All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you.
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The first book, The Other Side of Stone, by Linda Cracknell, is a collection of linked short fiction stories. Spanning three centuries, it focuses on the people connected to a Perthshire, Scotland woolen mill that dominates their lives, their struggle for women’s rights, and the impact of industrialization on rural Scotland.
The first discussion will be held via Zoom, Thursday, October 20, from noon to 1 p.m. To register and obtain a book from the library, please email librarian@thetfordlibrary.org or call 802-785-4361.
The Man Who Listens to Horses reveals his deep love and understanding of horses. We learn how, through his relationship with various horses, he gradually developed the methods which enabled him to communicate in their own language: a silent language of gestures like signing for the deaf.
According to Monty, anyone can learn the language of the horse and anyone can learn his Join-Up(R) methods. In this book he tells you how. This is the bestselling autobiography that spread Monty Roberts’ message across the world and changed his life forever.
Cemeteries hold invaluable clues to genealogical research. Etched in stone are names, symbols and abbreviations that not only tell us more about our ancestors but also about their place in time. This program will cover strategies to help locate your ancestor’s burial place, how to make the most out of a visit and how to decipher a variety of symbols. Includes a list of Erin’s favorite cemetery resources. Note: Most of this content covers New England cemeteries, though many symbols can be seen nationwide. To register and receive the Zoom link please email librarian@thetfordlibrary.org .
Erin E. Moulton writes books and tracks dead people. An incorrigible story lover, Erin is the author of Flutter, Tracing Stars, Chasing the Milky Way and Keepers of the Labyrinth. In addition to her creative pursuits, Erin has over 12 years of experience tracking down interesting real-life questions at the reference desk and is a librarian and genealogist. She holds a BA from Emerson College, an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. When she isn’t searching for just the right word or just the right clue, she can be found teaching people of all ages about writing, publishing and research. Visit her online at www.erinemoulton.com.
Join us in celebrating the completion of the Community Room in the lower level of Latham Library! Enjoy refreshments, share your ideas for using the space, and experience the improvements in air quality and hybrid meeting technology. Learn about the Lift project, which will make the Community Room accessible to all. Drop by anytime Sunday November 13th from 1-3 pm.
It’s easy to take textiles for granted since they’re so much a part of our daily lives. But, if we analyze them more closely, they reveal insights into the history of capitalism, colonialism, economics, exports, imports, agriculture, labor, religion, art, costumes, cultures, and nearly everything humans have created.
A Stitch in Time is the theme for the Fall ‘22/Winter’23 Book Discussion Group. Our second book in this season’s series is All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake, by Tiya Miles, a creative historical examination of the lives of three Black women.
Our discussion will be held via Zoom, Thursday, November 17, from noon to 1 p.m. To register and obtain a book from the library, please email librarian@
Ric Cengeri from VPR fame is coming to the Latham Library to talk to you about the HomeShare Vermont option in and around Thetford. Much more than just a housemate or tenant situation, HomeShare Vermont is a mutually beneficial exchange of housing for help. Chores, sharing a meal, pet care, landscaping, every HomeShare is different. Open to all ages, HomeShare Vermont takes the guesswork out of finding an appropriate HomeShare pairing. Thetford resident Cynthia Shelton has been a participant in the program and will host the event and help answer questions. Learn more about it at www.homesharevermont.org. Bagels and other snacks provided.
What a Fish Knows draws on the latest science to present a fresh look at these remarkable creatures in all their breathtaking diversity and beauty. Fishes conduct elaborate courtship rituals and develop lifelong bonds with shoalmates. They also plan, hunt cooperatively, use tools, curry favor, deceive one another, and punish wrongdoers. We may imagine that fishes lead simple, fleeting lives—a mode of existence that boils down to a place on the food chain, rote spawning, and lots of aimless swimming. But, as Balcombe demonstrates, the truth is far richer and more complex, worthy of the grandest social novel.
Highlighting breakthrough discoveries from fish enthusiasts and scientists around the world and pondering his own encounters with fishes, Balcombe examines the fascinating means by which fishes gain knowledge of the places they inhabit, from shallow tide pools to the deepest reaches of the ocean.
Thetford author Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling will read from A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (And Some Bears).
Once upon a time, a group of libertarians got together and hatched one of the most ambitious social experiments in modern American history—the so-called Free Town Project: a plan to take over an American town and completely eliminate its government. In 2004, they set their sights on Grafton, NH, a flyspeck town with only one paved road, buried in the woods of New Hampshire’s western fringe.
When freedom-focused libertarians across the US—from as far as California to as near as Massachusetts—descended on Grafton, state and federal laws became meek suggestions. Soon the wilderness-thick town lost public funding for pretty much everything: fire dept, the schoolhouse, library, and perhaps most importantly wildlife services. As the people were ignoring laws and regulations on hunting and food disposal, their newly formed off-the-grid tent city caught the attention of some unruly neighbors: the bears.
Armed with a pen and journalist’s notebook, Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling—a seasoned journalist who has covered everything from Maine’s stately Governor’s Mansion to the mud hut of a witch doctor in Sierra Leone—was drawn to Grafton in hopes of uncovering the truth behind this fantastical tale of bear vs. libertarian. In his book A LIBERTARIAN WALKS INTO A BEAR: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (And Some Bears), Hongoltz-Hetling details how this tiny town became a radical social experiment—until the bear attacks started. Along the way he meets a band of interesting characters: Jessica Soule, a Vietnam-era veteran who became an acolyte of the controversial Reverend Sun Myung Moon; Adam Franz, a poker-playing communist who dreamed of founding a survivalist community; John Connell, a Massachusetts factory worker on a mission from God; and, of course, John Babiarz, the firefighter libertarian who opened Grafton’s doors to the Free Town Project and then spent the next decade trying to explain it to his nonlibertarian neighbors. This book is a sometimes funny, sometimes frightening tale of what happens when a government disappears into the woods. Complete with gunplay, adventure, and backstabbing politicians, this is a quintessentially American story, a bearing of our national soul.
Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling is a freelance journalist specializing in narrative features and investigative reporting. He has been named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, won a George Polk Award, and been voted Journalist of the Year by the Maine Press association, among numerous other honors. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, USA Today, Popular Science, Atavist Magazine, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, the Associated Press, and elsewhere.