Wallkill Public Library
Wives' tales aren't so old
 Sure, behind every great man there is a great woman, but too often these women's stories don't get told. Why? Well, being less famous (or even anonymous) doesn't help. But the fact of the matter is everyone's story is fascinating, especially when it intertwines with those of  geniuses, great artists, or adventurers.
Perhaps it is for this reason that there's been something of a trend recently wherein authors set out to tell the tale not of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, or Lindbergh, but of their lesser known significant others.
Even if you have no interest in the women themselves but are reading to find out more about the imagined life of your favorite hero, these books are well worth the time. Here are just a handful of them:
  
 The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain: Tells the tale of Hadley Richardson, Hemingway's first wife, muse, and the one he always regretted leaving (for Vogue editor Pauline Pfeiffer), and the blossoming and quick disintegration of their relationship during the Jazz Age. Available through inter-library loan (Wallkill's copy is being repaired).
Z, by Therese Anne Fowler: Another tragedy of the Lost Generation, this one focusing on the tumultuous marriage of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre. According to Fowler's well-researched interpretation, Scott was kind of a brute - extinguishing his wife's creative passions, allowing himself to be influenced by his pal Ernest Hemingway, who took a quick dislike to Zelda following a rebuffed advance, and insinuating that if she didn't make him the center of her universe, there was something mentally wrong with her. It's really an unputdownable book. Available at Wallkill Public Library.
The Aviator's Wife, by Melanie Benjamin: When Anne Morrow weds celebrated aviator Charles Lindbergh, she can hardly believe her fairy tale luck. Reality comes a-calling as the years go by and she gets lost in the shadow of her husband to the point at which her own major achievements are overlooked. Available through inter-library loan.
Sinners and the Sea, by Rebecca Kanner: You know the story of Noah, but do you know anything about his wife? We didn't think so. Kanner fills in the blanks with some research and a lot of imagination. Available at Wallkill Public Library.
 Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan: Though she never became his wife, Mamah Borthwick Cheney did carry on an extensive affair with Frank Lloyd Wright, and though it's but a footnote in the history of America's greatest architect, it's great fodder for a novel. Available through inter-library loan.
  
  
These aren't the only good books about great women, but they'll get you started.
Now that you're hooked...no book for you!

   Patrons have remarked (okay - complained) about the fact that when the newsletter features lists of newly or soon-to-be released bestsellers, they're not always able to get their hands on them through Wallkill Public Library. What's more, if we ourselves don't own a copy of the book, it might not be available even through inter-library loan for awhile because most libraries allow only local holds on brand new releases, which means, for instance, only Thrall patrons can put a hold on an item that library carries. Until a certain amount of time has elapsed, whereupon the holds are opened to everyone within the RCLS system.

The reason Wallkill might not carry a particular blockbuster is because we order our books months in advance, and sometimes a novel doesn't strike up any buzz until closer to its release date. Sometimes it's hard to predict what's going to be wildly popular based on the descriptive blurbs the company from which we lease our books provides.

But we understand that it's not fair to get our readers salivating over a particular title and then tell them they won't be able to get their hands on it for at least three months, so we're taking steps to rectify the matter.
We thank those who communicated their frustration. Always feel free to tell us how we can better serve you - that's what we're here to do! 
Coming up at the Wallkill Public Library 
   We're just over a week away from the Lion Brand Yarn trip! If you're interested in visiting the New York City Lion Brand Studio and the outlet in New Jersey, you still have time to reserve your seat (and we do mean "seat" - there's just one left)! Call the library at 895-3707 for more information.
Monday: The Mini Art Club meets at 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday: Book Buddies meet at 10:30 a.m. Gnome ad Gardening Family Story Time takes place at 4 p.m. The community room of the Town Hall is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Textile Tuesdays - bring a project and come and go as you please!
Wednesday: Mommy and Me meets at 10 a.m., followed by Toddler Story Time at 11 a.m. The Art Club meets at 4 p.m.
Thursday: The Knit and Crochet Club meets at 6:30 p.m. - all skill levels are welcome.
Sunday: The bus leaves the library at 9:30 a.m. to stop first at the Lion Brand Studio in New York and then at the outlet in Carstadt, N.J. The bus will return to the library at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $25, roundtrip.  
Books Alive! star performs with NYC Ballet
  Those who had the opportunity to see Alex Diemoz dance during this season's Books Alive! children's theater project won't be surprised to learn that the talented ballerina will be performing with the New York City Ballet this summer!
Alex was one of just 16 girls chosen to perform in the Balanchine-choreographed Garland Dance from Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty July 9, 10, and 13 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Alex auditioned for the part Sunday. She's been dancing with the New Paltz School of Ballet since the age of 5 - for six years, now.
Those interested in purchasing tickets can visit the Saratoga Performing Arts Center website for more information.
Congratulations, Alex! You deserve it!
Get your discount cards at the library!
  You can support your local Boy Scouts (Troop 76!) and save money by buying a discount card to use at local businesses!
Each card costs $10 and provides discounts at such neighborhood eateries and businesses as Rob's Pizza, Gear Up, and Wallkill Karate.
Cards are available at the circulation desk of the library and are valid for a year.  
Now you can keep the library in your pocket
  Boopsie for Libraries allows you to connect to your library's resources from a mobile or tablet anytime, anywhere.
With the Boopsie app, you can search the library catalog, check your account, download eBooks and eAudiobooks, find events, and more.
The next time you're debating whether or not to buy that $25 book from Barnes and Noble, scan the barcode with your smartphone, first. The Boopsie app will allow you to see whether or not the library has it and then put it on hold if we do.
Visit Boopsie's website to learn more about this great app! 
Friends to offer refreshments at library 
  In honor of National Library Week (April 14-20), the Friends of the Wallkill Public Library will be serving refreshments Tuesday!
The Friends have been instrumental in helping the library raise funds. Last year the group raised more than $11,000 through such activities as operating the Friends' Used Book Shop, holding the Harvest Faire, offering raffles, and more!
Tuesday will be your chance to talk with the Friends about this year's upcoming plans and events. Joining the Friends need not be a huge commitment - they only meet once a month, and volunteer opportunities range from helping at an event to making phone calls, baking, or just contributing dues! It's an excellent way to meet new people and contribute to your community at the same time.
Anyone with questions about the Friends should call Adrienne at 895-8712, or email her at [email protected].
Guitar lessons start soon - space is limited
  Instructor Dominick Colandrea will be offering acoustic guitar lessons starting April 25 for ages 11 and up.
The one-hour classes will start at 6:30 p.m. and will run for six weeks. Cost will be $60 for the entire program.
There's a six-student class size limit, so those interested in participating should register soon! Pre-payment is also required.
Questions? Call 895-3707.  
Calling all collectors....got a display?
  The library wants to showcase the personal treasures of local young collectors in our display case that's located in the foyer of the main entrance.
If your son or daughter is a collector of dolls, coins, stamps, model kits, or other items, and is willing to part with their collection temporarily so we can show it off, we'd be interested in hearing from you! Call us at 895-3707 if you'd like to participate.  
Can holistic care benefit your child?  
   Fran Sussman of Holistic Services, Inc., will be in the community room of Town Hall Thursday, April 18, at 7 p.m., to discuss the benefits of holistic care of children with special needs.
Sussman has been in holistic care since 1988 and in private practice since 1993. She's worked with children of all ages as well as adults in her Orange County office.  
The program is being presented by P.S.P. (Parents Supporting Parents of children with special needs).  
What do you do when you peak at 15?
   The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer
  
The summer that Nixon resigns, six teenagers at a summer camp for the arts become inseparable. Decades later the bond remains powerful, but so much else has changed. In The Interestings, Wolitzer follows these characters from the height of youth through middle age, as their talents, fortunes, and degrees of satisfaction diverge.
The kind of creativity that is rewarded at age 15 is not always enough to propel someone through life at age 30; not everyone can sustain, in adulthood, what seemed so special in adolescence. Jules Jacobson, an aspiring comic actress, eventually resigns herself to a more practical occupation and lifestyle. Her friend Jonah, a gifted musician, stops playing the guitar and becomes an engineer. But Ethan and Ash, Jules's now-married best friends, become shockingly successful - true to their initial artistic dreams, with the wealth and access that allow those dreams to keep expanding. The friendships endure and even prosper, but also underscore the differences in their fates, in what their talents have become and the shapes their lives have taken.
 Check the Wallkill Public Library's shelves for The Interestings, and NPR for the Weekend Edition  that featured the book.  
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