ADULT SUMMER READING REALLY PAYS OFF IN PEARL!

Hey! Who says reading doesn't pay off?! Well, it does at the Pearl Public Library!!! Just ask Annie McRee (right) of Pearl.  She won the adult Summer Reading Program, book review drawing. On the left is Misty Shook, the library's Reference Supervisor and Adult Program Coordinator, presenting Annie with the fabulous, $25, Walmart gift certificate!  Readers turned in a book review for each book they read during the summer program - themed Escape The Ordinary – which ran from June 1 through July 9.

A BEAUTIFUL, HEAVENLY SIGHT AT THE PEARL LIBRARY!

OJO DE DIOS! 

     (pronounced oh-ho-dey-deeee-os)

That's Spanish for Eye of God or God's Eye.   And, this beautiful creation is what Lana, at the Pearl Public Library, is crafting in July.
     
This is really easy and so much fun to make.  Some might even call it therapeutic! Good for the Soul! You know what I'm talkin' about!

Please, come join the Simply Crafts group Tues. July 14 at 6 p.m., and make a beautiful God's Eye for yourself. The program is free, all materials are supplied, and no reservations are required.

Simply Crafts meets, at the Pearl Public Library every second Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m.

You don't want to miss out on this creative event!

We'll see you there!

THE "GREATEST" BOOK CLUB AT THE PEARL LIBRARY!

Common cause, honor, duty, economy, courage, service, love of family and country and the most important, responsibility for oneself. That's what united the generation that built modern America; those heroes and heroines who "came of age" through the Great Depression and WWII. You'll learn more as you read Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation, a recounting/recording of  the stories from men and women of a generation that persevered through war and created the America of today.

It's Cecelia's July, Chapter 1 Book Club selection and couldn't be a better pick during this Summer Reading Program with the main theme being Every Hero Has A Story! The Adult Summer Reading theme is Escape the Ordinary! Nothing ordinary about the heroes of Brokaw's book.

You don't want to miss out. The Chapter 1 Book Club meets Thurs. July 9 at 6 p.m.at the Pearl Library. No reservations needed, and you don't have to be a member. Just come on by and join in the discussion As always, Cecelia will have door prizes and refreshments!

We'll see you there

THIS BOOK CLUB IS TALKING TO THE AUTHOR IN PEARL!

Author Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

SAVE THE DATE!  

Coming in August!

Yes, leave it to Cecelia to have something a little extra special for her August Chapter 1 Book Club. 

There will be a Skype visit with author Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, the author of three novels, Bittersweet, Set Me Free, and The Effects of Light plus the short story ”Frito-Lay.”

The meeting is Thursday,  Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Pearl Public Library!  You don't need a reservation and you don't even have to be a member of the Chapter 1 Book Club. Just come on by. Cecelia will have light refreshments and great discussion  for you. And, as always, there will be door prizes too!

We'll see you there!

IT'S NO SECRET! MAGIC IS IN THE AIR AT THE PEARL LIBRARY!

Cecelia's Chapter 1 Book Club hits another high note this month with a selection that's just right for captivating discussion!

Author Deborah Johnson, a Nebraska transplant in Columbus, MS, takes readers on a great journey into a special place.  The Secret of Magic is a fictional story about seeking racial justice.

It's the 1940s and black, law student, Regina Mary Robichard, of Harlem, works for the Legal Defense Fund under NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall. 

As she's going through discrimination claims from black servicemen, Regina comes across an envelope full of newspaper clippings about what resembles the racially motivated death of decorated Lt. Joe Wilson Howard, a black soldier whose body was dragged from a Mississippi river.

A photo of Howard with his father painfully hits Regina at the very core. She grew up fatherless as her her father was lynched before she was even born. Another reason this case strikes a chord with Regina is that Mary Pickett Calhoun, who had sent the newspaper clippings of Howard's death, is the author of Regina's favorite childhood book. Calhoun's book The Secret of Magic  is about black and white children who explore a magical forest. 

So, Regina goes to Revere, MS - also the setting of Johnson's debut novel, The Air Between Us - where she meets Mary Pickett and Willie Willie, the dead soldier's father.  They soon discover who the killer is, but they have to prove it. 

Regina discovers that in segregated Mississippi, blacks and whites actually coexist better than in New York City. She also senses a connection to the Revere murder in Calhoun's book and that some of the book's characters may just be real.

A great book. A great discussion you don't want to miss!  The Chapter 1 Book Club meets Thurs. June 11 at 6 p.m. You don't need a reservation and you don't have to be a member. Just stop on in and chat a while! As always Cecelia will have light refreshments and door prizes for you. 

We'll see you there!

CHAPTER 1 BOOK CLUB REMAINS "UNBROKEN"

It's safe to say that Cecelia is enjoying reading May's Chapter 1 Book Club book choice, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.  "It's really really good," she said with her facial expression showing just how much.

You may have heard a lot about the story. A movie of the same title, directed by Angelina Jolie was recently on the big screen.

The story is about Louis Silvie "Louie" Zamperini who was born January 26,1917 and died July 2, 2014. A U.S. airman, Zamperini survived when his bomber crashed during WWII. He spent 47 days adrift in the ocean before being rescued by the Japanese Navy. He was held as a prisoner of until the end of the war.

As a young lad, Zamperini was a handful taking to breaking the law and fighting.  As a teenager he channeled all that negative energy into running and was quite good at it. Good enough even to get him to the Berlin Olympics. 

Louie Zamperini is dubbed "One of America's greatest heroes."

Now, you just know that is one great story. So, you don't want to miss May's Chapter 1 Book Club, Thurs. May 14 at 6 p.m. No registration required, and you don't have to be a member. Just stop on by and join in the discussion. As always, Cecelia will have door prizes and light refreshments for you.

We'll see you there!

WHO SAYS EASTER EGG HUNTS ARE ONLY FOR CHILDREN!

Shirley Crowther, left, and Denise Mason, right, worked as a team to find the special golden egg hidden as part of the Pearl Public Library’s adult programming for National Library Week, April 12 -18. The prize was a treat filled Easter basket. 

The April Adult Easter Egg Hunt runs all month long. So, even though the golden egg is out of the picture, sweet treats still abound! Come on in to the Pearl Library and look for pretty eggs hidden in the adult fiction and non-fiction sections. If you find an egg, bring it to the Reference desk and claim a small prize.

We'll see you there!

A LIFE WORTH DISCUSSING AT THE PEARL LIBRARY!

Did you know that presently the nationally and internationally acclaimed, To Kill a Mockingbird has remained Harper Lee's (first name Nelle) only published book? Did you know that she was 34 when that book was published, and she is now 88?

To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960. A classic, the book addresses issues of racial injustice, destruction of innocence, class, courage, compassion and gender roles. It was automatically a tremendous success garnering the Pulitzer Prize in 1961.

Lee was born April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, AL. She later moved to New York to pursue a literary career. She lived there many years before moving back to Alabama to live with her sister Alice, who, by the way, retired from law at 100 years old (Alice died Nov. 17, 2014. She was 103). Never a fan of celebrity or media attention, Harper Lee remained tight lipped to any reporter wanting an interview. But, in 2001, that all changed. The sisters let Marja Mills, a Chicago Tribune journalist, get  up close and personal. The result: Marja Mills' The Mockingbird Next Door: Life With Harper Lee which was published last July.

That's the book Cecelia, Chapter 1 Book Club leader, is reading and really enjoying she said.

By the way, after all these decades, in July of this year, Harper Lee's  second novel will be published. Go Set a Watchman is the sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, but it was actually written before that book. WOW! What a momentous occasion her new book publication is going to be!

Harper Lee's is a great life to read and so are many others'! That's what April's Chapter 1 Book Club is all about at the Pearl Public Library. The book of choice is up to you. Read any biography or autobiography said Cecelia.

Come on by Thurs. April 9 at 6 p.m. and discuss your selection. You don't have to be a member, and you don't have to join either. You certainly don't need a reservation, and there are always light refreshments and door prizes.

We'll see you there!

AT THE PEARL PUBLIC LIBRARY, YOU WIN BIG!!!!

  

Mickie Pace (left) was the adult program winner of the I Love My Library contest to celebrate Library Lovers’ Month at the Pearl Public Library. Branch Manager, Bernadette Roche (right)  presented the gorgeous, enormous basket full of wonderful treats after the drawing on Wed. March 4.  Mickie says she’s been using the Pearl Library about four years, and loves the library because “I can fax, make copies and bring my mom here for books on CD.”

AND!!!!!!

Cecelia Sandifer,(left) of the Pearl Public Library, presents Pearl resident, Sherry Duplichain with the grand prize from the Snuggle Up and Read  contest drawing held Wed. March 4. The adult program ran from Jan 1 to Feb. 28. Whoever read the most books was the winner. Sherry read 28 books. The prize was a beautifully decorated gift basket full of treats.

MARCH RIGHT INTO ART MADNESS IN PEARL!

www.knowpickens.com

Every year right about now, the Pearl Public Library transforms into an art gallery. Seriously! Proud students from the Pearl Schools will fill the library with their artful creations in celebration of National Youth Art Month.

The art will stay up the entire month of March so you'll have plenty of opportunities to come on by and see it.

On Tues. March 3 there's the huge annual Youth Art Month reception, honoring all the kids at 6 p.m. You really don't want to miss this!

See you there!

THE PASTURE'S A GOOD PLACE TO BE IN PEARL!

The Pearl Library's Chapter 1 Book Club will discuss books in the FairAcres retirement series by Effie Leland Wilder on Thurs. March 12 at 6 p.m.

Cecelia, the group's leader, is reading Out to Pasture, But Not Over the Hill, and has been enjoying the humor. "There are a lot of funny stories in it, and it is very light reading," she said.  Some of the other titles include Older but Wilder, One More Time, and Over What Hill?  Titles are available at the Circulation Desk to check out.

That's really no surprise since Wilder was a late bloomer, publishing her first book at 85! By then life probably shouldn't be taken too seriously, don't ya think?!?!? Of course!

Wilder was born Aug. 28, 1909 in Rockingham, N.C. She died July 19, 2007 in Summerville, S.C. She lived her life mainly as a homemaker until she turned author later in life.  She authored five books. 

Quite the humanitarian, Wilder served on the Board of Directors for Lowcountry Red Cross, Summerville Meals on Wheels, the Timrod Library and the Dorchester Library. 

Wow! Someone like that should have her own day! That's exactly what South Carolina Governor, Jim Hodges, did! He proclaimed Aug. 28,2001, as Effie Wilder Day. 

Don't miss this Chapter 1 Book Club! You can see it's going to be a really good one as always!

Remember, you don't have to be a member to come join in the discussion. Light refreshments and door prizes provided.

See you there!

A LOVE FELT, MONTH OF DELIGHTFUL PROGRAMS IN PEARL!

Can you feel it? LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Mmmmmmmm mmm mmmm! There's just something special about the month of February! The cards, candy and flowers that go with Valentine's Day are the best, right? RIIIIIIGHT!!!

 But, February is also LIBRARY LOVERS' MONTH, and that's where the Pearl Public Library comes into the picture!   There are programs galore including that wonderful patron favorite; the seventh annual Come in From the Cold With a Good Book.   In partnership with the Friends of the Pearl Library and local businesses, the Pearl Library is offering free coffee, donuts and cookies - thanks to Community Coffee, the Donut Factory in Pearl and Pearl Sam's Club - Fri., Feb. 13 at 9 a.m to 3 p.m. Friends of the Pearl Library members will be on hand to accept donations, answer questions and sign up new members!

Starting Mon., Feb. 2, I Love My Library, an adult program, kicks off giving patrons an opportunity to tell just how much they love the library. Visit the reference or circulation desk and fill out an entry including sweet words for a chance to win a nice gift basket. The program will run through Sat. Feb. 28 and  the drawing will be held Mon., March 2.

Another drawing will be held on March 2. A beautiful gift basket will be presented to the winner of the Adult Winter Reading program, Snuggle Up and Read that got underway Jan 1 and runs through Sat. Feb. 28.  For every five library books read and listed on a reading log, your name gets entered into the drawing

The Chapter 1 Book Club is Thurs. Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. Read any book by popular, Mississippi author John Floyd. No registration is needed and you don't have to be a member. Just stop on by for fun book discussions, light refreshments and door prizes!

In honor of Black History Month, the library presents Ann B. Brown, author of Backroad to Freedom as the Brown Bag guest speaker, Fri. Feb. 27 at 12 - noon. It's a free program. No reservations needed. Bring your lunch. Dessert and drinks provided by the Friends of the Pearl Library. 

You don't want to miss any of these delightful events!

We'll see you there!

A FAVORITE MS AUTHOR AT THE PEARL LIBRARY!

Popular, Mississippi author, John Floyd, will be the guest speaker at the Pearl Public Library's Brown Bag program Friday, Jan. 23 at noon. He will also be signing copies of his short story collection, Fifty Mysteries: The Angela Files.  Bring your lunch. Drinks and dessert are furnished by the Friends of the Pearl Library.

Floyd, a Rankin County resident and a graduate of Mississippi State University, has won the coveted Derringer Award for short mystery fiction.  In Fifty Mysteries, sheriff Charles "Chunky" Jones is up to his crime solving speed with retired school teacher, Angela "Angel" Potts helping him.

    

Floyd began writing professionally in 1994 and has published over 1,000 stories and features in widely-read publications like Woman’s World, Alfred Hitchcock's  Mystery Magazine, and The Saturday Evening Post. He teaches creative writing at Millsaps College’s Enrichment Program in Jackson.    Floyd is a former Air Force captain and worked for IBM Corporation for thirty years. He and his wife, Carolyn, have three grown children and six grandchildren and live in Brandon.

Come on by and join in the fun. The Brown Bag program is free and open to everyone.

We'll see you there!

CELEBRATE YOUR CHOICE OF READS AT THE PEARL LIBRARY!

Image from www.peterfaur.com

Do your New Year's resolutions include joining a book club or maybe checking out a book club? Here is your answer! Don't forget Cecelia's Chapter 1 Book Club at the Pearl Public Library is held every second Thursday of the month.  And, don't forget that January's meeting is reader's choice. Yep! It's your pick! The club will meet Thurs. Jan. 8 at 6 p.m. And, as always there will be prizes and light refreshments. You don't have to be a member or even join Chapter 1 to come on by and discuss some great reads!

We'll see you there!

A THANKSGIVING WINNER AT THE PEARL PUBLIC LIBRARY!

Robert McCarty, Sara Smith (L), Cecelia Sandifer

It's a happy day for one lucky fella at the Pearl Library! That would be Robert McCarty of Pearl. He entered the Thank Goodness for the Library drawing and won!

The prize was a turkey and gift card - $50 total value - donated by the Pearl Wal-Mart.

The Library's own Cecelia and Sara share the photo spotlight with Robert and his awesome winnings!

We hope Robert has a wonderfully, happy Thanksgiving, and we are so glad he is thankful for the Pearl Library!

The Pearl Library would like to thank Wal-Mart of Pearl for the generous $50 donation!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

CMRLS Libraries Announce Cyber Monday Savings

Fines Half Off At Your Local Library!

Internet stores report their busiest sales day is the Monday after Thanksgiving, known as Cyber Monday. It is the online version of Black Friday, that Friday after Thanksgiving when we expect big savings on gift items. This year Central Mississippi Regional Library System libraries are participating in Cyber Monday in a very low tech manner. Visit any of the 20 CMRLS library branches in Rankin, Scott, Simpson, or Smith Counties on Monday, December 1, and all fines are 50% off. Yes, half off!

"We haven't offered a fine reduction lately," said Mara Polk, director of CMRLS. "School papers and projects will soon be due; we want to especially help these students clear up their fines and to have a successful school year. The offer to cut fines by 50% is open to all ages, for all fines; however this does not apply to collection fees." 

Come in to any CMRLS library during regular hours on Monday, December 1, to take advantage of half off fines. Your local library accepts cash or check. However, it will be possible to pay your fines by credit or debit card. You must visit your library to have staff apply the 50% savings to your account and then use a library computer or your personal device to finish the transaction. 

To find business hours for any CMRLS library on Monday, December 1, visit http://www.cmrls.lib.ms.us/BRANCHES.htm or call your local library. 

Happy holidays and good savings to you!

YOUR CHOICE MAKES THE CHAPTER 1 BOOK CLUB IN PEARL!

Image from www.prestonlibrary.org

The December Chapter 1 Book Club meeting at the Pearl Public Library is Reader's Choice. Uh-huh.  Any book your little 'ol heart desires!

You read the book and talk about it at the book club meeting. "You come to the meeting and share enough about the book to entice someone else to read it," said Cecelia, the Chapter 1 Book Club's facilitator.

You have to admit that sounds pretty fun! Hey! A holiday fiction book would be great. If you need one, the library has plenty.  In fact a whole display of holiday reads is up right now! And, more are going up on display soon!

Next month's Chapter 1 Book Club meeting is Thurs. Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. You don't need a reservation. You don't have to be a member. You don't even have to commit to becoming a member. Just come on by and join in! Remember, light refreshments and door prizes are always a part of the evening's fun program!

We'll see you there!

BEING THANKFUL HAS ITS REWARDS AT THE PEARL LIBRARY!

Thanksgiving and eating go together like turkey and dressing! That's the absolute truth!

That's why the month of November brings with it thoughts and the anticipation of that yummy Thanksgiving meal, right?! RIGHT!

Well, this year, the month of November also brings a special event at the Pearl Public Library.  Tell the library why you are thankful for its services for a chance to win the the grand prize of a frozen turkey from Wal-Mart as well as a Wal-Mart gift certificate - both donated by the Pearl Wal-Mart. That's a total value of $50 for one lucky winner!

All you have to do is stop by the reference or circulation desk and fill out an entry, telling why you are thankful for the library. It's that simple. Your entry goes into a grand prize drawing on Mon. Nov. 24. Entries will be taken through, Sat. Nov. 22.

Stop on by. We'll see you there!

PEARL LIBRARY'S BROWN BAG ENGAGING!

Left to Right: Eleanor Jones, Joe Lee, & Cecelia Sandifer

Mississippi author, Joe Lee, owner of Dogwood Press in Brandon, was the guest speaker at the Pearl Public Library's Brown Bag program on Friday. 

Director's Cut (2014) is Joe Lee's fifth installment of the critically acclaimed Oakdale suspense series. It is his seventh novel. 

"Joe Lee is a great speaker," said Eleanor. "He made me want to read all of the suspense series he's written! He really drew me in!"

There are always great programs going on at the Pearl Public Library. Don't forget the bag of books for $1 book sale going on right now. All the books you can fit into a bag. The proceeds go to benefit the Friends of the Pearl Library.

We'll see you there!

CHAPTER 1 BOOK CLUB FILLS UP ON A GREAT READ IN PEARL!

Author Fannie Flagg, of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Can't Wait to Get to Heaven and I Still Dream About You fame, has done it again.  

Flagg's latest book, The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion, is a hoot, and Cecelia's pick for the Chapter 1 Book Club meeting Thurs. Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Pearl Public Library.

Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama has just embarked upon an empty nest, and is set to enjoy life with her husband Earle. She has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking to relax and perhaps even travel. But, then there's her mother to deal with; Lenore Simmons Krackenberry. Even at 88, Ms. Lenore is beautiful and loads of fun to everyone, except Sookie who pretty much thinks her mother is overbearing.

As it is with life's crazy twists and turns, Sookie finds out that Ms Lenore is not even her biological mother. That's a great thing to be hit with when you are Sookie's age, or what she thought was her age. Sookie finds out she's a year older!  She doesn't get the opportunity to gracefully segue into 60 from 59. Nope, she's slammed right into the big 6-0!

Sookie's real mother is Fritzi Willinka Jurdabralinski of Pulaski, Wisconsin, oldest child of Polish parents! Fritzi's father owns a service station but falls ill. Her brother goes off to war. That leaves Fritzi and her sisters to run the service station. With all girls running the shop, it became quite popular.  Fritzi later joins a flying circus. Then she enters the volunteer Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II.

Naturally, all this news leaves poor Sookie in identity crisis mode!  For 59 years she was a full blown all-southern girl. Now, Sookie learns that she has deep Polish roots.  You just know the book is a fun read!

So, read the book and stop by to discuss Sookie's crazy life journey! No reservation needed and you don't have to be a member to participate. And, as always, there will be light refreshments and door prizes.

We'll see you there!