For several months, Warren County Public Library has hosted a monthly author series on Sunday afternoons at the Bob Kirby Branch (175 Iron Skillet Court). This month, Nashville writers Lauren Thoman and Meredith Lyons will be the series’ special guests. On Sunday, January 5, at 3pm this mystery author/sci-fi fantasy author duo will sit down for a lively conversation about their books and paths to publication. Thoman’s 2023 debut novel, I’ll Stop the World, described as a coming-of-age mystery, was one of the first two books released by Mindy Kaling’s “boutique story studio,” an imprint of Amazon Publishing developed “to publish stories by emerging and established diverse voices and imagine books from page to screen.” Thoman followed up with another thrilling mystery published this year, You Shouldn’t Be Here. Her co-presenter Lyons’ debut novel Ghost Tamer was also released in 2023 and earned acclaim as an Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Sci-Fi Fantasy and also received the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for Best Sci-Fi Fantasy. Her follow-up novel, A Dagger of Lightning, described as an epic fantasy romance, will be released this April. Register for a free ticket through our online calendar of events (warrenpl.org/events).
The library’s Let’s Read Series for kids that launched this fall puts area students in touch with talented, engaging, best-selling authors. Authors visit Bowling Green most months of the year courtesy of WCPL, and school groups, organizations, and individuals are invited to attend their free presentations at the Capitol. This month, the library will host author Shelli Johannes on Wednesday, January 15, at 9:30am and 11:30am. Johannes has written over 25 books for children and teens and is the co-author of the Cece Loves Science series, Penny (An Engineering Tale of the Fourth Pig), and the Farm Friends series. She has also written five novels for older readers, including the Nature of Grace series and ReWired for teens and On the Bright Side for middle-grade readers. Visit the library’s calendar of events to sign up for one of the two free sessions.
We are thrilled to host acclaimed author Jamie Ford at the Capitol Monday, January 27, at 6pm. He was originally scheduled as one of the featured authors of WCPL’S Back to Back Books festival in September, but had to cancel due to an unexpected event. Those who received a free copy of his book at that time are invited to bring it to this one to be signed. Books will also be for sale for those who’d like to purchase them. A popular best-selling author, Ford is the great grandson of Nevada mining pioneer Min Chung, who emigrated from Hoiping, China, to San Francisco in 1865, where he adopted the western name “Ford,” thus confusing countless generations. His debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two and a half years on the New York Times bestseller list and won the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. His latest novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, was named #1 IndieNext list pick for August 2022. Sign up for a free ticket through the library’s calendar of events.
Now, add this to your how-cool-that-the-library-does-that list: WCPL has added a variety of non-print materials to its collection over the years, and the circulation of those items has been brisk! From activity kits and ukuleles to seeds and sewing machines, WCPL’s “library of things” has become quite popular, benefiting many patrons through the years. After adding over 100 Nintendo Switch video games to the offerings at the Lisa Rice Library and the Bob Kirby Branch in late summer, the collection development coordinator responded to requests for board games and curated a collection that hit the shelves at the Bob Kirby Branch last month. With selections ranging from Clue Jr. and Hedbanz for kids to the classic dice game Yahtzee and the popular card game Exploding Kittens for teens and adults, there’s something for everyone. Checkout rules for board games are the same as those for video games, with a limit of one per card. Games may be put on hold for pickup at any location, and the circulation period is two weeks. They cannot be renewed, but if they are brought in to be checked in and there are no hold requests on them, they may be checked out again to the same patron. To browse titles in the library’s digital catalog or put one on hold, just do a keyword search for “board games” to pull up a list.
There’s always something going on at the library, and we want to invite YOU to be a part of it! Stay in the know by following us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, X) and by subscribing to our online newsletter (https://tinyurl.com/WCPLNews).
-by Ashley Fowlkes, Digital Content Manager
