***Time has been updated to 12:00 Noon on Nov 26, and the format is hybrid (in person and online via Zoom)***
We will be discussing Darwin’s Ghosts by Rebecca Stott.
Christmas, 1859. Just one month after the publication of On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin received an unsettling letter. He had expected criticism; in fact, letters were arriving daily, most expressing outrage and accusations of heresy. But this letter was different. It accused him of failing to acknowledge his predecessors, of taking credit for a theory that had already been discovered by others. Darwin realized that he had made an error in omitting from Origin of Species any mention of his intellectual forebears. Yet when he tried to trace all of the natural philosophers who had laid the groundwork for his theory, he found that history had already forgotten many of them.
Darwin’s Ghosts tells the story of the collective discovery of evolution, from Aristotle, walking the shores of Lesbos with his pupils, to Al-Jahiz, an Arab writer in the first century, from Leonardo da Vinci, searching for fossils in the mine shafts of the Tuscan hills, to Denis Diderot in Paris, exploring the origins of species while under the surveillance of the secret police, and the brilliant naturalists of the Jardin de Plantes, finding evidence for evolutionary change in the natural history collections stolen during the Napoleonic wars. Evolution was not discovered single-handedly, Rebecca Stott argues, contrary to what has become standard lore, but is an idea that emerged over many centuries, advanced by daring individuals across the globe who had the imagination to speculate on nature’s extraordinary ways, and who had the courage to articulate such speculations at a time when to do so was often considered heresy.
The book may be obtained from your local library, via interlibrary loan, possibly as an audio or e-book via ListenUp Vermont or in New Hampshire, New 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.
Latham Library and the Thetford Elder Network invite you to the lower level Community Room for a free Senior Movie Morning.
Large screen presentation, warm and well-ventilated room. Meet some neighbors to enjoy a good movie, to chat and to laugh! No registration, just come!
This month’s title: Fiddler on the Roof
Need a ride? TEN may be able to help! Call (802-785-4361) or email librarian@thetfordlibrary.org and we’ll put you in touch.
A Peabody Library tradition with former library director Peter Blodgett! With candles glowing in the lovely and historic library, Peter will read aloud his selection of holiday stories from many cultures to mark this special season.
Join us for a holiday week storytime with songs, food, and winter / holiday themed stories! All are welcome but stories will be aimed at preschool and early elementary aged children.
Please join us where we left off last Fall/Winter season with two more works of fiction and a memoir that explore food, experience, self-perception and moral dilemmas. Book discussions take place from noon to 1 p.m. in the Latham Library Community Room and include a voluntary potluck lunch featuring foods mentioned in or related to the books. To register and pick up a book, please contact librarian@
Thursday, January 16, 2025 – at noon – Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner
A Korean-American finds solace and cultural identity through food as she grapples with
the grief of losing her mother to cancer.
Come play one of our board games or bring your own! All ages are welcome. Pizza will be served. If you would like pizza, please RSVP by 3:00 pm on the day of the event to librarian@thetfordlibrary.org
Heinz and Inge Trebitz will share their photographs from a sightseeing tour they took in the early 2000s, providing a glimpse of the beauty and vitality of pre-war Syria.
These images of vibrant cities and historic landmarks stand in stark contrast to the ongoing destruction and human suffering reported in the news today, inviting a reflection on the resilience of the Syrian people and the need for global awareness and support for rebuilding efforts.
Tuesday January 28th at 12:00 (noon), at Latham Library and online via Zoom.
If you plan to attend in person, please RSVP so we can maintain a contact list in case of bad weather, etc
For the Zoom link, please contact librarian@thetfordlibrary.org
We will be discussing Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
The book may be obtained from your local library, via interlibrary loan, possibly as an audio or e-book via ListenUp Vermont or in New Hampshire, New 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.
Bring a loved one for tea and treats in the library’s lower level Community Room. Valentine making supplies will be available. Fancy tea party attire welcome but not required! Stuffed animals / dolls can come enjoy the party too.
All ages are welcome!
Please join us where we left off last Fall/Winter season with two more works of fiction
and a memoir that explore food, experience, self-perception and moral dilemmas. Book
discussions take place at noon in the Latham Library Community Room and include a
voluntary potluck lunch featuring foods mentioned in or related to the books. To register
and pick up a book, please contact librarian@thetfordlibrary.org.
Thursday, February 20, 2025 – at noon – Land of Milk and Honey, by C Pam Zhang
In a not-so-distant future where human survival is jeopardized by the mass extinction of
the world’s crops and livestock, a young chef takes a job at a well-stocked compound
for the ultra-rich, making food a symbol of extreme inequality and a catalyst of moral
complexity.