Book Clubs

Library Foundation welcomes “V.E.” Schwab for Novel November

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The Peters Township Library Foundation is excited to announce that Victoria “V.E.” Schwab will be the featured author for their upcoming Novel November event. The literary event will take place on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. at the Peters Township High School Auditorium in McMurray, located at 121 Rolling Hills Drive. This program will be the sixth in the Novel November series, with previous featured speakers including Yaa Gyasi, Tim O’Brien, Anna Quindlen, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Andy Weir.

Ticket Sales

Tickets for the event will go on sale on Thursday, September 7, 2023, and can be purchased online at ptlib.org/veschwab. Adult general admission tickets are priced at $30, while student tickets are available for $5. All general admission tickets include a post-event book signing with Schwab. Riverstone Books, The Foundation’s independent local bookselling partner, will sell Schwab’s books before and after the program. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to hear from a New York Times bestselling author.

A limited number of VIP tickets will be available for $75. The VIP ticket includes a reception with music and light refreshments from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. in the Peters Township High School cafeteria. VIP ticket holders will receive a copy of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and attend a pre-event book signing by Schwab. You can also purchase tickets at the Peters Township Public Library circulation desk.

About V.E. Schwab

Photo of Victoria "V.E." Schwab“V.E.” Schwab is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the City of Ghosts series, and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. When not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters. 

 

More about “V.E.” Schwab

Addie LaRue is Invisible – But Memorable https://www.npr.org/2020/10/08/921305498/addie-larue-is-invisible-but-memorable

The Book of VE Schwab’s Heart
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/84041-the-book-of-v-e-schwab-s-heart.html

Author VE Schwab on writing monsters to help her readers fight real life https://www.cbsnews.com/news/victoria-schwab-author-darker-shades-first-kill-writing-young-adult-fantasy/

Visit her YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@veschwab_onwriting

Read Local/Eat Local returns to PT Library

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The Peters Township Public Library will host 22 local authors at its 3rd Read Local/Eat Local in a new format for 2022. On Saturday, August 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the public is invited to visit the library for an entirely outdoor event in the library parking lot. The library encourages the community to read books by Pennsylvania authors representing all genres for all age groups. No registration is required to attend.

The twenty-two authors featured will include writers of several formats, including short stories, fiction, nonfiction, and children’s picture books. Authors participating include:

Robin Acton
Sarah Addis
Barbara Brutt
Rossilynne Culgan
Annette Dashofy
Abigail Drake
Fifth Avenue Writers
Kit Frick
Lisa Grazan
Anna Harsh
J.V. Hilliard Author Cancelled
Annette Hostoffer
Carole Lynn Jones
Thomas Mainwaring
Nancy McCabe 
Liz Milliron
Chris Posti
Linda Rettstatt
Chris Rodell
Nellie Steele
Cori Wamsley
Thomas White

J.D. Barker

Kicking off the event at 10:00 a.m. will be a talk by J.D. Barker. He is the New York Times and international best-selling author of numerous novels, including Dracul and The Fourth Monkey. His latest with James Patterson, Death of the Black Widow, was released earlier this spring. His books have been translated into two dozen languages, sold in more than 150 countries, and optioned for film and television. Barker will sign books after his talk, with select titles available for purchase through Riverstone Books. No registration is required to attend.

Plan to Eat Local while at this free event or passing through the area. Three food trucks – Johnny’s Seafood Shack, Wooden Peel Pizza, and Millie’s Homemade – will be in the library parking lot with refreshments for sale from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Concluding the event at 1:15 p.m., a representative from Riverstone Books will offer tips to current and aspiring authors. Hear ideas on how to market your books and work with an independent bookseller. You must register to attend this presentation. Register at ptlib.org/riverstone.

For more information about Read Local/Eat Local, call the library at 724.941.9430 ext. 3260 or email ptlib@pt-library.org.

 

Are you interested in being a future Read Local/Eat Local author? Complete this short form to share your interest with the event organizers for next time!

New On-Demand Streaming Service – hoopla!

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The popular on-demand streaming service hoopla digital is now available for free for Peters Township Public Library cardholders. Members can access over 1,000,000 titles in various formats – audiobooks, eBooks, comics, music, movies, and TV. PT Library cardholders can stream content from any computer or mobile device by downloading the hoopla digital app for IOS and Android.

With hoopla, Peters Township Public Library now offers a vast digital collection to borrow immediately from anywhere. Hoopla is available on your desktop, phone, tablet, Alexa devices, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Android TV. You may borrow 8 Instant Borrows each month. Books are available for 21 days, videos are available for 72 hours, and music titles for 7 days after you borrow. Titles are automatically returned and removed from your device at the end of the lending period.

“Our patrons have given us great feedback over the past year about how our library services can help meet their needs,” said Illyanna Logan, Assistant Library Director. “One thing that we heard over and over again was that the Peters Township Public Library community wanted more digital content available with their library card. When we saw that, we immediately thought of hoopla. It gives us a great way to instantly increase our digital offerings with a vast library of content in diverse formats that’s always available. We think this resource will be a great addition to our digital collections and hope our patrons enjoy exploring all that hoopla has to offer!”

The hoopla digital collection includes popular entertainment and educational content, such as hit TV series, newly released music, bestselling audiobooks and eBooks, and much more. All items in the collection are always available, so no holds are necessary. This new service is not replacing OverDrive or Libby for downloading eBooks and audiobooks. The library is providing more digital content at the request of its members.

To get started, visit hoopladigital.com on your desktop or visit the App Store or Google Play to download the mobile app. In late March and April, the library has scheduled Intro to Hoopla classes via Zoom. Visit ptlib.org/classes to register to join the Zoom session.

Additional resources:
How to hoopla on IOS, Android, or Kindle
5 easy steps to get started with hoopla

What is Kids Mode?
hoopla Kids Mode is a multi-format, digital media experience designed especially for kids (up to age 12). All of the content – movies, TV shows, music, audiobooks, eBooks, and comics – has been curated and brought together in this one family-friendly place. Kids Mode is a feature that should be used with parental guidance. There are different age ranges using this feature and the titles available range from G-General Audiences to PG – Parental Guidance Suggested. Parents or guardians are expected to decide whether a specific title is appropriate for their child.

How do I activate Kids Mode?
hoopla Kids Mode is very simple to activate. Once you are logged into your account, just go into your settings in the upper right. Then click/tap on the Kids Mode toggle switch, and you’re all set. Click here for a guide on how to activate Kids Mode. We also offer a Kids Mode option on the home page in the top right corner! Logging out and back into your account switches Kids Mode off by default.

 

NEW – Book Club Kits

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Are you looking for your next Book Club read?

PTPL now has Book Club Kits available for checkout. Each kit contains eight copies of a book and a discussion guide containing reviews, author information, and discussion questions to help facilitate your conversation. Kits are checked out for six weeks at a time and are on the second floor of the library. The patron checking out the kit assumes responsibility for all items and kits must be complete when returned to the library. Kits must be picked up and returned to Peters Township Public Library.

Books available include fiction and nonfiction titles as well as best sellers and hidden gems. The collection of Book Club Kits will continue to grow over time so be sure to check often for new titles. If you have a suggestion, feel free to reach out and contact Sydney at skrawiec@pt-library.org

Check our catalog to see what titles are available!
ptlib.org/bookkits
Please click again if it does not work the first time. 

More resources for our area books can be found at https://ptlibrary.org/using-the-library/book-club-resources/

Adult Programs Survey Results

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In October 2021, we emailed our newsletter subscribers four questions to help us plan programs for adults in 2022.

Our survey identified four essential points that help us address the needs and wants of the community:
● Who is interested in adult programs?
● How do people want to participate in programs?
● When are people available for programs?
● What kind of programs are of interest?

We received 215 responses and are excited to share what we learned.

Graphic of survey responses from 2021 program survey showing age, preferred time, format, and types of programs.

 

Your responses will help us plan and react to the needs and interests of the community. Furthermore, we can continue to provide programs that align with the PA Forward Literacies: Basic Literacy, Information Literacy, Civic & Social Literacy, Health Literacy, and Financial Literacy. For example, the survey responses revealed that you are interested in Physical Health. Knowing this, we can leverage our community partners and continue to have programs like Medicare 101 (11.17.21), upcoming Nutrition Myths (12.9.21), and add new classes and events to the mix.

If you responded to the survey, you may receive follow-up emails from our staff as we continue to explore your responses and share programs that may interest you.

Didn’t see the survey? You can sign up for our e-newsletter and select the kind of updates you would like to receive.

Do you want to present a program at PTPL? Read our program policies and fill out a program proposal to share your ideas.

If you have any questions or want to know more about programs at PTPL, please get in touch with Sydney Krawiec, Program & Outreach Coordinator. You can reach her via email at  skrawiec@pt-library.org or call 724-941-9430 ext. 3260.

Taylor Jenkins Reid featured for Novel November

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UPDATED: September 23, 2021

New York Times-bestselling novelist and screenwriter Taylor Jenkins Reid will be the featured author for The Peters Township Library Foundation’s Novel November. The literary event will be held on Thursday, November 4, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. at the Peters Township High School Auditorium at 121 Rolling Hills Drive in McMurray. This will be the fourth program in the Novel November series. Previous featured speakers include Yaa Gyasi in 2017, Tim O’ Brien in 2018, and Anna Quindlen in 2019.

Tickets are now on sale at https://ptlib.org/TJRtickets. You can also purchase tickets at the library’s circulation desk. Out of an abundance of caution, masks will now be required at this event.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter of several novels that explore love in all its complexity. She writes and speaks candidly about women’s issues, relationships, marriage, and the writing process.

Reid’s newest novel, Malibu Rising, is a New York Times bestseller that follows the four famous Riva siblings who throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. The events of the night in 1983 reveal the many secrets that shaped this family’s generations, and the Rivas lives change forever. With her beloved, signature style, Reid writes a powerful story of historical fiction that explores fame, family, identity, and the impact of secrets unraveled. Malibu Rising is a #ReadWithJenna book club pick and is set to be adapted as a Hulu television series.

Her previous novel, Daisy Jones & The Six (another New York Times bestseller), details the history of a fictional rock band from the 1970s and what led to their rise to and fall from fame. In addition to writing the novel, Reid also wrote the lyrics for each song featured in the book. Before its publication, the novel was picked up by Reese Witherspoon for her monthly book club, and by Hello Sunshine, Witherspoon’s production company, for an Amazon limited television series starring Riley Keough. Daisy Jones was named one of the best books of 2019 by several media outlets, including NPR, The Washington Post, Esquire, Glamour, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, and more. The audiobook has also received critical acclaim and was named one of Apple Books’s Best Audiobooks of 2019.

Reid is also the author of the acclaimed novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (also a New York Times bestseller), which follows the story of a fictional Hollywood icon and her glamorous life and marriages. A television adaptation of Evelyn Hugo is in the works, with Reid writing the series adaption. Her other books include One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever Interrupted. Reid’s novels have been Indie Next picks and have been featured in People, US Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Good Morning America, Goodreads, and more. She lives in Los Angeles.