"Love Shines Bright" is one of the entries in the Berne Library's first virtual photo exhibit. Go to bernelibraryfriends.org to view and vote on the submissions.

“My maternal grandfather taught me you can figure lots of things out using observation, some tinkering, and a mindset. If this doesn’t work, try going at it another way.” That lesson from John Valachovic’s grandfather has stuck with him.

Many people get caught thinking there’s only one way of doing something. They won’t consider another person’s suggestion because of this little thought bubble hovering over their head saying: My way is the only way.

Being bold in tackling projects and looking at different possible solutions is John Valachovic’s mindset. An advanced and avid reader from a young age, John, his wife proclaims, is a lifelong learner. That is just what the library advocates in its mission statement.

“I see you don’t have a library card,” I mentioned to him.

“Yeah, that’s a source of friendly contention at the library. I like to own my books. I’m a big used-book buyer and have my own library at home,” he said.

John’s interest in local history, historical fiction, late 18th- and early 19th-century British naval history and English cookery is just a slice of the topics covered by books lining his shelves.

Becoming his son’s cub master when his oldest started the second grade turned into another learning adventure. It fit his love of the outdoors like a glove.

From mentoring Eagle Scout projects, teaching Dutch-oven cooking, guiding outdoor camping excursions, and nurturing leadership for 13 years as a Scoutmaster, rewards soared. 

John Valachovic shares his “Journey as a Lifelong Learner” on Saturday, Feb. 27, during the “TEDxBernePublicLibrary — Life On the Hill” event taking place from 1to 3 p.m. in the library’s virtual live broadcast. You are all invited to tune in.

FFF

Fine Free February is ferrying to a fine start. Any and all Berne library items returned during the month will be checked in fine free. Look around and bring them over as you go about tackling your upcoming spring sprucing projects.

Broccoli Spear’s advice

One of the items on your spring list may involve gardening. Broccoli Spear has been busy checking the Seed Garden inventory at the library.

“Now is the perfect time to think about getting your garden plan down on paper,” Broccoli Spear notes. She is gearing up to make sure you can take advantage of the wonderful seed varieties available for free.

What plants will be sprouting in your garden this year? 

Reading Party

Celebrate the joy of reading when you become guest readers in the “Midway to Spring Reading Party.” Registration begins Feb. 12 for any and all interested readers.

Track your reading minutes through April 2. Participation certificates, prizes and suggested activities are part of the party plan. Join in and share the fun of reading.

Read, dream, explore

Questions on hours or services? Call the library at 518-872-1246. Check the library’s Facebook page or log into www.bernepubliclibrary.org. Voting for favorite photos in the Friends sixth photography exhibit can be accessed through the library’s web page as well as more information on library happenings. Read, dream, explore.

While temporarily transitioning to curbside pick-me-ups, accommodating your reading and movie entertainment needs remain a top priority for library staff. Call 518-872-1246 to schedule pick-ups. Available hours are Monday to Friday from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please leave a message any time and someone will get back to you.

Welcome distraction

Distraction. Fuzzy head. Crrraaaazzzzaaaay. Have you experienced dialing a phone number and forgotten who you were calling? Or walked upstairs, looked around perplexed and asked, “Why did I come up here? 

Here’s an idea. Sign up for the “Midway to Spring Reading Party.” Last week, in error, it was the “Winter Spring Reading Party.” Must have been distracted by a blinding quasar.

So, you’re gonna sign up, right? Hey, it’s a party without the fuss. Just bits of reading, participation awards, and activity suggestions for all ages. Call the library and add your name to the library’s “Midway to Spring Reading Party” guest list from Feb. 12 to April 2. It might be just the distraction you were searching for.

“Winter Storms”

Sunday Book Club meets on Feb. 7 at 4 p.m. to discuss “Winter Storms” by Elin Hilderbrand. The third installment of Hilderbrand’s Winter Street Inn series starring the Quinn family of Nantucket Island.

Choose your

favorite photo

The Friends first virtual photo exhibit entries are in. Go to bernelibraryfriends.org to view and vote on the submissions. Choose your favorites in each category and then give a thumbs-up on your overall favorite in the People’s Choice contest.  

FFF Month

It’s FFF Month at the Berne Public Library. That’s Fine Free February on any and all Berne Library items. Look under the dog bed, in the clothes hamper, and up in the attic.

Return any long-overdue or just a smitch overdue Berne library material in good condition during the month of February for your Fine Free February reward.

Mushroom fever

Avery Stempel. A poet, artist, mushroom forager, former Empac front-of-house manager, teacher, philosopher, entrepreneur, apartment manager, father, brother, son, nephew, and friend. A writer, musician, and mushroom devotee.

Avery’s appreciation for nature, family, and friends shows in his laugh and in his smile.

After being nurtured to adulthood in the mountains of East Berne and transitioning through many life changes, Avery landed in Troy, New York.

“So you’re a nature lover living in a city?” I asked.

“Yeah, but Troy’s a city that’s close to nature. In my first days of moving here, I spotted deer eating apples from a tree in front of my house. I’m not a fan of the woodchucks though. They ambushed my garden more than once without a glimmer of guilt.”

A casualty of the pandemic, Avery’s furlough from his 12-year role as Empac’s front-of-house Manager, shot his dream of building an urban mushroom farm from table talk to “let’s do this.” Inspired by a special woman in his life who has been growing mushrooms in the Hilltowns for years, Avery caught mushroom fever and is mushrooming his passion to new heights with Collar City Mushrooms, despite COVID’s crushing handprint.

Experience Avery’s talk: “Helderberg Fungi and the Ways Mycelium Spreads,” during “TEDxBernePublicLibrary — Life On the Hill” broadcasting lively and virtual Feb. 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. Don’t know what mycelium is? Tune in and find out.

“I won the tractor-driving competition at the Altamont Fair two years in a row.” Pastor Jay Francis was 13. His 4-H membership from fifth to 12th grade strengthened his agricultural roots. “I was driving tractors, farm trucks and cars long before getting my license at 16.”

A fifth-generation farmer of Ever Flowing Springs Farm in Berne, Pastor Jay knows the rewards of hard work. At 17, with his life trajectory changing from dairy farming to ministry, his respect for the earth and people remained key. After earning three college degrees, Pastor Jay returned to Berne in 1965. The in-home church study group he started grew to become the Rock Road Chapel.

Through it all, Pastor Jay’s roots remain close to the land. Baling hay, raising beef cows, walking two miles each day, and lifting weights are all part of his life recipe. “I've traveled to six continents. It’s always joyful coming home. There’s no other place like the Hilltowns.”

“LifeStyle Changes of a Hilltown Lifer” is Pastor Jay's contribution to  the TEDxBernePublic Library — Life On the Hill event. Tune in on Feb. 27 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Free-for-all

There have been challenges up, down, and sideways over the last several months. So, instead of a”“Winter Reading Challenge,” the Berne Public Library is opting for a “Winter Reading Spring Party."

 This is a reading free-for-all. Physical books, ebooks, newspapers, magazines, cereal boxes, recipes. You can even listen to audio books. It all counts in the “Winter Reading Spring Party.”

This reading party runs from Feb. 12 to April 2. Sign up and become a reading party member today.  

“Resourceful”

It’s perfect timing for the Word of the Month Club’s virtual mingle with the full moon and all. Boxing up snack-attack packs with three mocktail recipes and the decorate-your-hat craft was a fun last-minute idea. 

Roxanne made a quick call to Cindy Leigh. “Did they all get their packages?” 

“Yes, all set.” 

“Great.” Roxanne smiled and pulled up her laptop.

“Hi. Nice to see everybody. And I love what you’ve done with your hats. Very creative.” 

Smiles filled the screen.

With a nod from Roxanne, Devon, the club’s newest member, whaled the purple gong.

“All through January, your gutsy instincts kept you exploring new territories. Raise your glasses now to toast February’s word. Cindy Leigh, take it away.” 

Standing, Cindy Leigh peeled back the envelope. Waving her hand high she shouted, “Resourceful! February is resourceful.”

She continued reading, “Out of milk but want to make a cake? Be resourceful and search for a non-dairy cake recipe. Go all McGyver this month and practice the resourceful dance. Be on the lookout for all things resourceful in your everyday encounters.”

“Glasses up for a rip-roaring resourceful February. Cheers everyone.” Cheers echoed back with raised glasses and a refreshing sip.

Find answers

Questions on library services and hours? Please call 518-872-1246, check the website www.bernepubliclibrary.org, or the library’s Facebook page.

— Still frame from a story video at http://nancymariepayne.blogspot.com/

Storyteller Nancy Marie Payne will be part of the “TEDxBernePublicLibrary — Life On the Hill” experience scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27.

“How about I tell you a story?”

Having a little sister asking tons of questions was Nancy Payne's diving board to storytelling at a young age. As her life circled into teaching within Albany's classrooms, students did all manner of moaning and groaning when told to take out their history books.

So Nancy came up with a plan. “OK,” she would begin, “how about I tell you a story?”

Growing up in Schenectady where her father worked at General Electric, Nancy remembers doing lots of outdoor family activities like picking blackberries in the woods, hiking in the hills, and setting up a lemonade stand outside the local baseball stadium on Jackson Avenue.

Now a Hilltowner, Nancy's been a member of the Story Circle of the Capital District since 1984, threading storytelling performance opportunities through Proctors Theatre to historical societies to libraries.

“Mining Our Common Heritage” is Nancy Payne’s story conversation in the “TEDxBernePublicLibrary — Life On the Hill” experience scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27.

Also in the lineup is Pastor Bob Hoffman with “When In Doubt Call the Pastor.” Being the spiritual leader for the First Reformed Church of  Berne since 1976, Pastor Bob has mastered the public speaking scene.

Like Payne, Hoffman enjoys outdoor meanderings where kayaking, hiking, and landscaping add elements of zen to his day. When asked "What makes you happy no matter what?" a contemplative moment was followed with: “Helping people. I’m happy no matter what when I’m helping people.” 

When I asked myself that question, my gut response was pizza. I really like to eat.

So, there you have it. Two more of the eight personalities you’ll meet virtually at the TEDx mixer on Feb. 27. Mark your library calendar now.

Kids explore

Cooperative Extension is providing an interactive virtual experience in a partnering coup with the Hilltown Libraries. This free “4-H Virtual Exploratory Series” is zooming on all the February Wednesdays — 3, 10, 17, and 24 — from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Project kits, picked up at the library ahead of time, supply your child with instructions with or without virtual participation. Topics include agriculture, animal science, STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) and creative arts.

For Berne library members, email director@bernepubliclibrary.org to register your 6 to 12 year olds.

Photo contest

Three cheers for the indomitable spirit wrapping the Friends of the Berne Library group! Forging on with their sixth Juried Photography contest virtually, email your entries to donna@bernepubliclibrary.org by the Jan. 30 deadline.

Call us

For any library questions about curbside pick-me-ups, hours, events or services, please call 518-872-1246 and someone will get back to you. Thank you.

It’s never been done before. Not in Berne, anyway. Tune in for the library’s TEDx project being launched in a few weeks with nine community members sharing their stories in pre-recorded sessions for the Feb. 27 event: “TEDxBernePublicLibrary - Life on the Hill.”

So, what is a Tedx talk? It’s regular people expressing ideas. People sharing life experiences they’re passionate about. Neighbors offering snippets of life in your own backyard, yet invisible to your daily routine.

Combining Technology, Entertainment, and Design, Richard Saul Wurman and Harry Marks held the first TED conference in 1984 — an invitation-only affair which fell far short of expectations.

Success reigned supreme when 1990 rolled around. The TED conference attracted audiences filled with curiosity and a raw need for new discoveries. The mission slogan of “ideas worth spreading” took off. Media entrepreneur Chris Anderson purchased TED in 2001 and continued its trajectory toward not-for--profit status.

Expansion edged forward with TEDGlobal, TEDPrize, TEDtalks and free online access to top-rated presentations, garnering 100 million views and counting.

Entering the arena in 2009 was the creation of TEDx. Using the same principles of TED, thousands of locally organized conversations were born. Conversations sparking ideas, offering entertainment, and spreading positive flow into communities worldwide.

Kevin Conley III, a young man raised in Berne, is on the slate of presenters for the library’s TEDx program. Graduating from Berne-Knox-Westerlo in 2019, Kevin set out to study theater arts at Hudson Valley.

He joined the staff of the college paper in his first year, and writing for the Hudsonian has been a good fit. A public-speaking class also brewed beneficial as it awakened an energy in Kevin he was unaware of: the ability to write speeches.

Anything related to art fires up Kevin’s interest. Having the valuable experience of performing in two theater productions in high school, “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Music Man,” lit up hopes of more theater work in the future. Kevin’s talk focuses on unrecognized artists: Forever learning, always creating, drawing life on their own terms.

Put “TEDxBernePublicLibrary — Life on the Hill” on your calendar today: Saturday, Feb. 27, from 1 to 3 p.m. More details of this virtual live opportunity to follow in the weeks ahead.

Photo exhibit

Also moving to the virtual stage is the sixth Juried Photography Exhibit sponsored by the Friends of the Berne Library. Interested participants should email their photos to donna@bernepubliclibrary.org on or before Jan. 30. Category themes include: 2020, Architecture, “All You Need Is Love,” and “Food, Glorious Food.” Please direct questions about the contest to

Check in

Library services or hours are likely to change from week to week due to present-day health stats. Please call 518-872-1246 for clarification or visit www.bernepubliclibrary.org for notices. Thank you.

Photographer Sam Bloom documents his adventurous wife’s recovery from a fall that left her paralyzed in the book “Penguin the Magpie — The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family.” The couple’s three young sons rescued the crushed bird that, in turn, recovered and rescued the family. “Experience this breath of wonder,” writes Berne library columnist Sandra Kisselback.

You could be a list maker or a list thinker. That rundown of stuff you have, need, or want to do. What takes precedence? The needing or the wanting?  Listing, using pen and paper, gives your brain new views. Stimulating the brain cells to veer off into new directions and increasing brain power to boot.

List your 10 most memorable movies of all time. Make a list of books you’ll read in 2021. Write out the journeys you’ll initiate energetically as each new day presents itself.

Journeys on the Page, the newly formed writing group launched in March of 2020, meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Members receive Friday Night nudges each week to think about, write about, or engage in. No pressure. Just the fun of writing. Like the “could be” list, for instance.

List all the things you could be doing. Could be singing, could be laughing, could be throwing water balloons. Could be writing. Could be drumming. Could be learning Japanese. See where the journey takes you.

With brain droppings spewing on the page, list or don’t list. It’s up to you. Using the GoToMeeting app, Journeys on the Page members are set to meet on Jan. 12, 2021 at 7 p.m. in the library and online. 

“Winter Storms”

“Winter Storms” by Elin Hilderbrand starts the new year for the Berne Sunday Book Club. This book rolls in to wrap up the Winter Street trilogy featuring the Quinn family of Nantucket and the Winter Street Inn. Join the group just by reading along or share in the discussion each month. The book club meets Jan. 10 at 7 p.m.

Trustees meet

The Berne Library Board of Trustees is on the schedule for its 6:30 p.m. meeting on Jan. 14, 2021 at the Senior Center.

Breath of wonder

“Penguin the Magpie — The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family” by Cameron Bloom and Bradley Trevor Greive, a view. Obstacles quelled with love, determination, a magpie and a mindset. Australian-born Sam Bloom’s story is a bit of a jolt.

Feel her chilling fall, recovery, and adjustment to life in a wheelchair as her story unfolds through words and vibrantly living photos. In Sam Bloom’s words: “When your mind has nothing to do but focus on your discomfort and your anger, it can become terribly destructive.”

Watch how Penguin the Magpie becomes an integral part of her healing. Experience this breath of wonder. Treat yourself to “Penguin the Magpie” today.

Hours

As 2021 opens up, available library hours continue with Monday through Friday from 2 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. until further notice. Virtual story time can be seen Fridays at 3 p.m. on Facebook live, starring your wildly imaginative hostess Miss Kathy. Any questions? Call the library at 518-872-1246.

MineCraft Monday continues at 6:30.

A library year like no other. Adapting to swarms of changes climbing onto the pavement. Shutting physical doors to the public. Implementing curbside pick-up. Virtualizing, Zooming, GoToMeeting, Facebook live-ing. Establishing protocols for future in-house browsing, quarantining books, slapping down those blue tape strips and securing PPE. Oh, what a year.

A year to seize an opportunity for paying homage to forces intertwining, crisscrossing, and ultimately continuing to bring library services to the Berne community for nearly 59 years and counting.

As the Nov. 2, 1961 Knickerbocker News article reads, it all began when two women from the community, Mrs. Harold Lendrum and Mrs. Clifford Vincent, were talking about the new Town Hall being built. “Wonder what’ll happen to the old building?”

Feb. 24, 1962 shines bright. Why? It was Opening Day Ceremonies for the newly formed “Town of Berne Free Library.” The library’s history binders affirm that in less than four months the 400-square-foot building, formerly housing the town hall, becomes the town’s first library.

Located midway up the road by Fox Creek’s dam, just before the sharp left turn onto 443 heading west, this location served as the community’s library for seven years. When the building was knocked off its foundation, it launched one of many moves in the library’s journey.

A bookmark created for the opening event included a poem by Margaret O’Brien, a member of the first Library Board of Trustees the Berne Town Board appointed on Oct. 9, 1961.

This is your library,

With lots of good books

For young and old alike

And a reference nook.
 

Come as often as you can

To borrow any of our books,

Or just to browse around

And look — and look — and look!
 

Contributions of every sort from books to volunteers told the tale of a true community project involving individuals, town government, and many local organizations working together toward a common goal — a goal reached in a remarkably short time frame

 Jumping to the final days of 2020 and the pulsing events testing the Hilltowns and the world, the Berne Library stands strong with its unflagging mission to bring opportunities of lifelong learning and entertainment to the community it proudly serves.

Go all gutsy

With entertainment in mind, let’s hear it for the Word of the Month Club ringing in January 2021’s word party.

Focusing on their annual scrabble marathon, Charlotte eyes the triple word square, ready to make her move. Roxanne rolls the gong into Zoom view, and flings forth a mighty swing. All eyes turn to their screens. “Ready for January’s word?”

“Ready,” came the chorus of voices.

Roxanne peels back the purple seal to reveal “gutsy” in bold green letters. “It’s time to go all gutsy in 2021.” Roxanne smiles broadly.

“You want to take that dance class? Get gutsy and do it. Start work on your memoir? Hey, gutsy’s your middle name.”

Heads nod with glasses raised and voices singing out,  “Three cheers to go all gutsy in 2021!” 

Minecraft Monday

If you want to play with others on Minecraft Monday, call the library at 518-872-1246 for a link to the game.

“The Little Green Girl,” written and illustrated by Lisa Anchin, now available at the Berne Library, is described by Sandra L. Kisselback as “a delightful picture book greeting you with expansive expressions of joy, companionship, and sharing in a well-tended garden.”

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, a flash-mob event at the library was inadvertently cancelled. If you missed it, it may have been because of that snowstorm that settled over the Hilltowns this past week.

Just kidding. There was no flash-mob event scheduled. Or was there? These pr- planned events are seemingly spontaneous. Your knowledge of it happening, as a spectator, is completely serendipitous. Stunned with a quick flash of entertainment, you are completely taken by surprise. Just as participants move in stealthily, they are just as quick to quietly disburse.

Orchestrating talent in the form of dance, symphonies, choral performances, a flash-mob freeze, or other creative ingredients stirred in, flash mobs debuted in June of 2003. In an interview, creator Bill Wasik said “The mobs started as a kind of playful social experiment…”.

Positive flash-mob events bolster the smile response while watching spectator reactions. “Wow, what’s going on here?” Cell phones are suddenly out and filming the unfolding story. Have a look around the virtual world; there are plenty of these to discover.

The Christmas food court flash mob, bringing you the Hallelujah Chorus on Nov. 11, 2010, is a pleasure. If you enjoy being entertained by watching joy spread across the faces of unsuspecting strangers, check it out.

Maybe someday there will be a flash mob event in the library’s future. Hey, that’s what libraries are here for. Entertainment, lifelong learning, and throwing in a few surprises along the way to possibly add that spot of magic to your day.

A moveable feast

Searching for books or movies with a food and beverage feel to it? Look no further than the gathered items appearing beneath the Kris Kringle figures displayed atop the DVD section of the library.

There’s carrot cake, scones, party food, and peaches. Sweet tea, ming tea, wine, and liquor. If that doesn’t get your taste buds working up an appetite, grab one of the highlighted DVDs. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” “No Reservations,” or another of the featured movies filled with scenes of food, fun, and laughter. Treat yourself, you deserve it.

“The Little Green Girl”

“The Little Green Girl,” written and illustrated by Lisa Anchin, a review. A delightful picture book greeting you with expansive expressions of joy, companionship, and sharing in a well-tended garden. A story giving you the vision to feed your curiosity by exploring the world at large and learning it’s OK to experience the unfamiliar with a newfound friend. Anchin’s first book is a welcome addition to the children’s section of the library.

Coming up

The Berne Sunday Book Club’s January gathering will be on the 10th rather than its usual first Sunday of the month. “Winter Storm” by Elin Hilderbrand is the story up for discussion. This being part of the Winter Street series by Hiderbrand, you’ll want to see what’s happening at the Winter Street Inn with the Quinn family.

Mindcraft Monday runs from 6:30 to 7:30, Call the library for a link to play. 

Hours

Just a reminder: Library hours have transitioned to a limited schedule until further notice. Hours are Monday through Friday from 2 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to  2 p.m. Virtual storyt ime continues every Friday around 3 p.m. with a new adventure each week.

Questions? Call the library at 518-872-1246. Thank you for your support.

“Genres of the Book World” 

By SLS 

Genres of the book world, finding places on the shelf

Mystery, History, Humor, Travel 

Romance and Self-Help 

Fantasy and Sci-Fi

Is there a difference ’tween the two?

One has mythic creatures and super powers too

Sci-Fi is dystopic. Fantasy? well, maybe not

Memoirs bolster courage in overcoming odds

Classic lit and children’s lit and lit for only women

How-To Guides and Motivation 

Adventure, Art, and Thrillers

Graphic Novels, Westerns, Comics

Real stuff they call nonfiction

Cookbooks, Health, Biographies

Shocking True-Crime Dramas

It’s time to sit and take a break

Grab your drink

Choose your books

Find your spot

Relax and think

With poems in the garden

Genres of the book world, finding places on the shelf

Tease your taste buds

With many people spending much more time at home, the library taps food and drink to pull rank in a pocket display. Books and movies with food or drink themes are in the spotlight for quick pick-me-up enjoyment.

Some of the book titles offer recipes in their pages. You’ll find chocolate, wine, tea, and breakfast foods to start your day with an energetic boost. Break out the mixing bowls while devouring reads that may tease your taste buds.

Crafts fly

Those take-and-make crafts continue to fly out the door each week. Projects worth snagging for stirring imaginations and fostering confidence with hands-on success.

Just inside the library’s front door, check the table displaying the latest craft. New ones rotate in on a regular basis. Check the library’s Facebook page for announcements. Also, tune into Facebook live every Friday for virtual story time with Miss Kathy.

Hours reduced

Following the latest uptick in COVID-19 numbers, the library director is reducing library hours for the public. New hours are Monday through Friday from 2 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. until further notice.

The library will be closed on Christmas Day. For more information, call the library at 518-872-1246.

Thank you

The library staff sends a big thank-you to all Berne library visitors for masking up and respecting personal space parameters. Thank you for your short visits and your continued support during the transitions. It is a privilege to serve you. Be well, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

— Photo from Kathy Stempel

Berne Library patrons are invited to play the Books Wearing Masks game.

How many sleepless nights have you spent wishing you had a good book to read? Here’s an invitation to grab your library card and stock up on a few good titles.

There are hundreds here for the taking. Add all the choices from the 36 libraries in the Upper Hudson Library System and you’re talking thousands of titles to satisfy your reading hunger.

There’s not only the physical, hold-in-your-hand books to pick from. You can fan your net out wider when you take advantage of the online ordering tools of Hoopla and Overdrive.

When you’re ready to turn up the story or close it down for the night, a book doesn’t disappoint. Eighteen minutes of commercial time between scenes is not gonna happen. You are in charge of when and if a commercial break is warranted. Plus, the rewind button is always there with a flip of a page.

Do you have multiple books going at once? Are you a one-book-at-a-time reader? Either way, you can find material to dress the nightstand in mystery, suspense, fantasy, sci-fi, or whatever keeps you coming back for more.

Throw yourself into a history excursion, cook roads less traveled, absorb healthy-living ideas, or grab an inspirational memoir about overcoming the odds. Thank you for the privilege of finding just the right book for your reading pleasure.

Books Wearing Masks

The books are wearing masks

The books are inside waiting

With titles in plain view

Will you read 1 or 3 or 2?

We’ll find out soon enough

When the game is played by you ...

Thank you to players checking the “Books Wearing Masks” game. This low-key activity calls on your decision and observation skills. For your part, it all goes down in three easy steps:

— Scan the 11 stacked books displayed in the box with only their spines visible;

— Using the provided check-off tabulator, choose one, two, or three books luring you in by title alone;

— Place your marked sheet in the designated drop box.

That’s it! So easy to participate in the “Books Wearing Masks” game. 

Story time

Keep your eyes on the library Facebook page for Facebook live story time on Fridays at 3 p.m. Each week, Miss Kathy shares a new story for you to enjoy. Questions on how to tune in? Call the library at 518-872-1246.

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