Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 17, at noon in the Cumberland Room at the library, the Plateau Pluckers Ukulele Band will play good, old familiar tunes from country to rock to good old-time music.
Next Wednesday, June 24, at noon in the Cumberland Room, at the Library Blind Date presents Lyrical Pairings.
Come explore musical and songwriter pairings, where tunes approach a subject in complementary, contrasting, and often curious ways.
Art Circle Public Library is at 3 East St., Crossville. Visit artcirclelibrary.info or call 931-484-6790 for more information.
Great New Books
Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith by JD Vance. Communion is a spiritual exploration of what it means to be a Christian in all the seasons of life JD Vance has experienced. Picking up in some ways where Hillbilly Elegy left off, Communion recounts how Vance’s pursuit of material privileges ultimately led him into a secular wilderness. Communion reveals how Vance regained his faith and discusses his conversion to Catholicism, how his faith guides his work in public life, and how it shapes his thoughts about the future.
Little Wonder by Sophie Chen Keller. This lovely, lyrical novel tells the heartwarming and heartbreaking story of Song, a food-delivery worker from a rural village in Northeastern China, and her son, River, a piano prodigy.
Life is hard and marked with poverty, illness, and loss, but Song does the best she can, supporting her son and encouraging him to play. She loves music and marvels at his talent.
They travel to Beijing during the Lunar New Year so that River can study with a renowned teacher there. Upon their arrival at the city’s main train station, they get separated in the holiday crowds, sending each of them on a journey to find the other, journeys, as it turns out, that are years in the making.
The elegant, evocative prose transports the reader to the crowded streets, polluted air, and harsh realities of life in China’s capital, while deftly capturing a mother’s love and a son’s devotion.
Someone Else’s Husband by Kimberly McCreight. Gretchen Falk never thought she would have to worry about another woman wrecking her perfect marriage. However, when her husband Richard goes off on his annual trip with his old Dartmouth college friends, Gretchen begins having a few doubts.
Along with Richard and “the boys,” artist Frankie Callahan signs up to be part of their expedition climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. After Richard returns from his trip seemingly infatuated with Frankie, Gretchen really begins to get concerned about the faithfulness of her husband.
That level of concern skyrockets a few weeks later, when the police turn up at their luxury New York City apartment in the middle of the night to question Richard about the brutal murder of Frankie.
Library Laugh I
What did the drummer name her twin daughters? Anna 1, Anna 2.
Stingy Schobel Says
Retailers have a variety of ways to encourage shoppers to make impulse purchases-and pay less attention to the price. One key tactic is to ratchet up a sense of urgency to the listing.
That’s why it has become increasingly common to see retailers claiming that “there are only two left” of an item or putting countdown timers on deals.
Don’t fall for it. They are just marketing tactics.
Library Laugh II
How bad were the fish’s grades? They were below sea level.
Libraries=Information
If you’re setting up backyard nets for soccer, volleyball, tennis, pickleball or any other casual game, make it a habit to take them down as soon as you’re finished playing.
What seems like harmless fun equipment can quickly become a serious hazard for wildlife — birds, deer, foxes, snakes and other animals can easily become entangled. In their panic to escape, they often tighten the netting around themselves, leading to injury or even death.
The simplest and most effective solution is prevention: Enjoy your games, but never leave nets standing unattended.
A lot of people like to add white vinegar to the automatic dishwasher to help boost its cleaning power and leave dishes and cups sparkling clean.
The only issue with using vinegar is this: It’s a strong acid that can degrade the rubber gaskets inside your dishwasher over time.
Instead of adding vinegar to the dispenser, consider spraying white vinegar over your dishes, plates and flatware with a spray bottle. Let the mild acid do its trick for a few minutes before hitting the “on” button. This will give you all the benefits without any of the acidic damage.
Pre-Summer Solstice Bonus
I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. I can’t put it down.