Starting December 1st, 2024, the Manchester City Library will no longer charge overdue fines on all items in our collection. The library joins a growing movement among public libraries nationwide seeking to remove barriers to increase access. Research has shown that overdue fines can serve to prevent lower income members of the community and children from accessing library materials and services and have been largely ineffective in their stated goal of discouraging tardy returns of library materials. Removing fines will allow the library to better serve patrons and meet its mission of “striving to provide services and materials to meet the needs of our diverse and changing community”. While overdue fines will be eliminated, patrons are still responsible to return items by their due date. If an overdue item is not returned within a 40-day window, patrons will still be charged a replacement cost for the item. If you have any questions regarding your account or any fines, please contact our circulation desk.
All aboard for a magical trip to the North Pole for those who truly believe. We’ll be taking off and you’re not going to want to miss this one! Experience the magic of the season with the story, crafts and snacks. Join us on December 14th at 10:00 am for some holiday fun! Babies to Grade 5 are invited. Registration is required. For more information, please call the Children’s Room at 624-6560 ext. 7628.
Let’s celebrate the holidays by creating your own festive wine glass charms. Wine glass charms are small, delightful and practical accessories that add a touch of elegance and individuality to any gathering. These ‘charming’ adornments not only serve as decorative elements but also help guests identify their glasses, preventing mix-ups and unnecessary waste. Kits will be available on Tuesday, December 10th for pickup in the library rotunda and available while supplies last. Take a kit home and have some holiday party fun! For more information about this craft please contact Yvonne Loomis at (603) 624-6550 ext. 7620 or e-mail [email protected].
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the new fiction coming out over the next few months. It’s not too early to get yourself on the waiting list for these hot titles! For help locating these titles and placing holds please contact the Information Desk at 603-624-6550 ext. 7620. Happy reading!
Adler-Olsen, Jussi – Locked In: The Department Q series comes to a thrilling conclusion when the team must turn inward to solve the cold case that has put their leader, Detective Carl Morck, behind bars, a place where enemies are plentiful, and time is running out. Due out December 3.
Miller, Linda Lael – Where the Creek Bends: Madison Bettencourt returns to Montana to care for her ailing grandmother and grapples with calling off her wedding. Childhood memories resurface, especially of Bliss Morgan, who mysteriously vanished, leaving only a friendship bracelet and a matchbook message. To move forward, Madison must uncover Bliss’s fate. She finds an unexpected ally in Liam McKettrick, a widowed dad mending his bond with his children. Together, they navigate the mysteries of Bettencourt Hall, where past and present blur. Due out December 31.
Davis, Fiona – The Stolen Queen: In 1978, as a valuable Egyptian artifact disappears during the Met Gala, Met curator Charlotte Cross and young assistant Annie Jenkins embark on a high-stakes search that leads them to Egypt, where Charlotte must confront an ancient curse and the haunting tragedy of her past. Due out January 7.
Grippando, James – Grave Danger: Jack Swyteck’s new client fled Iran to Miami with her daughter and has been accused of kidnapping by her husband. To stop the father from taking the girl back to Tehran, Jack must build a case under international law and prove that returning the child would put her at risk. But everything in this case isn’t what it seems, and Jack quickly learns that his client is really the child’s aunt and that the biological mother may have been killed by Iran’s morality police. But what role did the father play in his wife’s death, and why is Jack’s wife, FBI Agent Andie Henning, being pressured by her bosses to persuade Jack to drop the case? Due out January 14.
Moyes, Jojo – We All Live Here: Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall and her love life is … complicated. So when her real dad – a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago – suddenly appears on her doorstep, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach about love, and what it actually means to be family. Due out February 11.
Eskens, Allen – The Quiet Librarian: Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that something evil has come for her, a dark remnant of the past she and her friend had shared. Due out February 18.
If you’re not a big fan of winter and you need some cheering up, consider taking up a new hobby, such as flower arranging. You just need some of your favorite fresh cut flowers and a vase. Check out our books on getting started with flower arranging in the display in the Rotunda.
Need some inspiration to get started? Manchester City Library is just blooming with help. In January, there will be a demonstration on flower arranging and a raffle here at the library. Come join local florist Judy Faucher of Chalifour’s Flowers at the library on January 9th at 2pm in the Winchell Room for a free lesson on how to arrange your own creation. Judy will build a beautiful arrangement while sharing tricks of the trade on flower handling. You can find out more information here. Here’s the best part: at the end of the demonstration, the Chalifour’s arrangement will be raffled off to one lucky attendee.
So, cheer up, buttercup! Spring will be here soon.
Did you know that there are sightings in the Bay State? You might walk away with more questions than answers. Come listen to the Bigfoot presentation and ask your own questions about the Sasquatch and the Paranormal. Join Monsterland author and Leominster, MA native Ronny LeBlanc from Discovery Channel’s Expedition Bigfoot and Travel Channel’s Paranormal Caught on Camera as he dives into the strange side of Sasquatch. Is there a UFO connection?
Join us on Saturday, December 7th, starting at 12:30 PM in the library auditorium for this free and fascinating event. For more information, please contact Caleb Moshier at 603-624-6550 ext. 7692.
The winter issue of MCL Notes is now online! Check out what’s going on at the libraries this winter season and get the scoop on the programs we have planned from now through February.
We welcome you to sign up to receive this quarterly newsletter by email.
It’s been a great year for book lovers; so many incredible books have come out that it can be hard to choose just one. That’s why BookPage compiled a list of 89 of the best books of 2024, and there is truly something for everyone. Highlights from their top ten list are James, the “standout” retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the “mature, compelling, and relatable romance” of Yulin Kuang’s How to End a Love Story, and Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by the “master narrator of disasters” Adam Higginbotham.
Pick up the latest copy of BookPage at the Manchester City Library and the West Branch to view the full list of their best books of 2024 and a holiday gift guide.
Both libraries will be closed on Thursday, November 28th, for Thanksgiving. We will re-open on Friday at our normal times and look forward to seeing you then. We wish you all a happy holiday.
The Manchester City Library will be closing early on Wednesday, November 27th at noon for the Thanksgiving Holiday. The Manchester West Branch Library will remail closed that day, as well. We will re-open on Friday, November 29th, the day after Thanksgiving. We wish you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving
