discover life's possibilities | November

As The Darkness Falls, Come Play
While I never miss an opportunity to gripe about Daylight Savings Time, I’ll admit that this past timeskip has been especially difficult for me. One day I’m headed home from work while the sun is setting, and the next I don’t go home until it is completely dark. Coupled with recovering from a peskily persistent flu, and I was feeling a bit worn down. 
 
What helps me when I feel low is to work on projects with my hands. It's one of the reasons I have a reckless number of hobbies; an antidote to any funk is within arms reach, and I busy myself making bread, writing, quilting, doing origami, playing Go, or most recently, trying watercolor painting with my daughter. I always have another thing to pick up and hold my interest, and I feel better after a session of making something new. 
 
If the increasing darkness is also difficult for you, I invite you to come try one of our programs at the library! We have programs across a wide variety of interests, and selections for all ages. In the past year, we’ve hosted art classes of all shapes and sizes, author presentations, nature talks, game nights, learning sessions, movie marathons, language classes, and much, much more. I'm especially exited about our Mini Art Show that YOU can participate in until December 3rd. (More details below!) Wherever you are on your life journey, you can find something interesting to learn or to do at the library, and a few new friends to do it with. Browse our events calendar to see what is coming soon at the library!
 
-Anthony
 
p.s. Next week, on Tuesday November 18th, is the next public meeting about the New Building Project! More details are below; please come!
 
Anthony Morris

-Assistant Director
-Wealdwight
-Bienenvater
 
Currently Reading

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

NEW BUILDING PROJECT
Coming November 18th, 2025:
 
Coming next week! Library Building Project community meetings on November 18th at 12pm-2pm and again at 6pm-8pm. The Steering Committee and architectural consultants will facilitate two active and engaging design workshops. They will show how community values, goals, and priorities discussed in the October 22nd meetings can become physical ideas. The results of this workshop will provide the design team with a basis for conceptualizing the building’s design. Come prepared to work in small groups with fellow community members and to think creatively about library services!
 
Find more information about the Library Building Project at: https://www.sjlib.org/aboutus/library-building-project/
THE PENNY PINCHER
Featuring popular services paid for by your tax dollars that you can access from the Library at no cost!   
NewsBank provides access to newspapers from across the United States and the world. Explore and stay informed on local, national and international topics, people and events in areas such as business, health, education, jobs and careers, political and social issues and more. Features a wide variety of credible, vetted news sources from around the world to around the corner, including the Journal of the San Juan Islands. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device. 
 
Newly available from NewsBank: HeritageHub
Explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 – today. Heritage Hub helps you easily identify relatives, uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid 1900’s, and original obituary images. 
MINI ART SHOW
It's that time of year again- the Mini Art Show is here! Pick up a mini canvas at the front desk, decorate it any way you choose, then bring it back by Wednesday, December 3rd. We'll display them in December and the beginning of the new year, and contact you when the show is over so that you can collect your artwork. 
 
Supplies are limited--please pick up no more than one kit per member of your household!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Get to Know Your Apple iPhone and iPad
with Beth Helstien
Wednesday, November 19th
12:00pm - 2:00pm
Get comfortable with your Apple device!
Learn the basics of your iPhone or iPad operating system, including calls, texts, photos, iCloud, passwords, apps, and more. 
Registration required; register by clicking on the above image.
Make Your Own Mug Suet Feeder
Saturday, November 22nd
3:00pm - 4:00pm
With temperatures dropping, and food sources becoming scarce, make your own suet feeder in a mug to hang in your yard all winter! All supplies provided - just bring your creativity! Registration required; register by clicking on the above image.
German Winter Traditions Deutsche Wintertraditionen
Monday, December 1st, 2025
6:00pm-7:30pm
Join us for a special meeting to practice German around the Stammtisch in a relaxed and casual atmosphere! The theme for this extra long program will be winter and holiday traditions.
Building Bridges:
A Spanish Community Class
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025
6pm - 7:30pm
A beginner Spanish language class that focuses on introductory, functional language skills so that you can connect more effectively with your neighbors, loved ones, and colleagues. In this class you will learn core vocabulary, basic grammar, how to introduce yourself, as well as ask and answer common questions.
DONATE TO THE LIBRARY
The San Juan Island Library welcomes gifts to support the programs, collections, and services designed to meet the needs of San Juan Islanders, nonprofit partners, and visitors of all ages, that are not met by tax revenue. There are many ways to support your library!
STAFF PICKS
Check out our latest faves!
 
The Thursday Murder Club (Netflix Tie-In) by Richard Osman
The Thursday Murder Club
by Richard Osman 
 
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club. When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it's too late? 
The Manga Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening: Detailed Tips for Growing 50 Types of Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs (with Over 2000 Drawings and Photos by Hideki Yoda
The Manga Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening
by Hideki Yoda
 
Make the most of your organic garden--with this playful yet wonderfully detailed guide! Manga artist and passionate home gardener Hideki Yoda illustrates the joy and simplicity of raising vegetables in your own small home garden. He covers everything from creating the rows and preparing the soils to building the trellises and keeping the pests and weeds away without the use of any chemicals. Hundreds of detailed step-by-step color photos and drawings throughout the book explain the techniques and guide you through each step. The perfect book for beginners who like a playful, illustrated approach to information! 
Such a Fun Age: Reese's Book Club by Kiley Reid
Such a Fun Age
by Kiley Reid
 
A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both. Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains' toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone family, and the complicated reality of being a grown up. It is a searing debut for our times. 



Discover Life's Possibilities
1010 Guard St, Friday Harbor, Washington 98250
(360) 378-2798

https://www.sjlib.org

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