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Join author and illustrator Raúl The Third as he discusses his book ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Read!. Meet Little Lobo and friends as they explore their library's Libro Love Book Festival! From cookbook demonstrations and comics workshops to mask making and language classes, this library has something for everyone and Little Lobo can’t wait to show you. 

Raúl the Third uses his culture and his experience growing up on the US and Mexico border to inspire his art and his storytelling. Students will be encouraged to explore their world through a creative lens. A draw along is planned, drawing supplies and paper are recommended. 

Come hear about Faith Ringgold and the exhibition being featured at the Guggenheim. Explore Woman on a Bridge #1 of 5: Tar Beach (1988), one of the most important works by Ringgold, a renowned artist, writer, and activist. This monumental quilt, the first in a series of five, tells the story of a young girl who dreams of flying from her Harlem rooftop to celebrate her own freedom and self-possession.

This exhibition dives into Ringgold’s artistic influences and the lasting impact she has had on later generations of artists. Alongside Tar Beach, visitors will see works from the Guggenheim New York collection by European modernists such as Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso, who inspired Ringgold, and contemporary American artists such as Tschabalala Self and Sanford Biggers, whose work reflects her legacy.

Presented by Mary Vahey

Join this informal book club that meets every other Tuesday at 1:30. Upcoming book selections are:
 

 

 

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Explore the intricate world of Legend with Marie Lu as she encourages readers to look beyond the surface and reveal hidden secrets. Explore the depths of deceit, battle for power, and the lengths characters will go to unmask the Truth. 

Legend is a dystopian novel where two unlikely characters, June and Day, cross paths in search for the Truth. Can they set aside their differences and preconceptions for the greater good? Readers will devour Marie Lu’s words as they are challenged to think critically about the world around them and reminded to never judge a book by its cover. Register now for an event you don’t want to miss!

Family puzzle night is a wonderful way to strengthen bonds, encourage collaboration, problem solve and create memories.  We will be taking jigsaw puzzle solving to the next level with a friendly competition element.

Every team will compete against the other teams with the same puzzle.  This twist not only adds excitement but also encourages a lively atmosphere with laughter and good-natured rivalry.

Puzzle Palooza caters to all ages, making it enjoyable for everyone, from young children to grandparents.

●  Register your group of family and friends to compete against other groups as  a team.
●  Each team will be given the same puzzle, which has been generously donated by Ravensburger Puzzles - North America.
● The team finishing the puzzle first - Wins!

Join art historian, Jay Schuck, as he discusses the life and work of the Early Netherlandish artist, Jan van Eyck. An artist known for his application of oil paint and meticulous attention to detail, Jan van Eyck ushered in a new style of painting that forever changed the history of art. Works to be examined include the Ghent Altarpiece, the Arnolfini Portrait, Portrait of a Man in a Red Turban, and more. 

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You’re invited to join us online with award-winning author Rex Ogle as he talks to viewers about his struggles to navigate sixth grade as written about in his book Free Lunch. 

Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex’s mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he’s on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout.

Free Lunch is the story of Rex’s efforts to navigate his first semester of sixth grade—who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, Halloween in a handmade costume, classmates and a teacher who take one look at him and decide he’s trouble—all while wearing secondhand clothes and being hungry. His mom and her boyfriend are out of work, and life at home is punctuated by outbursts of violence. Halfway through the semester, his family is evicted and ends up in government-subsidized housing in view of the school. Rex lingers at the end of last period every day until the buses have left, so no one will see where he lives.

Unsparing and realistic, Free Lunch is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. Rex’s voice is compelling and authentic, and Free Lunch is a true, timely, and essential work that illuminates the lived experience of poverty in America. Register now to join the conversation!

Join this informal book club that meets every other Tuesday at 1:30. Upcoming book selections are:
 

 

 

Callling all Mah Jongg players! In honor of National Mah Jongg Day, Kemmerer LIbrary will be celebrating with game play, prizes and treats! All level players are welcome. Must have your own card. 

Registration is required!

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You’re invited to a fascinating conversation with neurologist and author Pria Anand to chat about her new book The Electric Mind: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains (forthcoming June 10, 2025).

The Electric Mind tells the stories we tell ourselves about our brains, and the stories our brains tell us.

Stories are etched into the very structure of our brains, coded so deeply that the impulse for storytelling survives and even surges after the most devastating injuries. But our brains are also porous—the stories they concoct are shaped by cultural narratives about bodies and illness that permeate the minds of doctors and patients alike. In the history of medicine, some stories are heard, while others—the narratives of women, of Black and brown people, of displaced people, of disempowered people—are too often dismissed.

In The Mind Electric, neurologist Pria Anand reveals—through case study, history, fable, and memoir—all that the medical establishment has overlooked: the complexity and wonder of brains in health and in extremis, and the vast gray area between sanity and insanity, doctor and patient, and illness and wellness, each separated from the next by the thin veneer of a different story.
 

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Delve into the fascinating world of birds through astonishing photography and clear explanations in this absorbing global guide, The Bird Book: The Stories, Science, and History of Birds.

Birds are dinosaurs with a history going back millions of years. Our fascination with them runs deep in history, and our close association is reflected in creation stories, myths, legends, songs, and children's stories.

Packed with information, beautiful photography, and illustrations, The Bird Book is a must-have for nature enthusiasts. Register today to learn more about your very own backyard friends!

The Cloisters Museum and Gardens
The Cloisters are part of the Metropolitan Museum of art, but located in a separate most interesting building in Fort Tryon Park, which not only resembles a European medieval monastery, but actually integrates architectural elements from various structures in France and Spain.. The enchanting cloister gardens are an important integral part of the museum, planted with culinary and medicinal plants, as well as those used for dyeing fabrics, specifically those used for the Unicorn Tapestries, which are a major highlight of the collection. There are many treasures in this collection, including painting and sculpture, stained glass windows, illuminated books, carved ivory objects, enamels – all giving great insight into life during medieval times.

Presented by Sylvia Laudien Meo

Explore the life and work of the leading sculptor of the Italian Renaissance, Michelangelo. Artwork to be examined include the Pieta, the David, the Sistine Chapel frescoes, and more.

Presented by art historian Jay Schuck.

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Bring an appetite for sizzling drama as we discuss New York Times bestselling author Casey McQuiston's latest romantic comedy, The Pairing. 

When two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour, they challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they're over each other—except they're definitely not.

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Learn how to master the daily grind and become shatterproof in a tumultuous world with key insights by Dr. Tasha Eurich as she talks about her newest book, Shatterproof: How to Thrive in a World of Constant Chaos (And why resilience alone isn’t enough). 

Are you working too much but feel like it’s never enough? Have you turned the act of pretending you’re “fine” into an art form? Does self-care feel like one more item on your already long to-do list?

Whether you’re grappling with work stress, personal challenges, or the chaos of everyday life, Shatterproof offers an urgent alternative to stoic endurance as the only strategy for survival. Combining cutting-edge research, practical tools, and insights from her own struggle with a life-defining health crisis, Dr. Eurich will overturn your beliefs about what it takes to thrive through adversity, offering a scientifically supported system to help you feel better, do better, and live better than before. 

(The wreckage was discovered on September 1, 1985 so it would be the 40 year anniversary.)

 

James Cameron’s Titanic told the invented story of the Heart of the Ocean; a fictional blue diamond necklace lost tragically in the ship’s famous sinking.  But what about the real treasures that were lost when the Titanic sank?  For over a century, the world has been intrigued by the story of the Titanic.  When tragedy struck on April 14, 1912, in addition to the incredible loss of life, a nearly incalculable amount of goods plummeted into the ocean, never to be seen again.  This lecture takes a closer look at and tells the stories of some of the more interesting and valuable treasures lost on that fateful night.

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Embrace your dark side (and your best evil laugh) and join us in conversation with Hannah Nicole Maehrer, creator of the New York Times bestselling Assistant to the Villain series. 

Evie Sage didn’t mean to become the right-hand woman to the kingdom’s most terrifying villain. One minute, she was applying for an entry-level position that promised “light paperwork and occasional beheadings,” and the next, she was knee-deep in magical mayhem, murder plots, and an entirely inappropriate crush on her brooding, sharp-jawed, walking disaster of a boss.

Now, with a magical prophecy unraveling, assassins showing up in the break room, and a suspicious amount of frogs wearing crowns, Evie has to figure out how to survive her job without setting the kingdom on fire―or her dignity, which is hanging by a very sarcastic thread.

Being evil-adjacent was never part of the five-year plan. But then again…neither was falling for The Villain.

Full of humor and heart, this magical office comedy about a sunshine assistant and her grumpy evil boss is one you won’t want to miss out on. With the third book in the series, Accomplice to the Villain, out August 5, 2025, you need to register today to learn what tricks are up this author’s sleeve!

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Join us (and be ready to take notes) for an afternoon virtual conversation with communication expert Jefferson Fisher, as we chat about his book, The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More. 

No matter who you’re talking to, The Next Conversation gives you immediately actionable strategies and phrases that will forever change how you communicate. Jefferson Fisher, trial lawyer and one of the leading voices on real-world communication, offers a tried-and-true framework that will show you how to transform your life and your relationships by improving your next conversation.

Whether it’s handling a heated conversation, dealing with a difficult personality, or standing your ground with confidence, his down-to-earth teachings have helped countless people navigate life’s toughest situations. Now for the first time, in his book The Next Conversation, Fisher has distilled his three-part communication system (Say it with control, Say it with confidence, Say it to connect) that can easily be applied to any situation.

The Next Conversation gives you practical phrases that will lead to powerful results, from breaking down defensiveness in a hard talk with a family member to finding your own assertive voice at the boardroom conference table. Your every word matters, and by controlling how you communicate every day, you will create waves of positive impact that will resonate throughout your relationships to last a lifetime.
 

Andrew Carnegie amassed an enormous fortune in the steel industry and then became a major philanthropist. During the late 19th century, when steel would be used first as railroad track, Carnegie perfected low-cost steel production. The Carnegie Steelworks, in Homestead, PA, employed men producing steel under primitive industrial working conditions. This program will feature the 1892 strike at Homestead which pitted the Pinkerton Detective Agency against the steelworkers ending with 10 deaths. After Carnegie sold his steel company to J.P. Morgan, he gave all his money away by building over 2,500 libraries. Many still exist today.

Presenter: Rick Feingold teaches American Business History at Bergen Community College and holds an MBA from Penn State University.

Courtesy of Long Hill Twp Library - click here to register after 8/1
  Sponsored by Long Hill Township Library.

Van Gogh’s Starry Night is arguably MoMA’s most beloved treasure, a painting that many people seek out for its inspiration and magic. We will have a closer look at this masterpiece, its meanings and symbolisms and which artists van Gogh borrowed from in his composition. But we will also continue to stroll through MoMA’s collection and discuss other works that reflect on the night sky, like Henri Rousseau’s Sleeping Gypsy, Paul Gauguin’s The Moon And The Earth, Robert Delaunay’s Simultaneous Contrasts, Sun and Moon, Chagall’s I and the Village, Georgia O’Keeffe’s Evening Star and many more. Modern artists looked at the moon and stars in so many different ways, as heavenly sphere, romantic enchanter, light source, planet, shape…adn the comparisons are quite interesting! Presented by Sylvia Laudien-Meo