January 2016 Passages

newsletter of the Peoria Public Library Volume 25, No. 1

JANUARY 2016

Music in the McKenzie Announces 2016 Line Up Peoria Public Library will again present free music concerts each month at North Branch in the McKenzie Room on Sunday afternoons. Each concert is free and often CDs are sold with a portion of the proceeds designated to benefit Friends of Peoria Public Library. Come and enjoy this fabulous line up of artists.

January 24 – Flatland Harmony Experiment: Flatland Harmony Experiment is a high octane three piece band that dances with a single large diaphragm microphone to share their music with audiences. The trio trade lead vocal and lead instrumental responsibilities through a diverse original musical playlist. The instrumental mix of banjo, mandolin and upright bass provides opportunities for musical expression and experimentation. Expect to hear music flowing from the founding roots of bluegrass to progressive gypsy and all places between. The concert is free and open to the public. A portion of CD sales will support The Friends of Peoria Public Library. http://flatlandharmony.com/ February 28 – Random Strangers- Peoria Reads Kickoff: Celebrate Peoria Reads 2016 with some Music in the McKenzie. Copies of the Peoria Reads book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien will be given away and a full events list will be available. The musical group Random Strangers is Chuck Mahieu and Steve Fairbanks. They sing and play acoustic guitars to perform some of the best rock ‘n roll tunes of the Vietnam War generation. Chuck and Steve have been inspired by the bands and the songs of the British Invasion era, the psychedelic 60s, and the folkie 70s. Their love of this music is reflected in The Random Strangers setlist which includes songs by The Beatles, Neil Young, The Kinks, Bob Dylan, Status Quo, The Troggs, Lemon Pipers, Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Lovin’ Spoonful and many more! Free and open to the public. https:// www.facebook.com/Random-Strangers-814877668536082/info/?tab=page_info March 13 – Goodnight Gracie: This local Peoria group plays a combination of Indie, alternative rock, pop, blues, country and their own original songs. The band consists of Janet Glavin on lead vocals; Reid Noe on guitar; bass and vocals; Ben Holeton on drums and percussion and Tony Glass on bass, guitar and vocals.

Music in the

April 24 – The Sweet Potatoes: The Sweet Potatoes come out of Southern California to dish up their own unique blend of country, folk and homespun Americana. Featuring acoustic guitars, ukulele, accordion and harmonica, this trio will bring a smile to your face with their sweet harmonies and finely crafted songwriting. Their music has a back porch charm all it’s own. They have two CDs out and do concerts around the country, sometimes with some help from special friends. Find out more at www.thesweetpotatoes.com May 15 – P-Town Bluegrass Allstars: This collective of musicians from Peoria all come from different musical backgrounds but join forces to play the music of Jerry Garcia’s Old and In the Way, the bluegrass supergroup of the 1970s. The group consists of Dee Mil, Mike Miller and Wes Duffy on Guitar and Vocals and Aaron Miller on Bass and Vocals, Zac Zetterburg on banjo and Collin Krause on fiddle. For more on this group visit: https://www.facebook.com/pages/P-Town-Bluegrass-Allstars/1384807788407571 June 26 – Eric Lambert: Eric Lambert impresses audiences with his original elixir of feel-good Americana infused with bluegrass, blues, rock, & soul. His authentic sound is an eclectic blend that knows no boundaries. A 2015 Chicago Music Awards winner, Eric is well-regarded for his enthusiasm, visible joy, earthy voice, and precision licks. Renowned as a flatpicking guitarist, Lambert fronted the Henhouse Prowlers band for several years. Currently, Lambert performs solo as well as teamed up with other stellar musicians—he’s a standout crowd-pleaser. Eric is also a sought-after teacher who gives lessons at Down Home Guitars in Frankfort, IL as well as on DVD via TrueFire.com.

July 24 – Hungrytown: After more than a decade of worldwide touring and three album releases, Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson--otherwise known as the folk duo Hungrytown--have earned a reputation for the quality and authenticity of their songwriting. Lyricist Rebecca Hall is credited with compositions “that sound as timeless as any traditional songs” while producer/ multi-instrumentalist/husband Ken Anderson is lauded for his “remarkable affinity for instrumental embellishment” and for crafting Hungrytown’s “gorgeous vocal harmonies. The couple continue to spend more than half of each year on the road, especially roads in North America, Europe and New Zealand. Hungrytown’s music has received extensive radio airplay worldwide and has appeared on several television shows, including the Independent Film Channel’s hit series, Portlandia. See more at: http://hungrytown.net/about/#sthash.mUJYYs8S.dpufv

McKenzie

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August 14 – Sally Weisenburg Band: The Sally Weisenburg Band is known more than anything for their blues and R&B interpretations, but they wear a lot of hats and can also play anything from standards and Motown to instrumental surf music. With the recent addition of the steel guitar, they are also very comfortable playing a lot of old country and Texas swing. A portion of CD sales will benefit the Friends of Peoria Public Library.

September 18 – Ben Bedford: Ben Bedford delivers intriguing sketches of America, its individuals, their victories and their struggles. Poignant, but never sentimental, Bedford’s portrait-like songs capture the vitality of his characters and draw the listener deep into the narratives. With three albums to his credit, this Illinois artists songs tackle scenarios including homelessness, the plight of a Confederate soldier’s wife during the American Civil War, the aerial triumphs of Amelia Earhart, the life of Jack London, the murder of Emmett Till in 1955, John the Baptist, the poet Vachel Lindsay and even the 1973 standoff between members of The American Indian Movement and federal agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Often drawing upon history, Bedford’s songs have a strong sense of time and place. The songs are rich in sensory detail which allows the listener to hear, see and feel each narrative.

October 2 – Sarah McQuaid: Sarah McQuaid’s voice has been likened to malt whiskey, melted chocolate and “honey poured into wine” (Minor 7th). A captivating performer, she seduces her audience with cheeky banter and stories from the road, as well as with stunning musicianship; in her hands, the guitar becomes much more than merely an accompanying instrument. Born in Spain, raised in Chicago and now living in rural England, Sarah refuses to be pigeonholed, segueing easily from one of her emotive originals into a 1930s Cuban jazz number, a 16th century lute piece or an unexpected contemporary cover. Sarah McQuaid was taught piano and guitar by her folksinging mother, and remembers being inspired by meeting her distant cousin, well-known singer/songwriter/storyteller Gamble Rogers, at her grandmother’s house in Indiana. From the age of twelve she was embarking on tours of the US and Canada with the Chicago Children’s Choir, and at eighteen she went to France for a year to study philosophy at the University of Strasbourg. Recently dubbed “guitar queen” by one festival organiser, Sarah is also known for her use of the DADGAD tuning. She regularly presents workshops on the DADGAD tuning at festivals, music schools and venues around the globe.

November 13 – Switchback: Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack of the duo Switchback have been playing their brand of eclectic Celtic and Americana music at sold-out concert halls, performing arts centers and festivals around the world for over twenty years. Switchback concerts feature a mix of Irish music and original songs from their catalog of over 300 tunes which have been described as “breathtaking scenery for your ears.” Switchback plays an exciting mix of mandolin, guitar, and bass as it tours throughout the United States, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the Netherlands playing over 200 engagements a year and has had two PBS television specials. Unusual, honest, heartfelt, humorous, personable, talented, spiritual, and spirited – these all describe the band Switchback.

December – check back to see who will play in December!

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Peoria Public Library Hosting Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human? This Summer Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to be Human? a national traveling exhibition exploring the complex field of human evolution research, will be open to the public in the Peoria Public Library Main Gallery from June 17 through July 14, 2016. Peoria Public Library is one of 19 libraries across the country chosen to host this exhibit.

Through panels, interactive kiosks, hands-on displays and videos, Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human? invites audiences to explore milestones in the evolutionary journey of becoming human – from walking upright, creating technology and eating new foods, to brain enlargement and the development of symbolic language and complex societies –advancements that define the unique position of humans in the history of life.

Based on the Smithsonian’s “What Does It Mean To Be Human” permanent exhibition hall at the National Museum of Natural History, the traveling exhibit seeks to shed light on what we know about human origins and how we know it. The exhibition welcomes different cultural perspective on evolution and seeks to foster positive dialogue and a respectful exploration of the science.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of free library programs. Mark your calendar now for the following dates when programs will be presented by Smithsonian staff. A variety of other programs will be presented by scientists from our area.

Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human?

How can scientific discoveries on human evolution connect with larger understandings of what it means to be human? Join Dr. Rick Potts, paleoanthropologist and curator of the traveling exhibit on Thursday evening, June 23 at 5:30 p.m.

Exploring the Meanings of Human Evolution: A Community Conversation - Join Smithsonian staff to discuss how scientific discoveries about human origins relate to people’s personal understanding of the world and their place in it on Saturday, June 25 at 10:00 a.m. in the Peoria Public Library Main Library Auditorium.

Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human? was organized by the NMNH in collaboration with the ALA Public Programs Office. This project was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation and support from the Peter Buck Human Origins Fund.

HOT HOT New New Titles Titles

January

by Robin Helenthal

My Name is Lucy Barton: A Novel by Elizabeth Strout is her latest book in which a visit to the hospital between a mother and daughter becomes a gateway to rebuilding a lost relationship. Lucy Barton is recovering from an operation when the mother she hasn’t had contact with for years comes to visit her in the hospital. Although they reconnect while talking about people they know from Lucy’s childhood, there is still an underlying tension between them that stems from the past.

Through Lucy’s narrative the reader gets to share her dreams, her memories and her phobias. She escaped from her dysfunctional family, became a writer, married and has her own family but she still yearns to feel loved by her mother. This is a story about healing, acceptance and imperfect love.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald is a feel good book that tells the story of Sara Lindqvist, a young Swedish woman who adores reading and works in a book store, and her pen pal friendship with Amy Harris, also a book lover who lives in the small town of Broken Wheel, Iowa. After a couple of years of letter writing, Sara decides to visit Amy for a couple of months but before she arrives, Amy dies. The people of the town take Sara under their wing and she finds that she likes the little town and decides to open a book store. Sara’s motto is “there is a book for every person and a person for every book”. In the end, the town brings Sara out of her books (she finds romance with a local young man) and she becomes the glue that brings the people of the town together.

In The Ex by Alafari Burke, Olivia Randall, one of New York City’s best criminal defense lawyers, agrees to help a former fiancée who has been framed for murder, but as the evidence mounts she begins to doubt his innocence. Jack Harris is a widower whose wife Molly was killed in a mass shooting by a fifteenyear-old boy three years ago. He has not dated since that time but when he meets a beautiful stranger on the shores of the Hudson River, his world falls apart.

Harris is arrested for a triple homicide and one of the victims is the father of the boy who shot his wife. Olivia agrees to represent Jack as a way to make up for past regrets and because she feels the man from her past could not have done this. But did she ever really know him?

The Expatriates: A Novel by Janice Y. K. Lee is the story of three American women living as expatriates in a small community in Hong Kong. Mercy is a Columbia graduate searching for new opportunities who relocates to Hong Kong. Margaret is trying to find a new identity after her family is hit by a loss and the security of the life she knew disappears. Hilary is a rich housewife in a troubled marriage who wants a child and is thinking about adopting but is not sure whether the time is right. Lee explores the emotions of grief and isolation and how these affect the identity and relationships of these three very different women.

The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin is a novel about Truman Capote and his friendship with the “Swans” of New York, a group of beautiful society women. The women he befriended were Slim Keith, C. Z. Guest, Gloria Guinness, Pamela Hayward, Maria Agnelli and Barbara “Babe” Paley. The story narrows in on the relationship between Truman and Babe, but it includes the stories of their surrounding circle of friends. Truman became Babe’s friend and confidante, and she and the other “Swans” adopted him as an adored and indulged pet. He was allowed into their boudoirs for gossip sessions, heard all their secrets and betrayed them by telling all in the Esquire magazine short story “La Cote Basque 1965.” The novel gives the reader a history of the women who were leaders in fashion and lived the lifestyle of the rich and famous. You also learn quite a bit of Truman Capote’s downward spiral into drugs and alcohol. Even though the book is fiction, it has been well researched; the conversations are imagined but based on reality.

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ary

Janu

CALENDAR

of programs and events

All locations of Peoria Public Library

will be closed

Thursday, December 31 Friday, January 1 for the New

(at 3:00 pm)

Year’s Holiday

January

Tuesday, January 5, 12, 19 & 26

LAKEVIEW BRANCH Busy Bags

LINCOLN BRANCH Terrific Tattletale Storytime – 10:00-10:30 a.m.

Are you and your toddler looking for something fun to do while stuck in the house during these cold months? Stop by each week for a Busy Bag. There will be a new Busy Bag each week with a fun activity for you and your child to make and play with at home. You can open your bag as soon as you get home or save it for a really cold day! Ages 0 to 3.

January

January ALL LOCATIONS Cozy Up With a Book Winter Reading Program

Cozy up this winter with some fantastic books! Pick up a chart at any location, or print a copy from home. Bring your chart in each week through February 29 to win a prize. For each week you get your chart stamped, you receive an entry into a grand prize drawing to win a Kindle Paperwhite. If you like, you can choose reading challenges from our display and earn extra entries upon completion of the challenge. Grand prize drawing will be held on March 2.

Ages birth to adult.

January MAIN LIBRARY, LAKEVIEW BRANCH, & LINCOLN BRANCH 1 to 1 Tech Help

Have you ever wished you had your own personal technology guru to help you?

Pick a time slot and provide some information about the computer or device you would like help with. At the meeting, a librarian will be ready to help and focus on you. Drop in or call to schedule your session in advance.

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MCCLURE BRANCH New Year, New Book

This month starts a new year! Drop by and choose from a selection of wrapped books and try something new. Maybe you’ll find a new author to love or a new genre of books to explore throughout the upcoming year!

January MAIN LIBRARY Crafts-to-Go

In a hurry? Can’t stay and craft? Get your crafts to go. Kids ages 5 through 12 can pick up a craft packet at the 1st Floor Information Desk.

January 4-16 MAIN LIBRARY Fairy Tale Celebration

January 4 is the birthday of fairy tale author Jacob Grimm, and to honor it we are celebrating fairy tales. If you are in Kindergarten through 5th grade and you read a fairy tale, tell someone at the First Floor Desk. They will give you an Official Fairy Tale Celebration form to write your title on. Fill it out right there or bring it back and you’ll get a giveaway surprise. While supplies last.

Monday, January 4, 11 & 25 NORTH BRANCH – 10:30-11:00 A.M.

Wednesday, Jan. 6, 13, 20 & 27 LAKEVIEW BRANCH – 10:15-10:45 A.M. Tiny Tots Storytime

Ages 12 to 23 months.

Ages 3 to 6.

Tuesday, January 5, 12, 19 & 26 LAKEVIEW BRANCH Owlet Storytime – 10:30-11:00 a.m.

Bring your little owls to a storytime for all ages including songs, movement, and coloring.

Tuesday, January 5, 12, 19 & 26 LAKEVIEW BRANCH After School Homework Help – 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Bring your homework and assignments to our after school homework help hour to work in groups or alone on assignments.

A staff member will be on hand to assist with research and library resources. For grades 2 through 6.

Tuesday, January 5 LINCOLN BRANCH Front & Center: The Art of Tessellation – 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Learn the history of Tessellation. Combine Art and Math and create your own unique Tessellation art design. For ages 12 to 14.

Tuesday, January 5 LAKEVIEW BRANCH Online Book Database Workshop – 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Do you have lists and notebooks everywhere with titles and authors you want to read? Have you considered combining all of those sheets of paper into an online database site like Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThing, but just never bothered to get around to it? If you said yes, this workshop is for you! You’ll get a demonstration on how to use the sites, see what features they have to offer, and ask questions. We recommend bringing your own computer or device if possible, but it is not required. Open to avid readers of all ages!

Thursday, January 7

Wednesday, January 13

MCCLURE BRANCH Summer in January – 10:00-10:30 a.m.

NORTH BRANCH – 10:00-11:00 A.M.

Come to a special Fun Time Storytime to listen to fun stories about summer and make a summer craft to help you get through these cold winter months.

LAKEVIEW BRANCH – 2:30-3:30 P.M. Coloring Club for Adults

Thursday, Jan. 7, 14, 21 & 28

Tuesday, January 26

Play to Innvovate

NORTH BRANCH Tadpoles Storytime – 10:30-11:00 a.m.

Ages 2 to 3.

Friday, January 8, 15, 22 & 29 NORTH BRANCH A-Z Storytime – 3:00-3:30 p.m.

We’re learning the alphabet! Join us for letter-themed stories, songs, and crafts as we focus on learning the shapes of letters and the sounds they make!

Friday, January 8 LAKEVIEW BRANCH Tween Zone – 4:00-5:45 p.m.

Bring your friends and meet some new ones at our Tween Zone! We offer puzzles, board games, Wii U and PS3. Feel free to bring your own puzzles or board games as well! Ages 11 to 14.

Friday, January 8

Sunday, January 10 NORTH BRANCH Play to Innovate – 3:00-4:30 p.m.

Many studies are showing that a little bit of downtime at work helps adults with creativity and innovation on the job. We would like to help you become more innovative with a series of playful programs designed to help you relax, have fun, and potentially think of your next great idea.

Come enjoy the latest stress busting trend for grown-ups – good old fashioned coloring. We will have a quiet space, beautiful patterns, and a variety of coloring utensils (or feel free to bring your own). We ask for no children in the room as this is for adults only!

Wednesday, January 13 LAKEVIEW BRANCH Family Storytime & Craft – 4:30-5:15pm

Bring the family to a storytime where we’ll read Bedtime in the Jungle and then make a family craft using paint and our hands! Children and their parent or caregiver will complete our artful masterpieces together!

Sunday, January 10

January 14 & 19

NORTH BRANCH Biography & Non-fiction Book Club – 3:00-5:00 p.m.

LINCOLN BRANCH Puppet Show: “Witch’s Winter Kitchen” – 10:00-10:30 a.m.

This month: The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology by Simon Winchester

Come help Witch make some delicious soup! Ages 3 to 6.

Friday, January 15

LAKEVIEW BRANCH Penguin Thermometer Craft – 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Monday, January 11

Come measure the cold with us by making your own Penguin Thermometer Craft. While supplies lasts. Ages 5-10.

This month: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Calling all LEGO fans! Drop in any time to play. Parental supervision is required.

Monday, January 11

Saturday, January 16

NORTH BRANCH Pajama Storytime – 7:00-7:45 p.m.

MCCLURE BRANCH Keep Away the Cold – 3:00-5:00 p.m.

We’ll enjoy stories, songs, and a craft!

Wear your pajamas and bring a blanket to bundle up – you’ll be ready for bed when you head home!

January is a cold month, but we’re warm inside! Come watch Frozen, and enjoy hot chocolate and snacks to warm up while you watch the movie.

Tuesday, January 12

Sunday, January 17

LINCOLN BRANCH Front & Center: Figure Me Out – 5:00-6:00 p.m.

LAKEVIEW BRANCH Book ‘Em Mystery Book Club – 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Discover information about one another by using fun facts through Mathematics.

Learn dates of birth, how many minutes we’ve been on this earth and many other facts about your peers. For ages 10 to 12.

This month: Multiple Exposure by Ellen Crosby

Tuesday, January 12

Do you like puzzles? Are you a “puzzlemeister” or a budding enigmatologist?

National Puzzle Day is January 29, and in celebration we are offering an amusing puzzle kit for kids in grades 4 through 8.

Stretch your mind and pick up a puzzle kit at the First Floor Information Desk at the Main Library. While supplies last.

Saturday, January 9 NORTH BRANCH Math Challenge – 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Experience the joy of math by visiting the Beehive for a fun self-guided math challenge. Challenges will be geared toward students in grade three and up.

Drop in any time. While supplies last.

Saturday, January 9 LINCOLN BRANCH Make It! Take It! Martin Luther King, Jr. – 12:00-5:00 p.m.

Come make a sack puppet of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. While supplies last.

Sunday, January 10 LAKEVIEW BRANCH Rewrite the Story – 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Have you ever read a book and just wanted to change a few lines or draw a picture or two inside? Old picture books and markers will be provided so you can capture your creative and literary ideas down on paper as you rewrite the story.

LAKEVIEW BRANCH SciFi & Fantasy Book Club–6:30-7:30pm

LAKEVIEW BRANCH 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Club – 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Stop by to see a movie from a different decade featured in the revised edition of 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. This month: Groundhog Day (1993).

LAKEVIEW BRANCH LEGO Builders Club – 3:00-5:00 p.m.

January 19-30 MAIN LIBRARY Puzzle Kits Spectacular

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Calendar Continued All locations of

PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY will be

CLOSED

in honor of

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day North Branch always closed Tuesdays

Tuesday, January 19 LINCOLN BRANCH Front & Center: The Power of Freedom – 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Join us as we focus on Dr. King’s well known “I Have a Dream” speech and “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Students will read excerpts from each and lead discussion. For grades 7 and 8.

Tuesday, January 19 LAKEVIEW BRANCH YA for Adults Book Club – 6:30-7:30 pm

Saturday, January 23

Sunday, January 24

LAKEVIEW BRANCH Intergenerational Book Club – 2:00-3:00 p.m.

NORTH BRANCH Music in the McKenzie Presents: Flatland Harmony Experiment – 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Readers come in all ages and some books are enjoyed by readers of all ages! Join us for an all ages discussion of the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio. This book has received praise from readers of all ages.

See what other avid readers in your community have to think about this book at our Intergenerational Book Club.

Saturday, January 23 MAIN LIBRARY Open House: Library Services for Latino American Families – 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Come learn about services Peoria Public Library offers for Spanish speakers. Learn how to get a library card, find books and movies in Spanish, check out materials, and get a demonstration of Mango Languages, our language learning program to help you learn English. Enjoy musical entertainment by Mariachi Campiranos and delicious sweet treats from Panaderia Ortiz. Latino Americans: 500 Years of History has been made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association.

Wednesday, January 20 LAKEVIEW BRANCH Bare Feet Painting – 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Thursday, January 21 MCCLURE BRANCH Snowflake Storytime – 10:00-10:30 am

Is there snow outside?

Come to a special Fun Time Storytime to listen to stories about snow and make a fun snow craft.

Thursday, January 21 NORTH BRANCH Third Thursday Film Fest–2:00-5:00 pm

Join us on the third Thursday of each month for a different film released in the 1960’s. Bring a snack and enjoy an oldie, but goodie on the big screen. This month: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1960, NR)

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Monday, January 25 LINCOLN BRANCH Front & Center: “Snowmen at Night” Story Hour – 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Ever wonder what snowmen do at night?

Join us for a story hour and activities based on this delightful story Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner. For ages 5-8.

Tuesday, January 26 LINCOLN BRANCH Front & Center: Lava Lamp Science Project – 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Bring out the scientist in you by joining us as we make Lava Lamps. Using everyday household ingredients, you’ll create mesmerizing and amazing colorful blobs.

For ages 10 to 12.

This month: Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy

Come create a mural with us using your feet as the paint brush. We’ll collaborate on a picture and set to work creating it, one step at a time. For grades 6 to 8.

Flatland Harmony Experiment is a non-traditional vocally driven bluegrass string band based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. FHE started in the summer 2011. Since then the Flatland Harmony Experiment has worked relentlessly across the Midwest and has been received with open arms. Flatland Harmony Experiment is Scott Nelson on upright bass, Kris Potts on Mandolin, and Johnny Plott on Banjo. A portion of CD sales support The Friends of Peoria Public Library.

Tuesday, January 26 Saturday, January 23 NORTH BRANCH Engineering Challenge – 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Join us for the first of a series of engineering challenges at the North Branch! The first challenge will focus on the field of Civil Engineering. Participants will work together to create a structure, which will then be tested. Volunteers from the Society of Women Engineers will share information about engineering principles and lead the challenge. Grades 3 and up.

Sunday, January 24 LAKEVIEW BRANCH Silver Screen Sundays – 2:00-4:00 p.m.

This month: Marty starring Ernest Borgnine and directed by Delbert Mann

LINCOLN BRANCH Read On Book Club – 5:30-7:00 p.m.

This month: Invisible by James Patterson Friday, January 29 LAKEVIEW BRANCH Puzzle Craft – 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Celebrate National Puzzle Day by making your own puzzle to take home. While supplies last.

Saturday, January 30 MCCLURE BRANCH Snow Everywhere Party – 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Snow outside and snow inside! Come in and experience everything snow! We’ll make fake snow, make snow crafts and eat snow snacks! Preschool and primary school grades.

Open House for Latino American Families Peoria Public Library Main Library is hosting an Open House on Saturday, January 23 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. for Spanish speakers in the Auditorium on Lower Level 2 featuring Mariachi Camprianos and treats from Panadria Ortiz.

Latino Americans are invited to come and learn how to get a library card, find books and movies in Spanish and check out materials. In addition there will be a demonstration of Mango Languages the Peoria Public Library free language tutoring program for ESL learners. Those with questions should call (309) 497-2150.

Latino Americans: 500 Years of History has been made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanitites and the American Library Association.

Play to Innovate Series for Adults Encourages Creativity Peoria Public Library will present a monthly series of programs from January to May for adults designed to spark imagination and expand creative thinking. All programs are free, and you can attend just one or all of them. These playful programs are designed to help hard working adults relax, have fun and perhaps think of the next great idea!

Join us Sunday, January 10 at North Branch from 3:00-4:30 p.m. for “Gaming” then again on Saturday, February 13 at Main Library for “Strategy and Problem Solving” also from 3:00-4:30 p.m. Participants are encouraged to bring friends or co-workers.

The program continues in March with “Upscale Arts” on Saturday, March 13 from 3:00-4:30. The last two programs are “Sensory Mode” on Saturday, April 9 and “Vision and Innovation” at Lincoln Branch on Sunday, May 8. Both programs run from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Mark your calendar now for the whole series! For more information call (309) 497-2000.

Greater Peoria

Dining Tour Books

Available at: LAKEVIEW BRANCH, NORTH BRANCH, MAIN LIBRARY & FRIENDS BOOKSTORE $10 of each book sold goes to

The Friends of Peoria Public Library.

AARP Volunteers Offering Tax Help Those seeking tax help from the AARP volunteers will have an opportunity to sign up for an appointment on Saturday, January 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the North Branch Seminar Room.

The appointment dates will be announced that day, but will be available through early April.

The North Branch is the only location tax help will be offered. Those seeking an appointment will be given a number upon arrival and then those signing up will be able to make an appointment and will be given forms to fill out before arriving for the appointment.

Please remember the North Branch opens at 10:00 a.m. and no one will be admitted early. Appointments may not be made over the phone.

For additional tax help, visit the library website at peoriapubliclibrary.org/taxforms.

Understand the Video Game Phenomena with These Books

by Amanda Hildebrand

In Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal, the author enthusiastically works to dispel stereotypes and stigma surrounding gamers and speaks about the advantages that gaming can give a person, getting them used to setting and achieving goals, dealing with and learning from failure, teamwork, and many others.

For something a little bit different, instead of any one specific game, following are some books you might be interested in if you like video games in general or would like to understand why people are so fascinated with video gaming. For more information about video gaming, ask our staff to help you locate resources.

Be sure to watch for our gaming programs, too!

Changing the Game: How Video Games Are Transforming the Future of Business by David Edery also covers the advantages experienced video gamers might have gained from their hobby, as well as other uses games can have in the business world. The author talks about how games are used to promote business and generate interest, and also how games can be used to train employees.

Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter

by Tom Bissell is a series of critical essays looking at popular video game of the last fifteen years through the lens of an avid gamer. Don’t be mislead by the subtitle, as the book spends little time talking about why video games matter, as this book focuses more on literary analysis of popular video games.

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February Book Clubs

Join a book club at Peoria Public Library this month.

New members are always welcome!

At Peoria Public Library

2016 Read the book

Peoria Reads!

Peoria Reads! 2016 is funded by The Big Read. The annual One City One Book Peoria Reads! readingPresented and discussion by program strives to create understanding of important Peoria Public Library issues & Common Place by having everyone read one significant book. More information about a multitude of events and book discussions is available at peoriareads.org. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

The Bibliophiles Book Club will meet on Tuesday, February 2 at 1:30 p.m. at Lakeview tothediscuss The Big Read isBranch a program of National Citizens Endowment forof theLondon Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

by Lynne Olson.

Here is the behind-thescenes story of how the United States forged its wartime alliance with Britain, told from the perspective of three key American players in London: Edward R. Murrow, the handsome, chain-smoking head of CBS News in Europe; Averell Harriman, the hard-driving millionaire who ran FDR’s Lend-Lease program in London; and John Gilbert Winant, the shy, idealistic U.S. ambassador to Britain. Each man formed close ties with Winston Churchill—so much so that all became romantically involved with members of the prime minister’s family. Drawing from a variety of primary sources, Lynne Olson skillfully depicts the dramatic personal journeys of these men who, determined to save Britain from Hitler, helped convince a cautious Franklin Roosevelt and reluctant American public to back the British at a critical time.

and get involved!

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the character Tim O’Brien, who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of 43.

A classic work of American literature that has not stopped changing minds and lives since it burst onto the literary scene, The Things They Carried is a ground-breaking meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling.

The Biography and Non-Fiction Book Club will meet on Sunday, February 14 at 3:00 p.m. at North Branch to discuss If I Die in a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home by Tim O’Brien. Before writing his award-winning Going After Cacciato, Tim O’Brien gave us this intensely personal account of his year as a foot soldier in Vietnam. The author takes us with him to experience combat from behind an infantryman’s rifle, to walk the minefields of My Lai, to crawl into the ghostly tunnels, and to explore the ambiguities of manhood and morality in a war gone terribly wrong. Beautifully written and searingly heartfelt, If I Die in a Combat Zone is a masterwork of its genre. & Tim O’Brien is the author of the 2016 Peoria non-fiction Reads book, The Things They Carried. book group

Intercontinental Readers will meet Tuesday, March 22 at 1:00 p.m. to discuss The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien - A 2016 Peoria Reads Book.

Club Read will meet on Wednesday, February 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Lakeview Branch to discuss The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.

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The Book ‘Em Mystery Book Club will meet on Sunday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. at Lakeview Branch to discuss Under the Knife by Tess Gerritsen. For attorney David Ransom, it begins as an open-and-shut case: malpractice. Then Dr. Kate Chesne storms into his office, daring him to seek out the truth—that she’s being framed. When another patient turns up dead, David starts to believe her. Somewhere in the Honolulu hospital, a killer walks freely.

And now David finds himself asking the same questions Kate is desperate to have answered.

Who is next—and why?

The Sci-Fi Fantasy Book Club will meet on Monday, February 8 at Lakeview Branch at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Genocide of One by Kazuaki Takano. “During a briefing in Washington D.C., the President is informed of a threat to national security: a three-year-old boy named Akili, who is already the smartest being on the planet.

Representing the next step in human evolution, Akili can perceive patterns and predict future events better than most supercomputers, and is capable of manipulating grand-scale events like pieces on a chess board. And yet, for all that power, Akili has the emotional maturity of a child--which might make him the most dangerous threat humanity has ever faced. An American soldier, Jonathan Yeager, leads an international team of elite operatives deep into the heart of the Congolese jungle under Presidential orders to destroy this threat to humanity before Akili’s full potential can be realized. But Yeager has a very sick child, and Akili’s advanced knowledge of all things, medicine included, may be Yeager’s only hope for saving his son’s life.

Soon Yeager finds himself caught between following his orders and saving a creature with a hidden agenda, who plans to either save humanity as we know it--or destroy it”--

The YA Book Club for Adults will meet on Tuesday, February 17 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Rabbit in Red by Joe Chianakas. Bill Wise has blood in his past, so he turns to horror films to wipe it clean.

Jaime Stein has felt the betrayal of death, so she too takes refuge in the on-screen deaths of others.

Now Bill, Jaime, and seventeen other horror-loving teens have gathered at Rabbit in Red Studios, the brainchild of eccentric horror producer Jay “JB” Bell, for the terror-filled, blood-drenched contest of their lives. JB has presented this competition as a race between the best of the best that will reward the winners with cash, internships, and a career making the movies they love. But things aren’t always as they seem at Rabbit in Red, and soon life starts to imitate art. Will Bill and Jaime be strong enough to confront real horror to save their friends, or will they all fall victim to JB’s twisted plans?

The Read on Book Club will meet on Tuesday, February 23 at 5:30 p.m. at Lincoln Branch to discuss Ruby by Cynthia Bond. Ephram Jenkins has never forgotten the beautiful girl with the long braids running through the piney woods of Liberty, their small East Texas town. Young Ruby, “the kind of pretty it hurt to look at,” is already quite damaged, but Ephram is forcibly drawn to her. As soon as she becomes a young woman and has any power of her own, Ruby flees suffocating Liberty for the bright pull of 1950s New York City. Years later, when a funeral forces her to return home, 30-year-old Ruby will find herself reliving the devastating violence of her girlhood. With the terrifying realization that she might not be strong enough to fight her way back out, Ruby struggles to survive her memories of the town’s dark past.

Meanwhile, Ephram must choose between loyalty to the sister who raised and stood by him and the chance for a life with the woman he has loved since he was a boy.

What’s Trending?

At Peoria Public Library FICTION BOOKS

All Dressed in White: an Under Suspicion Novel

by Mary Higgins Clark Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George The Bazaar of Bad Dreams: Stories by Stephen King Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith The Clasp by Sloane Crosley Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child The Crossing: a Novel by Michael Connelly Depraved Heart: a Scarpetta Novel by Patricia Cornwell NON-FICTION BOOKS

Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People by Nadia Bolz-Weber Arm Knitting by Amanda Bassetti Binge by Tyler Oakley A Common Struggle: a Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction

by Patrick J. Kennedy Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again by Donald Trump Devotion: an Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice by Adam Makos Empire of Self: a Life of Gore Vidal by Jay Parini Home is Burning by Dan Marshall Keep Moving: and Other Tips and Truths about Aging by Dick Van Dyke Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell YOUNG ADULT BOOKS

Airhead by Meg Cabot All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher Archivist Wasp: a Novel by Nicole KornherStace Assassin’s Apprentice by Susan Vaught Cinder by Marissa Meyer Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge Crown of Midnight: a Throne of Glass Novel by Sarah J. Maas Dark Tide by Jennifer Donnelly Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor MOVIES

Dope Dragon Ball Z. Resurrection ‘F’ The End of the Tour The Gift Magic Mike XXL Max Mr. Holmes New Jack City Pixels

For more of what’s trending, vist: peoriapubliclibrary.org/whats-trending 9

www.peoriapubliclibrary.org

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