I S S U E 0 3 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 Unshelved News & notes from the Blue Earth County Library System

A LETTER FROM THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR

Happy November! I hope you're enjoying these newsletters that the BECL staff have so carefully put together. We've been hearing from visitors that the book recommendations (see inside!) are useful, so we'll continue to update you on new titles and whatever else our librarians are loving. We've also been hearing that the community is missing the Pages Past Bookstore. The store is run by volunteers from the Friends of the Deep Valley Libraries, and while our Mankato location is open, the bookstore is not. We know our visitors miss the store—and we miss our Friends volunteers! We will be sure to let you know when the store can safely open again. In the meantime, please consider renewing your Friends membership and/or making a monetary donation to the group. All the proceeds go toward new materials and fun events like our Summer Reading Program. If you aren’t already a member, consider joining! More information can be found on our website (beclibrary.org/99/Friends-of-the-Library), or stop by the library and chat with me to learn more about the group and what it does. Kelly McBride, Director of the Blue Earth County Library System

While the Pages Past Bookstore is closed, the Friends of the Deep Valley Libraries continue to appreciate your support and patronage of the Blue Earth County Library. We hope everyone is staying healthy and we look forward to seeing you when it’s safe to reopen. Please visit our website to join the Friends, renew your membership, or make a monetary donation to the Friends of the Deep Valley Libraries. Upcoming Events

Maker Mondays continue in November! Visit our website (beclibrary.org) for all the details of our virtual Maker Monday events, including lessons on Scrabble tile shadow boxes, decorative bows, holiday ornaments, and paint pouring.

2020 Reading Challenge This year, we challenge you to read something new! As the days get darker in November, why not curl up with a cozy mystery, a true crime narrative, or an old-fashioned whodunit?

Nov. 19: (Virtual!) Storytime for Grownups Join us on November 19 at 8pm to hear a great story and maybe share one of your own. Stay tuned for this month's theme and visit beclibrary.org for the Zoom link.

Nov. 24: BEC Library Book Club Join us (online!) on November 24 at 6pm to discuss Bill Bryson's latest work of nonfiction, The Body: A Guide for Occupants. Call 507-304-4001 to request a copy of the book and visit beclibrary.org for the Zoom link.

Visit beclibrary.org/calendar for more information and Zoom links to events. And find us on Facebook and Instagram for even more virtual fun! Every Sunday at noon, we're sharing a Book Talk video on our Facebook page: see what staff members and friends of the library have been reading and loving lately! Please note that the Blue Earth County libraries will be closed on Wednesday, November 11 in observance of Veterans' Day and on Thursday and Friday, November 26 and 27, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

New & notable on the shelves

Adult Fiction Adult Nonfiction Homeland Elegies Why Fish Don't Exist Lulu Miller From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a Part biography, part memoir, part deeply personal work about identity and scientific adventure, this debut from the belonging in a nation coming apart at NPR reporter and co-host of Radiolab is the seams. Part family drama, part social a wondrous fable about how to essay, part picaresque novel, at its heart persevere in a world where chaos will it is the story of a father, a son, and the always prevail. country they both call home. Adult Nonfiction Adult Fiction Caste Missionaries Isabel Wilkerson Phil Klay In this new work, longlisted for the 2020 This first novel from the National Book National Book Award, the bestselling Award-winning author of Redeployment author of The Warmth of Other Suns draws on six years of research into the examines the unspoken caste system effects of the modern way of war on that has shaped America and shows regular people, infusing extraordinary how our lives today are still defined by a suspense with geopolitical sophistication hierarchy of human divisions. and storytelling instincts second to none. Young Adult Fiction Children's Fiction A Sky Beyond the Storm The Ickabog Sabaa Tahir J.K. Rowling In the jaw-dropping finale of the New Featuring full color illustrations by York Times bestselling An Ember in the children from across the Ashes fantasy series, discover: Who will and Canada, this is a warm, funny fairy survive the storm? The Soul Catcher tale of a fearsome monster, thrilling must take on a mission that could save— adventure, and hope against all odds. or destroy—all that he knows. Library Services: November 2020

Mankato: Monday-Friday 10a-6p & Saturday 10a-4p Come & Go Service for Adults Computer & Printer Usage No appointment needed. Appointment recommended. Please call 30 minute limit. 507-304-4001 to schedule your visit. Limited capacity. Appointments are for 30 or 45 minutes. Seating is unavailable. Masks are required. Masks are required. Visits to the Children's Area No Contact Pickup Appointment required. Call 507-304-4001 No appointment needed. to schedule your visit. Now located inside the library. Appointments are for 30 or 45 minutes. Call 507-304-4001 or visit One family or group at a time. beclibrary.org for information. Masks are required. Masks are required. Fall Storytimes & Other Events Wireless Internet Access All fall events are online only. Available 24/7 in the area Visit beclibrary.org/calendar for more surrounding the library. information and links to join.

Mapleton: Mon-Fri 1p-5p & Lake Crystal: Mon-Fri 10a-4p

No Contact Pickup Fall Storytimes & Other Events No appointment needed. All fall events are online only. Located inside the library. Visit beclibrary.org/calendar for more Masks are required. information and links to join. Wireless Internet Access Available during regular Other Services Are Not Available at library hours. the Branch Locations at This Time.

"With a library you are free, not confined by temporary political climates. It is the most democratic of institutions because no one—but no one at all—can tell you what to read and when and how." — Doris Lessing, author of The Golden Notebook www.beclibrary.org and 2007 Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature 507-304-4001