December Adult Programs

HOLIDAY PROGRAMS & CONCERTS

Holiday Concert: THE BOB KOLB TRIO
Sunday, December 1 | 2pm | Lovell Room
The Bob Kolb Jazz Trio will weave their way through delightful jazz interpretations of well-known holiday songs. Other long-time members of the Trio include David Childs on piano and Steve Roane on bass.

Talk/Concert: OPERA, LIVE! with JAMIE RATCLIFFE
Tuesday, December 3 | 6:30pm | Lovell Room
Jamie Ratcliffe, operatic mezzo-soprano will perform an educational recital concert featuring popular opera hits and fun historical facts.

Holiday Concert: JOE NEUMANN
Sunday, December 8 | 2pm | Lovell Room
Joe Neumann, Connecticut recording artist, singer, songwriter, guitarist, has been performing throughout the Connecticut and New York areas and has also performed with Bill Haley’s Comets with his two sons, Joseph on trumpet and Patrick on saxophone. For the Library holiday concert Joe will be singing and playing guitar, with some accompaniment from trumpet and saxophone player. Enjoy traditional Christmas songs with some 50’s & 60’s hits.

Holiday Concert: NEW ENGLAND GUITAR SOCIETY
Sunday, December 15 | 2pm | Lovell Room
Annual holiday concert series continues with the return of NEGS to the Library.
Free and open to the public!

Reading: ELEGY FOR EBENEZER
Sunday, December 22 | 2pm | Lovell Room
“Elegy for Ebenezer” by Douglas Moser returns the tale to its Dickensian roots: a ghost story. An old, dying Ebenezer Scrooge, a stingy man, has never found redemption. As death nears, his faithful, disgruntled servant Bee plans on taking what she’s earned over years of caring for this miser. As she’s looting his apartment, he asks her to tell her a story, and so she does. A tour de force for two actors, Ted van Griethuysen, and Sarah Nuland. Sad and uplifting, “Elegy for Ebenezer” finds the heart inside the pain, and the wonder in storytelling.

CAREER & TECH HELP:

CAREER COACH: Job Search Help
Monday, December 9 | 10am to 12pm or 1 to 3pm | Bus parks on Main Street near the library front entrance.
Are you ready to take the next step in your career but feel lost in the world of job searching? Join our “Job Search” workshop and equip yourself with the knowledge, skills, and resources you need to land your dream job!
The same material will be presented in each 2-hour workshop, participants only need to attend one of the sessions.
Register HERE for 10am-12pm session
Register HERE for 1-3pm session

Monday Morning Buzz
Monday, December 2 | 11am | Lovell Room
Stop in to hear what’s new, what’s hot, and what books are creating a buzz! Staff will lead an informal discussion of books, movies and more. Share what you’re reading and watching and hear from others! Meets the first Monday of the month.

Books On Tap
Books, Brews, and Bantor
Tuesday, December 3 | 7pm to settle, 7:30pm to talk
Join us at the Whiskey Barrel located at 251 E. Main St, Stratford.
We will be discussing WHEN CRACK WAS KING by Donovan Ramsey
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • A “vivid and frank” (NPR) account of the crack cocaine era and a community’s ultimate resilience, told through a cast of characters whose lives illuminate the dramatic rise and fall of the epidemic.
Copies available at the Check-Out Desk.

“Don’t Know Much About” Adult book discussion
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL by Ronan Hession
Wednesday, December 11 | 11am | Lovell Room
We’ll discuss this charming and unique story of two friends struggling to protect their understanding of what’s meaningful in life. It is about the uncelebrated people of this world — the gentle, the meek, the humble. And as they struggle to persevere, the book asks a surprisingly enthralling question: Is it really them against the world, or are they on to something?
** Special start time in December!** Gather at 10:30am for visiting & coffee & cookies, and join the Adult Book Discussion from 11am-noon.
Copies of the book are available at the Checkout Desk.

FYA  Book Club
Wednesday, December 11 | 6:30pm | Board Room
Are you an adult that loves to read Teen books? then join us for our new bookclub FYA (Forever Young Book Club)! The first book we will be discussing is FIREKEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Angeline Boulley. With four starred reviews, Boulley’s debut novel,  is a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who goes undercover for the FBI to solve a murder and expose a lethal new drug, while navigating family, love, and cultural identity. Perfect for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange.
Copies are available at the check out desk, Libby and Hoopla.

Books Over Coffee
Wednesday, December 18 | noon | Lovell Room
THE READING LIST by Sara Nisha Adams
An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people —a lonely London widower and a troubled teenager.
Copies available at the Check-Out Desk.

CREATE:

Coloring & Coffee
Monday, December 2 | 6pm | Lovell Room
Don’t let stress get you down! Try coloring for adults! Coloring has many benefits including helping you to focus and de-stress. Stop in and give it a try. The Library will supply coloring pages, colored pencils and markers, plus coffee and tea. You are welcome to bring your own supplies too.

Monday Matinees: 
Monday, December 9 | 12pm | Lovell Room
Monday Matinees: “INSIDE OUT 2”
Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is disrupted by something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety and friends show up.
96 minutes; rated PG