The next meeting of Thetford’s informal nonfiction book discussion group
will take place at Latham Library on Thetford Hill on Tuesday November 30th
at 12 NOON and on Zoom.   For the Zoom link, please contact
librarian@thetfordlibrary.org.

We will be discussing Under a White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert.

Elizabeth Kolbert takes a hard look at the new world we are creating. Along
the way, she meets biologists who are trying to preserve the world’s rarest
fish, which lives in a single tiny pool in the middle of the Mojave;
engineers who are turning carbon emissions to stone in Iceland; Australian
researchers who are trying to develop a “super coral” that can survive on a
hotter globe; and physicists who are contemplating shooting tiny diamonds
into the stratosphere to cool the earth.

One way to look at human civilization, says Kolbert, is as a
ten-thousand-year exercise in defying nature. In *The Sixth Extinction,* she
explored the ways in which our capacity for destruction has reshaped the
natural world. Now she examines how the very sorts of interventions that
have imperiled our planet are increasingly seen as the only hope for its
salvation. By turns inspiring, terrifying, and darkly comic, *Under a White
Sky* is an utterly original examination of the challenges we face

The book may be obtained from your local library, via interlibrary loan,
possibly as an audio or e-book via ListenUp Vermont

or inNew Hampshire,  *N*ew Hampshire Downloadable Books.

Users need only get a barcode number from their local library to use the
services.  Or you can obtain the book from your favorite local bookseller,
or via www.bookfinder.com, the aggregator site for booksellers both large
and small from all over the world, and for books both new and secondhand.

All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you.   Please be vaccinated
and wear a mask if you attend in person.

Local poet Elisabeth Horan will read from her new book, The Mask, the follow up collection to collection Horan’s Self-Portrait and the third chapbook to be published by The Broken Spine. The reading will be followed by a poetry open mic.

Elisabeth Horan is a poet, mother, and small press publisher living in the wilds of Vermont. She is the author of numerous poetry chapbooks and collections, and the Editor-In-Chief of Animal Heart Press. Elisabeth is passionate about discovering new voices and mentoring emerging poets. She is also a fierce advocate for those impacted by mental illness. Read more about Elisabeth here.

To register for this event and receive the Zoom link please email librarians@thetfordlibrary.org

The Middle Grade Book Club will be meeting to discuss “Storm Runners” by Roland Smith, both in person and over Zoom. Email librarians@thetfordlibrary.org to register.

Holiday Readings for the Winter Solstice: in person at the Peabody Library and over Zoom. A winter solstice tradition! Come hear Peter Blodgett read holiday stories from many cultures. A special evening by candlelight in the George Peabody Library’s historic and lovely space. In-person seats are limited: please register by emailing librarians@thetfordlibrary.org . To attend virtually via Zoom, email librarian@thetfordlibrary.org for the link.

The Winter Reading Challenge: Read for a Better World (All Ages) is available now on the Vermont libraries Beanstack page at https://vermont.beanstack.org/. The challenge starts January 1 and ends January 31. This challenge is available for free to all Vermonters.

Readers of all ages are encouraged to read for at least 20 minutes a day and log their minutes using the Beanstack website or the mobile app. Participants can read books of their choosing, log minutes, participate in simple activities, and earn digital badges. Participants are encouraged to explore diversity, empathy, and action through literature by choosing books and stories from an array of diverse authors and topics.

There are many places readers can find lists of diverse books. One good place to start is We Need Diverse Books, which has compiled a list of sites that offer recommendations for diverse titles. There are also many fantastic diverse titles included in the Vermont youth book awards current and past nominee lists.

As a reminder, anyone who has created a Beanstack account in past will not need to create a new account and will just need to register for the challenge. If you do not have an account you will need to create one before you are able to register. There are instructions on the Beanstack landing page for logging-in and creating accounts.

The Thetford Libraries reader who logs the most minutes reading will receive a prize!

Robert Tougias, author of “Birder on Berry Lane”, will discuss the common backyard birds of Vermont and some of the ” classic woodland Vermont birds” such as the wood thrush, northern goshawk, barred owl, and yellow-bellied sapsucker. To register for this program and receive the Zoom link please email librarian@thetfordlibrary.org

Come share your music, poetry, singing, comedy, storytelling, etc. in a virtual space to enjoy and connect us all! Hosted by Elisabeth Horan of Feral Journal of Poetry and Art. All ages are welcome to participate.
If you’d like to perform, please send an email to librarian@thetfordlibrary.org . You will receive a Zoom invite and instructions.

The book/film discussion group returns in 2022.  Our three books and companion film presentations will consider the increasingly crucial issue of immigration and how it impacts individuals and countries throughout the world.
Our first book will be Brooklyn – by Colm Tóibín . A reluctant Irish immigrant comes to terms with her new life in early 1950’s Brooklyn. Books will available for check-out at Latham Library in mid-December. The movie, titled Brooklyn, based on the book, is available for loan at the library. The discussion will be held on Friday, January 21 from noon to 1:00 pm via Zoom, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact  librarian@thetfordlibrary.org to register.