STAFFORD — We have LANDSCAPING! Bornholdt Plantland of Hutchinson finished landscaping and planting our front and side yard. Eventually the building committee wants to put in a flagpole, lamp post, and reset the Library sign, but for now the Library looks great! I can’t wait till spring when the plantings come alive with color!
I am revisiting Kristin Hannah. I take a break from her riveting emotional, informative novels at times for lighter authors, but her art with words keeps me wanting more. Nora’s Place has 10 of her books and hopefully will add more as we can. I have recently finished from our collection:
• “Distant Shores” - At 46, Elizabeth Stone has been married for 24 years, followed her husband’s job, raised their kids, and when he says they’re moving again from the only home she ever loved, she decides to stay behind and find her life.
• “Summer Island” - A poignant, funny, luminous novel about a mother and daughter – the complex ties that bind them, the past that separates them, and the healing that comes with forgiveness.
• “The Great Alone” - Lenora Allbright is 13 when her father convinces her mother, Cora, to forgo their inauspicious existence in Seattle and move to Kaneq, Alaska. It’s 1974, and the former Vietnam POW sees a better future away from the noise and nightmares that plague him. A compelling novel of family and the heartbreak of abuse.
• “The Women” - In 1965 the world is changing, and Frankie suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.”
From the Kansas Library Card, “Between Sisters” - Tender, funny, bittersweet, and moving, “Between Sisters” skillfully explores the profound joys and sorrows shared by sisters, the mistakes made in the name of love, and the promise of redemption.
I am currently reading, “The Magic Hour” - From deep within this old growth forest, a 6-year-old girl appears. Speechless and alone, she offers no clue as to her identity, no hint of her past. Having retreated to her western Washington hometown after a scandal left her career in ruins, child psychiatrist Dr. Julia Cates is determined to free the extraordinary little girl she calls Alice from a prison of unimaginable fear and isolation.
Kristin Hannah’s books are about “the resilience of the human spirit, the triumph of hope, and the meaning of home.”
Coming up
Monday mornings we are having Preschool Story Hour from 10-11 a.m. “The Napping House” by Audrey Wood, will be our feature story with help from the kids, showing the characters with flannel graph. Activities will include playing with toys and interacting with friends.
Oct. 22 at 5:30, Parents as Teachers will join us for Kansas Reads to Preschoolers. We look forward to this fun time every year.
Trunk or Treat is again being sponsored by Stafford County Hospital and Sandy and I will be joining in the fun evening. More details as they become available to us.
Nov. 7, the Senior Center and the Library are partners in engaging a representative from SouthWest Kansas Area Agency on Aging at the library, for Medicare Open enrollment. Save the date and call us for an appointment.
Nov. 11, we will celebrate Veterans Day by having pictures of Stafford County Veterans scrolling on our television screen. Come join us to honor the veterans of our community.
Throughout Giving November, bring donations to Nora’s Place to support students at our school. Hygiene products, school supplies, underwear & socks (elementary sizes) will all help our kids be more successful in school. Thank you for caring.
Next Board meeting: 6 p.m. on Nov. 13.
Gerry Hildebrand is the head librarian for the Nora Larabee Memorial Library. Phone 620-234-5762, email larabeelibrary@gmail.com or visit Facebook at Nora Larabee Memorial Library.
