Pember Library

To commemorate the New York State Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial, the New York State Library, in partnership with the New York Library Association’s Youth Services Section and School Library Media Section, has created four selected reading lists that celebrate the history, culture, and diversity of New York State.

Each of the four lists covers one reader age group: Picture Books; Elementary; Tween; and Teen and up.

This summer, our Pember Presents programming will go along with the NYS  summer reading program theme, Explore New York. Our first program on July 15 will be “The Independence Trail.” Later in July, we will have programs about Lake Champlain (Ann Rich Duncan presents Johnny Vic, July 22) and Granville (Ray Gaylord talks about Granville, July 29). Planned programs for August are Iroquios Indians, local geology and the Heritage Quest online genealogy database.

The book club will be discussing “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak.

“Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel–a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.”

Newsweek has an interesting feature on What to Read Now. And Why.

They say “The fact is, no one needs another best-of list telling you how great The Great Gatsby is.” These books “open a window on the times we live in, … help us see ourselves in new and surprising ways.”

The list of 50 titles starts with Anthony Trollope’s 1875 book The Way we Live Now, and includes books by William Faulkner, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, and Mary Shelley. I think I would enjoy reading Air Guitar by Dave Hickey: “a seamless blend of criticism, personal history, and a deep appreciation for the sheer nuttiness of American life, with essays on Norman Rockwell, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Perry Mason, to name a few.”

The annual Friends of the Pember Library Book Sale will take place at the Mary J Tanner School on Route 22 in Middle Granville. There will be thousands of books available. Most hardcover books will be $1.00 and paperbacks for $.25. Newer or special books will be individually priced.

On Saturday from 1pm to 3 pm will be our $1.00 per bag sale using bags we provide.

Pember presents a series of eight programs about America. This is intended for elementary school age children. Books, videos and and an activity will accompany each program.

• The Great Inventors
• The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk
• The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad
• The Mayflower Voyagers
• The NASA Space Station
• The Birth of the Constitution
• The Smithsonian and the Presidency
• The Music and Heroes of America