The Thomaston Public Library Mystery Book Club will meet on Thursday, December 5 at 11 am to discuss British-Asian crime writers Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee. Vaseem Khan is the author of the Baby Ganesh Agency series which begins with The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, and Abir Mukherjee writes the Wyndham & Banarjee series, starting with A Rising Man. Both series are set in India, though Khan writes of modern Mumbai and Mukherjee’s books are set in 1920s Calcutta. Book club members are welcome to read any book by either author.

From the publisher regarding Mukherjee’s A Rising Man:

“India, 1919. Desperate for a fresh start, Captain Sam Wyndham arrives to take up an important post in Calcutta’s police force. He is soon called to the scene of a horrifying murder. The victim was a senior official, and a note in his mouth warns the British to leave India – or else.

“With the stability of Empire under threat, Wyndham and Sergeant ‘Surrender-not’ Banerjee must solve the case quickly. But there are some who will do anything to stop them…”

From the publisher of The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra:

“Mumbai, murder and a baby elephant combine in a charming, joyful mystery for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Rachel Joyce.

“On the day he retires, Inspector Ashwin Chopra discovers that he has inherited an elephant: an unlikely gift that could not be more inconvenient. For Chopra has one last case to solve...

“But as his murder investigation leads him across Mumbai - from its richest mansions to its murky underworld - he quickly discovers that a baby elephant may be exactly what an honest man needs.

“So begins the start of a quite unexpected partnership, and an utterly delightful new series.”

The Thomaston Public Library Mystery Book Club meets the first Thursday of every month at 11 am. January's selection will be decided at December's meeting. For more information, please contact the library at (207) 354-2453.

Join us at Thomaston Public Library on Monday, December 9 at 5:00 pm for our Family Movie & Pizza Night! Free and open to all, and pajamas are welcome. For December, we're excited to show you Home!

When Oh (voiced by Jim Parsons), a loveable misfit from another planet, lands on Earth and finds himself on the run from his own people, he forms an unlikely friendship with an adventurous girl named Tip (voiced by Rihanna) who is on a quest of her own. Through a series of comic adventures with Tip, Oh comes to understand that being different and making mistakes is all part of being human. And while he changes her planet and she changes his world, they discover the true meaning of the word HOME.

Home is rated PG for "mild action and some rude humor" by the MPAA. The runtime is 94 minutes. 

All films for Family Movie & Pizza Night are shown with closed captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The Let's Talk About It book group, facilitated by author and mentor Lee Heffner, will meet Tuesday, December 10, at 11 a.m. at Thomaston Public Library to continue the series entitled "So Near & So Far: An Exploration of Cuban Literature" with The Chase by Alejo Carpentier.

From the publisher:

"'In a nameless, Havana-like city, an anonymous man flees a team of shadowy, relentless political assassins, and ultimately takes refuge in a symphony auditorium during a performance of Beethoven’s Eroica. . . . This nightmarish novel does not so much tell a story as map the secret political infrastructure of cities, governments, churches, music, and bodies.' --The Independent

"'Carpentier was one of the early giants of modern Latin American literature, a man whose writing helped shape and define the period of ‘magic realism.’ . . . [The Chase is] a masterpiece.' -- New York Times Book Review

"'A taut tale of political violence and psychological suspense.' -- San Francisco Chronicle

"'One of the few perfect novellas in Spanish.' -- G. Cabrera Infante

"Perhaps Cuba’s most important intellectual figure of the twentieth century, Alejo Carpentier (1904–1980) was a novelist, a classically trained pianist and musicologist, a producer of avant-garde radio programming, and an influential theorist of politics and literature. Best known for his novels, Carpentier also collaborated with such luminaries as Igor Stravinsky, Darius Milhaud, Georges Bataille, and Antonin Artaud. Born in Havana, he lived for many years in France and Venezuela but returned to Cuba after the 1959 revolution."

These discussions are always thought-provoking and lively, and we welcome anyone to join for one book or the whole series! Light refreshments are served.

On January 14, the group will continue the discussion of Cuban literature with Dreaming in Cuban by Christina Garcia. Copies are available to borrow at the library. For more information, please contact the library at (207) 354-2453 or at programs@thomaston.lib.me.us.

Need an excuse to set aside some time to read? Or perhaps you haven't joined a traditional book club because it feels too much like the assigned reading in high school? Check out Thomaston Public Library's Silent Book Club!

Join us for a half hour of low-key (and completely optional! Introverts welcome!) socializing and light snacks, followed by an hour of reading in companionable silence. There is no required reading, so bring your own book or ask the librarians or the fellow book club members for a recommendation to borrow when you arrive. We will meet at the library on the evening of the third Monday of every month, so our first meeting will be Monday, December 16 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Learn more about Silent Book Clubs here!

On Tuesday, December 17 at 2:30 PM, the Thomaston Intergenerational Book Club will discuss the memoir No One Tells You This by Glynnis MacNicol.

From the publisher:

"If the story doesn’t end with marriage or a child, what then?

"This question plagued Glynnis MacNicol on the eve of her 40th birthday. Despite a successful career as a writer, and an exciting life in New York City, Glynnis was constantly reminded she had neither of the things the world expected of a woman her age: a partner or a baby. She knew she was supposed to feel bad about this. After all, single women and those without children are often seen as objects of pity, relegated to the sidelines, or indulgent spoiled creatures who think only of themselves.

"Glynnis refused to be cast into either of those roles and yet the question remained: What now? There was no good blueprint for how to be a woman alone in the world. She concluded it was time to create one.

"Over the course of her fortieth year, which this memoir chronicles, Glynnis embarks on a revealing journey of self-discovery that continually contradicts everything she’d been led to expect. Through the trials of family illness and turmoil, and the thrills of far-flung travel and adventures with men, young and old (and sometimes wearing cowboy hats), she is forced to wrestle with her biggest hopes and fears about love, death, sex, friendship, and loneliness. In doing so, she discovers that holding the power to determine her own fate requires a resilience and courage that no one talks about, and is more rewarding than anyone imagines.

"Intimate and timely, No One Tells You This is a fearless reckoning with modern womanhood and an exhilarating adventure that will resonate with anyone determined to live by their own rules."

On the third Tuesday of every month, the Intergenerational Book Club, a group of men and women of all ages, comes together at the library to share their opinions and ideas about the selected book. All are welcome at the Thomaston Public Library on November 19 at 2:30 PM. If you live in Thomaston and would like to attend but need a ride, please call the library at (207) 354-2453 a week before the discussion date.

The group is currently deciding what books will be on the 2020 reading list! Email Caroline at caroline.wardnesbit@thomaston.lib.me.us with any suggestions before December 10, and book club members will be able to vote by email on all of the recommendations before the December 17 meeting.

Take a break from holiday prep and join us for afternoon tea on December 20 from 3 to 4:30 PM! Delicious treats and hot tea will be served, and all are welcome in the community living room at Thomaston Public Library.

We would also like to encourage folks to support their neighbors by bringing to Communi-TEA a non-perishable food, pet care, or personal care item to donate to the food pantry!

The Thomaston Public Library Mystery Book Club will meet at 11 am on Thurdsay, January 2, January's book will be chosen at the December 5 meeting, so check back soon for more information!