For Adults Newsletter

Taft Public Library

December 2024 Events and Information

Adult Programs

Please note: The Taft Public Library will be closed on Tuesday, December the 24th and Wednesday, December the 25th. It will be open from 10-2 on Tuesday, December 31st and closed on Wednesday, January 1st. Enjoy the holidays!

Upcoming Events:

To register for an event, click on the Library Event Calendar & Registration link at the top of the library’s homepage (www.taftpubliclibrary.org).

Winter Solstice Story and Song

Celebrate the Winter Solstice with haunting legends of light, evergreen traditions, and entertaining tales surrounded by traditional and original music and song. Join master storyteller Diane Edgecomb and Celtic harper Margot Chamberlain for a fascinating look at the enchanting stories by winter holiday traditions. Featured stories include the beautiful Scandinavian “Legend of the Mistletoe,” humorous English Wassail traditions, and the poignant Swiss legend of the Christmas Rose. Lovely instrumental melodies evoke the warmth of the season, rounding out the event. Tuesday, December 10th at 7pm. Registration required as space is limited. Register at www.taftpubliclibrary.org. The program is supported by a grant from the Mendon Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council.

Dustin Pari presents Ghosts of Christmas Past

Join Dustin Pari of SYFY television’s Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters International for a festive, frightful, and fun program that takes the cobwebs off of a classic tradition, the Victorian Christmas Ghost Story. Dustin explains the history of this oft forgotten practice, shares a few timeless tales, and recounts some real-life stories of holiday visits from the ghosts of Christmas past. Tuesday, December 17th at 7pm. Registration is required.

Adult Handcrafting Group

Let’s get crafty! Join us on Wednesday, December 4th and Wednesday, December 18th at 2pm downstairs in the library and get your craft on! Bring your own craft project, whatever it might be, to work on while you visit. Intended for adults. No registration is required. Crafts are NOT supplied.

Adult Book Club

The Adult Book Club will meet next on Monday, December 9th at 6:30pm upstairs in the library to discuss Oh William! By Elizabeth Strout. For upcoming book clubs contact the library at 508-

473-3259 to request copies of the books or log in to your account from our website to request them through interlibrary loan. Upcoming books for the Adult Book Club are as follows:

Monday, January 13th at 6:30pm: The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Monday, February 10th at 6:30pm: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Monday, March 10th at 6:30pm: The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict

Monday, April 14th at 6:30pm: Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

Footnotes Nonfiction Book Club

The Footnotes Nonfiction Book Club typically meets downstairs in the library on a quarterly basis. This year the group will read and discuss five nonfiction titles. Those interested are asked to stop at the downstairs desk to sign the Footnotes registration sheet and pick up a copy of the latest book.

Upcoming books in the Footnotes series:

Thursday, January 9th at 7pm: American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans by Eve LaPlante

March (date TBD): The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I by Douglas Brunt

June (date TBD): How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith

Awards Book Club

New to our slate of adult book clubs is Awards Book Club! Hosted by Taft Library Assistant Jane Blackwood, the Awards Book Club meets on a quarterly basis to discuss fiction and nonfiction award winners of the year. Jane selects from the books that took home the coveted Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Booker and more! Stop at the downstairs circulation desk to pick up the latest Awards book for discussion:

Upcoming books:

February (date TBD): Booker Prize winner for Fiction Orbital by Samantha Harvey

May (date TBD): National Book Award winner for Fiction James by Percival Everett

Slow Flow Adult Yoga with Katie Aissis of Sprouting Tree Yoga

Come join Katie Aissis from Sprouting Tree Yoga for Slow Flow Adult Yoga. 7pm on Tuesday, December 3rd upstairs in the library. This Vinyasa style yoga class links breath to movement in a dynamic sequence of postures. Participants will build strength while also finding moments

throughout the practice to quiet the mind and rest the body. This class is appropriate for all levels and no previous yoga experience is necessary. Please bring your own yoga mat. Please register for the program on our website.

German Conversation Club

Are you looking for a place to practice what German you remember or to improve your German vocabulary? Conversations in German is no pressure, just fun! Lead by Library Assistant (and Mendon resident) Monika Schmid, the group typically meets the last Monday of each month. Registration is required. To register, visit our website!

Next club date: Monday, at 6pm.

Taft Library now has Mango Languages!

Visit the Taft Public Library website for access to the Mango Languages platform. If you have an interest in learning a language, Mango provides lessons in over 70 languages. Children can try their hand at language learning with Mango Little PIM, a platform designed just for them, and for those interested in learning American sign language we provide access to Mango ASL. Mango’s Intuitive Language Construction methodology helps build skills in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, culture, comprehension, and retention. To see all of the Mango options the Taft Library offers scroll down the left-hand side of our webpage to the Databases section.

Friends of the Taft Public Library Meeting

The Friends of the Library meetings are typically held on the last Tuesday of the month at 7pm downstairs in the Art Holmes Community Room, unless it falls on a holiday or during a school vacation. All are welcome (and encouraged) to attend! If you plan on attending, it’s always a good idea to call the library at 508-473-3259 or email the Friends at friendsoftaftlibrary@gmail.com to confirm the date and time of the meeting. The group will do its best to post any meeting changes on the Taft Library web site