Be the first to know what new titles are coming into the Brooks Library collection. It’s easy and it’s free. Click here for the current online edition of Brooks Memorial Library New Book Alerts. Click here to sign up for New Book Alerts. Happy reading! For more information contact the Brooks Memorial Library at brookslibraryvt.org

Please join Marlboro scholar and Professor of Religious Studies, Amer Latif, in a journey through the literature of Islam. The evening reading and discussion series will focus on five books.

The Arabian Nights (anonymous), edited by Muhsin Mahdi, translated by Husain Haddawy; The Conference of the Birds by Farid al-Din Attar, translated by Dick Davis and Afkham Darbandi; Snow by Orhan Pamuk, translated by Maureen Freely;  Dreams of Trespass by Fatima Mernissi; and Minaret by Leila Aboulela. Islam has long provided a source of inspiration through which Muslims experience, understand, and guide their everyday lives.

Because of snow, Federico Garcia Lorca in Vermont was rescheduled to Saturday, Feb. 22, at 3:00 p.m. in the meeting room.

Please join independent scholar, Patricia Billingsley for a richly illustrated slide talk with vintage photos, maps, and other related images about the friendship between Spanish poet Federico García Lorca and Vermont poet Philip Cummings.

Join Vermont Humanities scholar Richard Wizansky for this reading and discussion series which features the shorter works by the great Russian writer, dissident, and former Cavendish, Vermont resident and includes his most read and highly regarded novella as well as several of his famous speeches.

The 1970 Nobel Lecture; and the 1978 Harvard Class Day Address. Thursday 20 February 2014, 04:30pm – 06:00pm

Sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council. Location Brooks Library Meeting Room. Contact Info Jerry Carbone 802-254-5290 jerry@brookslibraryvt.org http://brookslibraryvt.org

Because of snow (again!) the Garcia Lorca program scheduled for Wednesday evening has been postponed to Saturday, Feb. 22, at 3:00 p.m. in the meeting room. See you then!

Please join independent scholar, Patricia Billingsley for a richly illustrated slide talk with vintage photos, maps, and other related images about the friendship between Spanish poet Federico García Lorca and Vermont poet Philip Cummings in the Library’s meeting room.

Join author Donna Dearborn on Wednesday, February 12, at 7 PM, (Snowdate, Monday, March 5, 7 PM) for a talk on her book about her father, Frank Dearborn, who was Brattleboro’s Department of Parks and Recreation Director for 33 years. 

Every Sunday–A Daughter’s Enduring Connection is a tribute to her father, the story of a man who lived life with extraordinary kindness and humility. Frank Dearborn was the much-loved Recreation Director and fitness role model for the Town of Brattleboro for 33 years, active in biking, skiing, tennis, and an End-to-End hiker of Vermont’s Long Trail.

The First Wednesdays program with Ignat Solzhenitsyn at the Brooks Library and reception at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, scheduled for Feb. 5th, have been cancelled due to the winter storm.

We hope to reschedule for a future date and will post it in the library’s events calendar. http://brookslibraryvt.org/

EVENT CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW STORM

We regret at the First Wednesdays program with Ignat Solzhenitsyn and reception at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, scheduled for Feb. 5th, have been cancelled in anticipation of the winter storm. We hope to reschedule for a future date and will post it in the library’s events calendar.

Tune in for live streaming video of Archer Mayor’s presentation at Brooks Memorial on Wednesday, Jan. 29th at 7pm. Or enjoy the event in person in the library meeting room. It will be shared live with library sites in Montpelier and Newport. 

Join NYTimes bestselling Vermont author Archer Mayor as he takes the plunge into cyberspace in an interactive video-conference at three Vermont libraries. 

SPECIAL: During the video-conference, viewers will get a sneak peak at Mayor’s twenty-fifth Joe Gunther mystery, still in manuscript form, titled Proof Positive, which has just been sent to his editors.

Brooks Memorial Library will be closed Monday, January 20, in observance of  the national Martin Luther King holiday. Make a virtual visit to the library that day as all databases and the online catalog will be available at www.brookslibraryvt.org. 

You may also check out and download eBooks, eAudio, and stream independent movies, with your library card. Click on the “Digital Media” button and follow the link. Book and non-print drops will be open for returns during the hours the library is closed. Contact the library at 802.254.5290, info@brookslibraryvt.org.

Join Vermont Humanities scholar Richard Wizansky for this reading and discussion series which features the shorter works by the great Russian writer, dissident, and former Cavendish, Vermont resident and includes his most read and highly regarded novella as well as several of his famous speeches.

The readings and dates are: 1/9– One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich; 1/16–Matryona’s Home;; 2/13 the 1970 Nobel Lecture; and the 1978 Harvard Class Day Address. 

How do heroes and heroines cope with calamity in the very different worlds of the thriller, steampunk, and science fiction? Join a lively discussion with a panel of three authors in the Brooks Memorial Library meeting room on Wednesday, January 15, at 7 PM, and find out.

Travis Hiltz began writing in college, where he had an one act play produced and accumulated a small collection of rejection letters. He has since gone on to have over a dozen short stories published and become a regular contributor to both Blackcoat Press and Pulp Empire.

Betsy Woodman draws upon her vivid memories of growing up in India—playing hide–and-seek in the Mughal tomb behind her house in New Delhi, studying the dance styles of Bharat Natyam, and attending boarding school at the foot of the Himalayas—to write her gleefully charming Jana Bibi Adventure series. Love Potion Number 10 (Henry Holt; on sale August 13, 2013) is the second installment of this series, and Woodman’s hardcover debut, following the success of the beloved Jana Bibi’s Excellent Fortunes.

In her recent book, Jana, her loyal parrot, and the gang at the Jolly Grant House are back as their small town in India is rocked by an espionage scandal and a homemade remedy that has love on everyone’s mind. Jana’s fortune-telling has brought a lot of attention to the small town of Hamara Nagar, and now that the dust has settled and the town is safe from the threat of being flooded by a government dam, all eyes are on the Scottish-born card-reader Jana and her feisty, loose-beaked parrot, Mr. Ganguly. Some people, though, are not to be trusted, and Mr. Ganguly finds himself the target of a potential kidnapping that puts Jana and her household on edge.

Join Vermont Humanities scholar Richard Wizansky for this reading and discussion series which features the shorter works by the great Russian writer, dissident, and former Cavendish, Vermont resident and includes his most read and highly regarded novella as well as several of his famous speeches.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: A Reading and Discussion Series, Thursday, January 09, 2014 04:00pm – 05:30pm

The readings and dates  are: 1/9– One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich; 1/16–Matryona’s Home;; 2/13  the 1970 Nobel Lecture; and the 1978 Harvard Class Day Address.

Be the first to know what new titles are coming into the Brooks Library collection.

Click here for the current online edition of Brooks Memorial Library New Book Alerts. 

The Friends of Brooks Memorial Library Board of Directors is seeking two new Board members.   The mission of the Friends is to support the Library through advocacy, public relations and fundraising to provide the highest quality library services to the community.

 Annually the Friends host three major book sales, produce public concerts, such as last fall’s A Night of Jazz and Dancing with Chris Bakriges Quartet, and community events, most recently a Trivia Contest.  Proceeds from Friends’ productions go to support a wide range of library materials and services including the First Wednesday lecture series, public access computers, Children’s Room resources and events, free museum passes and the purchase of print and digital materials. 

Join Vermont Humanities scholar Richard Wizansky for this reading and discussion series which features the shorter works by the great Russian writer, dissident, and former Cavendish, Vermont resident and includes his most read and highly regarded novella as well as several of his famous speeches.

The Friends of Brooks Memorial Library are once again participating in World Book Night – an international event that gives volunteers thousands of free books to distribute in their communities. 

This year’s book titles are diverse and wonderful; authors like Agatha Christie; Joseph Heller and Maria Semple ; books ranging widely from the incredibly popular “The Dog Stars” to “The Tipping Point” to the beautifully written “Bridge to Terabithia”. It’s easy to get involved. Simply go to worldbooknightus.org and look over the book titles; choose the 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice of books that you would like to give away. Read the guidelines and apply to be a giver and submit. It’s that easy!

On exhibit at Brooks Memorial Library 

in the Library Main Room  

David Macaulay in the Children’s Illustrators’ Book Cases 2nd Floor Hallway (Across Children’s Room)

Register Now to be a Giver at World Book Night in Brattleboro. The Friends of Brooks Memorial Library are once again participating in World Book Night – an international event that gives volunteers thousands of free books to distribute in their communities. 

This year’s book titles are diverse and wonderful; authors like Agatha Christie; Joseph Heller and Maria Semple; books ranging widely from the incredibly popular “The Dog Stars” to “The Tipping Point” to the beautifully written “Bridge to Terabithia”.

It’s easy to get involved. Simply go to and look over the book titles; choose the 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice of books that you would like to give away. Read the guidelines and apply to be a giver and submit. It’s that easy!