News from the Pierson Library

Happy Thanksgiving! The library will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28 so our staff may enjoy Thanksgiving with their families. We will be open our usual hours, 10am to 3pm, on Saturday, Nov. 28.

What Our Book Clubs are Reading: The Tuesday night Book Club, which will next meet on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 6:30pm, is reading “Transatlantic” by Colum McCann. One reviewer described this novel as “a brilliant tribute to his loamy, lyrical and complicated Irish homeland, and an ode to the ties that, across time and space, bind Ireland and America. The book begins with three transatlantic crossings, each a novella within a novel: Frederick Douglas’s 1845 visit to Ireland; the 1919 flight of British aviators Alcock and Brown; and former US senator George Mitchell’s 1998 attempt to mediate peace in Northern Ireland. McCann then loops back to 1863 to launch the saga of the women we’ve briefly met throughout Book One, beginning with Irish housemaid Lily Duggan, whose bold escape from her troubled homeland cracks open the world for her daughter and granddaughter. . . The finale is a melancholy set piece that ties it all together—an unopened letter, ‘passed from daughter to daughter, and through a succession of lives,’ becomes the book’s mysterious token, an emblem of a world grown smaller. McCann reminds us that life is hard, and it is a wonder, and there is hope.”

The Wednesday Morning Book Club will be discussing “A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote, and sharing Christmas memories—and Christmas cookies—of their own on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 10am.

Please feel free to come to either—or both—Book Clubs and if you would like a copy of the book(s), call Carol at (802) 985-5124 and she will order one for you.

Pierson Library Databases: An amazing number and variety of electronic resources are available to you free on our website. Just go to www.piersonlibrary.org, look for Databases on the left hand side of our home page, and start exploring! This is a great way to keep your children entertained – and even learning – during the Thanksgiving holiday. This week we are highlighting TumbleBooks, an online collection of animated, talking picture books which teach children the joys of reading in a format they’ll love. This site is particularly good for beginning readers because each word of the book is highlighted as it is read to them. The site includes books in French and Spanish as well as English. One can also find videos, puzzles and games, and a language learning section with books in Chinese, French, German, Russian and Spanish. It’s a great way to introduce your child to a new language or help them become more proficient in a language they are learning in school.

Fairy Club: The Fairy Club will be meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2 rather than the usual Wednesday at 3:15pm.

Meet Ron Krupp, author of “The Woodchuck Returns to Gardening” on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 7pm. This is a sister companion to his first book, “The Woodchuck’s Guide to Gardening.” The book is rooted in organic methods and begins with “My Garden Journal 2012-2013,” recounting his adventures in his own garden and at the Tommy Thompson Community Garden in Burlington’s Intervale.

Genealogy with John Kelley on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 1:30pm. John will offer tips on resources to help you fill out the branches on your family tree.

Holiday Gift Workshop: Our younger patrons are invited to join us on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 3:15pm. We will be making snow globe postcards. Please register in advance so we will have enough supplies on hand.

Musical Storytime with Inger Dybest. Bring your little ones to the Library on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 10:30am for stories and songs with Inger.

Snowflake Factory: Just in case we don’t get any real snow of our own, we will be creating snowflakes in the children’s library on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 3:15pm.

The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Group will meet on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7pm to discuss “California” by Edan Lepucki. This novel, Lepucki’s first, deals with the human element in a crumbling post-apocalyptic society crumbles. Cal and Frida have survived on their own in the lush, solitary wilderness, but decide that when their baby is born, they may fare better within the safety of a small community. As they integrate into a nearby settlement, the couple realizes that they may have traded the hazards of the outside world for the paranoia and mistrust of other people. “California” questions the role of family and responsibility, and as a portrait of marriage, is perhaps as incisive as anything set in the real world. We will be serving pizza, so please sign up in advance or call (802) 985-5124 to reserve your slice!

Holiday Stroll: If you are participating in the town’s Holiday Stroll on Friday, Dec. 5, please drop by the library at or after 6pm for fun activities and good cheer.

Green Mountain Audubon Presentation on “Chasing Chickens – Colorado Grouse” by Eric Hynes. Please join us on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 6:30pm to learn about what are often referred to as North America’s “Birds of Paradise.” These members of the Phasianidae Family perform elaborate, noisy, and colorful breeding displays. There is no better place in North America for gallinaceous birds (like domestic fowl, pheasants, turkeys, and grouse) than the state of Colorado, and no better time to find them than in April. Hynes’ talk will illustrate his experience as a tour leader looping around the state in spring showing birders the prairie-chickens (Lesser and Greater) of the eastern plains, the sage-grouse (Gunnison and Greater) and Sharp-tailed Grouse of intermountain parks, and the sometimes difficult Dusky Grouse of the mountains and ridges. Plenty of shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, and mammals as well will punctuate this visually impressive presentation. Hynes earned a B.S. at the University of Vermont focusing on environmental studies and wildlife biology. He has traveled across the United States with a number of trips into Central America as well. He has taught numerous bird identification workshops and led field trips locally and abroad for Maine Audubon, but he and his family now live in Burlington.