The Library building is closed on Thursday and Friday December 27 and 28 for the first--and noisiest--part of a project to replace the tile and waterproof membrane on the Terrace. The work is important because water from the damaged Terrace floor leaks into the nonfiction area below during heavy rains. The project was funded by the City of Monterey Neighborhood Improvement Program.

The Bookmobile will be in service as usual on Thursday, December 27. The Library will reopen at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 29. 

The Terrace repair project--with some noise, parking lot closures, and other disruption--will continue for most of January.

This week, the Library’s doing a brisk business with holiday-related books, music, and movies.  We have two special displays in adult area, “Snow Stories” and “Holiday Foods”.  In the children’s section there is a large array of books filled winter holiday stories, poems, traditions, and crafts.  These items are practically flying off the shelves!  So, I was surprised today to notice that, sitting all alone on the bottom shelf of one of the displays was my all-time favorite holiday story:  A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas.  This is actually a prose poem and a brilliant, charming, and often amusing look at Christmas traditions enjoyed by the author during his own Welsh childhood.  I certainly hope someone spots it and takes it home to read, because it’s too delightful to miss!

Do you have a favorite holiday book, film, song, or poem? 

This is a memoir of a man who intertwines the stories of Jane Austen with his own life and the wonderful lessons and wisdom to be found in the Austen novels.  As a graduate student studying English literature, he dreaded the idea of having to read the 19^thCentury British “women” – like the Brontes and particularly Jane Austen.   As he tells his own story as he progresses through life from graduate student to teacher to married man, he goes through the Austen novels one by one and discusses what they reveal to him about his own life.  A book that blows to smithereens the notion that men don’t like Jane Austen and a “must read” for Jane Austen fans!
 

The Monterey Public Library will present Winter 'Round the World; a Multi-Cultural Celebration on Saturday, December 8, 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., a fun and informative day of music, entertainment, displays, celebrating winter traditions from many cultures.  The event will include exhibits, crafts, story circles, and dance, illuminating aspects of winter holidays. There will Chanukkah songs with Alisa Fineman and Kimball Hurd at 10:30 a.m., Italian and Irish Christmas songs by Marylee Sunseri at 1:30 p.m.  Among the traditions represented will be Russia, Mexico, China, Spain, India, the Middle East.  

Sponsored by the Friends of the Monterey Public Library, Winter 'Round the World is part of "Holiday Monterey", an international celebration of the season for families in downtown Old Monterey .   All ages are welcome and admission to the Library event is free. The Library is located at 625 Pacific Street, Monterey.  For more information call 831.646.3744 or visit our Web site.