machines! You can do 100% of your library check-out transactions on your own time and be on your way.
When you’re finished with your items, return them to the outside or inside bookdrops, just like you always have.
The CloudLibrary app allows for more personalization. If you want to come up to the desk and interact with a librarian, we’d love to help you, but if you’re in a rush and you just want to run into the library and scan your items, check them out, and be on your way, then you can do that, too!
Within the Cloud Library app, you can also access your account, see if you have any fines or fees, place reserves, see what you’ve recently checked out, renew items already checked out to your account, order curbside, access the library’s website, send an email to the library, and more. This is a hard-working app-- working to make your library experience more personalized, more seamless, and easier!
You can watch our step-by-step tutorial video on YouTube, or ask for help at the Information or Circulation Desks. Happy reading!
Teens who have attended Teen Thursdays in the past three and a half years know that Ms. Bethany likes to give out bags o’ candy as prizes. Now, they can sign-up to get bags o’ books!
If you’ve ever heard of Hello Fresh, Owl Crate or Loot Crate --or other subscription boxes-- Bag o’ Books is very similar. Teens aged 13-17 fill out a brief survey of what they like (and don’t like) in their books. We’ll then pick three books based on their preferences, add some goodies, and place them in an individually decorated bag to be picked up via curbside.
They’ll have two weeks to read their books before they have to be returned to the library. Teens can keep their bag and the goodies, which will vary each month.
Sign-ups will be for three months. The first sign-up deadline is Friday, March 5th. This will guarantee they get a bag in March, April, and May. Bags will be picked up each month on approximately the 15th of the month (depending on which day of the week the 15th is). Like with curbside, we’ll contact your teen (or their parent/guardian) to remind them that they have a Bag o’ Books to pick-up. We’ll have a second deadline in June for the summer months.
If your teen misses the March 5th deadline, that’s okay! They won’t get a subscription bag for March, but they will get ones in April and May. And the same goes for later this spring. If they sign-up after April 5th, they can get a May Bag o’ Books.
This subscription is perfect for a myriad of teens: those who don’t like to read, those who get choice paralysis because there are too many titles to choose from, those who think they’ve read everything and need something new, and those who may want to stretch their wings and try a new genre but aren’t sure where to start. Give them the survey today so that they can get the first month of books and goodies!
For questions, please contact Bethany at (512) 332-8880 or bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org.
You have a say in what the library looks like in the near future! Tell us your opinions and ideas in this (brief!) survey.
Staff at the library will be using the information we gather from this survey in creating the new five-year strategic plan for the library. Because we value our community and all of those in our community, we value the ideas and input you are able to share with us on making the library the best it can be.
If you prefer to answer the survey on paper, please stop in at the library and ask for a copy at the Circulation Desk.
Thank you to those who have already completed the survey and to those who click the link right now to complete the survey!
The programming team at Bastrop Public Library is still hosting various virtual programs for all ages, and we want you to join us!
For toddlers and preschoolers, Ms. Carmen films a 10-minute storytime each week. They are posted on our Facebook page at 10:30 a.m. every Wednesday. If your child has a favorite book they’d like Ms. Carmen to read, please email her at cserna@bastroplibrary.org or comment on one of the recent Facebook videos.
Storytime is a great early literacy tool for pre-readers as they learn counting --in English and Spanish!-- how to hold a book and turn pages, introductions to concepts such as shapes and colors, the importance of books and stories, and so much more.
For teens aged 13-17, Bethany hosts a weekly Teen Thursdays program on the library’s Discord server. Activities may vary slightly based on what teens are interested in, but we are currently following this general schedule:
- 1st Thursday of the month: Among Us (free appstore game)
- 2nd Thursday of the month: Virtual Drawing Club
- 3rd Thursday of the month: Among Us (free appstore game)
- 4th Thursday of the month: Wild card!
The Virtual Drawing Club invites teens to bring whatever art, craft, or any project they’re currently working on, share their progress, and then vote on a YA book that Bethany will read aloud to them as they continue to work on their art. So far this year, we’re reading the survival book Not if I Save You First by Ally Carter. Look at what they’ve been working on recently:
The Wild Card program changes each month and is directly based on what the teens have suggested. On the docket this spring is new Jackbox games, learning mug meal recipes, and trivia.
We also often check-in on one another. One of the great things about the Discord server is that, like Facebook, it’s always open, so the teens are always welcome to post. We like to share things that happen on a daily basis that make us happy or grateful, and we like to share good news and congratulate one another. The Discord community has been instrumental in these teens’ mental health during the pandemic this past year.
To access the library Discord server, please have your teen email Bethany at bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org to receive an invite link.
For adults, we have two virtual programs. The first is a weekly social-hour on Friday mornings at 10:00 a.m.: Coffee with Catherine and Cary. Grab your cup of joe (or tea) and log into Zoom for easy conversation with other retired folks. Past conversation topics have included sharing favorite recipes, old photos, checking in with one another, sharing worries and joys, craft projects they’ve worked on in their own time, and joking with one another.
During this past year of navigating the pandemic, Coffee with Catherine and Cary has been a wonderful outlet for so many who have felt alone and disconnected from the world as we’ve all had to stay home more often. It’s been truly wonderful to get to know more folks-- and even some of their friends and family who live far away. If you are feeling lonely, this is the perfect antidote for you. And “bring” a friend with you, too!
Cary also leads a monthly Virtual Crafters Anonymous group. They meet on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30. Cary creates a kit of supplies, and participants pick them up via curbside. Participants meet together on Zoom to work on the project together.
It’s a very social gathering, and everyone enjoys hearing about one another’s daily lives, celebrations, and challenges and supporting one another. You participate from home, so if you’ve already pulled on the pajamas after work and are nursing an adult beverage of your choice, that is a-okay!
This past year has been so hard for everyone, and this group could use your smile, your deft crafting skills, and your care-- and they’d love to reciprocate in kind. Come and make new friends with us!
For Zoom information for both of these adult programs, please email Cary at caryk@bastroplibrary.org.
In the Adult Fiction stacks, we are doing a big shifting project, which means books may not be where they have always been. As we are slowly working on redistributing these titles to the back of the last set of shelves, books will be more spread out. We are doing this so that books are less crammed on the shelves and so that you don’t have to stoop all the way to the bottom shelf to retrieve what you’re looking for.
If you’re having difficulty locating the book, author, or genre you’re looking for, please ask at the Information Desk.
We appreciate your patience as we are working on making the books more accessible!
Are you a fan of flipping through magazines? Did you know that you can check-out the magazines Bastrop Public Library subscribes to and read them at home? We do ask that you return them, but this is great news for those who just want to lift their feet up after a day at work and skim the latest issue of [insert your favorite magazine here]!
We offer the following titles:
- Archaeology
- Better Homes & Gardens
- Better Homes & Gardens DIY
- Birds & Blooms
- Bloomberg Business Week
- Christianity Today
- Consumer Reports
- Cooks Illustrated
- Cosmopolitan
- Country Living
- Discover
- Entertainment Weekly
- Family Handyman
- Food Network
- Garden & Gun
- Good Housekeeping
- Harpers Magazine
- HGTV
- Magnolia Journal
- Martha Stewart Living
- Men's Journal
- Mother Earth News
- National Geographic
- National Review
- New Yorker
- Outdoor Life
- Parents
- People
- People in Espanol
- Popular Mechanics
- Popular Science
- Prevention
- Progressive Farmer
- Psychology Today
- Reader's Digest
- Real Simple
- Runner's World
- Scientific American
- Southern Living
- Sports Illustrated
- Texas Gardener
- Texas Highways
- Texas Monthly
- The Nation
- This Old House
- Time
- TX Parks & Wildlife
- Wild West
- Wired
- Woman's Day
And for kids:
- Boy's Life
- Girls' World
- National Geographic Kids
- Young Rider
Adult magazines are located in the Reading Room. Just lift the flap to find previous issues. Kids’ magazines are located in the children’s area across from the children’s desk (near where the A picture books begin).
You can find out more about each of these magazines on our website.
The Friends of the Bastrop Public Library and the Lost Pines* Garden Club have coordinated efforts for years to host the Book and Plant Sale with proceeds coming to the library. However, due to the continuation of the pandemic, and the importance of community safety, they have decided to postpone the Book and Plant Sale until September. You can be kept informed of new developments by following the Friends’ Facebook page or the library’s Facebook page.
*The newsletter and an earlier edition of this article incorrectly identified the Garden Club as the Bastrop County Garden Club. We apologize for the oversight and appreciate your patience in fixing this mistake. The correct Garden Club is the Lost Pines Garden Club.
We're expanding who is writing newsletter reviews so that we can get a variety of genre suggestions for all types of readers! If you've read a book and want to write a positive review for the newsletter, please email Bethany at bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org.
Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
Mary McCormick, library patron
This is a captivating book! Four unlikely cohorts become the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky during the Depression. The four women are Alice, an Englishwoman out of place in rural Kentucky; Margery, a self-sufficient woman who grew up in those eastern Kentucky hills: Beth, who swears and smokes and drinks publically; and Izzy, a crippled girl who has never been on a horse. They ride mules and horses delivering books to the inhabitants of the mountains. Their lives are woven together through a common mission, glorious scenery, their romances, opposition, perils, and danger. Based on a true story, this novel keeps you engaged to the last page!
Find it: NOV Moy + CD Book F Moy + Libby ebooks
Never Ask Me by Jeff Abbott
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
Lakehaven, an affluent suburb of Austin, is the setting for this suspenseful murder mystery. A very likable mother is found dead on a park bench. Who would want to kill her? Like all of Abbott's novels, you will take a thrilling ride of discovery to find the truth among the community's lies. Told in different P.O.V.'s, this book is truly more about a mother's love and what she is willing to do to protect HER family. If you haven't read any of this author's books (he lives in Austin), this is the one to start with. I wasn't able to put it down until I fell asleep! Readers may be able to identify with the settings, and, on occasion, Bastrop is mentioned!
Find it: MYS Abb (New)
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Becky Bennet, Library Board member
Bold and strong-willed Noemi travels to a mysterious and remote mansion after her newlywed cousin, Catalina, sends a frantic letter asking for help. Almost immediately, Noemi begins having disturbing dreams and learning of the tragic and violent history of the family her cousin has married into. Although not as subtle as "Jane Eyre" or "Rebecca," this gothic horror tale of blood, evil, and doom is a page turner.
Find it: NOV Mor + Libby ebooks
Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stenson
Rosia Ervin, library patron
I am not a frequent reader thanks to limited time and energy; a book has to have a lot to offer for me to make time for it. But Sleep Smarter fits that bill! It takes on the holistic view on sleep that I found to be very helpful in creating a better sleeping experience.
Find it: Libby ebooks
We are so happy to announce that long-time staff member Bonnie Pierson has accepted the position of Library Director. 
Bonnie has been with the Bastrop Public Library for 20 years, where she has worked with people of all ages; grown the summer reading program to serve over 2,000 children and adults each summer; led early literacy initiatives with Head Start and local volunteers; written and implemented multiple grants for materials; worked with community partners; and has been progressively taking on more work concerning overarching plans and goal-setting for the library.
In the near future, Bonnie hopes to update the strategic plan so that we have a guidepost for the direction of the library for the next few years. The strategic plan will ensure that the services and programs intentionally reflect Bastrop; is aligned with the City’s priorities; and ensures that the library is a vital piece of our community.
“I appreciate the outpouring of support I’ve received throughout the years, but also as I start this new journey. I hope that I can live up to your expectations, and that we can together create the library that Bastrop deserves,” said Bonnie.
Feel free to offer heartfelt congratulations on our Facebook page!
The Friends of Bastrop Public Library will be giving away two $300 scholarships to graduating high school seniors. To qualify, you must have volunteered at the Bastrop Public Library.
Application forms are available online, and are due March 1, 2021. Please mail completed applications to
Friends of the Library
P.O. Box 670
Bastrop, TX 78602
For additional information, please visit the Friends of the Library website.
For many years, Bastrop Public Library has offered “Honor Paperback” books that you can borrow without a library card. You just bring them back to use when you’re done reading. These books have recently moved to the shelves opposite the Teen Room so that we can get more of the adult fiction books off the bottom shelves! No more crawling on the floor! Hooray!
Run off some of your little ones’ energy AND help grow their literacy skills when you take in the new StoryWalk(r) in Fisherman’s Park. The new story is Do Like a Duck! by Judy Hindley.
Mama Duck has a good hunch that the big brown creature waddling behind her babies is no duck! As the foxy impostor sneaks closer and closer to Mama Duck’s trailing brood, little ones will delight in shouting out his identity. Infectious rhythms and fresh, expressive watercolors liven up the pursuit, which ends when Mama Duck confronts the villain, beak to snout, and beats him at his own game.
If your kiddo enjoys interactive stories, you won’t want to miss this one!
We're expanding who is writing newsletter reviews so that we can get a variety of genre suggestions for all types of readers! If you've read a book and want to write a positive review for the newsletter, please email Bethany at bdietrich@bastroplibrary.org.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Brenda Smith, library volunteer
A bumbled bank robbery makes the robber flee across the street to enter the first open door: an open house showing. The eight strangers here become hostages in one of the funniest, yet heartbreaking books of the year. All these people, and the father and son cops, are anxious people—even before this hostage situation. How will this shared event change the lives of each hostage? I laughed out loud and shed a tear, but this is usual for any Backman book. If you haven't read his books yet, this is one to start with. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but at least I'm in the drawer, unlike one of the policemen! (An almost quote from the book!)
Find it: NOV Bac (New) + CD Book F Bac (New)
Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith
Becky Bennett, library board member
In this fifth book of the Cormoran Strike series, Strike and Robin try to solve the disappearance of a beautiful and outspoken doctor 40 years earlier. Conventional wisdom says that she was kidnapped and killed by psychopath Dennis Creed, who terrorized that same part of London at about the same time that the doctor disappeared and who was caught and imprisoned shortly afterward. Other people believe her husband, who married the nanny after his wife's disappearance, killed her. The detectives discover more suspects, including gangsters, con men, and a local weirdo, now dead, who was said to have confessed to the crime. Fans of the series will love this one. The author provides all the clues necessary to solve the mystery, but hides them among 927 pages of lies, distractions, and diversions.
Find it: MYS Gal (New) + Libby ebooks
Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett
Dianne Tripp, Friend of the Library
This book is so entertaining! It imparts a plethora of knowledge about the human brain that, I’m sure, most of us aren’t aware of. So much of the information was previously unknown to me. Barrett also writes in layman’s terms, so students to seniors can easily understand the 7.5 lessons provided in the book.
Find it: 612.82 Bar (New)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Mary McCormick, library patron
Amazing Amy. Perfect Amy. Rich Amy. Women wanted to be her and men wanted to be with her. She had a perfect marriage with Nick - until it wasn't. On their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy disappeared. Everyone suspected Nick of murdering his wife. "Nick, what have you done with Amy?" Then someone found her diary. The real story began to unravel. You'll be appalled and enthralled. What a spell-binder!
Find it: MYS Fly + CD Book F Fly + Libby ebooks
In January 2021, we will be using a different platform to send you the monthly newsletter! This new platform allows us to include live links so you can click and go directly to the catalog, sign-up for curbside books, or do whatever else is mentioned in the article. This will make your life easier! Plus, it will be much more mobile-friendly, so if you tend to look at your email on your phone, this new platform will make that easier to accomplish without all the pinching-in and shifting around to read it.
Please bear with us during that transition! In the mean time, you can read past newsletters here on our website.