What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in March

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We’re getting artsy and bookish this month with programs featuring art and artists, and SIX different book clubs!

Navigating College Admissions in 2022

Tuesday, March 1, 2022, 7:00 – 8:00pm

Learn how COVID-19 has changed the college admissions landscape and how it will affect Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors. This presentation is led by Ron Feuchs and Jackie Tepper, partners at Stand Out For College, LLC. Registration is required for this online program.

Cheshire Art League: Zbigniew Grzyb

Wednesday, March 2, 2022, 6:30 – 8:00pm

The Cheshire Art League is hosting artist Zbigniew Grzyb at their in-person March meeting. Zbigniew will demonstrate his approach to still life drawing, beginning with basics such as composition and structure and working to final stages including details and shading. Please register for this in-person program – click here to see the latest mask policies in town buildings.

Meditative Mondays

Mondays: March 7, 14, 21, 28, 2:00 – 3:00pm

Learn to master your thoughts, be in control of your mental & emotional well-being, and discover a world you never thought possible. Presenter Tia Mandrozos will explain the purpose of meditation and interact with the participants to provide the help needed in these online classes. Registration is required for this online program.

Frida Kahlo: Love, Pain, and Painting

Monday, March 7, 2022, 7:00 – 8:15pm

Frida Kahlo has become a household name in recent years, with movies, books and countless products dedicated to her art and likeness. This program will explore her life and her work, particularly as it relates to the trolley accident she survived as a teen and her passionate and often tumultuous marriage to fellow artist Diego Rivera. Registration is required for this online program.

Chess Club for Beginners (Grades 4-8)

Tuesdays: March 8, 15, 22, 29, 5:00 – 6:00pm

DIG USA Chess is partnering with the Cheshire Public Library to run this in-person beginner weekly chess program. The students will learn the basics and then gradually learn tactics and strategies. Registration is requiredfor this in-person program – click here to see the latest mask policies in town buildings.

Let’s Draw Cartoons! with Rick Stromoski (Grades 2-8)

Thursdays from 4:00 – 5:00pm

Award winning cartoonist and humorous illustrator, Rick Stromoski, will teach you how to create your own cartoon drawings during these online events! All you need is a stack of paper and something to draw with! Registration is required for these online programs.

Trivia Night

Thursday, March 10, 2022, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Come by yourself or bring your friends. Test your knowledge from general categories, including pop culture, current events, history, music, and of course literature! It’s all For Pride, Not Prize. Registration is required for this in-person program – click here to see the latest mask policies in town buildings.

The Queen of Beer: How Women Shaped Brewing’s History from Ancient Times to the Present

Monday, March 14, 2022, 7:00 – 8:15pm

From thousands of years ago until today, women have shaped the way beer is enjoyed and celebrated. Learn about ancient and medieval brewing practices and how women were (and still are) the queens of beer! Registration is required for this online program.

Cheshire Anime Club 

Wednesday, March 16, 2022, 3:00 – 4:30pm

Can’t get enough Anime and Manga? Be an “Otaku” and join the Cheshire Anime Club! We’ll meet monthly, read and talk about what’s hot in the world of Manga, and watch some of the latest Anime releases. For grades 7-12, no registration required. This month we plan to meet in person – click here to see the latest mask policies in town buildings.

Loft Knitters

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Come socialize, learn, share your techniques with other knitters.  Experience the relaxing and calming effect of knitting. All levels of adult knitters’ welcome. We hope to meet in-person, please bring your own yarn and knitting needles. Registration is required for this in-person program – click here to see the latest mask policies in town buildings.

Paint Party for Teens (Grades 5-12)

Wednesday, March 23, 2022, 3:30 – 5:00pm

Follow along with instructor, Pamela Halligan, of Pam’s Picassos as she walks you through creating your own masterpiece. Please bring your own smock or apron. The library will provide all other materials. Registration is required for this in-person program – click here to see the latest mask policies in town buildings.

Teen Advisory Board (Grades 6-12)

Friday, March 25, 2022, 4:00 – 4:45pm

Teens – share your ideas and thoughts about upcoming programs, materials, and general improvements to help make the Cheshire Library an even better place for you and your friends. You will earn 1 hour of community service credit for attending. If you want to make a difference in the library and your community, then TAB is for you! Registration is required for this in-person program – click here to see the latest mask policies in town buildings.

BOOK CLUBS GALORE THIS MONTH AT CPL!

Murder by the Book Mystery Book Club: Night Over Water

Thursday, March 17, 2022, 2:00 – 3:30pm (online, registration required)

Art League Book Club: The Passion of Artemisia

Friday, March 18, 2022, 11:00am – 12:30pm (online, registration required)

Natural Selections Book Club: The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

Saturday, March 19, 2022, 10:30 – 11:30am (in-person, registration required)

Many Stories Book Club: Americanah

Monday, March 21, 2022, 7:00 – 8:00pm (in-person, registration required)

Books Over Coffee Book Club: Interior Chinatown

Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 12:00 – 1:30pm (in-person, registration required)

Book Buzz Teen Book Club (Grades 6-12): Firekeeper’s Daughter

Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 3:30 – 4:30pm (in-person, registration required)

The Maus Trap

/ Susan O. / 4 Comments

As long as there have been books, there has been controversy about books. There have been six major book-burnings in the US (yes, America) over Harry Potter, because some people believe a little too much in witches, though, personally, if I believed that strongly in witches, I might just not want to anger them.

But logic doesn’t exist in book burnings, or bannings.

In 1948, in Binghamton, New York , people went door to door gathering and burning comic books, to save youth from their moral depravity. It sparked a nationwide comic-book burning spree, including here in Connecticut.

This year’s book fiasco (and this happened on January 10), has been the McMinn County (Tennessee) School Board voting 10-0 to remove the graphic novel Maus from their curriculum, over the use of 8 curse words (the most objectioned being – forgive me if you will, God damn), and the depiction of a naked mouse in a bathtub, with a breast showing. A mouse-breast. 

Maus is not drawn as graphic realism; with its heavy line style, it could be cut and printed in woodblocks and look the same.

Maus, by Art Spiegelman, is the winner of a 1992 Pulitzer Prize, the only graphic novel ever to do so. In it (sometimes found in two volumes, sometimes as one combined), Spielman interviews his father, a Polish Jew, as to what it was like to survive the Concentration Camps – his father spent time in both Auschwitz and Dachau, and his mother in Auschwitz. Nazis are portrayed by cats, Jews by mice, Americans by dogs, French by frogs, British as fish, and Swedes as deer.  

Spiegelman has a lot of anger toward his father that comes out now and then in the story. His father was, understandably, damaged by the war and not necessarily an empathetic father. Spiegelman’s mother couldn’t rid herself of the experience, and committed suicide when he was 20 (the unfortunate mouse in the bathtub). It’s a true story, an honest story, and Spiegelman’s struggle to make sense of it and his place in the narrative is the struggle we all face trying to understand the Nazi rise to power and the unimaginable atrocities they carried out – atrocities so horrific, the experiences threw open the study of epigenetics on the belief that the DNA of survivors’ children had been altered by the experiences of the parents, though some studies are undecided.

Tennessee withdrew the book from the curriculum just three days before Holocaust remembrance day, citing moral issues that included violence and showing dead mouse children, language, and that naked mouse breast in one panel. 

Maus is now the top-selling book in America, thanks to Tennessee’s decision that thirteen year olds learning about the Holocaust in graphic form and seeing mild curse words in print might damage them. Good thing they never saw the photo novel my father, a historian, has of World War II, which is nothing but photographs of the war, including too many horrific images from the various camps, a book which has haunted me since childhood.

The internet, while not reliable for many things, had the best quote: If it was okay for 13 year old Anne Frank to live through it, why is it too disturbing for 13 year old Tennessee children to learn about it? 

There are many reasons some books may be objectionable, outside of really bad prose, and yes, it is not unreasonable that some books should have an age limit – after all, movies and video games do. I would not recommend reading “The Exorcist” to a ten year old, even a literate one. The thing to remember is that not everyone can agree on what or why something should be limited, or worse, banned. Always, always, read the banned book, find out what information someone is trying to suppress, why, and then talk about it. If you still find the material objectionable, that’s fine, but you don’t have the right to control its availability to others.

Decide for yourself. Maus is currently sold out on Amazon, but you can join the wait list for the library’s copy here. Meanwhile, check out these commonly banned books – most of which the rest of America considers classics (1984 by Orwell is the #1 banned book in America).

 

Read it Before You See it: Book-to-Screen Adaptations Coming in 2022

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So many screen adaptations, so little time! There are so many books coming to big and small screens this year, it’s easy to lose track or what’s coming out when. We’ve put together a list of some adaptations that we’re really looking forward to this year – some have release dates, some do not, but the list will give us time to read as many books as we can before their adaptations come out! Which books are you most looking forward to seeing on the screen this year?

 

MOVIES

 

The Black Phone Release date: Feb. 4, 2022

Death on the Nile Release date: Feb. 11, 2022

Mothering Sunday Release date: Feb. 25, 2022

Where the Crawdads Sing Release Date: July 22, 2022 (Netflix)

Salem’s Lot Release Date: September 9, 2022

White Bird: A Wonder Story Release Date: October 14, 2022

She Said Release date: Nov. 28, 2022

The Nightingale Release Date: December 23, 2022

Persuasion Release date: TBD 2022

The School for Good and Evil Release Date: TBD 2022 (Netflix)

The Wonder Release Date: TBD 2022 (Netflix)

 

TV SERIES

 

Outlander Season 6 (Starz) Premiere Date: March 6, 2022

Based on the book: A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon 

Bridgerton Season 2 (Netflix) Premiere Date: March 25, 2022

Based on the book: The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

Lord of the Rings (Amazon Prime Video) Premiere Date: Sept. 2, 2022

Based on the books: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein 

The Sandman (Netflix) Premiere Date: TBD 2022

Daisy Jones & the Six (Amazon Prime Video) Premiere Date: TBD 2022

Conversations with Friends (Hulu) Premiere Date: Spring 2022

Teen Book Reviews: The Unwanteds and Lord of the Flies

/ cheshirelib / 1 Comment

Teens: did you know that you can earn community service credit for writing a book review and submitting it to us? Today, we’ll hear from two teens who did just that. Find out more about how to earn community service hours from home at cheshirelibrary.org/teens/.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann, reviewed by Claire J.

Upon being asked what book she is most thankful for, my cousin responded with the book The Unwanteds. She said the book appealed to her, as she related to many of the Unwanteds. The book allows people who couldn’t embrace their creativity an environment to thrive. When I read it, I liked how people did not have to suppress their hobbies. They had no rush to become serious and become an adult. I like the childish aspect of the book. Most of all, I really liked that the book gave people who felt out of place for the entirety of their lives a place to embrace their identities. I also just wish I had a place where I could also escape from reality and embrace my own creativity as the main characters did.

When asked about who my cousin’s favorite character was, she said her favorite character was Mr. Today, the man that saves everyone from death. I would have to agree. I want to be like him in the sense that I also really wanted to help others. Since I feel that my passion and dream is to provide whatever I can to help other people thrive, Mr. Today is an important factor that contributed to this dream. I also liked his wacky sense of fashion, as I also like to experiment with my own clothing. When he was killed in the series, I was so upset. I don’t approve of the main character taking Mr. Today’s position. Before anything else, the book had simply just brought me a lot of joy while reading it. I am the type of person who becomes immersed in their book, so I enjoyed days I spent reading on my bed, enjoying the contents of the book. Overall, I really enjoyed this read.

5 stars.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding, reviewed by Ali A.

In my opinion, Lord of the Flies by William Golding is the greatest classic book written. The book is about a group of schoolboys who get stranded on a desert island during a world war. However, all of them are scattered around the island. The main character, Ralph, finally finds another chubby boy named Piggy. Together they find a conch shell and blow it to summon all the boys to them. They hold a meeting and make rules for the island, assign jobs, start a fire, and elect a chief. Ralph ends up winning the role of chief, but makes Jack, another important character, a co-leader. At first the community is peaceful and law-abiding to the rules, but soon problems occur.

One of the problems was that the people assigned to keep the fire going on the mountain weren’t doing their job, and neither were the hunters. It is vital that the fire burns at all times, because the fire sends smoke into the air for ships to see them. The hunters were also not able to catch any meat, so Ralph thought they should give up hunting and instead help with other tasks, such as building shelters. However, Jack and the hunters continued to hunt and come empty-handed. Although it was frustrating for Ralph, he kept his cool and decided to just call more and more meetings. Then a little boy with a mulberry birthmark says that he sees a vicious monster on the island, and soon he goes missing. This injects terror into the community and more and more people say they saw the “beastie”. Finally one day a ship goes by the island. Ralph is excited for a potential rescue, but it turns out the signal fire on the mountain wasn’t burning! Ralph quickly went to light it again but the ship had already passed. All the people who were supposed to keep the fire going were out hunting and they finally killed a pig. Ralph and Jack got really mad at each other and Jack ended up slapping Piggy. Then one night military planes fought in the air and a dead parachutist falls onto the island. When two twins wake up to help light the signal fire, they notice the dead parachutist tangled in rocks. From far, the twins think the parachutist is the beast and they run to warn the community. Jack and his hunters decide to hunt the beast but can’t find it so Jack, Ralph, and Simon decide to try again and they too spot the dead parachutist. Just like Sam and Eric, they think that the dead parachutist is the beast so they confirm to the community that the beast is real.

Tension starts building between Jack and Ralph, so Jack decides to make his own “tribe”. Jack gathers his hunters and makes his own tribe where he’s the chief. Ralph’s group was based on peace, survival, and rules whereas Jack’s was based on hunting, violence, and dictatorship. The events following this cause mass destruction, corruption, and killing. This is my favorite classic book because the actions on the island resemble the actions in society. Countries usually start at peace with each other, but after a few wrong and cruel actions, they can cause hatred and warfare between them, just as Jack’s tribe did to Ralph’s community. Although this book did end with a cliffhanger, you can read a book called The Second Flight: A Sequel to Lord of the Flies by Elizabeth Blackwell to continue the story.

5 stars.

What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in February

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We’ve got a lineup of online programs for young and old this month! A few adult programs are tentatively scheduled to meet in person, keep an eye on our Event Calendar for any changes.

Murder of the High Wizard – A Virtual Murder Mystery for grades 6-12

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, 3:30 – 4:30pm

The College of Wizards investigates a shocking murder! Join us in playing the roles of wizards and faculty for this virtual magic-themed murder mystery game. Your character sheet will be emailed to you about a week before the program so you can become familiar with the wizard you are playing, and the link to this event itself will be emailed to you an hour before start time to join this Zoom Virtual program. Registration is required.

Be on the Lookout: Spotted Lanternfly

Monday, February 7, 2022, 6:30 – 7:30pm

The Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is the latest non-native insect to arrive in Connecticut.  Established populations have recently been found in Cheshire, and are a serious threat to residential areas and agricultural interests, especially orchards, vineyards, and nurseries. Join CAES’ Associate Agricultural Scientist, Dr. Victoria Smith, for an informative Zoom presentation to learn what the insect looks like, where to find it, tips on management and how to report sightings. Registration required.

Virtual Storytime 

Wednesdays: February 9, 16, 23, 10-10:30am

Thursdays: February 10, 17, 22, 10-10:30am

An online interactive storytime for children of all ages (and their grown-ups!) to learn through talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing! Registration is required.

Valentine Pillows (Teen Take & Make)

Wednesday, February 9, 2022, 3:30 – 4:30pm

These adorable No Sew Fleece Tie Heart Pillows make the perfect Valentine’s Day craft for tweens, teens, and big kids! They’re super easy and fun to craft! Pick up a Take + Make kit with supplies for the craft any time the library is open during the week of February 1, 2022. For grades 6-12. Registration required to reserve supplies to be picked up and to attend this virtual program.

Take + Make: Rainbow Loom Bracelets

February 14-19, 2022.

Make something at your own pace with Take + Make craft kits! We have a limited number of materials, so please register to pick up your kit in the Children’s Room any time the library is open during the week of February 14, 2022. Best for children in grades K-6. Registration for each child is required to reserve and pick up a Take + Make kit. One kit per child.

Cheshire Anime Club

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, 3:00 – 4:30pm

Can’t get enough Anime and Manga? Be an “Otaku” and join the Cheshire Anime Club! We’ll meet monthly, read and talk about what’s hot in the world of Manga, and watch some of the latest Anime releases. F0r grades 7-12. This month we’re meeting online, registration is required to receive a Zoom link before the program.

Loft Knitters

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Come socialize, learn, share your techniques with other knitters.  Experience the relaxing and calming effect of knitting. All levels of adult knitters’ welcome. We hope to meet in-person, please bring your own yarn and knitting needles. Registration, face masks, and social distancing are required.

Gardens of Black America

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, 7:00pm – 8:15pm

Black Americans have laid out a cultural blueprint for garden design in their own personal spaces. In this conversation, Abra Lee, noted horticulturist, historian and writer, will explore these historic legacies and the plants they used to beautify homes and communities. Registration is required for the online program.

Books Over Coffee: The Secrets We Kept

Wednesday, February 23, 2022, 12:00 – 1:30pm

Want to engage in great discussions about books? Meet new people? Join us for an adult monthly book club program called Books Over Coffee. We will meet over Zoom. This month’s book is The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott. We will meet on Zoom, registration is required.

Trivia Night

Thursday, February 24, 2022, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Come by yourself or bring your friends. Test your knowledge from general categories, including pop culture, current events, history, music, and of course literature! It’s all For Pride, Not Prize. We hope to meet in-person for this adult program – registration, face masks, and social distancing are required.

From Uptown Girls to Downton Abbey 

Saturday, February 26, 2022, 3:30 – 4:30pm

Join anglophile and former U.K. resident Claire Evans as she recounts the tales of some of the famously loaded young Americans who infused bank accounts of many stately homes, including some close relatives of Winston Churchill and Princess Diana. We will meet on Zoom, registration is required.