Our free in-person annual pumpkin decorating contest judging and Halloween party take place tomorrow, Friday, October 29, from 2-4pm. Pumpkins can be carved, painted or decorated. One entry per person. Completed pumpkins can be turned in today, Thursday, October 28, or tomorrow before 3pm. Winners will be announced at 4pm tomorrow. Age categories for awards: preschool, ages 5-7, ages 8-11, ages 12-17 and adult. Hang out at the library and complete some creepy, crawly crafts while you wait to hear who won.
Book Art for a Cause
Next Thursday, November 4 is a free Book Art for a Cause activity for ages 10 to adult from 2-3pm. You will learn how to make ornaments and other decorations out of old books. All decorations will be lovingly added to the library foundation’s Christmas tree that will be displayed and auctioned off at the Community Center’s Festival of Trees event, with proceeds going to the library’s foundation.
Free San Juan Basis Public Health event
Also next Thursday, November 4, representatives from San Juan Basin Public Health will be at the library from noon-1pm to discuss health insurance and care coordination and to answer your questions. This free session will be repeated on November 18, and additional presentations on various public health topics will be held in December.
In-person gaming
Enjoy free all-ages video gaming on the X-box 360 Kinect on Fridays from 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.
Family storytime
Wednesdays from 10-11 a.m. join us for free in-person children’s stories, games and plenty of reasons to get up and move. Wednesday, November 3 is a free play session. We’ve got plenty of toys, puppets and puzzles for an open playtime. Saturday’s Discovery Times continue on Facebook at 2:30 p.m. with games, art ideas, science experiments, history and more.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 10 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and 2-4 p.m. Thursdays. Brad will help you resolve issues with your computer, smartphone, tablet and other electronic devices.
Adult education hiatus
Our free PALS (Pagosa Adult Learning Services) session generally takes place in person Thursdays from 5-8 p.m. when Mark helps with high school equivalency, GED, college prep, financial aid, tutoring and more. Note no PALS in October or November 4.
Mysteries, suspense and thrillers
“Enemy at the Gates” by Kyle Mills is a Mitch Rapp thriller. “The Jailhouse Lawyer” by James Patterson and Nancy Allen features a lawyer who goes to jail herself. “Rock Paper Scissors” by Alice Feeney centers on a weekend in Scotland that will make or break a marriage. “The Unknown” by Heather Graham is a Krewe of Hunters suspense story featuring an elite FBI unit investigating paranormal events. “Last Girl Ghosted” by Lisa Unger starts with an online dating match. “April in Spain” by Booker Prize winner John Banville is a mystery set on the Spanish coast.
Other novels
“The Spectacular” by Zoe Whittall features three generations of very different women struggling to build an authentic life. “The Book of Magic” by Alice Hoffman is the fourth and final book about the Owens family in the Practical Magic series. “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood focuses on a romance between two scientists. “The Butler” by Danielle Steel follows the life of a butler in Paris. “The Spectacular” by Zoe Whittall is about three different women struggling to build authentic lives. “Cloud Cuckoo Land” by Anthony Doerr is about children living centuries apart.
Short story collections
“My Monticello” by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson is a collection of five short stories and the book’s title novella. The latter, featuring a woman descended from Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings who is driven from her neighborhood by a white militia, is being turned into a Netflix movie. “The Jealousy Man and Other Stories” by Jo Nesbo is a collection five suspense stories by this popular Norwegian writer whose novels have been translated into more than 50 languages.
Large print
“The Heron’s Cry” by Ann Cleeves is book two of the Two Rivers mystery series set in England. “Hidden” by Fern Michaels is book one of a new Lost and Found mystery series. “The Trail’s End” by E.L. Ripley is a Ralph Compton western in the Sundown Riders series. “Shoot-out at Sugar Creek” by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins is book six in the Caleb York western series.
Nonfiction
“The Western San Juan Mountains” by Rob Blair is a guide to their geology, ecology and human history. “Taste: My Life Through Food” by Stanley Tucci is a memoir of the award-winning actor and cookbook author’s life in and out of the kitchen. “Rationality” by Steven Pinker explores why and how a society that developed COVID vaccines in less than a year could be so immersed in fake news, medical quackery and conspiracy theories.
Downloadable e-books and audiobooks
We have a wide variety of downloadable e-books and audio books for all ages – children, tweens, teens and adults – in cloudLibrary. The items in cloudLibrary are purchased separately from physical items, so the books available are different – and it continues to use the consortium’s contributions as well as those that we bought. Select AspenCat Union Catalog when setting up cloudLibrary for use. Email or phone us at 970-264-2209 if you need our help setting up this service on your device..
Library foundation
Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library Foundation to support and enhance your library by raising funds for information resources, programs, services and facilities. Mail checks to P.O. Box 2045, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147 or call Cindi Galabota at 970-264-2209.
Quotable Quote
“Ruminating on grudges, resentments and negative thoughts won’t just keep you in a pessimistic mood; it has also been linked to decline in cognition and memory in people 55 and older, according to a study in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. Participants who repeatedly dwelled on negative thoughts had more amyloid and tau deposits in their brain, the biological markers of Alzheimer’s disease.” — AARP The Magazine.
Website
For more information on library books, services and programs – and to reserve books, e-books, books on CD and DVDs from the comfort of your home – please visit our website at https://pagosalibrary.org
The Ruby Sisson Memorial Library has been located at 811 San Juan Street (corner of S. 8th and Hwy 160) since 1989. The library is overseen by the Upper San Juan Library District, a tax-funded special district in Archuleta County.