We are proud to host New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman next weekend for four special events, one free and three set up as fundraisers by the library foundation for our campaign to renovate and expand your library. Anne is the author of multiple bestselling mysteries that continue the hugely popular Navajo detective series originated by her father, Tony Hillerman.
Friday, September 13 at 7pm is a movie event with the author at the library exclusively for Friends of the Library. Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door and include wine or beer and light snacks.
Saturday, September 14 from 9 – 11am is a writer’s workshop at the library. Cost is $25.
Also Saturday, from 12:30 – 1:15pm, is a free meet-and-greet with the author at the library.
Also Saturday, from 6 – 8:30pm is a fireside chat with the author at the PLPOA Clubhouse with a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres provided by San Juan Gourmet. Tickets are $50 in advance and $55 at the door.
Anne Hillerman lives in New Mexico. She has continued her father’s series of Joe Leaphorn-Jim Chee novels following his death, adding officer Bernadette Manuelito as a full partner in solving the crimes. All nine of her books are available at your library for your reading pleasure.
Tickets for the three fundraising events can be purchased at the library or online at pagosalibrary.org.
Early library closure
Your library will close early on Monday, September 9 for a staff meeting at 5pm. This is our regular staff meeting schedule – on the second Monday of the month.
Hiking safety today
Come hear guidelines and helpful tips for hiking safety in our wilderness environs from members of our local San Juan Outdoor Club and the Upper San Juan Search and Rescue organization today, Thursday, September 5 from 6 – 7:15 p.m. The Sheriff Department’s Emergency Management team may also be present to answer your questions about their role in assisting persons lost in our mountains.
Herbal remedies next Wednesday
Learn the identification, harvesting and traditional therapeutic uses of 10 common native plants next Wednesday, September 11 from 4 – 5:30 p.m. from Lake McCullough, certified herbalist. Explore how to infuse the herbs with syrups, tinctures and balms. You will leave with recipes to make at home and a small sample of a herbal healing salve.
Teen/tween takeover tomorrow
We are setting aside the large meeting room and some of the computers and tweens and teens to use and spend time with friends Friday, September 6 from 2-3:30 p.m.
Adult book club next Tuesday
Ruby’s Book Club meets from 2-3 p.m. on Tuesday, September 10 to discuss “Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero” by Christopher McDougall. Copies are available at your library. This book club is held the second Tuesday of each month, alternating between fiction and nonfiction titles. Anyone is welcome to attend. Snacks provided.
Legal clinics resume Wednesdays
Your library is one of six in our state chosen by the Colorado Access to Justice Commission to restart the free legal clinics. They happen from 2 – 3:40 p.m. the second Wednesday of every month, this month on September 11. Five patrons participate each month, 20 minutes per patron, on a Zoom platform that can translate from English to the patron’s primary language. Come to the library to meet privately via Zoom with our volunteer attorney. To schedule an appointment, at the beginning of the month send an email titled “Sign-up for Free Legal Clinic” with your first name and phone number to ruby@pagosalibrary.org, or phone 970-264-2209 or stop by the library. To reduce our no-show rate, we will start with just one waitlisted patron per month.
Family storytimes
Wednesdays from 10-11 a.m. join a free educational hour of reading, singing and free play to build early literacy skills.
Writers Guild
Every Thursday from 9-11 a.m. the Ruby’s Writers Guild welcomes writers looking for opportunities, support, resources and camaraderie with other writers at this free gathering. The guild has published a new anthology, “Tales from the San Juans,” which the members say includes “life musings, creative short fiction, retrospectives, poetry, novellas and short observations — all inspired by the beauty that surrounds us.” The book is available at the library for $21.50, with net proceeds going to the library’s building campaign.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 10 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and 2-4 p.m. Thursdays. Judy helps with basic questions relating to computers, smartphones and tablets and also provides assistance in accessing the library’s online resources. No appointment is needed for these drop-in sessions, but please bring your device’s charger and passwords with you.
Pagosa Adult Learning Services (PALS)
Join Mark or Sally for free PALS sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 – 8 p.m. to help with high school equivalency, GED, college prep, financial aid, tutoring and more. PALS stands for Pagosa Adult Learning Services.
Local authors
“El Barrio de la Juventud”/”La Raza’s Golden Era” by local author Santos Luis O’Canas traces the lives of the Mexican-American families of El Campo, TX beginning with the last half of the 20th Century to the mid-1960s. It is an adult nonfiction collective biography written in English with some Spanish included. “Sofia” by local author Lynn Moffett features a young widow whose carefully ordered life is turned upside down when she comes face to face with six misled youths who stage a home invasion that violates her personal sanctuary. Her family and friends advise no sympathy for the boys, but a calling on her heart from God says otherwise. The author is a member of the Wolf Creek Christian Writers Network.
DVDs
“Blue Lights” is a BBC film featuring rookie police officers on duty in Northern Ireland. “No Hard Feelings” features Jennifer Lawrence in a summer romance that blossoms after she is hired to date an introverted 19-year-old. “Ruby’s Choice” focuses on a family dealing with a grandmother with Alzheimer’s. “Titanic the Musical” tells stories in music of the passengers aboard this tragic ship. “Io Capitano” about young teenage boys who leave Senegal for the promise of Europe was nominated for best international feature in the 2024 Academy Awards.
Mysteries, suspense and thrillers
“The Lost Coast” by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman begins when a young man hires a PI to examine some minor financial discrepancies in his grandmother’s estate. “The Eyes Are The Best Part” by Monika Kim is a feminist psychological horror story about the making of a serial killer told from a Korean American perspective. “Sisters of the Lost Nation” by Nick Medina is abou6t women mysteriously disappearing from a tribal reservation. “Fatal First Edition” by Jenn McLinlay is the newest Library Lover’s mystery.
Other novels
“Maria” by Michelle Moran is a novel about Maria Von Trapp, whose life was made famous in “The Sound of Music.” “Perris, California” by Rachel Stark features an unhappy mother of three reunited with her teen lover.
Thanks to our donors
We are grateful to Medora Bass for her materials donations.
Quotable Quote
“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set I go into the other room and read a book.” – Groucho Marx (1890 – 1977), American comedian, actor, writer and singer who performed in films and vaudeville acts on TV, radio and the stage. He was a master of quick wit and is considered one of America’s greatest comedians.
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.