Lima Public Library

Online Author Talk with Madeline Miller
2024-03-21 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | NY
You’re invited to a fascinating exploratory conversation with Madeline Miller, bestselling author of The Song of Achilles and Circe, as she chats with us about her body of work and her process in retelling Greek classics into modern epics in fiction.

In The Song of Achilles, Achilles, “the best of all the Greeks,” son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods’ wrath.
When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.
In Circe, to Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child–neither powerful like her father nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power: the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love.
About the Author: Madeline Miller is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two novels: The Song of Achilles, which won the Orange Women’s Prize for Fiction 2012, and Circe, which was short-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019. Her books have been translated into over thirty two languages. Miller holds an MA in Classics from Brown University, studied in the Dramaturgy department at Yale School of Drama, where she focused on the adaptation of classical texts to modern forms, and taught Latin, Greek, and Shakespeare to high school students for over a decade.

Register at https://libraryc.org/lima/41375

Crossroads Crafters' Circle
2024-03-23 09:30 - 12:00
All crafts & folks welcome. Come and go as you like!

Story Time (Saturday)
2024-03-23 10:00 - 10:45, 2024-04-06 10:00 - 10:30, 2024-04-13 10:00 - 10:45, 2024-04-20 10:00 - 10:45, 2024-04-27 10:00 - 10:45
Join us for Story Time!

Game Night
2024-03-25 18:30 - 20:30, 2024-04-22 18:30 - 20:00, 2024-05-13 18:30 - 20:00
Game Night is back the 2nd & 4th Mondays of the month at 6:30 PM. Presented by volunteers, Arjay and Tracy

Holiday Closing
2024-03-30 - 2024-04-01
We are closed for Easter Weekend.

Online Author Talk: The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us–A Sweeping History of Food and Culture with Smithsonian Curator Paula J. Johnson
2024-04-02 14:00 - 15:00
Register here: https://libraryc.org/lima/44311
Virtually step into the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History with Curator Paula Johnson as she discusses the book Smithsonian American Table: The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us.
American Table is a sweeping history of food and culture that summons everyone to the table for a fresh look at some of the people, ingredients, events, and movements that have shaped how and what we eat.
Johnson, curator and project director of the American Food History Project, will discuss several stories featured in the volume, with an emphasis on those that intersect most directly with the Smithsonian’s research, collecting, and programming around food history.
During this event, Johnson will engage viewers in discovering the connections between food and American history:

How immigration and migration has shaped (and continues to shape) American tables,
How food companies have influenced home cooks through advertising, from Jell-O salads to Crock-pots.
How individuals from Brownie Wise to James Beard and Julia Child inspired generations of cooks and eaters across the United States.
And show viewers how uniting in the kitchen can change the shape of our collective futures, specifically highlighting growers and chefs who are reclaiming and reinventing regional and cultural traditions, including Indigenous ingredients and cooking techniques.

After this enlightening, enriching, and entertaining webinar, you can cook your way through the recipes that are featured in the volume that reflect American history and culture. Hungry for more? Register now!

About the Speaker
Paula Johnson is a Curator in the Division of Work and Industry at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and is responsible for strengthening and maintaining the food history and marine resources collections. She is also the Project Director for the Smithsonian’s multi-faceted American Food History Project and director and co-curator for the exhibition, FOOD: Transforming the American Table, which opened in 2012; a refresh of the exhibition was completed in 2019. As one of the curators who collected Julia Child’s home kitchen in 2001, she was also on the team that developed the exhibition Bon Appetit! Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian, on view from 2002 to 2012. Over more than three decades at the Smithsonian, Johnson has collected a wide range of artifacts and archives reflecting the work and experiences of diverse Americans and communities.
Johnson has published books and articles on the Chesapeake Bay, maritime communities, and material culture, and has lectured widely on these and topics related to American food and wine history, field research, oral history recording, and community-based documentation. She is an inaugural member of the editorial collective for Gastronomica: The Journal for Food History and received the 2020 Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities Award. Johnson is working on a book about Julia Child’s home kitchen for publication in Fall 2024.

Afraid to Awed: Eclipses in Myth & Culture through Time
2024-04-06 11:00 - 12:00
Though predicated and excitedly anticipated in today’s world, eclipses were often unexpected aberrations in the past and viewed with fear in human cultures and myth across the globe. In this 45-minute talk ahead of the April 8th total solar eclipse, science & history educator, Tyler Lucero, discusses the responses of diverse peoples to eclipses through history. We’ll also discuss how studying human beliefs regarding the eclipses can help us appreciate the similarity and variety across our human family. It will also help us trace our changing understanding of our world through time.
**A limited number of eclipse glasses will be available for attendees of this program.**

CLOSED: Total Solar Eclipse
2024-04-08
We will be closed on Monday 4/8 for the total solar eclipse. Be sure to:

1) Register for a pair of (free!) eclipse glasses so you can safely view the eclipse! Giveaway starts today for those already registered. Use this link to register, if you have not already: https://forms.gle/zHUZTaxKtSjr4RFa6

2) Stop by our eclipse talk on Sat 4/6 at 11 AM called “Afraid to Awed: Eclipses in Myth & Culture through Time” (Limited number of eclipse glasses for attendees, as supplies last)

3) Stop by Mark Tubbs Park for the LimaClipse Lima Rotary Club Lima Crossroads Festival:

Sunday 4/7 6PM -11PM for Party in the Dark
Monday 4/8 12PM-6PM for LimaClipse Party in the Dark

Online Author Talk: From Murder to Atonement–Confronting My Son’s Killer with Diane Foley & Colum McCann
2024-04-09 14:00 - 15:00
Register here: https://libraryc.org/lima/44716
Join us for a one-of-a-kind conversation with National Book Award-winner Colum McCann as he is joined by Diane Foley, the inspiration behind the heartrending book American Mother.
American Mother is the story of a mother who, in the course of confronting her son’s killer, gets to the elemental heart of violence and forgiveness. Diane Foley is the mother of Jim, a freelance journalist captured and beheaded by ISIS in 2014, an image that became one of the most iconic of the 21st century. Seven years later, Diane gets the chance to spend three days with the murderer of her son in a Virginia courthouse, inspiring her to tell her life story. What unfolds is one of the most compelling narratives in recent literary history, channeled into searing reality by New York Times bestselling author Colum McCann, who brings us on a journey of strength, resilience, and radical empathy. You are sure to be moved by McCann’s writing and Foley’s uncompromising love, register now!
About the Authors
Colum McCann is the author of seven novels, three collections of stories and two works of non-fiction. Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, he has been the recipient of many international honors, including the U.S National Book Award, the International Dublin Literary Prize, a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French government, election to the Irish Arts Academy, several European awards, the 2010 Best Foreign Novel Award in China, and an Oscar nomination. In 2017 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts. His work has been published in over 40 languages. He is the President and co-founder of the non-profit global story exchange organization, Narrative 4. He is the Thomas Hunter Writer in Residence in Hunter College, in New York, where he lives with his wife Allison and their family. His most recent novel, Apeirogon, became an immediate New York Times best-seller and won several major international awards. His first major non-fiction book, American Mother, will be published in March 2024.
Diane M. Foley is the mother of five children, including American freelance conflict journalist James W. Foley. She founded the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation in September 2014, less than a month after his public execution. Diane is currently serving as the President and Executive Director of JWFLF. Since 2014, she has led JWFLF efforts to fund the start of Hostage US and the International Alliance for a Culture of Safety, ACOS. In 2015, she actively participated in the National Counterterrorism Center hostage review which culminated in the Presidential Policy Directive-30. This directive re-organized US efforts on behalf of Americans taken hostage abroad into an interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs and a White Hostage Response Group. Previously, Diane worked first as a community health nurse and then as a family nurse practitioner for 18 years. She received both her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH.

Board of Trustees: Special Meeting
2024-04-10 18:30 - 20:00
The Lima Public Library Board of Trustees will be having a special meeting to discuss the open library director position on Wednesday 4/10 at 6:30 PM.

Friends of the Lima Public Library Meeting
2024-04-16 18:30 - 20:30, 2024-05-21 18:30 - 20:30
6:30-8:30 PM

Online Author Talk: A Literary Examination of Power, Love, and Art with Xochitl Gonzalez
2024-04-17 20:00 - 21:00
Register here: https://libraryc.org/lima/45121
We cannot wait for you to join us as we chat with award-winning and bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez about her newest novel Anita de Monte Laughs Last.
Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love, and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite. In 1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name had been all but forgotten―certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student was preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. Students of color, like her, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret. But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.
Moving back and forth through time and told from the perspectives of both Anita and Raquel, this is sure a novel (and a conversation) that you don’t want to miss. Register now!
About the Author: Xochitl Gonzalez is the New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming. Named Best of 2022 by The New York Times, TIME, Kirkus, Washington Post, and NPR, Olga Dies Dreaming was the winner of the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize in Fiction and the New York City Book Award. Gonzalez is a 2021 MFA graduate from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her nonfiction work has been published in Elle Decor, Allure, Vogue, Real Simple, and The Cut. Her commentary writing for The Atlantic was recognized as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. A native Brooklynite and proud public school graduate, Gonzalez holds a BA from Brown University and lives in her hometown of Brooklyn with her dog, Hectah Lavoe.

10 Warning Signs: Alzheimer's Association Education Session
2024-04-25 15:00 - 16:00
Join us to learn how to recognize common signs of the disease, how to approach someone about memory concerns, the importance of early detection and the benefits of a diagnosis, possible tests and assessments for the diagnostic process.

Call 1-800-272-3900 or go to alz.org/crf to register.

Book Sorting Event: Friends of the Lima Public Library
2024-04-29 18:30 - 20:30

Online Author Talk: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I - An Author Talk with Douglas Brunt
2024-05-01 15:00 - 16:00
Register here: https://libraryc.org/lima/46436
Join us as we chat with New York Times bestselling author, Douglas Brunt, about instant bestselling debut non-fiction work The Mysterious Case of Rudolph Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I. This book reveals the hidden history of Rudolf Diesel, one of the world’s greatest inventors, and his mysterious disappearance on the eve of World War I.
September 29, 1913: the steamship Dresden is halfway between Belgium and England. On board is one of the most famous men in the world, Rudolf Diesel, whose new internal combustion engine is on the verge of revolutionizing global industry forever. But Diesel never arrives at his destination. He vanishes during the night and headlines around the world wonder if it was an accident, suicide, or murder.
After rising from an impoverished European childhood, Diesel had become a multi-millionaire with his powerful engine that does not require expensive petroleum-based fuel. In doing so, he became not only an international celebrity but also the enemy of two extremely powerful men -– Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil and the richest man in the world. The Kaiser wanted the engine to power a fleet of submarines that would finally allow him to challenge Great Britain’s Royal Navy. But Diesel had intended for his engine to be used for the betterment of the world.
Brunt reopens the case and provides a compelling new conclusion about Diesel’s fate. Register now to see how the mystery unfolds!
About the Author: Douglas Brunt is the New York Times bestselling author of The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel and host of the top-rated SiriusXM author podcast Dedicated with Doug Brunt. A Philadelphia native, he lives in Connecticut with his wife and three children. Visit DouglasBrunt.com for more information.

Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia: Alzheimer's Association Education Session
2024-05-08 11:00 - 12:00
Join us to learn about the impact of Alzheimer’s, the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia, stages and risk factors, current research and treatments available for some symptoms, and Alzheimer’s Association resources.
Register by calling 1-800-272-3900 or going to alz.org/crf.

Board of Trustees Meeting
2024-05-08 18:30 - 20:30
The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the 2025 Proposed Budget. The Lima Public Library Board of Trustees will meet at 6:30 PM.

Online Author Talk: A Murder Mystery, Family Story, & Love Letter to Strong Women Everywhere: Author Talk w/ Nina Simon
2024-05-08 19:00 - 20:00
Register here: https://libraryc.org/lima/46855
Nothing brings a family together like a murder next door.
You’re invited to join Nina Simon online as chats about her lighthearted whodunnit about a grandmother-mother-daughter trio of amateur sleuths, Mother-Daughter Murder Night.
Mother-Daughter Murder Night follows high-powered business woman Lana Rubicon. She has a lot to be proud of with her keen intelligence, impeccable taste, and the L.A. real estate empire she’s built. But when she finds herself trapped 300 miles north of the city, convalescing in a sleepy coastal town with her adult daughter Beth and teenage granddaughter Jack, Lana is stuck counting otters instead of square footage—and hoping that boredom won’t kill her before the cancer does.
In a turn of events, when Jack happens upon a dead body while kayaking she quickly becomes a suspect in the homicide investigation, and the Rubicon women are thrown into chaos. Beth thinks Lana should focus on recovery, but Lana has a better idea. She’ll pull on her wig, find the true murderer, protect her family, and prove she still has power. With Jack and Beth’s help, Lana uncovers a web of lies, family vendettas, and land disputes lurking beneath the surface of a community populated by folksy conservationists and wealthy ranchers. But as their amateur snooping advances into ever-more dangerous territory, the headstrong Rubicon women must learn to do the one thing they’ve always resisted: depend on each other.
Harness your inner detective and sign up for the investigation. Register now!
About the Author: Nina Simon writes crime fiction about strong women. She is the New York Times-bestselling debut author of Mother-Daughter Murder Night. This big-hearted whodunnit is a Reese’s Book Club pick and a “best of 2023” selection for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CrimeReads, and LibraryJournal.
Before turning to fiction, Nina wore many hats: NASA engineer, slam poet, game designer, museum director, and nonprofit CEO. Her work on community participation in museums, libraries, parks, and theaters has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, NPR, and the TEDx stage.
Mother-Daughter Murder Night is Nina’s first novel. She wrote it as a love letter to her mother, as a way to entertain, comfort, and connect with her during a major health crisis. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Nina now lives off-the-grid in the Santa Cruz Mountains with her family. More information can be found on her website, ninaksimon.com.

Online Author Talk: Asian American Representation in Literature: An Author Talk with Rebecca F. Kuang
2024-05-21 19:00 - 20:00
Register here: https://libraryc.org/lima/47274
You’re welcome to register for a thrilling conversation with Rebecca F. Kuang (R.F. Kuang) as she chats with us about her New York Times bestselling novel, Yellowface. Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media.
In Yellowface, Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.
So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.
So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.
But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.
White lies, dark humor, and deadly consequences await within the pages of Yellowface. With its totally immersive first-person voice, Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable. Register to join the conversation!
About the Author: Rebecca F. Kuang is the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History, and Yellowface. A Marshall Scholar, she has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford; she is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale, where she studies diaspora, contemporary Chinese literature, and Asian American literature.

Memorial Day Closing
2024-05-25 - 2024-05-27
We are closed for Memorial Day Weekend.

Closed
2024-06-01
We will be closed on Saturday 6/1. Thank you for understanding!

Online Author Talk: For the Love of Mars: A Human History of the Red Planet with Smithsonian Curator Matt Shindell
2024-06-03 14:00 - 15:00
Register here: https://libraryc.org/lima/48237
Mars and its secrets have fascinated and mystified humans since ancient times. Due to its vivid color and visibility, geologic kinship with Earth, and potential as our best hope for settlement, Mars embodies everything that inspires us about space and exploration. For the Love of Mars surveys the red planet’s place in the human imagination, beginning with ancient astrologers and skywatchers and ending in our present moment of exploration and virtual engagement.
You’re invited to come learn alongside Matt Shindell, National Air and Space Museum curator, as he introduces viewers to historical figures across eras and around the world who have made sense of this mysterious planet. Shindell will highlight historical figures such as:

Mayan astrologer priests who incorporated Mars into seasonal calendars and religious ceremonies;
Babylonian astrologers who discerned bad omens;
figures of the Scientific Revolution who struggled to comprehend it as a world;
Victorian astronomers who sought signs of intelligent life; and
20th- and 21st-century scientists who have established a technological presence on its surface.

Along the way, we will encounter writers and artists from each period who take readers and viewers on imagined journeys to Mars.
By focusing on the diverse human stories behind the telescopes and behind the robots we know and love, Shindell will show how Mars exploration has evolved in ways that have also expanded knowledge about other facets of the universe. Register now for this captivating voyage through time!
About the Author: Matthew Shindell, Ph.D., is a historian of science with a background in science studies. He is Curator of Earth and Planetary Science at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. He is responsible for the Museum’s collection of spacecraft, instruments, and other artifacts related to the exploration and study of our Earth and solar system. He co-hosts the Museum’s podcast, AirSpace. He curated the Museum’s permanent exhibition, Exploring the Planets, and is leading a curatorial team developing the exhibition Futures in Space. Shindell is the author of For the Love of Mars: A Human History of the Red Planet (2023) and The Life and Science of Harold C. Urey (2019), coauthor of Spaceships (2023), Our Future in Space (2023), and Discerning Experts (2019), and co-editor of Smithsonian American Women (2019).

Board of Trustees: Special Meeting
2024-06-05 18:30 - 20:30
The purpose of this special meeting is to discuss and approve the tentative 2025 Budget before being passed on to the Town Board. The Lima Public Library Board of Trustees will meet at 6:30 PM.
NOTE: THE DATE OF THIS MEETING HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM 6/12 to 6/5, SAME TIME
