WWPL and Friends

Featured in February: African American History

2012-02-06T15:36:00.001-05:00

As you may know, February is African American History Month, and we've gathered some information and links to websites that you might want to explore as we celebrate the legacy of African Americans this month...

The Library of Congress states:

The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation's bicentennial. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

That year, fifty years after the first celebration, the association held the first African American History Month. By this time, the entire nation had come to recognize the importance of Black history in the drama of the American story. Since then each American president has issued African American History Month proclamations.

Here are just a few of the online resources out there about this celebration:

128 Little Known Facts about Black History Month at Biography.com

Take an interactive journey through the Underground Railroad at Scholastic.com

Discover the National Park Service Legends of Tuskegee online exhibit

Don't forget to check out some of our nonfiction DVDs celebrating notable African Americans and their achievements:

Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Movement
Documents the definitive and emotional story of the civil rights era, the 1954-1965 movement that changed the fabric of American life. Features exclusive interviews plus historical footage of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, the Little Rock school riots, the Montgomery Transit Boycott and much more. This award-winning six-hour, three-DVD documentary brilliantly illuminates the struggle for racial equality.

Martin Scorsese Presents: The Blues
The PBS documentary series Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues comprises seven films, each directed with a personal touch by prominent filmmakers such as legendary Clint Eastwood.

Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
Among the tasks undertaken by the Federal Writers' Project in the 1930s was to transcribe the memories of those former African-American slaves who were still living. The result was a massive collection of notes, documents, and recordings, all of which found their way into the Library of Congress.

Click on each film title to visit our library's Evergreen catalog and request that item.

Super Resources for the Super Bowl!

2012-02-02T11:13:00.002-05:00

With all of the coverage of the first Super Bowl hosted in Indianapolis, we've had many questions about all of the events and how to get around the State Capitol of Indianapolis.

Whether you're just watching the game on TV or going downtown for the festivities, try out these online resources for more information (click on each to visit a helpful website):

Downtown Super Bowl Transportation and Parking Tips

Indy Star Super Bowl Week Coverage

VisitIndy.com's Guide to Visiting Downtown Indianapolis this week

The Super Bowl Legacy Project

Official NFL Guide to the Super Bowl and Its History

Sunday's Super Bowl Airs on Channel 13 WTHR

Ebook Classes! NEW.

2012-01-30T18:51:00.002-05:00

So, you've got a Nook, Kindle or app and are wondering just how you download books to your reader. Never fear, WWPL is here! Our first E-book class will be held February 20, 2012 at 6:30 PM. Well also have classes on March 15 (at 3 PM) and April 23 (at 6:30 PM).

Registration is required. To register, please call the library at 896-9391 or stop by the reference desk.

Downton Abbey "Read-alikes"

2012-01-30T13:27:00.014-05:00

The PBS series Downton Abbey is a drama that begins in the years leading up to World War I, centering on the Crawley family and their servants.

This award-winning Masterpiece Classic series has garnered rave reviews, and we even have the First Season available to request on DVD at the Westfield Washington Public Library.

If you're a fan of Downton Abbey, try out one of these books while you wait for the next episode:

Ravenscar Dynasty by Barbara Taylor Bradford
Edward Deravenel is suspicious about the true cause of the mysterious fire that killed his father, brother, uncle, and cousin and vows to seek out the truth while taking control of his family's business empire with the help of his friend, and cousin, Neville Watkins.

The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
This is the latest part of a sweeping, multi-generational saga. In London, 1914, with World War I approaching, polar explorer Seamus Finnegan tries to forget Willa, a passionate mountain climber, as he marries a beautiful young woman back home in England.

The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the 20th century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The novel's narrator, Stevens, is a perfect English butler who tries to give his narrow existence form and meaning through the self-effacing, almost mystical practice of his profession. In a career that spans the second World War, Stevens is oblivious of the real life that goes on around him -- oblivious, for instance, of the fact that his aristocrat employer is a Nazi sympathizer. Still, there are even larger matters at stake in this heartbreaking, pitch-perfect novel -- namely, Stevens' own ability to allow some bit of life-affirming love into his tightly repressed existence.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
At 14, Grace Reeves leaves home to work for her mother's former employers at Riverton House. She is the same age as Hannah, the headstrong middle child who visits her uncle, Lord Ashbury, at the house with her siblings. Fascinated, Grace observes their comings and goings and, as an invisible maid, is privy to the secrets she will spend "a lifetime pretending to forget."

Click on the title of each book to go directly to the library's Evergreen catalog and make a request!

New on INSPIRE: Microsoft Training Tutorials!

2012-01-27T12:13:00.000-05:00

Computers are utilized in many jobs and having basic knowledge of popular computer software is very valuable in the job market.

From creating documents and spreadsheets to making presentations and databases, these new tutorials from INSPIRE's Testing & Education Reference Center (TERC) will help you get started.

Individual interactive modules that include video will teach you the following programs:

· Microsoft Windows 7

· Microsoft Word 2010

· Microsoft Excel 2010

· Microsoft Access 2010

· Microsoft PowerPoint 2010

These interactive tutorials will guide you through key features of each program. Any Hoosier may access this and other TERC resources via INSPIRE from the public library or a home, work or school computer.

It's Tax Time Again!

2012-01-25T16:32:00.005-05:00

Forms & instruction booklets for the tax season have begun to arrive! However, please note there is no set schedule as to when the forms will arrive, and quantities are limited. If the library is out of a particular form or does not carry the form you need, copies of most forms can be printed at the Reference Desk for $.10 per page. Instruction booklets can also be accessed online at www.irs.gov.

The individual deadline for filing federal forms is April 17, 2012. State forms are due by April 18, 2012. For those looking for Tax Preparation Assistance the AARP Tax-Aide service will be at the library again this year. AARP Tax-Aide is a free tax assistance service for low- and middle-income taxpayers, with special attention to those 60 and over.

Registration is required for this AARP Tax-Aide service, so please call the library at 317-896-9391 to register. The number of returns that can be completed is limited, and specific reservation times are not available. The AARP representatives will see people on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more tax information, you may want to visit the Federal IRS Tax website or the Indiana State Department of Revenue Tax website.

2012: Year of the Dragon

2012-01-23T11:38:00.002-05:00

Chinese New Year is one of the most important celebrations on the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4710 begins today on January 23, 2012.

The Westfield Washington Public Library has many books on Chinese New Year for you to check out and enjoy.

Click here to search our online Evergreen catalog to view the selection.

To learn more about the traditions of Chinese New Year, you may want to check out the article and many videos at History.com.

New eReader? Download Free Library Books!

2012-01-19T10:49:00.000-05:00

Did you get a new eReader over the holidays? You may want to check out the library's free downloadable eBooks and audio books online from home...

Begin checking out books by visiting our Indiana Digital Media Download Page here. This service is compatible with many popular devices such as Nook and Kindle. For a full updated listing of compatible devices, visit the Overdrive Device Resource Center.

Some of the new eBooks we have in the download collection include:

The Perils of Morning Coffee by Alexander McCall Smith - In this Isabel Dalhousie original short story, available exclusively in electronic format, our intrepid heroine--accused by a distraught wife of being the "other woman"--makes a surprising discovery as she attempts to defend her reputation.

Fraternity by Diane Brady - In 1968, a visionary priest recruited 20 black men to the College of the Holy Cross and changed their lives and the course of history.

We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee - When Benjamin Mee decided to uproot his family and move them to an unlikely new home—a dilapidated zoo where more than 200 exotic animals would be their new neighbors—his friends and colleagues thought he was crazy. Through tragedy and heartbreak, follow the story of his family's success in this book recently made into a film.

Check out some eBooks today at our online downloading site!

Best Books of 2011

2012-01-17T12:30:00.003-05:00

Need a good book to start 2012 off on the right foot?

Each year, we see many "best of" book lists published, both online and in print. Reviewers and publishers weed through the numerous books that come out in a year to bring you what they see as the cream of the crop.

Whether you're looking for an edge-of-your-seat sci-fi thriller or the best cookbooks, check out these "Best of 2011" lists to find a great book, then check our library's Evergreen catalog for a copy!

Fired Up: The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasty (NPR)

10 Best Books of 2011 from the New York Times

Best Selling Books of the Year (via Huffington Post)

Romance Writers of America's Award Winning Romance Books

Top 20 Jane Austen-Inspired Books from 2011 (a very specific list for Austen fans)

From Booklist Online - She Reads Books for Women: 2011 and He Reads: 10 Manliest Books

Epicurious.com Selects: Best Cookbooks of 2011

Entertainment Weekly's Shelf Life Presents: Top 10 Memoirs and Biographies

What's my favorite read from 2011?
One book I very much enjoyed was The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht, a new debut novel that weaves myth, story, and memory in beautiful prose.
My other favorite book that I read this year was actually not a new book. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1975, heartbreakingly depicts the major characters of The Battle of Gettysburg in a realistic and unforgettable historical novel.

Happy reading!

Library Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

2012-01-14T14:18:00.001-05:00

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Westfield Washington Public Library will be closed on Monday, January 16, 2012. Here are just a few of the many resources on the web that celebrate and honor Martin Luther King Jr.

Get inspired by reading his speeches at the The Martin Luther King Jr. Center For Nonviolent Social Change website.

Listen to an audio version of Dr. King's famous speech, "I Have a Dream," online at American Rhetoric.

Biography.com has a five-minute mini-biography that you can watch online.

For ways to serve, visit MLKDay.gov to find a service project near you.

Keep Resolutions with INShape Indiana

2012-01-12T12:02:00.000-05:00

If you've already started on your New Year's resolution and need some help, check out the INShape Indiana website for some great resources.

INShape Indiana motivates, educates, and connects Hoosiers to valuable resources that help them eat better, move more and avoid tobacco.

Of a list of New Year’s resolutions, losing weight, exercising more, eating better, and quitting smoking are at the top. If any of those are your resolutions for 2012, INShape Indiana has got you covered!

To help you begin your healthy journey, you can read individual success stories that will hopefully inspire and motivate you. INShape Indiana has many tools and resources to help you achieve your goals. For example, the page on exercise has guidelines, calorie burn rates, and tips on how to force yourself off the couch. Their website is provided by the State of Indiana and Governor's Council for Physical Fitness and Sports.

Library News: Straight to your inbox!

2011-12-27T18:35:00.003-05:00

Did you know that our library's monthly newsletter is now available via email?

We've always had the newsletter available in print here at the library and electronically on the library website, and we'll still continue to offer it in that way. However, you can now keep informed about library programs and events by receiving the newsletter via email!

If you have an email address on file with the library, you may already be receiving the newsletter each month. To opt out for any reason, just follow the instructions listed at the bottom of that email message. We recommend that you keep in touch with us, as we often have lots of great children's programs, music performances, and book discussions listed in the newsletter.

The email newsletter lets you receive information about all our programs well in advance, helps the library save money on paper and printing costs, and gives us a chance to reduce our carbon footprint!

If you would like to be included on the distribution list, please visit our website.

Featured Fiction Friday: Remembering Christmas

2011-12-23T10:15:00.002-05:00

Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh

Rick Denton lives his life on his terms. He works hard, plays hard, and answers to no one. So when his mother calls on Thanksgiving weekend begging him to come home after his stepfather has a stroke, Rick is more than a little reluctant. He's never liked Art and resents the man's presence in his life, despite the fact that his own father abandoned the family when Rick was just twelve. When what was supposed to be just a couple days helping out at the family bookstore turns into weeks of cashing out old ladies and running off the homeless man who keep hanging about, Rick's attitude sours even more.

Still, slowly but surely, the little bookstore and its quirky patrons - as well as the lovely young woman who works at his side each day - work their magic on him, revealing to Rick the truth about his family, his own life, and the true meaning of Christmas.

With skillful storytelling, Dan Walsh creates a Christmas story will have readers remembering every good and perfect gift of Christmas.

Browse the first chapter of the book for free at the Dan Walsh's website.

Click here to visit the library's Evergreen catalog and request this book!

Library Holiday Closings

2011-12-21T13:59:00.001-05:00

The Westfield Washington Public Library will be closed on Saturday, December 24 and Monday, December 26, 2011 in observance of Christmas.

The library will also be closed on Saturday, December 31, 2011 and Monday, January 2, 2012 in observance of the New Year holiday.

To learn more about the history behind the holidays, visit the History Channel websites on Christmas and Hanukkah.

Featured Fiction Friday: A Simple Winter

2011-12-16T12:24:00.003-05:00

A Simple Winter by Rosalind Lauer

As a budding journalist with a major newspaper, Remy McCallister is eager to prove herself. While investigating an unsolved crime, Remy winds up in the tightly woven Amish community of Lancaster County, the last place she would ever expect to find herself. The story leads her to Adam King and his ten younger siblings, who are trying to sustain their warm, loving home in the wake of the murder of their parents. Although Remy tries to remain professional, she is captivated by the Kings. With her own mother gone and her father disengaged from their relationship, Remy longs for a home and a family just like that of these good, simple people.

Suddenly patriarch of his large family, Adam struggles to do the right thing for his siblings, his community, and his God. He neither wants nor needs the complications that spirited Remy brings. But as much as he tries to push her away, even as he counts all the ways this lovely outsider cannot possibly remain in his world - or in his heart - the wondrous light she shines upon his troubled soul cannot be denied. Adam can only pray for the strength and the faith to get this Englisher girl out of their lives for good.

Snowbound with the Kings, Remy experiences the wonder and the chores of a simple winter among the Plain People, as well as the friendship of their warm community. When her peaceful interlude ends, does she dare to reveal a killer in their midst, knowing that she may lose the love of this special family and this remarkable man?

Read a free excerpt from the book at the publisher's website here.

Click here to visit the library's Evergreen catalog and request this book!

Featured Fiction Friday: The Christmas Note

2011-12-09T14:07:00.000-05:00

The Christmas Note by Donna VanLiere

From author of "The Christmas Hope" series, which has enthralled millions of readers, comes a new inspirational novel about an unlikely friendship between two women, but one that will change each of their lives forever...

Gretchen Daniels has recently moved into an apartment with her two children to be closer to her mother, Miriam. She and her children are building a life together in a new community when a mysterious young woman, Melissa McCreary, moves into the apartment next to them. She has few possessions, little personality, and keeps to herself.

One day, a local landlord who is looking for Melissa knocks on Gretchen’s door for assistance. Melissa’s mother has died and in the coming weeks the landlord needs Melissa to empty her mother’s apartment.

Gretchen reaches out and offers to help, but the apartment is a gut wrenching shamble of a home. There is little worth saving except for a few photos and a note that is discovered on the crate beside the bed. It is unfinished but in the two scribbled lines, Melissa discovers she has a brother and a sister that she never knew about. Even more shocking, she begins to uncover family secrets that show her who she really is.

Can two very different women embark on a journey that explores a long-buried need for forgiveness, hope, and redemption?

Sample a PDF excerpt from the book here, from the author's website.

Click here to visit the library's Evergreen catalog and request this book!

Library Maintenance 12/9 - 12/11

2011-12-08T19:16:00.000-05:00

Our library and Evergreen Indiana will be upgrading the system beginning at 8:00 AM on Friday, December 9th through Sunday, December 11th.

Please keep in mind that during the upgrade, we will not be able to issue new library cards, accept money for fines, or place holds and renew items.
Other activities listed to the right are also unavailable during the upgrade.

We thank you for your patience, apologize for this temporary inconvenience, and look forward to providing you with an updated Evergreen experience!

Celtic Concert at the Library!

2011-12-05T19:17:00.006-05:00

Local musician Emily Ann Thompson will visit the Westfield Washington Public Library to perform her Celtic music in a free concert on Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 6:00 PM.

From fast, high-energy jigs and reels to captivating airs and ballads, Emily’s performance is lively, passionate, and homegrown with an American flare. Drawing from a wide variety of world music styles, she plays traditional Irish, Scottish, and Canadian fiddle tunes in fresh, original arrangements.

She also incorporates English and Gaelic singing as well as banjo into the mix. She is joined by her husband Kelly on guitar, percussion, and vocals.

Emily tours nationally, performing around 100 concerts per year. She has released two albums, both of which will be available for purchase at her performance. Check out videos of her performances at her website: http://www.emilyannthompson.com/

Don't miss out on this fun, free concert right here in Westfield! Please contact the library at 317-896-9391 with any questions.

Great Gifts @ Nearly New Booksale

2011-12-02T16:50:00.003-05:00

Pick up holiday gifts for the readers on your list at our annual Nearly New Booksale!

Each year, the Westfield Washington Public library hosts a special booksale in December, featuring "nearly new" books that make wonderful gifts.

The 2011 Nearly New Booksale runs from Saturday December 3rd until Saturday December 10th, with a preview for "Friends Members Only" on the Friday that falls before the sale.

If you'd like to shop the preview sale, you can purchase a Friends of the Library membership at the door that day. The preview sale begins at 6:00 PM on Friday December 2nd.

Books on sale will include fiction and nonfiction: whether you're looking for a biography for dad or a mystery for mom, you won't want to miss the deals at this event!

Featured Fiction Friday: The Scottish Prisoner

2011-12-02T10:04:00.000-05:00

The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

London, 1760.
For Jamie Fraser, paroled prisoner-of-war in the remote Lake District, life could be worse: He’s not cutting sugar cane in the West Indies, and he’s close enough to the son he cannot claim as his own. But Jamie Fraser’s quiet existence is coming apart at the seams, interrupted first by dreams of his lost wife, then by the appearance of Tobias Quinn, an erstwhile comrade from the Rising.

Like many of the Jacobites who aren’t dead or in prison, Quinn still lives and breathes for the Cause. His latest plan involves an ancient relic that will rally the Irish. Jamie is having none of it - he’s sworn off politics, fighting, and war. Until Lord John Grey shows up with a summons that will take him away from everything he loves - again.

Lord John Grey - aristocrat, soldier, and occasional spy - finds himself in possession of a packet of explosive documents that expose a case of corruption against a British officer. But they also hint at a more insidious danger.

Soon Lord John and Jamie are unwilling companions on the road to Ireland, a country whose dark castles hold dreadful secrets, and whose bogs hide the bones of the dead. A captivating return to the world Diana Gabaldon created in her Outlander and Lord John series, The Scottish Prisoner is another masterpiece of epic history, wicked deceit, and scores that can only be settled in blood.

Read an excerpt at the author's website.

Click here to visit the library's Evergreen catalog and request this book!

Check out the book trailer video from Random House below:

Featured Fiction Friday: Cat Telling Tales

2011-11-25T10:12:00.001-05:00

Cat Telling Tales: A Joe Grey Mystery by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Even the bright seaside village of Molena Point has been hit hard by the economic downturn, bringing a rash of foreclosures in which many residents are abandoning their family pets. While feline P. I. Joe Grey's human friends join together to care for the starving cats, a fire leaves a 12-year-old boy homeless. The body of his alcoholic guardian is discovered in the smoldering ruins, causing Joe to wonder if escape was really impossible for the elderly woman or if something more sinister occurred.

Meanwhile, Debbie Kraft descends uninvited on the home with her two children, claiming that her ex-husband has left her with no money and nowhere else to go. But when Joe learns that the victim of the fire was Debbie's estranged mother and that Debbie is not broke at all but carrying plenty of cash, his fur is on end with suspicion.

As Debbie's abandoned tomcat follows her all the way down the coast from Oregon with his own clues to add to the mix, Joe learns that Debbie's Realtor ex-husband may be involved in a number of intricate real estate scams. Furthermore, his sales partner may be missing, and while Joe and his pals prowl through the dead woman's house, they discover that her reclusive neighbor has disappeared as well.

But it's not until Debbie's tomcat arrives that Joe and his feline detective pals find the biggest clue of all: a grave that the cops have missed. And as the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together, tortoiseshell Kit sees her own dreams coming true in the handsome new cat with whom she might share her life's adventures.

Read an excerpt here.

Click here to visit the library's Evergreen catalog and request this book!

Library Closings for Thanksgiving Holiday

2011-11-22T18:00:00.001-05:00

The Westfield Washington Public Library will be closed after 5:00 PM on Wednesday, November 23rd and closed all day on Thursday, November 24th, 2011 in honor of Thanksgiving.

We will reopen on Friday, November 25th at 10:00 AM.

In the meantime, please check out some of the following resources selected to help you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

November is American Indian Heritage Month - Visit the Smithsonian National Museum of the Native American online to learn more about Native American histories and cultures.

The U.S. Census Bureau has some fun and interesting facts about Thanksgiving - Did you know there are 37 places in the United States named "Plymouth?"

The USDA Food Safety page for Thanksgiving has some "alternate routes" on how to get your turkey to the table in a safe and healthy manner.

Volunteering on Thanksgiving is a tradition that helps serve others - To volunteer, visit AllforGood.org or VolunteerMatch.org or United Way of Central Indiana to find opportunities near you.

Featured Fiction Friday: The House of Silk

2011-11-18T10:18:00.003-05:00

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

For the first time in its one-hundred-and-twenty-five-year history, the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate has authorized a new Sherlock Holmes novel. Once again, THE GAME'S AFOOT...

London, 1890. 221B Baker St. A fine art dealer named Edmund Carstairs visits Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson to beg for their help. He is being menaced by a strange man in a flat cap - a wanted criminal who seems to have followed him all the way from America. In the days that follow, his home is robbed, his family is threatened. And then the first murder takes place.

Almost unwillingly, Holmes and Watson find themselves being drawn ever deeper into an international conspiracy connected to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston, the gaslit streets of London, opium dens and much, much more. And as they dig, they begin to hear the whispered phrase-the House of Silk-a mysterious entity that connects the highest levels of government to the deepest depths of criminality. Holmes begins to fear that he has uncovered a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society.

The Arthur Conan Doyle Estate chose the celebrated, #1 New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz to write The House of Silk because of his proven ability to tell a transfixing story and for his passion for all things Holmes. Destined to become an instant classic, The House of Silk brings Sherlock Holmes back with all the nuance, pacing, and almost superhuman powers of analysis and deduction that made him the world's greatest detective, in a case depicting events too shocking, too monstrous to ever appear in print... until now.

Click here to visit the library's Evergreen catalog and request this book!

Click to view the YouTube video of the author below, reading from The House of Silk:

Friends of the Library: TV Raffle

2011-11-14T14:02:00.000-05:00

This week is your last chance to support the Friends of the Westfield Library by purchasing a TV Raffle Ticket!

Through its fundraising efforts, the Friends group raises money used to fund library programs and to purchase items that are not in the library's operating budget. Don't miss out on this opportunity to support the library and possibly win an awesome flat screen television for your home!

Raffle tickets are only $5/ea or 5 for $20. You can buy tickets at the library during regular hours until Saturday, November 19, 2011. We will draw the winning ticket on Monday, November 21, 2011. You do not have to be present at the drawing to win.

Featured Fiction Friday: 11/22/63

2011-11-11T12:52:00.000-05:00

11/22/63 by Stephen King

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Stephen King’s heart-stoppingly dramatic new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination...

Following his massively successful novel Under the Dome, King sweeps readers back in time to another moment—a real life moment—when everything went wrong: the JFK assassination. And he introduces readers to a character who has the power to change the course of history.

Jake Epping is a high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.

Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life—a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

A tribute to a simpler era and a devastating exercise in escalating suspense, 11/22/63 is Stephen King at his epic best.

Stephen King has created a very cool website for the book at 112263book.com. Read an excerpt from the book here.

Click here to visit the library's Evergreen catalog and request this book!