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In This Issue
March Programs
Elissa Margolin-Singer as Songwriter: Thursday March 10 @ 7pm
John Gilbert Winant:NH Statesman
Thursday March 17 @ 7pm
A Community Conversation on Substance Abuse: Thursday March 24 @ 7pm
Brothels, Booze and Badges : Portsmouth 1895-1913  Thursday March 31 @ 7pm

MEET THE TRANSFORMERS!  The Friends of the Rye Public Library invite you to join us for an Open House on Saturday April 16th from 11-2pm.
This special National Library Week program is sure to be transformational! Refreshments will be served as you mingle with the amazing volunteers that allow us to offer our weekly bridge, chess, drawing, knitting, mah jongg,  and yoga  groups to the community.  Help us celebrate these true transformers!

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Rye Public Library is a proud member of SAL: Seacoast Area Libraries. 

Remember RPL is a local collection point for Box Tops For Education support


581 Washington Road, Rye N.H. 03870  603-964-8401 [email protected]
Winter 2015/16
Vol V Issue 1     
Greetings!

It had been a few years since I spent a winter night camping. Though this was not shaping up to be the most wintery of years,  I was able to grab a  quick night out during a visit to Eastern Vermont and Mount Ascutney.

A view over Weathersfield, VT with coffee brewing!

Temperatures were relatively mild with the added bonus of several inches of snow that fell overnight.  The photo above is a morning view from my tent doorway overlooking the countryside below.  There is nothing like a solo hiking trip for some reading time.  Thanks to an iphone and my Rye Public Library account, I had e-book and audio book choices even from my night's perch.  (Just remember to zip up with the phone in your sleeping bag to save the battery! )  Stop in at RPL for great hiking guides, maps, field guides and how-to info on all your adventuring! 

Check out this edition's final article for another great winter reading option if the tent idea doesn't quite fit the bill.  Enjoy!

                                                               Andy Richmond
                                                               Director, Rye Public Library
A Community Conversation on Substance Abuse
Andy Richmond-Library Director


In light of the State and National crisis level of opioid abuse, and the Rye-specific tragedies of last year,  I was very interested in developing a community forum for information and discussion.  In investigating how Rye could create something like this, I found an extraordinary resource through the excellent staff at the Seacoast Public Health Network.  With their guidance, and the ready cooperation of the Rye Police and Fire Departments, we were able to assemble a Community Conversation event during March here at Rye Public Library.   Further outreach and more easy cooperation from other local health and legislative officials has lead to our  collaboration between Seacoast Public Health Network, Rye Public Library , Rye Police and Fire Departments, Rockingham County Attorney, Portsmouth Regional Hospital and members of the Rye Community on March 24th at 7pm here at the Rye Public Library Community Meeting Room.

 Moderated by Tory Jennison, Continuum of Care Coordinator at the Seacoast Public Health Network, this forum will include opening remarks from Brian Murphy of Rye, an informational overview by Tory Jennison, presentation by a local panel including Rye Police Chief Kevin Walsh, Rye Fire Chief Tom Lambert, Rockingham County Attorney Pat Conway, and Behavioral Health Director at Portsmouth Regional Hospital Justin Looser,  A focused presentation on parenting and prevention will follow the panel segment. Finally, all presenters will contribute to an open question and answer period. Informational and resource handouts will be available at the event and on the Library website thereafter.

The conversation will be streamed live to the Internet and available to view anytime after the event by electronic archive at http://www.townhallstreams.com/locations/rye-public-library  
 
Two For One
Book Reviews by Gwen Putnam-Bailey


Circling the Sun by Paula McLain and
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Paula McLain is the author of the popular novel The Paris Wife. Her latest, Circling the Sun, is a historical novel about the life of Beryl Markham, famed aviator and horse trainer. This novel provides the reader with an intriguing and insightful look at Markham's life. The author illustrates the setting of Kenya with a keen eye and stays true to the timeline in which it all takes place.
It wisely begins with Markham's childhood, which helps the reader to understand some of the choices she make makes during her early adult years. Beryl was raised by her father, a rancher, and was abandoned by her mother. She was also cared for and had deep friendships with an African tribe that lived nearby. Her unconventional upbringing and her passion for the outdoors and wildlife lead her to explore her future avocations.
I was captivated by Beryl Markham's resilience after faltering many times; she continued to strive and find her place in the world. Her passion for horses fueled her success in training them for racing. Her "failed" marriages did not stop her from believing in true love. She learned to fly because she was fascinated by the sky and loved speed.
Elizabeth Gilbert's book Big Magic resonates with many of the same themes explored in Circling the Sun. It is a non-fiction "how to" book that encourages living creatively and overcoming fear of failure in the process. She stresses, "keep going" when you hit a roadblock or "failure." She uses many fine examples such as the period in which she had writer's block and took up gardening as a pastime. Eventually her interest in gardening led her to create her novel, The Signature of All Things. Gilbert's writing bursts with wit and joy making this book a true pleasure to pick up and read in intervals!
I found each book to be inspirational because both women ultimately stay true to their authentic selves. They encourage the reader to remember that life is full of highs and lows, but that the journey of following one's dreams is what ultimately rewards and fulfills us.  
READJUVENATION
READJUVENATION!
Baxter's Barn, Broccoli Boy, Brilliant, Blueberries,
and the BEST Day Ever

 Book Reviews and Life Coaching by Lisa Houde


   
Give yourself a gift! Here's the great way I started the year, and gave myself a most excellent gift for the soul! Along with ringing in the New Year on January 1st, I carefully planned my menu including my pitcher of water, prepared my stack of books and set my schedule. On Saturday, January 2nd, 2016, I had a Read-junvenation. (this is the first of what will be many more to come) It was dreamy, comforting, and infinitely repeatable. I first got the idea from Mel Joulwan's Well Fed blog in January of 2015 when she had her own special reading day; see
www.http://meljoulwan.com/2014/12/31/reading-day/ 

Here's what I did in five easy steps:
          1. Woke up at 7:20am
          2. Put on my glasses and started reading
          3. Had food delivered per my schedule of breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and                                            dinner to my reading spot (this happened to be my bed with my standard poodle                             never leaving my side) and ate while reading. (Thanks to my fantastic sweetie pie                           for serving me!)
          4. I read until Sunday morning at 12:45am (just over 17 hours)
          5. ...and relished every second of no phone, texts, emails, internet, iPods - just my books, the light by my bedside table, my poodle, and me.
 
The sheer exuberance I felt dedicating my day to books is ineffable - but it's truly a reader's dream come true! I've decided to do this every first Saturday of the month; I'm reciprocating and being the "delivery person" in February, and I'm already pining for my turn in March.
 
Here's what I read:
  • The Astounding Broccoli Boy by Frank Cottrell Boyce
          A pretty funny book full of impossibly hilarious situations (main character Rory Rooney turns broccoli-green), but it didn't quite meet my high expectations of Boyce's work; I loved his Framed and Cosmic; Broccoli Boy was good, but not great, but I did laugh out loud several times.
  • The Rosemary Spell by Virginia Zimmerman
          Oh my - this one had so much potential, but it just didn't live up to the fun premise. The writing was clunky, characters not entirely fully developed, and the pacing was sluggish - often. Too bad. I still liked the book for its rich literary references and stayed with it even though more editing would have provided a cleaner novel. Still worth reading if you like magical books, Shakespeare, and an interesting exploration of relationships and memory.
  • A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord
          Shines above all! Lord is at her best here with a wonderful story set in Maine; we have wild blueberries, a blueberry festival and pageant, and an unlikely new friendship on the tails of a fading and often confusing best friend. ...and so much more. Gorgeous, crisp, perfectly executed, and I cried...more than once.
  • Brilliant by Roddy Doyle
          For those who love Roald Dahl, you may really enjoy this book. I'm not a big fan, and I didn't, but I could see kids finding fun in the adventure of two kids trying to get back Dublin's funny bone from the Black Dog (Churchill's term for depression). Loved the beginning - brother and sister sneak under the kitchen table after bedtime to listen in on their mum, da, and granny's conversations, and then it gets pretty outrageous with a midnight quest to overcome the dog and get back that bone - impossibly, thousands more of Dublin's children join them. It lacked proper engagement for me, and fell flat. Still, it might be a good talking point for kids whose parents suffer depression, and the message that laughter can often overcome troubling times is, well, there - at least.
  • In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III
          11-year-old light-skinned and blue-eyed protagonist Jimmy McClean is bullied at school by a white kid and a native American who only team up to give him a hard time - they're not even friends! He and his grandfather embark on a journey which traces the steps of Crazy Horse. Jimmy learns about his heritage (he's 3/4 Lakota) but takes away an even deeper understanding of himself. Will it be enough to face the bullies when he's back in school in the fall? I very much enjoyed reading this fascinating historical account of Crazy Horse told through the words of Jimmy's grandfather and the sites they visit.
  • The Tale of Rescue by Michael J. Rosen
          First thing to note about the book is the beautiful watercolor illustrations - GORGEOUS! In this story, a family visits the Appalachian foothills in the winter and encounter an unexpected blizzard while out walking. Unable to find their way back, they travel in circles, the father whistling fruitlessly until finally stopping to huddle in a small snow pit they've dug. Their survival isn't likely. But a cattle dog from a nearby farm does hear the whistles, and she does what she always does - drive the "cattle" to safety. It's a lovely story of a determined dog and a very grateful family.
  • Playing Julietby JoAnne Stewart Wetzel
          Another bright star of the reading day! I loved this funny and crisply written story of a girl whose life revolves around the theatre. Author Wetzel is clearly an avid theatre geek, and she nicely integrates Shakespeare. It's a wholesome read, so even though the main character is in middle school, the shenanigans are all above board and will appeal to kids from second grade to high school. Delightful and funny.
  • Escape from Baxter's Barn by Rebecca Bond
          This one's a heart-warmer. If you like anything by E.B. White (Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan) you will adore this old-fashioned feeling story of barn animals who overhear the farmer talking about burning down the barn for insurance money! They need to escape! With well-drawn characters like the Nanny the goat, her kid Tick, the two workhorses Pull and Tug, Fluff the sheep, Figgy the pig, Mrs. Brown the old milk cow, and most of all Burdock, the one-eyed cat who doesn't quite feel he belongs - this endearing story casts a spell of enchantment. That Bond even does illustrations reminiscent of Garth Williams adds a bonus to this sweet little book. A perfect family read-aloud.
Do it! Try this out - I challenge you! If you like to read, you'll love giving yourself a Read-juvenation. The only problem it creates is the desire to do it every day. How many days till March 5th?

 

However you do it, keep on reading!  We're here to help :)

Sincerely,

Andrew Richmond
Director, Rye Public Library

| 581 Washington Road | Rye | New Hampshire | 03870