Monday—Thursday

11 AM—9 PM

Friday

12 PM—5 PM

Saturday

10 AM—3 PM

The Library is Closed on

Sundays

The monthly newsletter of The Free Public Library of

Monroe Township

1-856-629-1212

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Circulation Desk ext. 210 or 211

Reference Desk ext. 206

Children's Desk ext. 204

Teen and Youth Services ext. 208

Administration ext. 203

Friday

January 1st

&

Monday

January 18th

Another new year has arrived and it’s still relatively warm outside. In some parts of the country there is not the great swing in temperature, where we in the mid-Atlantic region prepare for snow and the brunt of winter. During this brief warm spell we have the opportunity to follow the lead of our warmer counter parts, Spring Cleaning! If you think about it, some of it makes sense. Just off the holiday gift giving season, we now have the opportunity to get rid of some of our old toys, clothes, old bikes, bad ties and ugly sweaters. It’s also a great opportunity to help those agencies who have depleted their gift donations: Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, food banks and consignment shops may have pretty much emptied their stores. They could use your help. And while local libraries love donated books, so do many non-profits especially Big Brother and Big Sister. Your book donations help further reading opportunities across a wide spectrum of south Jersey communities. So think of the New Year as new opportunities to give. And with those warm thoughts, Spring is not that far away.

Best Fiction of 2015 1. Go Set A Watchman Harper Lee 2. After You JoJo Moyes 3. The Royal We Heather Cocks 4. A Little Life Hannya Yanagihara 5. My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry Fredrik Backman 6. Fates and Furies Lauren Groff 7. Inside the O’Briens Lisa Genova 8. Girl at War Sara Nović 9. Our Soul at Night Kent Haruf 10. Trail of Broken Wings Sejal Badani

Best Nonfiction of 2015 1. Modern Romance Aziz Ansari 2. Humans of New York: Stories Brandon Stanton 3. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear Elizabeth Gilbert 4. Between the World and Me Ta-Nehisi Coates 5. H is for Hawk Helen Macdonald 6. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town Jon Krakauer 7. Pirate Hunters Robert Kurson 8. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed Jon Ronson 9. For the Love Jen Hatmaker 10. Rising Strong Brene Brown

Happy New Year! Need a good book to get you through these gray winter days and long winter nights? Check out these top

picks from 2015.

The monthly newsletter of The Free Public Library of

Monroe Township

Friends of the Library Meeting Monday, January 4th, 2:00PM The Friends of the Library group is a great way to get involved in your Library & your community. Join us!

The Friends are once again collecting used fiction, cookbooks and children’s books on Mondays from 11AM-1PM and 5PM-7PM (when the Library is open.) for their annual book sale in April.

Creative Oxygen: Writing Group “You want to write but don't!” Wednesday, January 13th, 6:30PM This is a Creative Writing Group looking for fun and creative, artistic writers who find it hard to stay motivated to write. Join us as we encourage each other in maintaining a writing schedule with the goal of using writing as a tool of empowerment, healing and personal discovery. Critique sessions, writing prompts, artistic encouragement, for writers of any genre. Registration is required. Please call the group facilitator Theresa Moore at 856-629-7613 to register.

Needle Arts Group Wednesday, January 6th & 20th, 6:30PM Do you knit or crochet? Like to do embroidery, needlepoint, beading, quilting or other needlework? Bring a current project to work on in a fun and informal atmosphere. All levels of experience are welcome. This is not a class. However, sharing of tips and experience are encouraged. No registration required.

Bookworms Book Club Thursday, January 7th, 1:00PM Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

Set against the majectic landscape of early-twentieth-century Africa, McLain’s powerful tales reveals the extraordinary adventures of a woman before her time, the exhilaration of freedom and its cost, and the tenacity of the human spirit. Raised by her father and the Kipsigis tribe in 1920’s Kenya, Beryl endures painful losses before entering a passionate love triangle and discovering her unconventional true calling.

The monthly newsletter of The Free Public Library of

Monroe Township

Calligraphy Drop-In Studio Thursday, January 14th & 28th, 6:30PM Create various projects using calligraphy & other artistic techniques. Maureen Peters of the Philadelphia Calligraphers Society will teach these workshops. Some materials will be supplied. No prior experience is necessary. This program is free and open to adults 18 and older. Registration is required. Call 856-629-1212 x206.

Coloring for Grown-Ups Thursday, January 21st, 7:30PM – 8:30PM Adults coloring? Absolutely. Join us for the newest trend in stress relief. We will supply the pages and coloring utensils but feel free to bring your own.

Blood Drive On the third Thursday of every month the American Red Cross will be conducting a blood drive in the Library Meeting Room. The date this month is Thursday, January 21st, from 2:00-7:00 PM. For an appointment please call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Craft for Seniors/Adults: Sock Snowman Thursday, January 14, 2016, 1:30pm Adults and seniors are invited to make an adorable sock snowman that's perfect for a winter decoration! Please call 856-629-1212 x204 to sign up by Tuesday, 1/12.

Fridays with Frank: On the Town Friday, January 15th, 1:00 PM No signups required to enjoy the next in our Fridays with Frank series. Three sailors on a day of shore leave in New York City look for fun and romance before their twenty-four hours are up.

A train In Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendships and Resistance in Occupied France Tuesday, January 26th 7:00pm

Combining original sources, archival research and in-depth personal interviews, this riveting narrative follows the 230 women of the French Resistance who, imprisoned by the Gestapo outside of Paris before being transported to Auschwitz, turned to each other, finding solace and strength in friendship

The monthly newsletter of The Free Public Library of

Monroe Township

Lunch and a Movie Time After Time

Monday, January 11, 2016, 12:00PM Bring your lunch (beverages provided) and enjoy this science fiction thriller. In the late 19th century, writer H.G. Wells has built a working time machine, but his friend Dr. John Stevenson, whom Wells learns is actually Jack the Ripper, uses it to escape the authorities and flee into the future. When the machine returns, Wells travels into 1979 San Francisco to capture the Ripper--and finds a future world almost beyond his comprehension. With the help of a beautiful bank worker, with whom Wells falls madly in love, he must stop the Ripper and keep him from getting his hands on the time machine. No signups required. (This is rated PG for some violence and blood.)

Casablanca

Monday, January 25, 2016, 12:00PM Bring your lunch (beverages provided) and enjoy one of the all-time great movie classics! In 1941, Morocco is swarming with refugees desperate to escape occupied Europe. In the thick of all this, Rick Blaine runs one of the most popular nightclubs in Casablanca. He prides himself on remaining neutral and "sticking his neck out for nobody." But two things force him to make a stand: the presence of two exit visas that can allow refugees passage to safety, and the re-appearance of his old love Ilsa. One of the most quotable (and quoted) movies of all time, this 1942 classic also stars Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, and Paul Henreid. No signups required. Here's looking at you, kid.

Top 10 Movies of 2015 1. Jurassic World 2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3. Avengers: Age of Ultron 4. Inside Out 5. Furious 7 6. Minions 7. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 8. The Martian 9. Cinderella (2015) 10. Spectre Source: Boxofficemojo.com

The monthly newsletter of The Free Public Library of

Monroe Township

Movie Night: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Tuesday, January 19th, 5:30pm – 8:00pm Join us for our new Teen Movie series "Sam has never seen..." Meet the new YA Librarian Sam and watch "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Feel free to bring your inside scoop on the book and movie. Refreshments provided.

Teens Invited!! Coloring for Grown-Ups Thursday, January 21st, 7:30pm – 8:30pm Coloring is just for kids? No way! Join us for the newest trend in stress relief. We will supply the pages and coloring utensils but feel free to bring your own. Registration is suggested but not required.

YUGIOH TOURNAMENT DAY Saturday, January 23rd, 12:00PM No sign up necessary, n00bs welcome! Ages 13 –19.

Top 10 Young Adult Fiction 2015 from Goodreads.com 1. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven 2. P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #2) by Jenny Han (Goodreads Author) 3. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen 4. I Was Here by Gayle Forman 5. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 6. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon 7. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella 8. Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road, #1) by Katie McGarry 9. Wild Reckless (Harper Boys, #1) by Ginger Scott 10. Mosquitoland by David Arnold For more top 10 lists, including top 10 including Graphic Novels & Comics and Young Adult Fantasy, visit www.Goodreads.com.

The monthly newsletter of The Free Public Library of

Monroe Township

Lego Club for Tweens Wednesday, January 6th, 7:00PM Ages 8-12 are invited to make some festive holiday creations with the Lego we provide! Signups are required.

Winnie the Pooh Day Saturday, January 9th, 11:30am All ages are welcome to watch Disney's Winnie the Pooh and make a Pooh-themed craft! (If you have a stuffed toy of Pooh or one of his pals, bring it if you want.) Please sign up by January 7th.

Read to a FURever Friend Thursday, January 7th & 21st, 6:30PM Join us and the FURever As Friends team for our SMILE Reading Program on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month from 6:30-7:30p. FURever As Friends is a local organization with certified pet therapy teams. FURever as friends will provide pets to encourage reluctant/hesitant readers to read out loud to a new unbiased furry friend. Sign ups are required 856-629-1212 x204

Drawn Together Wednesday, January 13th, 7:00PM Calling all artists ages 8-12! Want to spend an evening drawing and making friends? Sign up for our drawing night! We provide the paper and materials--you provide your imagination. We'll display the drawings in our Library. Please call 856-629-1212 x204 to sign up by Monday, Jan. 11th.

Movie Night: Frozen Sing-Along Wednesday, January 27th, 6:30pm As we continue through winter, all ages are welcome to join us at our sing-along showing of "Frozen"! Come enjoy one of the most popular Disney movies in recent years--and see who can belt out "Let It Go" the loudest. No signups required.

Top Picture Books of 2015 1. The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt, Oliver Jeffers 2.Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally M. Walker 3.I Will Take a Nap! (Elephant & Piggie, #23) by Mo Willems 4.What Pet Should I Get? by Dr. Seuss 5.The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton 6.Goodnight Already! by Jory John, Benji Davies 7.If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson 8.Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall