By Jeanni Ritchie
Longtime readers of my columns know my love of libraries. Not only did I spend two post-classroom teaching years as a Youth Services Librarian in Mississippi, but my return to Central Louisiana has found me at Westside Library at least twice a week.
Between picking up the holds of new releases, attending one of the many library or community programs, or meeting my grandson’s speech therapist for an afterschool session, the library branch feels like home.
February is Library Lover’s Month. As in people who love books. Not people who meet in the stacks where Ross Geller’s book is housed. (By the way, the Rapides Parish Library carries both Friends books and dvds!)
New arrivals for February at the Rapides Parish Library include:
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter — Heather Fawcett
And Now, Back to You — B.K. Borison
The Astral Library — Kate Quinn
Call and Response — Michelle L. Smith
Clutch — Emily Nemens
Cold Zero — Brad Thor
Food Fix Uncensored: Inside the Food Industry’s Biggest Cover-Ups — Mark Hyman
Good Daughtering — Allison M. Alford
Heir of Illusion — Madeline Taylor
The Hard Line — Mark Greaney
It’s Not Her — Mary Kubica
Keeper of Lost Children — Sadeqa Johnson
Operation Bounce House — Matt Dinniman
Only Friends — Lydia San Andres
Royal Spin — Omid Scobie & Robin Benway
Stripped Down — Bunnie Xo
Throne of Nightmares — Kerri Maniscalco
Two Can Play — Ali Hazelwood
Where the Wildflowers Grow — Terah Shelton Harris
A few programs in February include:
Feb. 2–28: Unity Bracelet (Grab-and-Go or Stay & Create), All ages, During open hours, Johnson Branch
Feb. 3: Serenity in Motion: Tai Chi Tuesdays, Adult, 1:00 PM, Johnson Branch
(Also meets Feb. 10, Feb. 17, Feb. 24 at 1:00 PM)
Feb. 4: Watercolors for Adults with Lea Ryder Thomas, Adult, 10:00 AM, Main Library
Feb. 7: Self Care Saturday, Adult, 10:00 AM, Martin Library
Feb. 9: Square Foot Gardening: Big Harvests in Small Spaces, Adult, 10:00 AM, Westside Regional Library
Feb. 14: What’s Your Move: Teen Edition, All ages, 10:00 AM, Robertson Branch
Feb. 16: The Mad Librarian: Mad Libs Mania, Teen, 2:00 PM, Johnson Branch
Feb. 16: Black History Month Appreciation Documentary, All ages, 2:30 PM, Alfred Boyce Wettermark Branch
(Also showing Feb. 9 and Feb. 23 at 2:30 PM)
Feb. 16: Instrument Petting Zoo, All ages, 3:00 PM, Libuse Branch
Feb. 17: Creative Canvases at Boyce, Adult, 10:30 AM, Alfred Boyce Wettermark Branch
Feb. 28: Saturday Cinema: The Garfield Movie, All ages, 2:00 PM, Hineston Branch
Visit rpl.org for a full schedule of events including storytimes, book clubs, and teen & adult programming.
Show your love for your favorite library in February!
Jeanni Ritchie is a contributing journalist from Central Louisiana. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.
