Friends of the Jones Library System News

Come hear these poems It's good for your intellect Better than haiku

Here are 24 Tweets we think every book lover will appreciate .  And #18 made some of us Friends giggle at our desks. 

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In case you never, ever want to know where that one book is.  Ever again.  Try this .

If you still don't have your costume figured out, the Friends have some inspiration found in children's books for you!

The Friends are feeling the love...

Tuesday, November 3, 7 p.m .:  Carla Panciera, winner of the Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction and author of  Bewildered: Stories .  Carla Panciera is the author of two collections of poetry,  One of the Cimalores and  No Day, No Dusk, No Love . A high school English teacher, she lives with her husband and three daughters in Rowley, Massachusetts. Tuesday, November 10, 7 p.m .:  Bruce Laurie, author of  Rebels in Paradise: Sketches of Northampton Abolitionists .  Bruce Laurie is professor of history emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and author of  Beyond Garrison: Antislavery and Social Reform . Thursday, November 19, 7 p.m .:  Chris Appy and Clark Dougan, editors of the series Culture, Politics, and the Cold War , discuss the genesis of the UMass Press Cold War series, writing about the American war in Vietnam, and Appy’s newest book,  American Reckoning (Viking). Tuesday, November 24, 7 pm : ...

You just NEED a short story .

Please join us on Saturday November 7th at 1:30 in the Woodbury Room at the Jones Library for The Victorian Lady: Dressing from Corsets to Gloves  with performance artist Kandie Carle . Come discover the fashion and customs that existed during Emily Dickinson's lifetime. While dressing in actual vintage and authentically reproduced undergarments, clothing, and accessories, Kandie Carle adds humor, history, and intriguing anecdotes about fashion, home life, and etiquette of men and women during the Victorian Era. Free and open to the public with refreshments to follow. Arrival at the library by horse-drawn carriage optional.

Next Sunday, November 1, at 3:00 pm in the Goodwin Room of the Jones Library, come hear the poetry of Monica McClure and Paige Taggart. Want more details? Click here . Because the Friends have attended poetry readings before, we know that not all poems are limericks. There are haikus, too.

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Do you own a Thinking Cap? What about Smarty Pants? On occasion have you donned a Rally Cap? Put 'em all on, baby. It's Trivia Night at the Jones! On the first Thursday of the month (that's this coming Nov. 5th, Einstein), from 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm, join your fellow Mensa Members for Trivia Night in the Woodbury Room. All trivia buffs are invited to participate and support the Jones Library. Bring your college friends! Bring your know-it-all boss! Bring your crazy Uncle Irwin! But mostly? Just bring it.

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Halloween is the perfect time to have fun getting scared.  Join us for a pre-Halloween Fright Night film screening of a classic horror film by Alfred Hitchcock, which may forever change the way you look at our feathered friends. Join us in the Woodbury Room on next  Thursday, October 29 at 7 pm .  More information about the movie to be screened can be found on the Jones Library website at  www.joneslibrary.org .  The film is rated PG-13. Free and open to the public.  For more information, please contact Janet Ryan at  413/259-3223 . 

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The Greatest Knight:  The Unsung story of the Queen's Champion by Elizabeth Chadwick This is a historical novel. The knight of the title is William Marshall and the queen is Eleanor of Aquitaine. Once into this book I was hooked; I love history and the author sticks pretty close to historical fact -- with a few embellishments. Well written and a great story. -- Dorothy, member, Friends of the Jones Library System

Have you ever wanted to play the ukulele? Here's your chance! You're invited to a Ukulele Strum Along this Sunday, October 25th, from 3:00-4:30 in the Amherst Room at the Jones Library. This is an all ages strum-along for beginning ukulele players led by Julie Stepanek. Ukuleles will be available to borrow. Space is limited so sign-up in required. Have questions? Ready to sign-up? Visit or call the Jones Library Children's Room (259.3091) or just email Julie at julie@calamine.com. This program has been generously funded by the Friends of the Jones Library. Come channel your inner Israel Kamakawiwo'ole .

Please join us on TONIGHT at 6:30 pm in our Special Collections Department for a reading of recent works from local poet, Wally Swist. He will be reading from his recently published collection, Invocation. Refreshments to follow in the Burnett Gallery. Books will be available for sale and signing. For more information, please contact Cynthia Harbeson, Head of Special Collections at 413/ 259-3097. We hope to see you there!

Because the Friends think smell of old books is a truly wonderful thing. Old socks, though, not so much.

The Friends are very  easily spooked. Some of us read #12 a couple years ago and it still give us the heebie jeebies. However, if you're the type who likes to sleep with the light on and one eye open, check these out : Cue ominous music.

( Pride and Prejudice , 1813) Surely you, as the Friends do, love Jane Austen. Her humor, her romance.... Ah Jane, would that you could be with us always. And? There's an app for that . To slightly paraphrase the Great Woman herself, "If we loved her less, we might be able to talk about it more." ( Emma , 1815)

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Need some help figuring out what to be this Halloween?  Here are 49 literary costume ideas for you. And the Friends would totally swoon if this little Strega Nona come trick-or-treating at our house.

Such a neat idea .

Saturday, Oct.17 at 10:00 a.m. in the Jones Library Steve Strimer, Levellers Press, a leader in the independent publishing world, will discuss the growing power of the independent press movement. Zane Kotker, a nationally acclaimed fiction writer, will speak on her experience of both indie and mainstream publishing. Dusty J. Miller, non-fiction and mystery author, will discuss collaborative writers' networks, using the model of Sisters in Crime -- a national network of support for mystery and crime writers; she will also address the value of peer support options. The panel will be followed by a Q & A session. Free. Questions? Contact: Tina Swift, 413-259-4090. She's good, she knows loads of stuff.

"We should act as guides for our children , not wardens."

We like Banned Books and we cannot lie.

Questions your local librarians will not  be answering for you...

These libraries don't just house amazing books,  they look great while doing it .