We’ll have free hot chocolate to help you celebrate winter while you join in the Hot Chocolate Hullabaloo fun with multiple seasonal crafts today, Thursday, Dec. 14, from 4 to 6 p.m. This event is for all ages.
Paws to Read tomorrow
Friday, Dec. 15, from 2 to 3 p.m., youngsters are invited to share their favorite books with Muppet or Maple, therapy dogs who love stories, at a free Paws to Read session.
Board game central tomorrow
Learn to play a new board game or bring your own to share with others Friday, Dec. 15, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Tween/teen handout tomorrow
We are setting aside the large meeting room for tweens and teens to use and spend time with friends on Friday, Dec. 15, from 3 to 5 p.m.
LEGO Club Saturday
Kids aged 6-11 are invited to the free LEGO Club on Saturday, Dec. 16, from 11 a.m. to noon. Bring your own LEGOs or use ours.
Pokemon Club Saturday
If you love Pokemon, this club is for you. Bring your cards to a fun, free, all-ages event on Saturday, Dec. 16, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., when you can play games with others who feel the same way.
Knitting and crochet lessons
Learn to knit or crochet on Monday, Dec. 18, at our free gathering from 2 to 3:15 p.m. for ages 8 and up. Supplies will be provided.
Music fun Monday
Pagosa Unplugged is free from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 18, for amateur musicians who would like a safe, supportive, non-bar setting to play, sing or both with other people. For program information, contact Susan at (970) 946-3396.
Adult DIY next Tuesday
At the free in-person adult DIY next Tuesday, Dec. 19, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., we invite you to make a tabletop candleholder or door wreath for the holidays. As always, we’ll supply the materials — for this event, greens, wreath forms, ribbons and pine cones. Bring gloves and wear clothing that you can get sap on.
Spanish conversation
Practice your Spanish in a free group setting on Tuesday, Dec. 19, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. No minimum skill level is needed. Note this group now meets twice a month, on the first and third Tuesdays.
Family storytimes
Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m., join us for a free educational hour of reading, singing and free play to build early literacy skills.
Writers’ guild
Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m., Ruby’s Writers Guild welcomes writers looking for opportunities, support, resources and camaraderie with other writers at this free gathering.
ESL class times
Free in-person evening classes take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and there is a change in the way the time is divided: 4 to 5 p.m. is reserved for beginners, 5 to 6 p.m. for intermediate and 6 to 7 p.m. for advanced students. Please help us spread the word about these classes to others in our community who would be interested, and contact us by phone or email if you have any questions.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and 2 to 4 p.m. Thursdays. Judy helps you with basic questions relating to computers, smartphones and tablets, and also provides assistance in accessing any of the library’s online resources. No appointment is needed for these drop-in sessions, but it is important that you bring both your device’s charger and also your device passwords with you.
Note there will be no Tech Time on Dec. 21.
PALS/GED adult education
Join Mark or Sally for free PALS sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8 p.m. to help with high school equivalency, GED, college prep, financial aid, tutoring and more.
Activities calendars
Pick up monthly events calendars at the library so you don’t miss any of the free activities available to you and your family.
Downloadable books
CloudLibrary has a wide variety of downloadable e-books and audiobooks for all ages. To access this free digital collection, download the cloudLibrary app, answer a few simple questions, select AspenCat Union Catalog for the name of your library, then enter your library card number and four-digit PIN. Library staff are happy to help you set up your device if you need assistance.
Mysteries, thrillers and suspense
“Bright Young Women” by Jessica Knoll is inspired by the true story of sorority murders by a serial killer. “Death By a Thousand Sips” by Gretchen Rue is a murder mystery in the Witches’ Brew series. “The Traitor Among Us” by Anne Perry begins with the murder of a MI6 agent. “Distant Sons” by Tim Johnston is set in a town haunted by the disappearance of three young boys decades earlier. “The Apollo Murders” by astronaut Chris Hadfield involves NASA and Russian astronauts on the lunar surface. “Starling House” by Alix E. Harrow unleashes buried secrets from long ago. “Obsession” by Stuart Woods and Brett Battles is a Teddy Fay mystery featuring Stone Barrington.
Other novels
“Alone With You In the Ether” by Olivie Blake features two people with serious mental medical issues who meet by chance. “The Furrows” by Namwali Serpell opens with the disappearance of a young boy. “The Bodyguard” by Katherine Center tells of a female agent protecting a superstar actor. “Wellness” by Nathan Hill follows the marriage of two college students who met in the ‘90s. “Under the Java Moon” by Heather B. Moore is set in a prison camp in World War II Indonesia.
Short stories
“The Hive and the Honey” by Paul Yoon is a collection of short stories about identity, belonging and the collision of cultures.
Nonfiction
“My Name is Barbra” by Barbra Streisand is the memoir by this superstar of stage, screen, recordings and television. “Walking Toward Freedom” by Ginny Dye is volume 20 of the Bregdan Chronicles historical saga.
Large print Christmas-themed books
“‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas” by David Rosenfelt is an Andy Carpenter mystery. “Christmas in Painted Pony Creek” by Linda Lael Miller is book four in the Painted Pony Creek series. “Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow!” by Donna Andrews is a Meg Landslow mystery. “A Christmas Vanishing” by Anne Perry is a mystery.
Other large print
“Valiant Women” by Lena Andrews documents the contributions of the U.S. servicewomen who helped win World War II. “Being Henry” by Henry Winkler is a memoir by “The Fonz” in Happy Days. “The Last Outlaws” by Tom Clavin tells of the final days of the Dalton Gang. “Blood Lines” by Nelson and Alex DeMille is a mystery about a murder of a CID special agent. “Dead on Target” by M.C. Beaton with R.W. Green is an Agatha Raisin mystery. “The Fragile Threads of Power” by V.E. Schwab is the first book of a new Shades of Magic fantasy trilogy. “Dirty Thirty” by Janet Evanovich is a Stephanie Plum mystery.
DVDs
“Oppenheimer” is the blockbuster summer movie hit about the creator of the atomic bomb which the Chicago Sun-Times called “one of the best movies of the century.” “Spy in the Wild” and “Spy in the Wild 2” are intimate looks at animals, thanks to a robotic camera. “Joe Pickett” is season two.
Donor guidelines
We are grateful to Jean and Richard Leavenworth for their generous donation in memory of their son, Jeff, and to Joanne Ferko for her materials donation.
When we are open, material donations are accepted for the Friends of the Library at the front desk — not down the outside returns slot at the library or the drop box at City Market, please.
The Friends recently announced new guidelines for what they will accept as donations: Yes to popular fiction books published in 2013 or later, nonfiction books published 2018 or later, and children’s and young adult books — all in excellent condition, please. No to CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray, VHS or cassette tapes; textbooks, outdated travel books or reference books because they do not sell. No more than two boxes at a time because of space constraints.
Quotable quote
“Read 500 pages every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest.” – Warren Buffet, investor, philanthropist, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and one of the most successful and best known investors in the world.
Website
For more information on library books, services and programs — and to reserve books, e-books, books on CD and DVDs from the comfort of your home — please visit our website at https://pagosalibrary.org.
