Book Discussions and Author Visits
Join us for monthly virtual book discussions and special author visits! See the schedule.
Library Closed
All St. Mary's County Library locations are closed today.
Trivia Mondays
Register with an email address to receive the link to a trivia game and test your knowledge! The game is multiple choice questions and speed matters!
Registration for each week ends at 5 p.m. on Mondays. After 5 p.m., registrants will be emailed a link to that week's trivia. You will have until Thursday at 5 p.m. to complete the game, then you'll receive an email with the full results. Trivia uses Kahoot, accessible through any internet browser, no account needed.
The Grim Readers : Book Club
The Grim Readers is a book club that meets on the first Tuesday of every month for an hour to discuss a horror book. This month's pick, The Shining by Stephen King
Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote...and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.
Meet the Author: Martha Hall Kelly
The New York Times bestselling author of "Lilac Girls" and "Lost Roses" will join us virtually to talk about her newest novel, "Sunflower Sisters," which takes place in St. Mary's County!
For those of you who enjoyed Martha Hall Kelly’s previous novels, Lilac Girls and Lost Roses, you will be thrilled to meet Kelly virtually to discuss her newest novel Sunflower Sisters. In Kelly’s latest novel, we are introduced to Georgeanna Woolsey of New York City, the great aunt of Caroline Ferriday from Lilac Girls, who was a committed abolitionist and nurse. Inspired by true accounts, Sunflower Sisters takes us to St. Mary’s County during the Civil War, where we also meet Anne-May, the mistress of Peeler Plantation, and Jemma, an enslaved girl on the plantation, during the early 1860s.
As you read Sunflower Sisters, you will learn how the lives of these three women intertwine. They will cross paths in the most unexpected of circumstances. Georgeanna Woolsey is a Union nurse who loathes slavery. Jemma is an enslaved girl abused by her mistress. Anne-May is the young mistress intent on living the pampered lifestyle of New Orleans high society from which she came. As the Civil War leaves its ravaging effects on families from New York to Charleston, SC, these women will show just how much they are willing to fight for what matters most to each of them.
You will receive a Zoom meeting invitation link the day before the event.
Connecting Families to Health Care
Seedco Navigators will be on site to educate and assist those who are uninsured as well as those currently insured through Maryland Health Connection.
Navigators will be providing information on new lower premiums, access to financial assistance for those who qualify, as well as scheduling appointments for application and enrollment in health coverage.
Seedco is a non-profit organization under a grant funded contract with the state of Maryland, through the Maryland Health Exchange. We work to educate and assist Maryland residents, free of charge, in understanding their health coverage options, potential for financial assistance, and how to select the best plan within the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange marketplace that suits their needs. Additionally, we work to provide resources and other options for those who do not qualify or are unable to get the coverage they need.
Social distancing and safe COVID protocols will be in place to ensure the safety of Seedco staff, Library staff, and the general public.
For more information please contact :
Christie Taylor
Seedco Navigator
chtaylor@seedco.org
Virtual Mystery Book Club
Join us each month as we discuss a different mystery novel. The book for January is The Bat by Jo Nesbo.
The Mystery Book Club meets via Zoom on the 1st Thursday of the month at 7:00pm (unless otherwise noted).
Register with an email address to receive the link.
Find The Bat by Jo Nesbo in our catalog here!
The Bat by Jo Nesbo
“Inspector Harry Hole of the Oslo Crime Squad is dispatched to Sydney to observe a murder case. Harry is free to offer assistance, but he has firm instructions to stay out of trouble. The victim is a twenty-three year old Norwegian woman who is a minor celebrity back home. Never one to sit on the sidelines, Harry befriends one of the lead detectives, and one of the witnesses, as he is drawn deeper into the case. Together, they discover that this is only the latest in a string of unsolved murders, and the pattern points toward a psychopath working his way across the country. As they circle closer and closer to the killer, Harry begins to fear that no one is safe, least of all those investigating the case.”
Blue Star Families
Come join Blue Star Families and the Lexington Park Library for a Meet and Greet!
Come out to meet the Blue Star Families Chapter Director - Yolanda Rayford as we start the new year on 10 January 2022, 4-6 pm. Blue Star Families empowers military and veteran families to thrive by connecting them with their civilian neighbors - both people and organizations - to create strong communities of mutual support. Check out the link to Blue Star Families for more information.
Trivia Mondays
Register with an email address to receive the link to a trivia game and test your knowledge! The game is multiple choice questions and speed matters!
Registration for each week ends at 5 p.m. on Mondays. After 5 p.m., registrants will be emailed a link to that week's trivia. You will have until Thursday at 5 p.m. to complete the game, then you'll receive an email with the full results. Trivia uses Kahoot, accessible through any internet browser, no account needed.
Southern Maryland JobSource Mobile Career Center
Job seekers can stop by to get job counseling and resume help,search for jobs, and get registered with the Maryland Workforce Exchange.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the following rules apply:
Mask required for entry
Only one job seeker at a time in the vehicle
6 ft Social Distancing will be enforced
Common Thread Online
Join fellow crafters who love all things fiber - virtually! Registration is required (with an email address). You'll receive an email with a link to join the Zoom meeting before the program.
Open to knitters, crocheters, quilters, embroiderers, cross-stitchers, and any other kind of needleworkers. Work on your current project and chat with like-minded makers. All skill levels welcome.
Bridgerton Book Club: On the Way to the Wedding
Join us online to discuss the eighth book in the Bridgerton series, On the Way to the Wedding.
If you were a fan of the Netflix hit, or if you just want to read the series, come join us for book 8 of a Bridgerton read-along! This month we will read Gregory's story in, On the Way to the Wedding. We will discuss the plot, character casting, the use of tropes and all things Bridgerton related. Next month we will be reading and discussing the final book in the series, Bridgertons: Happily Ever After.
Check out the book in print, or on Hoopla in audio or ebook format.
Library Closed
All St. Mary's County Library locations are closed today.
The Greatest Love Letters from the Last 300 Years
Just in time for Valentine's Day, this event will bring merriment and curiosity!
Ms. Terry Antoniewicz is back to share her talents with us!
With over 5 decades of creating and examining documents, Terry is an expert on all things handwritten. The Greatest Love Letters from the Last 300 Years shows correspondence from royals, high-profile public figures and the Civil War.
Love Letters - while we may not write much on paper to share our deepest feelings so much today, we enjoy peeking into history and what it reveals of the deepest feelings of others expressed in letters and how it has influenced individuals and history itself. Love letters reveal tenderness to the fire and ice in relationships.
Letters of royals and high-profile public figures that were kept private in their day now have an opportunity to be glimpsed by the public and reveal the deep affection couples had for one another. The correspondence of Napoleon and Josephine uncover a very deep and passionate love to their very last breath in contrast to the very public feuding they presented to others.
Letters from loved ones during the times of war were often the number one reason morale stayed high during times of conflict, depravation and destruction, as copies from actual Civil War correspondence of the presenter’s dear friend will illuminate.
Letters from Warren Harding reveal a passionate affair that helped form some of the US policy for WWI and other letters from children show that pure joy reminds us how simplicity can be the purest love of all.
New to this presentation will be an update of the recent findings of Marie Antoinette’s love letters to the Swedish Count that reveal information that was gallantly redacted by the count to protect the French Queen.
With a touch of history, some laughter and maybe a tear or two, find out how history was made through the contents of some of the deepest feelings written on paper.
Ms. Antoniewicz presents programs with a passion that engage the audience immediately!
This program is also suitable for high school students. Find out which 17th Century historical figure wrote letters as if they were the teenage texts of today!
This program includes a Q & A session.
Register to receive the link to the Zoom meeting.
Maryland Workforce Exchange Workshop: Resumes and Cover Letters
St. Mary's, Calvert, and Charles Counties are collaborating on a joint partnership with the Maryland Department of Labor. Join us for monthly virtual classes relating to employment and training.
Offered by the Maryland Department of Labor, American Job Center, this is an interactive workshop for resume and cover letter writing help. Looking for a job, or a better job? Don't miss this free class. Registration closes the Monday before the event.
Job search help is available at https://mwejobs.maryland.gov/
By registering for this class, you are agreeing that your contact information will be shared with the Maryland Department of Labor, American Job Center (AJC). AJC staffer, Jasmine McCain, will contact you with initial materials and explain the MWE registration process. If you have questions or do not wish to register on MWE, you can contact Ms. McCain directly at jasminet.mccain@maryland.gov to get help on this topic.
St. Mary's County Health Department
Employees from the St. Mary's County Health Department will be available in the lobby to answer your questions about Narcan and Opioid overdose. No appointment necessary.
Maryland Workforce Exchange Workshop: Professional Interview Skills
St. Mary's, Calvert, and Charles Counties are collaborating on a joint partnership with the Maryland Department of Labor. Join us for monthly virtual classes relating to employment and training.
Hone your interview skills with the Maryland Department of Labor, American Job Center! This is an interactive workshop with mock interviews and advice for in-person as well as virtual meetings. Registration closes the Monday prior to the event.
Job search help is available on https://mwejobs.maryland.gov/
By registering for this class, you are agreeing that your contact information will be shared with Maryland Department of Labor, American Job Center (AJC). AJC staffer, Jasmine McCain, will contact you with initial materials and explain the MWE registration process. If you have questions or do not wish to register on MWE, you can contact Ms. McCain directly at jasminet.mccain@maryland.gov to get help on this topic.
Sky Watch with St. Mary's Ryken
Come see the stars! Gary Duranko, professor from St. Mary's Ryken, will show us Jupiter and Orion as they rise and move across the sky. Bring blankets, a chair, and enjoy hot chocolate and stargazing!
There will be a short talk about Astronomy, and a chance to ask Mr. Duranko some questions. Participants will also have a chance to look through the telescopes at Jupiter, Orion, the moon, and other heavenly bodies. Masks and social distancing are required. Free hot chocolate will be available!
Virtual Romance Book Club
Each month we will discuss a different romance novel. All books will be available in both eBook and audiobook format on Hoopla. January's title is The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
Listen to the audiobook on Hoopla
Read the eBook on Hoopla
Trivia Mondays
Register with an email address to receive the link to a trivia game and test your knowledge! The game is multiple choice questions and speed matters!
Registration for each week ends at 5 p.m. on Mondays. After 5 p.m., registrants will be emailed a link to that week's trivia. You will have until Thursday at 5 p.m. to complete the game, then you'll receive an email with the full results. Trivia uses Kahoot, accessible through any internet browser, no account needed.
Archaeology at the Skinner Plantation: Prince Frederick, Maryland 1720s-1750s
Dr. James Gibb will describe the archaeological search for, and discovery of, the Skinner Plantation in Prince Frederick, MD, and who might have occupied the site during the 1720s-1750s.
We cannot be confident of who occupied this plantation site attributed to James Skinner, and much of the site has been lost to erosion, but excavations revealed a small, trash-filled pit, a large pit, and a corral. The artifacts indicate occupation during the second quarter of the 18th century, and bone refuse reveals an interesting diet not entirely in accord with expectations. This illustrated presentation offers a rare look into a poorly documented era in the European settlement of Maryland, as well as illuminating recent activities that have damaged both the local ecosystem and our mutual heritage.
All Books Considered
Do you ever wonder what your local librarians are reading? Find out each month when a different librarian selects a book and leads a discussion group. This book club will have something for everyone!
Join us for fun and lively conversation online on the 4th Monday of the month at 7:00.
This month we will be reading A Deadly Education by Namoi Novik. Enter the Scholomance, a giant, foreboding school for young wizards and witches, where every day the students must stave off hungry monsters. This book is dark and gritty and the hard-core, survival mindset of the students is totally different from the typical fantasy settings.
Find it in the catalog, as an Ebook, or on audio
Common Thread Online
Join fellow crafters who love all things fiber - virtually! Registration is required (with an email address). You'll receive an email with a link to join the Zoom meeting before the program.
Open to knitters, crocheters, quilters, embroiderers, cross-stitchers, and any other kind of needleworkers. Work on your current project and chat with like-minded makers. All skill levels welcome.
Southern Maryland JobSource Mobile Career Center
Job seekers can stop by to get job counseling and resume help, search for jobs, and get registered with the Maryland Workforce Exchange.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the following rules apply:
- Mask Required for entry
- Only one job seeker at a time in the vehicle
- 6 ft Social Distancing will be enforced
A Conversation with Alan Bradley
Alan Bradley will be joining us from across the pond! Fans of all ages are invited to our discussion of the many interesting things we read about in the Flavia de Luce novels.
The Flavia de Luce cozy mystery series is about a precocious adolescent amateur detective with a passion for poison as she investigates murders in 1950's England.
Catch up on Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series!
Alan Bradley was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1938. After retiring from a career in broadcasting and the University of Saskatchewan, Mr. Bradley focused on writing full-time. Bradley has written many short stories, screenplays, and a few memoirs. In 2007 Bradley's wife encouraged him to enter a writing competition for unpublished writers. By submitting fifteen pages (the first chapter and a synopsis), Alan entered the contest for the Debut Dagger award given by the Crime Writers’ Association. These fifteen pages became a full-length novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, which has now turned into a 10 book series. The Flavia de Luce books have been New York Times bestsellers, and are presently published in thirty-nine countries and thirty-six languages and the series has been optioned for television.
Trivia Mondays
Register with an email address to receive the link to a trivia game and test your knowledge! The game is multiple choice questions and speed matters!
Registration for each week ends at 5 p.m. on Mondays. After 5 p.m., registrants will be emailed a link to that week's trivia. You will have until Thursday at 5 p.m. to complete the game, then you'll receive an email with the full results. Trivia uses Kahoot, accessible through any internet browser, no account needed.
Please note that library staff may be taking photos of any or all events to use for future library publications. Event participants’ photos may be used without notification or compensation. If you do not feel comfortable having your photo taken, please inform library staff when you arrive to an event.
