Currently On View

A collection of early American samplers and folk art painting by Susan Shaw is now on display near the Children’s Department.

Susan does exquisite needlework on forty-count silk fabric. A sampler from 1842 is worked on 50 count linen.

Also on exhibit are her painted American folk art boxes which complement the embroidered pieces.  The library is deeply grateful for Susan’s sharing her skills, and invites patrons to stop by and see this beautiful display which will be exhibited through February.

Children’s Program

*St Patrick’s Day Craft: Marie Walker will conduct an early St Patrick’s Day workshop on Thursday, March 10, at 4 pm.

For ages 6-9, the workshop will have participants making a “Pot of Gold” centerpiece, using beads to create a rainbow. A $3 material fee is due upon registration, which should be done at the children’s department circulation desk.

YA Program

Battle of the Books 2011 will be Saturday, March 26.

Form a team of three or four people in grades 5-8 (all must be Newtown students or residents). Homeschoolers are welcome!

Team captains must sign up in person and pick up a packet for team members. Signups are open through March 7 at the library second floor circulation desk (no online signup).

The trivia contest will test your knowledge of these four great books: Elephant Run by Roland Smith, First Light by Rebecca Stead, London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd and Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt.

Copies are available at the library, and prizes include $10 and $20 gift cards to a local bookstore. 

Programs For Adults

*Book Discussions: The Evening Book Discussion Group will meet to discuss Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury  on Thursday, February 17th at 7:30 pm; and The Non-Fiction Book Discussion Group will meet to discuss Cyber War by Richard Clarke and also Mamalita by Jessica O’Dwyer on Tuesday, March 1, at 1 pm.

Copies of these titles are available at the library, and newcomers are always welcome to join any of the library’s book groups.

*Sunset Series: a discussion in two parts on Advance Directives.

What kind of medical care would you want if were too ill or unable to express your wishes? Advance Directives are legal documents that allow you to convey your decisions ahead of time about end of life care. They provide a way to avoid confusion in communicating your wishes to family, friends and your healthcare providers.

This is a topic we tend to avoid, sometimes until it’s too late.  Come learn all you need to know from two caring and experienced healthcare professionals, Dr Daniel G. O’Hare, consultant ethicist, and Julia MacMillan, APRN, palliative care coordinator and co-chair of the Danbury Hospital Ethics Committee.

Part I, “Let Me Show You How Much I Love You – I Have an Advance Directive,” will be presented on Tuesday, February 15, at 7 pm.

Part II, “The Next Step – When The Time Comes: The Nuts and Bolts… and Tubes of Advanced Directives” will be covered on Tuesday, March 1, at 7 pm.

Copies of Advance Directives will be available at no charge at both of the talks. Please register online or by calling the library.

*The Ropes of Life: Julie Stern has returned with a book discussion series.

“The Ropes of Life: Social Class, Responsibility and the Individual’s Struggle Against the Tide” is the new topic for Julie, a retired teacher and lecturer of literature. The series continues with the remaining four titles: Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev, to be discussed on March 2; Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen, March 23; The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, April 13; and Pride and Prejudice, April 27.

Multiple copies of each book are available at the second floor desk.

*Build A Bluebird Nest Box: Staff members from Flanders Nature Center will be visiting the library on Thursday, March 3, for a 5 pm nest box workshop. For $20 you can make your own redwood box to help provide safe housing for bluebirds.

This is a fun parent-child or grandparent-child activity, and is suitable for children 10 and up. The kits are also available for purchase.

Prior to the workshop there will be a short but very informative film on bluebirds. Space is limited, and online registration is requested.

*Literature and Life: Yale College Associate Dean Mark Schenker will be returning to the library to lead a four part series on James Joyce and his collection of short stories, The Dubliners.

Programs will meet on Thursdays, March 10, 24 and 31, and April 14, from 7 to 8 pm. The program is free but online registration is required.

Dr Schenker is well known throughout Connecticut and his programs are always very well attended.

*Artscapades: Impressionism and Post-Impressionism —From Paris to Cos Cob.

Do you enjoy art but wish you knew a bit more? Would you like to be able to walk into a museum anywhere in the world and feel like you had a framework for looking at art you’ve never seen before?

If you’ve answered Yes to either these questions you may want to consider joining us for a three part art appreciation lecture series which will focus on the French Impressionists and the American Impressionists.

“Artscapades” will look at background information on each artist’s life and work, characteristics of style, as well as the relationship of the artistic movements to historical and intellectual currents of the time. The lectures are slated for Tuesdays, March 22, March 29, and April 5, at 7 pm.

Online registration is requested to assure a seat.

C.H. Booth Library is at 25 Main Street in Newtown. Call 203-426-4533 or visit CHBoothLibrary.org to register for any of the above listings, and for information on additional programs and offerings.