Children’s Programs

*Winter Story Hours: Sign-ups for preschool story hour begins Tuesday, January 20, and will run until only Wednesday, January 28.

Classes for 2-year olds and their caregivers will place Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 10 to 10:30.  Classes for 3- to 5-year olds are on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings from 11 until 11:45 and Wednesday and Thursday afternoons beginning at 1.

All classes are free and open to Newtown residents. Registration forms are available in the children’s department and must be filled out in person only; no phone registrations will be accepted.

Young Adults

*Book Discussion: Let’s talk about Holes by Louis Sachar. The library has many copies of this terrific book about Stanley Yelnats, the family curse, stolen sneakers, Camp Green Lake and the warden who is looking for something big. Books are on display in the YA area.

We’ll be showing the movie, rated PG, and then discussing the book on Wednesday, January 28, from 4:30 to 7:30. This program is designed for readers in grades 5-8, and will include pizza for dinner. Sign up at the main floor circulation desk or call the library.

*Creative Contests: We have information and entry forms for four creative contests for young adults this winter. Stop in the library’s Young Adult area and choose from “World of Words,” an essay contest celebrating family connections to other homelands with top individual cash prizes of $25, $50 and $100; “Playstages,” a playwriting contest for short plays written by individuals or groups, with a top prize of $500 for a library program; “Get On Board and Read,” a contest to create a poem, essay, painting or video about how a favorite book is meaningful to you, with prizes including a meeting with the skateboarder Tony Hawk and other prizes; and “IMPAC-CT State University Young Writers’ Annual Competition,” a poem, essay or fiction contest with a top prize of $1,000.

*Last Chance To Chill With Will: Professional actress and teacher Leland Kellogg of Newtown will bring Shakespeare to life through various levels of multimedia in “Chill With Will: A Young Adults Shakespeare Workshop.” Young adults will write and star in their own Shakespeare movie short, and turn Shakespeare’s sonnets into TV commercials.

The five-session workshop will meet on Fridays, January 9 to February 6. The group will meet from 2 o 5 pm for the first four weeks. The program will culminate with a Friday evening performance at the library (snow date February 13).

The workshop is geared for students in grades 7 and above, and is limited to 15 participants. Cost is $75, payable at sign-up; call the library or visit the main floor circulation desk (or go straight to the Young Adult department at this point).

Now On View

*Cityscapes & Landscapes: Newtown artist Ruth Newquist, famous for her lovely watercolors of familiar Newtown landmarks and scenes of SoHo, is having a show on the library’s main floor January 10 to February 29. The show can be viewed during library hours.

An artist’s reception is planned for Saturday, January 10, from 2 to 4 pm, and the public is invited to attend.

The exhibition, “Cityscapes & Landscapes: Oils & Watercolors by Ruth Newquist,” features new works by Mrs Newquist in both oils and watercolors focusing on the vibrant street scenes of New York City as well as the tranquil meadows and barns of Newtown.

*Another Local Artist: Newtown artist Carol Ruzicka, a designer, illustrator and painter, has works on view this month in the Olga Koepkne Memorial Meeting Room (the library’s lower meeting room). Ms Ruzika’s home and studio are in Newtown. In addition to painting, the artist has created numerous illustrations for national magazines although she says in an online artist’s statement that she has deliberately shifted her focus away from commercial work since 2000.

Also from her artist’s statement: “Stylistically, I am drawn to the ‘Chiaroscuro’ style and Dali surrealism: re-creating on canvas a play of strong light and sensuous shapes. At first glance, my works may appear to be drawn quite literally as realistic still lifes, but the environment, on closer examination, is dreamlike.”

Adult News

*Can Great Literature Be Funny? Gordon Williams and Liz Arneth are leading a discussion series concerning plays by great playwrights. The remaining discussions and their titles are You Can’t Take It With You by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman on January 22; George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion on March 11; and Shakespeare’s As You Like It on April 1.

Discussions are on the third floor in the Special Collections Room beginning at 7:30 pm. Multiple copies of each play are available at the circulation desk.

*Book Groups: Take time out from your  busy schedule and do something for yourself. Join a book discussion at the library. On Monday, January 12, at 1pm, the Fiction Group will be talking about The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, and on Thursday, January 15, the Evening Group will meet at 7:30 to discuss Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horowitz. New participants are always welcome. Call the library for more information.

*Do-Ahead Chinese Party: Celebrate the Chinese New Year with a free cooking demonstration by Norma Chang on Wednesday, January 27, at 1 pm. Learn some stress-free entertainment tips and sample some great authentic recipes. The program is free but you must sign up at the library as there is a limit of 40 participants.

*Getting Your Affairs in Order: Attorney Robert Fisher will give a talk on legal issues, including power of attorney, living wills and getting your affairs in order, Thursday, January 29, at 7:30 pm. Sign up at the circulation desk or by calling the library.

*Coming in February: Leslie Troy will be teaching a two part class on architecture in Newtown and folk art painting. Also, coming in February the library will be hosting a film series of award winning foreign films. More details to come.

C.H. Booth Library, at 25 Main Street, can be reached at 426-4533. Winter hours are 10 am to 8 pm Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 pm on Friday, 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, and 1 to 5 pm on Sunday.