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newsletter of the Peoria Public LibraryVolume 24, No. 12 DECEMBER 2015

Peoria Reads! 2016 Announces ‘The Things They Carried’ as Book Choice; Variety of Programs Planned

The Big Read Peoria Reads! chose the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien as the one city, one book read for 2016 and a variety of events have been planned to help readers understand the book and the themes it explores.

The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the character Tim O’Brien, who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of 43. It has become required reading for any American and continues to challenge readers in their per-ceptions of fact and fiction, war and peace, courage and fear and longing.

Programs will begin in January and continue through April and will range from movies about the Vietnam War to book discussions and speakers. A complete list of events will be available at www.peoriareads.org.

On Sunday, February 28 the official The Big Read: Peoria Reads 2016 Kick-off will be held at Peoria Public Library North Branch at 2:00 p.m. with music by Random Strangers. Copies of the Peoria Reads book will be given away and a full events list will be available.  The musical group Random Strangers is Chuck Mahieu and Steve Fairbanks. They sing and play acoustic guitars to perform some of the best rock ‘n roll tunes of the Vietnam War generation. The program is free and open to the public.

On Saturday, March 19 The Big Read: Peoria Reads 2016 Keynote program will be at Peoria Public Library North Branch at 2:00 p.m. Forty years after the fall of Saigon, hundreds

of American veterans now call Vietnam home. These men are removing unex-ploded bombs and land mines from old battlefields. They are raising money for victims of Agent Orange, an herbicide sprayed by the United States during the war. And they are acting as unofficial ambassadors, promoting reconciliation between Americans and Vietnamese as teachers and tour guides. In this multi-media program, award-winning journalist Nissa Rhee will take audience members on a journey through Vietnam to meet these veterans turned peace builders.  Nis-sa will be joined by Vietnam War veteran Mike Kerber, who returned to Vietnam in 2013 as part of a tour led by Veterans for Peace.  Free and open to the public.

A wide variety of other programs, including the showing of the movies,

We Were Soldiers and Good Morning Vietnam, discussions of The Things They Carried and other relevant books and other speakers are already planned.

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enrich-ment. The Big Read has provided us with funding to purchase multiple copies of The Things They Carried to provide to schools, veterans groups, book clubs, low-income individuals, and others so that they can read the book and be encouraged to participate in a variety of public programs and events about the book and its themes.

Read the bookRead the bookand get involved!

Presented by Peoria Public Library & Common Place

2016Peoria Reads!

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

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If you like the Game The Wolf Among Us You will Like These Booksby Amanda Hildebrand

Winter Reading is Coming! Get Cozy with a Book Starts Now! Readers of all ages have an opportunity to read for weekly prizes and enter a drawing to win the Grand Prize of a Kindle Paperwhite from December 1 to February 29 at all Peoria Public Library locations. Just pick up a log or print one out from the library website, then read three hours per week! Get your log stamped every week. Every stamp is another entry for the grand prize drawing of the Kindle Paperwhite. Challenge yourself! You will find reading challenges to conquer. Just check the display at each branch or the webpage. Then start reading! You may read anything or read to children. The more reading the better! There is no need to register, start and end Winter Reading anytime that suits your schedule. Each time you get your log stamped for weekly reading or a challenge you get another entry for the Grand Prize. The more entries you put in the better your chance of winning. Taking a challenge might also expose you to something new, something you’ve never tried reading before. There are reading challenges suitable for every age. Get your chart and get ready to start reading today!

Holiday season is here! Get in the spirit with seasonal selections from Alliance Digital Media Library from OverDrive, Inc. New offerings this year include Dashing Through the Snow by fan-favorite Debbie Macomber, Christmas in Mustang Creek by Linda Lael Miller, and A Basket Brigade Christmas, three short novels by Judith Miller, Nancy Moser, and Stephanie Grace Whitson, based on the real-life Civil War-era Basket Brigade of Decatur, Illinois. Don’t forget the children with these holiday books that are sure to bring smiles, such as What Dogs Want for Christmas by Kandy Radzinski; A Christmas Sonata by Gary Paulsen; and Franklin’s Christmas Gift, a Read-Along e-book by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark. Celebrate the Feast of Lights with children’s books including The Count’s Hanukkah Countdown, a Sesame Street book by Tilda Balsley; The Miracle Jar by Audrey Penn; and The Golden Dreydl by Ellen Kushner. Also, check out the new “Browse All Subjects” feature! Scroll down the ADML home page and look for the “Browse All Subjects” blue box! Also discover our holiday e-books from E-Read Illinois powered by Axis 360. Mystery lovers can check out two new e-books by Anne Perry: A Christmas Escape, and Anne Perry’s Merry Mysteries: Two Victorian Holiday Novels; and The Humbug Murders, an Ebenezer Scrooge Mystery by L.J. Oliver. Put a little romance into your holiday with Marry Me at Christmas by Susan Mallery; One Christmas Wish by Sara Richardson; or The Amish Christmas Sleigh, an anthology of holiday stories by Kelly Long, Amy Lillard, and Molly Jebber. Children can enjoy these holiday stories including The Dreidel That Wouldn’t Spin: A Toyshop Tale of Hanukkah by Martha Seif Simpson and Durga Yael Bernhard; We Celebrate Kwanzaa in Winter by Rebecca Felix; or Rudolph Shines Again by Robert L. May and Antonio Javier Caparo. If you would like more information about our e-book collections or want some help getting started with our downloadable materials, contact your local Peoria Public Library branch or call the Main Library at (309) 497-2000.

Happy Holidays with E-Books! by Cindy Wright

The Wolf Among Us by TellTale games is a prequel to the Fables graphic novel series by Bill Willingham about fairy tale characters living together in modern day New York. If you have not already read the books I highly recommend you do so, and if you already have and want some more stories about popular literary characters interacting with each other I have some suggestions below. The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde starts with The Eyre Affair. Thursday Next is a member of the literary police and is after a criminal who has been stealing characters straight from the pages of books, and his next target is Jane Eyre. Through the course of the book, and the rest of the se-ries, Thursday Next comes across several beloved characters from popular literature. In Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross a teenage girl runs away to her birth town to try and find some answers about her parents’ deaths. She comes across a group of other teenagers, each bearing a curse directly from a different fairy tale. She also finds out she has a curse of her own, straight from Sleep-ing Beauty, she is destined to prick her finger and fall into a deep sleep. Enchanted by Alethea Kontis is based on the unique premise that all the popular fairy tales originated from one family with seven daughters. The book starts off focusing on the youngest, Sunday, and her meeting with an enchanted frog. In American Gods by Neil Gaiman an ex-con becomes the reluctant body guard and messanger of a mysterious individual. As they travel the country he discovers old gods from several different cultures are living in America leading seemingly normal lives but are about to take on the new gods in a battle of beliefs.

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A Dream of Ice by Gillian An-derson is the second book in the Earthend Saga. The first book in the series was A Vision of Fire. After discovering a link to the an-cient civilization of Galderkhaan, Caitlin O’Hara, child psychologist, finds herself with the ability to heal her young patients with her mind. She also finds that she can

see things from other places and times but as she learns more about her powers she starts to feel like someone is watching her. At the same time field agent Mikel Jasso, who works for a research organization searching for the Galderkhaan ruins in Antarctica, falls down a crevasse and discovers a city preserved in the ice and finds that the stone artifacts that he has been collecting are not as primitive as he thought. As Caitlin and Mikel uncover the secrets of Galderkhaani, they find that the person hunting Caitlin and the stones may be connected.

Precious Gifts by Danielle Steel is the story of a father’s last wish to make a difference in the lives of his children. Paul Parker had been a mostly absent father but when he passed away and the family gathered to read his will, his son and three daughters saw a new side to their father, a caring man who wanted to redeem himself

by making a personal bequest to each of them to help them achieve their own unique destinies and hopefully happiness. But as in all of Steel’s novels, there is a twist; Paul leaves his ex-wife a gift that deals with a secret that remained a mystery throughout their marriage. As she searches to discover its history and rightful owner, she finds it is a gift that sets her free from the past to find true happiness.

HOTNew TitlesHOTNew Titles December

by Robin Helenthal

Forgotten Soldier by Brad Taylor is the latest Pike Logan thriller in which he returns to deal with a Taskforce Operator gone rogue. When a Special Forces soldier is killed during an operation in Afghanistan that deals with a gov-ernment official of an allied nation, the U.S. ad-ministration wants to forget the casualty. One Taskforce member will not forget. The soldier was his brother and he sets out to avenge his death but by doing so will expose the Taskforce’s

activities and destroy a network of alliances against a larger evil. Logan is brought in to remove the risk and choose between his friend and the administration he is under oath to protect. The soldier’s death is only the beginning…..

In The Hunting Trip: A Novel of Love and War by William Butterworth III, Philip W. Williams commits a prank that gets him expelled from boarding school and sent home on the train, wondering what is going to happen to him. When he becomes a world-class marksman and a special agent in the U.S. Army Counter in-telligence in postwar Germany, the adventures begin: he helps a Soviet officer defect, becomes a courier for the CIA, marries an Australian

ballet dancer, becomes a bestselling novelist and then meets the love of his life on a hunting trip to Scotland. It’s a story of love, war and adventure.

The House of the Rising Sun by James Lee Burke is the next entry into the Holland family saga and tells the story of a father and son separated by war and circumstances. Hackberry Holland is a Texas Ranger on his way to join up with his son Ishmael, a captain in the United States Army. A vicious encounter with four Mexican soldiers leaves Hackberry in control of a stolen artifact, which makes him the focus of the rage of an Austrian arms dealer and lands his son in

the middle of the plot to recapture the treasure. Along the way, three women - Ishmael’s mother, Ruby Dansen, Beatrice DeMolay, a broth-el madam and Maggie Bassett, the one time lover of the Sundance Kid - will aid Hackberry in his quest to reunite with Ishmael and defeat their enemies to return the treasure believed to be the mythic cup of Christ to its rightful place.

Holiday Shopping at Friendly Finds BookstoreMonday-Wednesday and Saturday, Noon to 4:00 p.m.Main Library LL2

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CALENDARDecember

of programs and events

December ALL LOCATIONSCozy Up with a Book Winter Reading ProgramCozy up this winter with some fantastic books! Pick up a chart at any location, or print a copy from home. Bring your chart in each week to win a prize. For each week you get your chart stamped, you re-ceive an entry into a grand prize drawing to win a Kindle Paperwhite, If you like, you can choose a reading challenge from our display and earn an extra prize upon completion of the challenge. Grand prize drawing will be held on March 2. Ages birth to adult.

December MAIN LIBRARYWinter Holiday Activity BookletLooking for some-thing fun to do during your Winter Break? Pick up a

Winter Holiday Activity Booklet at the 2nd Floor Information Desk at the Main Library. Each booklet will have color-ing sheets, craft ideas, recipes, activities sheets, bookmarks and other fun ideas for all the major winter holidays including Bodhi (Buddha) Day, Christmas, Hannu-kah, Kwanzaa and the Winter Solstice. There’s something for all kids ages 3-12.

December MAIN LIBRARYDecember Holiday Crafts-to-GoKids ages 5 through 12 can pick up a craft packet at the 1st Floor Information Desk during regular library hours. Ask for a Holiday Craft-to-Go, take it home and the fun begins. While supplies last.

December MAIN LIBRARY, LAKEVIEW BRANCH, & LINCOLN BRANCH1 to 1 Tech Help Have you ever wished you had your own personal technology guru to help you? Schedule a “1 to 1 Tech Help” session at the library! You pick a time slot and provide some information about the computer or device you would like help with. At the meeting, a librarian will be ready to help and focus on you. Drop in or call the Main Library, Lakeview Branch, or Lincoln Branch to schedule your session in advance.

DecemberNORTH BRANCHOne-on-One Ebook Assistance – By appointmentHaving trouble downloading eBooks or audio books from Alliance Digital Media Library or Axis 360 onto your device and want some one-on-one assistance? Con-tact Peoria Public Library North Branch at 309-497-2100 and ask for Mary to schedule an appointment.

December 1-30 LAKEVIEW BRANCHGuess the Number of Candy CanesStop by the information desk to guess how many candy canes we have in our jar. One lucky winner will receive a $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble.

December 1-19 MCCLURE BRANCHChristmas Peeps Diorama ContestPeeps Marshmallow Candies are mostly known for their Easter treats, but did you know they also make Christmas ones? Create a Christmas scene using Peeps and turn them into McClure Branch by

Saturday December 19 to be judged by staff in a contest. The winner will receive a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble. Middle School & High School grades.

Tuesday, December 1LAKEVIEW BRANCHBibliophiles Book Club – 1:30-3:00 p.m.This month: In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides

Tuesday, Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 LINCOLN BRANCHTerrific Tattletale Storytime – 10:00-10:30 a.m.Ages 3 to 6.

Tuesday, December 1, 8 & 15 LAKEVIEW BRANCHOwlet Storytime – 10:30-11:00 a.m.Bring your little owls to a storytime for all ages including songs, movement, and coloring.

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 9 & 16 LAKEVIEW BRANCH Monday, Dec. 7, 14, 21 & 28 NORTH BRANCHTiny Tots Storytime – 10:30-11:00 a.m.Ages 12 to 23 months.

Wed, December 2, 9, 16, 23, 30MAIN LIBRARYeReader Training – 3:00-4:00 p.m.Have a smartphone, tablet, or ereader but need some help learning how to download ebooks from the library? Free one-on-one help is available. Sessions are first come, first served. Other times are available by appointment. Call Cindy Wright at (309) 497-2000 to schedule.

Thursday, December 3 MCCLURE BRANCHHanukkah Storytime – 10:00-10:30 amSunday starts the Jewish hol-iday of Hannukah. Come to our special Fun Time Storytime to hear stories about the holiday and make a fun craft to celebrate.

Thursday, December 3, 10 & 17 NORTH BRANCHTadpoles Storytime – 10:30-11:00 a.m.Ages 2 to 3.

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Thursday, December 3 & 17 NORTH BRANCHScience Sleuths Jr. – 4:30-5:00 p.m.Science in the library! Join us to do some hands-on science that’s perfect for pre-school and kindergarten learners.

Friday, December 4, 11 & 18 NORTH BRANCHBusy Bees Storytime – 10:30-11:00 amJoin us for an all-ages storytime. Stories, songs, and fun for the whole hive!

Friday, December 4 & 18 LAKEVIEW BRANCHLEGO Builders Club – 3:00-5:00 p.m.Calling all LEGO fans! Drop in any time to play. Parental supervision is required.

Saturday, December 5 NORTH BRANCHMake It! Take It! – 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.While looking for some fun books, stop in the Children’s Activity Room and make a cool craft! While supplies last. Ages 4 to 10.

Saturday, December 5 LAKEVIEW BRANCHPAWS to Read – 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.Meet and read to therapy dog book bud-dies! Children ages 7 and up will partner with a special dog friend to read their favorite books out loud. Registration suggested. To register, please call Peoria Humane Society at 672-2447.

Saturday, December 5NORTH BRANCHSherlock Marathon – 1:00-5:30 p.m.The BBC Sherlock Christmas special airs in January – are you ready? If you want to review the first three seasons – or watch them for the first time to see what all the buzz is about – don’t miss the season marathons taking place.  And don’t miss the Baker Street Bash on December 19!

December 7-19 MAIN LIBRARYI Spy Bottle ChallengeHow sharp are your eyes? Can you find things easily? Preschoolers through High Schoolers are welcome to try the I Spy Bottle Challenge. Visit the 1st Floor Information Desk to see if you can find all the objects in the bottles! Minimum of at least 5 objects for preschool through grade school and 10 for Middle through High School. Fill out the form with what you find, turn it in and receive a food coupon. While supplies last.

Monday, December 7LAKEVIEW BRANCHThe Truth About Energy Efficiency – 10:00-11:30 a.m.There are many products on the market that promise to help lower your utility bills including windows, insulation, fur-naces, air conditioners, radiant barriers, caulking, and so on. We will take a look at potential improvements on a home to help determine what will REALLY make a difference on lowering gas and electricity bills. Todd Abercrombie is an energy auditor and president of Ever-Green Home Energy Consultants based in Peoria. He works an an independent energy consultant for homeowners and contractors in both residential and commercial markets. He troubleshoots homes and buildings for energy and comfort problems and helps them develop a strategic plan based on what is most cost effective. He does not sell any products or make commissions off of any recommen-dations in order to provide unbiased advice to his clients.

Monday, December 7 LAKEVIEW BRANCHChapter Chatters – 4:00-4:45 p.m.Join us for our book club dedicated to reading chapter books! This month we will be reading Eleven by Lauren Myracle. Grades 3 to 5.

Monday, December 7 LAKEVIEW BRANCHDisney Letters – 4:30-5:30 p.m.Did you know that if you write a letter to your favorite Disney character, they will write you back and send you a signed autographed photo of themselves? Come to our letter writing workshop where we will help you write letters to your favorite characters and mail them for you. Snacks will also be provided.

Monday, December 7 LINCOLN BRANCHA Charlie Brown Christmas – 5:00-6:00 p.m.Children in grades 3 and 4 are invited to watch the classic holiday movie A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Tuesday, December 8 LAKEVIEW BRANCHTextile Arts Club – 2:00-3:00 p.m.Do you enjoy knitting, crocheting, nee-dlepoint or another form of textile art? Bring your current work to the Lakeview Branch and join the Textile Arts Club. We meet once a month to share our ideas and encourage continued creativity while we work side by side on our own projects.

Tuesday, December 8 LINCOLN BRANCHFront & Center: Christmas Around the World – 5:00-6:00 p.m.Join us as we learn about the Christmas customs and traditions in other coun-tries. Grades 7 and 8.

December 10 & 15 LINCOLN BRANCH

Puppet Show: “Santa Cures a Cold” – 10:00-10:30 a.m.

Santa has an awful cold and Elf is trying to cure it! Come help Elf find a cure for San-ta’s cold! Ages 3 to 6.

Thursday, December 10

NORTH BRANCHThursday Night at the Movies

– 6:00-8:00 p.m.Children of all ages – and parents,

too! – are invited to join us for the family friendly film Minions in the Beehive! Bring a snack if you like!

Friday, December 11 MAIN LIBRARY2nd Friday Film Club – 2:00-4:00 p.m.Every second Friday of the month lift your spirits with the joy of one of the great musicals. Enjoy the songs with our state of the art digital sound system and catch every dance step with digital pro-jection on the big screen. It’s free in the Main Library auditorium. This month: West Side Story (1961)

Friday, December 11 LAKEVIEW BRANCHTween Zone – 4:00-5:45 p.m.Welcome to our Tween Zone! The space that’s just for tweens. Puzzles, video games, and board games will be available for you to play. Bring a friend or make a new one. Ages 11 to 14.

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Friday, December 11 LAKEVIEW BRANCHMeet Me Under the Kissletoe – 5:00-5:45 p.m.

Join us for an evening of making candy mistletoe

– Kissletoe! Made with chocolate, this unique take on mistletoe is sure to delight your guests. Please sign up by

calling 497-2200 as space is limited.

For those ages 16 and up.

Saturday, December 12 NORTH BRANCHMath Challenge – 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.Experience the joy of math by visiting the Beehive for a fun self-guided math challenge. Challenges will be geared toward students in grade three and up. Drop in any time. While supplies last.

Saturday, December 12 LINCOLN BRANCHLincoln Holiday Patron Appreciation Day – 1:00-3:00 p.m.The Closthespin Puppets will present “Here Comes Santa Cat” at the Lincoln Branch. This is a puppet show based on the Picture Book Here Comes Santa Cat by Deborah Underwood. Kids can visit with Santa and make an ornament to take home. In appreciation of our patrons

we will forgive fines that day. If you have $10

or less in fines, bring in three canned goods; for $15 in fines, bring in 5 canned goods; and for $20 and up,

bring in 10 canned goods. Your fines

will be cleared and all canned goods will go to a local

food pantry.

Saturday, December 12 LINCOLN BRANCHMinecraft – 2:00-5:00 p.m.Ages 8 to 14 can join us for an afternoon of Minecraft in the computer lab. Space is limited, so please call 497-2600 to register.

Saturday, December 12NORTH BRANCHPeoria Readers Book Club Fair – 2:00-4:00 p.m.Want to join a book club but too intimidated to just pop in to a regular meeting? Then the Peoria Readers Book Club Fair is for you! Stop in to the fair to meet representatives from the Peo-ria Public Library book clubs and learn about their past and future reading lists. All in attendance will be entered into a raffle for a copy of Murder at Whiskey Row, a mystery novel penned by Peoria’s Book ‘Em Mystery Book Club, and try your hand at the trivia contest based on the book clubs’ 2015 reading lists to win a copy of A Year in the Life of Downton Abbey signed by Jessica Fellowes and her Oscar-winning uncle, Julian Fellowes.

Sunday, December 13NORTH BRANCHBiography & Non-fiction Book Club – 3:00-5:00 p.m.This month: Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Sunday, December 13 LAKEVIEW BRANCHHot Cocoa Mugs – 12:00-4:00 p.m.Celebrate National Hot Cocoa Day by making your own mug to take home. Hot cocoa will be served. While supplies lasts. For those 18 and under.

Sunday, December 13 NORTH BRANCHMusic in the McKenzie Presents: Barry Cloyd with T.J. Jones – 2:00-4:00 p.m.Local favorite Barry Cloyd pairs up with TJ Jones to bring acoustic Americana as only he can perform it. A portion of CD sales support The Friends of Peoria Public Library.

Monday, December 14 LAKEVIEW BRANCHSci Fi & Fantasy Book Club–6:30-7:30pmThis month: London Falling by Paul Cornell

Monday, December 14 NORTH BRANCHPajama Storytime – 7:00-7:45 p.m.Join us for a picture book party! We’ll en-joy stories, songs, and a craft! Wear your pajamas and bring a blanket to bundle up --- you’ll be ready for bed when you head home! 

Monday, December 15 LINCOLN BRANCHFront & Center: Artsy Craftsy Christmas – 5:00-6:00 p.m.What a joyous time to be had by all. Join us for some holiday cheer as we make Christmas crafts. While supplies last.

Tuesday, December 15LAKEVIEW BRANCHYA for Adults Book Club – 6:30-7:30 pmThis month: Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly

Tuesday, December 15 LAKEVIEW BRANCHGlow in the Dark Storytime – 6:30-7:00 p.m.Join us for a special Glow in the Dark storytime! We will read bedtime books, have some glow in the dark flannel boards and nursery rhymes, as well as a craft.

Wednesday, December 16 LAKEVIEW BRANCHReusable Gift Pom-Pom Craft – 5:00-6:00 p.m.We’re making reusable gift pom-poms to decorate your gifts with this holiday season. Just bring in an old t-shirt (one preferably with no side seams), and we’ll show you how to make these cute decora-tions you can use again and again. For ages 14 and up.

Thursday, December 17 MCCLURE BRANCHChristmas Storytime – 10:00-10:30 a.m.Christmas is approaching soon. Come to our special Fun Time Storytime to hear Christmas stories and make a fun craft to celebrate.

Friday, December 18 LAKEVIEW BRANCHMake It! Take It! Jingle Bells – 4:00-5:30 p.m.Come in to make an instrument with jin-gle bells that you can take home. While supplies last.

Saturday, December 19 MAIN LIBRARYMinecraft – 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.Ages 8 to 14 are invited to join us for 3 hours of uninterrupted play. Space is lim-ited, so please call 497-2150 to register.

Calendar Continued

Chr�tm�Merry

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Saturday, December 19 MCCLURE BRANCHChristmas Make It! Take It! – 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.Make a fun craft to celebrate the holiday. While supplies last.

Saturday, December 19 NORTH BRANCHSuper Smash Brothers Wii U! – 1:00-5:00 p.m.Put your skills to the test, and Smash into the holiday season! No registration required. Ages 10 to Adult. Feel free to bring your own controller if desired.

Saturday, December 19MAIN LIBRARYBaker Street Bash – 2:00-4:00 p.m.Are you eagerly awaiting the premiere of BBC’s Sherlock Christ-mas special?  Then don’t miss the Baker Street Bash!  Sherlock fans of all ages are welcome to join in the festivities, which will include a photo booth, mystery challenge, trivia contest, crafts, and a special guest speaker with Sherlock Peoria blog creator, Bradley Keefauver!  Dress up as your favorite Sherlock character (from the books, movies, or show – your choice!) for a chance to win a prize, or come as yourself for a chance to win other prizes. Please call (309) 497-2701 or email jamiejones@ppl.peoria.lib.il.us for more information!

Sunday, December 20 LAKEVIEW BRANCHBook ‘Em Mystery Book Club – 2:00-3:00 p.m.This month: Christmas Carol Murder by Leslie Meier

December 20-31 LAKEVIEW BRANCHMicroscope Usage ProgramDo you need a microscope to complete your science project? Lakeview Branch will now have a microscope available for use by our patrons. The equipment will be available the last two weeks of each month for patrons to use here at our location. Sessions must be scheduled in advance to guarantee the microscope is available. Please call 309-497-2200 to reserve a time slot.

Sunday, December 20 NORTH BRANCHFancy Nancy 10th Anniversary Celebration – 1:00-3:30 p.m.Children ages 5 to 10 are invited to a celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Fancy Nancy book series. Join us for an exciting tea party complete with a string quartet, French teacher, puzzles, games, treats and more. Fancy Nancy and Miss Glass will also be in attendance, so don’t miss out! Registration is required and reservations may be made by calling 309-497-2100 or registering in person at North Branch only, from Wednesday, December 2 to Wednesday, December 15. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Monday, December 21 LAKEVIEW BRANCHCatch the Gingerbread Man! – 10:30-11:00 a.m.Come to a gingerbread man-themed storytime, and then help us find our sneaky gingerbread man who got away from us!

Tuesday, December 22LAKEVIEW BRANCH1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Club – 6:00-8:00 p.m.Stop by to see a different movie from a different decade featured in the revised and updated edition of 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. This month: The Killers (NR, 1946).

Tuesday, December 22LINCOLN BRANCHRead On Book Club – 5:30-7:00 p.m.This month: Bishop 3 by RM Johnson

Wednesday, December 23 All locations will close at 6:00 p.m. for Christmas.

December 24 & 25 All locations will be closed for Christmas. Normal hours will resume on Saturday, December 26.

Saturday, December 26LAKEVIEW BRANCHPeoria Past – 1:00-2:00 p.m.Peoria has both a rich and intriguing history. This month we will have an overview of everything we learned this year. Please feel free to bring your own memorabilia to share with the group.

Sunday, December 27LAKEVIEW BRANCHSilver Screen Sundays – 1:00-3:00 p.m.This month: Mr. Smith Goes to Washing-ton starring James Stewart and directed by Frank Capra.

December 28-30 MCCLURE BRANCHWarm-Up Movies – 3:00-5:00 p.m.Join us for some warm summer movies to help warm up during the winter break. December 28: Gnomeo & Juliet, December 29: Dolphin Tale, Decem-ber 30: High School Musical 2.

Tuesday, December 29 LINCOLN BRANCHFront & Center: Winter Break PJ Party – 5:30-7:00 p.m.Wear your jammies and bring your favorite blankie for our annual Win-ter Break PJ Party. Fun stories, games, crafts and snacks. For preschool through grade 4.

Tuesday, December 29 LAKEVIEW BRANCHUno Tournament – 6:15-7:45 p.m.Think you have what to takes to be the ultimate Uno champion? Join us for a night of cards as you compete to see who will be crowned the winner in our tour-nament! Ages 14 to 18.

Wednesday, December 30 LAKEVIEW BRANCHRebecca Caudill Book Club – 4:00-5:00 p.m.Come to the Lakeview Branch to discuss the 2016 Rebecca Caudill Young Reader Book Award Nominations. Each month we will read a different book on the list to prepare for voting on our favorites in 2016. This month, we are discussing The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson. Grades 4 to 8.

December 31 All locations will close at 3:00 p.m. for New Year’s Eve.

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Join a book club at Peoria Public Library this month. New members are always welcome!

JanuaryAt Peoria Public LibraryBook Clubs

The Biography and Non-Fiction Book Club will meet on Sunday, January 10 at 3:00 p.m. at North Branch to discuss The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology by Simon Winchester. In 1793, a canal digger named William Smith made a startling discovery. He found that by tracing the placement of fossils, which he uncovered in his excavations, one could follow layers of rocks as they dipped and rose and fell—clear across

England and, indeed, clear across the world—making it possible, for the first time ever, to draw a chart of the hidden underside of the earth. Smith spent twenty-two years piecing together the fragments of this unseen universe to create an epochal and remarkably beautiful hand-painted map. But instead of receiving accolades and honors, he ended up in debtors’ prison, the victim of plagiarism, and virtually homeless for ten years more. The Map That Changed the World is a very human tale of endurance and achievement, of one man’s dedication in the face of ruin. With a keen eye and thoughtful detail, Simon Winchester unfolds the poignant sacrifice behind this world-changing discovery.

The Bibliophiles Book Club on vacation and will return in February.

The Book ‘Em Mystery Book Club will meet on Sunday, January 17 at 2:00 p.m. at Lakeview Branch to discuss Multiple Exposure by Ellen Crosby. When her husband, a geologist and covert CIA operative, is abducted and potentially a suspect in his boss’s murder and illicit Russian oil deals, photojournalist Sophie Medina is forced to play a high-stakes game of Russian roulette as she tries to prove his innocence.

&non-fiction

book group

Club Read will meet on Wednesday, January 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Lakeview Branch to discuss The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey. After the Ninth Duke of Rutland, one of the wealthiest men in Britain, died alone in a cramped room in the servants’ quarters of Belvoir Castle

on April 21, 1940, his son and heir ordered the room, which contained the Rutland family archives, sealed. Sixty years later, Catherine Bailey became the first historian given access. What she discovered was a mystery: The Duke had painstakingly erased three periods of his life from all family records—but why? As Bailey uncovers the answers, she also provides an intimate portrait of the very top of British society in the turbulent days leading up to World War I.

The Sci-Fi Fantasy Book Club will meet on Monday, January 11 at Lakeview Branch at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Uprooted by Naomi Novik. Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent

power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows--everyone knows--that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her. But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

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Intercontinental Readers will meet Tuesday, March 22 at 1:00 p.m. at Main Library on LL1 to discuss The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the Peoria Reads 2016 selection. The

Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the character Tim O’Brien, who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at age 43.

The YA Book Club for Adults will meet on Tuesday, January 19 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy. Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’ by

her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back. Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

FICTION BOOKSThe Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher Car Weber’s Kingpins: Miami by Nikki Turner The Company She Kept by Archer MayorDashing Through the Snow: a Christmas Novel by Debbie MacomberDeceptions: a Cainsville Novel by Kelley ArmstrongFancy Dancer by Fern MichaelsForeign Affairs by Stuart WoodsGermanica by Robert ConroyThe Heart Goes Last: a Novel by Margaret AtwoodThe Last Chance Christmas BallMarry Me at Christmas by Susan MallerySaturn Run by John SandfordThe Secret Chord by Geraldine BrooksThe Survivor: a Mitch Rapp Novel by Vince Flynn

YOUNG ADULT BOOKSAn Abundance of Katherines by John GreenAnna Dressed in Blood by Kendare BlakeAshfall by Mike MullinThe Battle for Skandia by John FlanaganBeautiful by Amy Lynn ReedBloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary “Jacky” Faber, Ship’s Boy by L. A. MeyerBreathless by Lurlene McDanielBrian’s Winter by Gary PaulsenButter by Erin Jade LangeCarry On: the Rise and Fall of Simon Snow by Rainbow RowellChampion: a Legend Novel by Marie LuCity of Glass by Cassandra Clare

MOVIESCop CarDragonBall Z. Resurrection ‘F’Furious 7I’ll See You in My DreamsInsidious. Chapter 3Little BoyMagic Mike XXLMarvel Agengers, Age of UltronMe and Earl and the Dying GirlPaper TownsPitch Perfect 2PixelsPoltergeist

NON-FICTION BOOKSBetter: How I Let Go of Control, Held on to Hope, and Found Joy in my Darkest Hour by Amy RobachBig Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth GilbertDeep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads by Paul TherouxFortunate Son: My Life, My Music by John FogertyFrank & Ava: In Love and War by John BradyGlory Days: Living Your Promised Land Life Now by Max LucadoIf Someone Says “You Complete Me,” Run!: Whoopi’s Big Book of Relationships by Whoopi GoldbergIntentional Living: Choosing a Life that Matters by John C. MaxwellIn This Together: My Story by Ann RomneyKilling Reagan: the Violent Assault that Changed the Presidency by Bill O’ReillyM Train by Patti SmithThe Mind Connection: How the Thoughts You Choose Affect Your Mood, Behavior, and Decisions by Joyce MeyerA More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Protect Our Constitutional Liberties by Ben Carson

Greater PeoriaDining Tour Books

The Friends of Peoria Public Library.

Available at:LAKEVIEW BRANCH, NORTH BRANCH,MAIN LIBRARY & FRIENDS BOOKSTORE

$10 of eachbook sold goes to

What’s Trending?At Peoria Public LibraryFor more, vist: www.peoriapubliclibrary.org/whats-trending

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BOARD OF TRUSTEESEdward J. Barry, Jr.Stephen M. BuckMargaret E. CousinLucy D. GulleyF. Eugene RebholzDebbie RitschelSid P. RuckriegelBarbara Van AukenJeanne Williamson

DIRECTOR Leann Johnson

EDITOR Trisha Noack

DESIGNERLaura Fehr

MAIN LIBRARY 107 N.E. Monroe 309.497.2000

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Wednesday, December 23Thursday, December 24Friday, December 25

Thursday, December 31Friday, January 1

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