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Welcome back, Miss Hannah!

After Miss Carri's retirement as Youth Services Coordinator at the end of January, the library knew it had some big shoes to fill. We are excited to announce that Miss Hannah (some of you may know her as the Underwear Librarian) is returning to Derby and has accepted the position of Youth Services Coordinator.

Hannah spent a little more than eight years here at the Derby Public Library before taking the Children's Librarian position at Wichita's Advanced Learning Library, where she was in charge of programming for children age 0-11.

"I’m most excited about working with the staff again," Hannah said, when asked what she was most looking forward to about returning. Hannah's first day back at the library is March 1. Stop in and welcome her back!

Go on a trip in March, by reading!

This month, where will you travel to? Sit in your comfiest chair and travel to your heart's content by participating in this month-long read-a-thon.

This challenge is also a competition. Choose to join one of four teams and earn points for your team by reading books, completing travelers' checkpoints, and posting Instagram photos—be sure to use #dpltravelers when you post.

Each book you read (the goal is to read 6) will earn points for your team, as will participating in other activities as mentioned above. Get bonus points if you reach the goal of 6 books read during March! The winning team's members will be entered to win one of two grand prizes!

Get all the details, join a team, and watch for travelers' checkpoints on the library website by clicking the big, red "Read More" button below.

*Be sure to save the date for March's Letter Writing Club as well. By attending, you will earn more points for your team. Take a break from social media and reconnect with friends and family through the low-tech, lost art of letter writing. The Letter Writing Club meets on Tuesday, March 23 at 5:30 p.m. in the Community Room. Stationery, pens and stamps are provided.

Tranquility by Karon Watson

Haysville artist Karon Watson brings Tranquility to the High Wall Gallery with a new installation of paintings. The 14 works of art offer the viewer a sense of peace and serenity.

Working in the mediums of acrylic and oil, and even choosing a piece of battered wood fencing as a canvas for one piece, Watson’s subjects are comfortably appealing. Scenes you might find on a local country road or a warm beach blend beautifully on the walls of the gallery.

Tranquility will be on display through the end of March. No artist reception can be scheduled, but the public is invited to enjoy the paintings at their leisure.

Click the red Read More button below to learn more about art exhibits at the library.

Sunset on the Bay
by Karon Watson

Tranquility
by Karon Watson

Library hours in March:

9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday

9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Friday

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday

Please wear a mask and social distance while visiting the library.

Looking for someplace to discuss books? We've got you covered!

We have three active book groups here at the library that are open to everyone. If you love to read and talk about the books you read, pop in to one or more of the book groups!

Bemused Biblipohiles — meets at 1 p.m. March 3. The title for March is Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen. *The book club will meet in person in the Community Room.

Hauntingly Good Reads — meets at 7 p.m. March 8. The title for March is Devolution by Max Brooks. *The book club will meet in person in the Community Room.

Joyful Page Turners — meets at 6:45 p.m. March 25. The book chosen for March is The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate. *The book club will meet in person in the Community Room.

Bemused Bibliophiles meets during the day and reads popular books that have been on the bestseller list. Hauntingly Good Reads meets in the evening and explores all kinds of books that have a supernatural/magical/unexplainable kind of bent—we look far beyond the traditional vampires, ghosts and witches.

Joyful Page Turners is the most enduring book club at the library—it's been meeting regularly since May 2000! Books selected for this book club include just about everything: classics, modern bestsellers, non-fiction, and more.

Click the red "Read More" button below to visit the book club page on the library website, where you can find lists of books each book club has read.

Five books recommended by Amelia:

Moon Babies by Karen Jameson

Snow Friends by Margery Cuyler

I Love Dogs by Sue Stainton

Jim Henson's Labyrinth The ABC Storybook by Luke Flowers

Bedtime by National Geographic Kids

In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce

First Line: PERSONAL – comely widow who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts in LaPorte County, Indiana, desires to make the acquaintance of a gentleman equally well provided, with view of joining fortunes. No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with personal visit. Triflers need not apply.

Summary: Belle Gunness, a Norwegian immigrant, has learned some hard lessons early on. Upon her arrival in Chicago she married with the hopes of achieving the American dream. But the life she dreamed of did not come true. She was disappointed in her husband, home and lifestyle. She must make her own way in the world by any means necessary. With mysterious deaths, house fires and heated arguments the legend of the Black Widow of LaPorte begins to take hold.

My Thoughts: Before finding this book on Netgalley I had never heard of Belle Gunness. She was a female serial killer. She killed an estimated fourteen people but may be linked to many more. I was really intrigued by the premise, the story and the character of Belle. It was very disturbing to be inside her head. She rationalized everything she did. But even a book about a serial killer I found much of it to be drawn out. There was long periods of time passing and very little happening. I think that much of this could have been taken out and the story would have felt more thrilling.

After finishing I visited www.newspapers.com via the library’s learning resources. I wanted to see what the newspapers of the time were reporting about this woman. Many had the same headline or story. Then there was a resurgence of sightings and murders that some believed were connected to her. There is still lots of mystery around this century old murderer. It’s crazy how reality can be even stranger than fiction.

Release date: Jan. 19, 2021

Ashley's rating:

The Project by
Courtney Summers

First Line: She’s at Mrs. Ruthie’s house, eating one of Mrs. Ruthie’s peanut butter cookies, staring out Mrs. Ruthie’s living room window and waiting for her parents to come home.

Summary: After the death of her parents, Lo Denham, has spent years trying to find and reconnect with her sister Bea. As Lo was recovering from the accident Bea left and joined The Unity Project. The group preaches love, does charity work and helps out the community. They have slowly been growing but Lo has always been suspicious of them. Then one day a man comes into the office of the magazine she works for. He claims that The Project killed his son. Lo sees this as her chance to expose the group and finally find her sister.

My Thoughts: I wasn’t so sure about this book when I first started it. It has dual timelines with different narrators and time periods. It was a little confusing as the story set out and took a little time to get going. But as Lo learns more about The Project the story gets more twisted. Things start to reveal themselves but like most thrillers, not everything you hear and see is true.

Cults are scary things. As I read, I could easily see how people are drawn into them. They are looking for something or someone to guide them. They want a community. Someone to understand them. But then there is always the dark underside. And the author delivered all this.

I had a hard time rating this book. I struggled at the start but enjoyed the ending. It was worth a read and kept me invested until the end.

Release date: Feb. 2, 2021

Ashley's review:

State Department encourages people to avoid non-essential travel

In January, the U.S Department of State announced that all air passengers 2 years of age and older entering the United States will be required to present a negative Covid-19 test taken within three calendar days of departure. Travelers can also show proof of recovery from the virus within the past 90 days before departure.

In addition, passport applications are still taking a longer time to process due to the pandemic. Expedited passports are experiencing significant mail delays in getting to the passport agency we send them to, and processing time for expedited passports is taking at least 4-6 weeks. If you have iminent travel plans, and need to apply for a passport, it is recommended you apply as soon as possible to avoid potential travel delays due to a passport not arriving on time.

Check the passport information page on our website, or click the red "Read More" button to visit the State Department's travel website.

Welcome back, Miss Hannah!

Go on a trip in March, by reading!

Tranquility by Karon Watson

Sunset on the Bay by Karon Watson

Tranquility by Karon Watson

Library hours in March:

Looking for someplace to discuss books? We've got you covered!

Five books recommended by Amelia:

In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce

The Project by Courtney Summers

State Department encourages people to avoid non-essential travel

Sunset on the Bay
by Karon Watson

Tranquility
by Karon Watson

The Project by
Courtney Summers