Two of Pagosa’s most prolific authors – Patty Latham and Val Valentine – have just donated their books to your library for your reading pleasure.
Patty’s book, titled “Pagosa Gold,” is the fourth in her Dr. Josie Tate series featuring a local veterinarian who is a newlywed as the story opens and her husband, a wildlife biologist, is injured. Patty, herself a vet for more than 50 years, is an excellent storyteller, and this one has many emotional moments. As the tale unfolds, it is a treat for readers to recognize so many Pagosa icons including natural wonders, local businesses and Indigenous venues. Even the Hershey Collection in our Ruby Sisson Library gets a mention. Patty is particularly respectful as she describes the Ute Mountain Ute tribe’s medical traditions and customs. Her story also takes us to Aspen and Craig, but details would share too much of the book’s plot. As always, an overarching theme in this story is the author’s dedication to her pets, her animal clients and local wildlife of all kinds.
Val’s book, a western titled “Double Jack,” was selected as a finalist in a Southwest Writers annual contest. Set in and around Ouray and its gold mines in the mid-1870s, its name comes from the two-man technique of hand drilling rocks before the advent of pneumatic drills. The story features Grant Jackson and his wife Kate, ranchers who seek refuge from a storm in an abandoned cabin. There they find a trunk with the words “For my son” carved on its lid. Inside are many old items including photos, a journal and a survey map of a mining claim. Facing extreme financial hardship at the time, Grant sets out to find the gold to save his ranch and provide for his family. The result is hugely successful – until it becomes a moral dilemma when he realizes he knows the man who originally staked the claim.
Both books are available for checkout at your library along with several others written by both of these two authors.
Construction update
Here’s the latest news on your library’s construction project from Barb Brattin, library director:
“We won’t be using natural gas in the new building so we’ve capped the line, and the LPEA electrical expansion is complete. Now we’re digging up the old foundation to the south. We’ll start laying a new foundation in its place beginning September 18, weather permitting. With the parking lot all torn up, we can finally bring over the fiber line on the other side of the alley and hook up super fast internet for all of you who rely on our public computers and Wi-Fi access.
“Overall we are making good progress and continue to be on schedule.”
Please check the listings in this column and on your library’s website at https://pagosalibrary.org for location changes throughout the construction. If no other location is mentioned, the activity will stay at your library.
Conversational Spanish
The Conversational Spanish group will meet Monday, September 22 from 4-5 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church at 225 South Pagosa. This is a great opportunity to practice your Spanish in a free group setting. No minimum skill level needed.
Tween book club
Tweens ages 11-14 are invited to get together in the library courtyard on Tuesday, September 23 from 4-5 p.m. to help create a new tween book club. Snacks provided.
Family storytime
Wednesdays from 10-11 a.m. join a free educational hour of reading, singing and free play to build early literacy skills.
Writers Guild
Thursdays from 9-11 a.m. the Ruby’s Writers Guild welcomes writers looking for support, guidance, resources and camaraderie with other writers at this free gathering at the Senior Center, 451 Hot Springs Blvd. Enter through the left side of the building.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 2-4 p.m. on Thursdays. Taylor 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, but please bring your device’s charger and passwords with you.
ESL classes
Free in-person evening classes happen on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with 4-5 p.m. reserved for beginners, 5-6 p.m. for intermediate and 6-7 p.m. for advanced students at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 225 S. Pagosa Street.
Downloadable books
CloudLibrary has a wide variety of downloadable e-books and audiobooks for all ages. To access this free digital collection, download the cloudLibrary app on our website, answer a few simple questions, select AspenCat Union Catalog for the name of your library, then enter your library card number and 4-digit PIN. Library staff are happy to help you set up your device if you need assistance.
How-to and DIY
“Building An Affordable House” by Fernando Pages Ruiz is the second edition of this guide to cost-effective sustainable home construction. “Off Grid Living” by John Wilder is a step-by-step guide for beginners. “Cold Canning” by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough provides 425 recipes to preserve the best of each season without hot water processing.
DVDs
“Suffragette” tells the story of women fighting for the vote in early 20th Century Britain. “Lilo & Stitch” is the Disney children’s film. “The King of Kings” is told through the eyes of a child. “The Boys” is seasons one and two.
Mysteries and thrillers
“Unshaken” by Shelley Shepard Gray features an Amish woman who must hide after witnessing a crime. “Caught Up” by Navessa Allen is part of the Into Darkness dark romance series. “The Summer That Changed Everything” by Brenda Novak is about daughter trying to prove her father’s innocence. “Middle of the Night” by Riley Sager deals with the long ago disappearance of a childhood friend in a quiet New Jersey neighborhood. “King of Ashes” by S.A. Cosby reveals the secrets behind an apparent hit-and-run accident.
Other novels
“Beach House Rules” by Kristy Woodson Harvey follows a woman and her daughter forced by circumstances to stay in a community of single mothers. “Across the Crying Sands” by Jane Kirkpatrick is inspired by the true story of the first female mail carrier on the Oregon Coast. “Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure” by Rhys Brown tells of an English woman starting a new life after 30 years of marriage. “The Winds From Further West” by Alexander McCall Smith features a man escaping the intensity of city life in Edinburgh. “Unsettled” by Ayana Mathis is set in a family shelter in Philadelphia. “Fear the Flames” by Olivia Rose Darling is the start of a new epic fantasy romance series.
Book on CD
“House of the Beast” by Michelle Wong is a dark fantasy about a young woman who strikes a deal with a god for revenge on her aristocratic family.
Quotable Quote
“Baseball is life. You start at home, and we’re going to send you out. And it’s going to be hard for you out there. But you could make it easier for yourself swinging at strikes to get to first base. And how can we get you to second and third? You can do things quicker, sharper, crisper. All those things get you around. Same thing in life…. I tell the kids, you have to use your baseball.” – Youman Wilder, head of Harlem Baseball Hitting Academy, a youth baseball program in New York City with no entrance requirements or minimum fees. “We don’t take the best players. We take the guys that got cut,” he says. He has produced 400 college-scholarship baseball players who have gone to Stanford, Princeton and Columbia and are now doctors, police officers or work on Wall Street. Four of his players have made the major leagues.
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