July Adult Book Groups

June 28, 2022 ~ Jenna P ~ Leave a comment

The Chester County Library Evening and Afternoon Book Discussion groups have returned to in person meetings. The other groups are remaining virtual. Please see our July titles and dates below. The online groups are being held via Zoom. We are requiring registration for these online book groups in order to send out the Zoom meeting information. Click on the date below to register. Information on our adult book groups can also be found on our website: https://bit.ly/chescolibs-bookgroups.

Evening Book Group
Monday, July 11, 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
This session will be held in person in the Burke Room at the Chester County Library.

Comics Unbound Group
Monday, July 18, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel

Afternoon Book Group
Wednesday, July 20, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
This session will be held in person in the Burke Room at the Chester County Library.

The Page Turners Book Group and the Whodunits Book Group will return in September.

Registration is required for all book groups. Registration will close at least 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the book group. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the book group starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual book group.

These programs support the PA Forward Civic and Social Literacy Initiative.

Benjamin Franklin, a film by Ken Burns

June 24, 2022 ~ mkolb76 ~ Leave a comment

Screener & Discussion at Henrietta Hankin Branch

CHESTER SPRINGS—Starting this June, Henrietta Hankin Branch Library is partnering with PBS Books to offer free screenings and discussions of recent and forth-coming PBS documentaries. The community is welcome to participate in the events either virtually or in-person in the Henrietta Hankin Library’s Annex where we will view various clips from the documentaries on our large screen and discuss the content with local experts.

On Wednesday, June 29^th, from 6:00-7:30 pm, join us along with local historian and living history interpreter, Mike Kochan, for a screening of Benjamin Franklin: a film by Ken Burns. The two-part documentary originally aired on PBS stations on April 4-5, 2022, bringing to life this iconic historical figure whose work and words helped shape our nation. Mike has been portraying and studying the life of Benjamin Franklin for years and will bring incredible knowledge to our discussion. He will be dressed as Ben and also plans to bring in some reproductions of Mr. Franklin’s machines used in his experiments in the documentary. This interactive event should prove enlightening and entertaining for all!

In August, Henrietta Hankin Branch Library is planning to present a Screener & Discussion on the Ken Burns documentary Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness, which airs on PBS on June 27-28. There will be a panel of experts from local agencies at the library to direct the discussion of this very important topic. Other documentaries that have been approved for screeners and discussions later in the year include America and the Holocaust, and Making Black America. Stay tuned for more details!

We hope you will join us at one or more of these events. Register here. This event supports PA Forward Civic and Social Literacy.

CCLS/CCL Board Meeting

June 17, 2022 ~ Jenna P ~ Leave a comment

Due to the easing of COVID restrictions, the Board of Trustees of the Chester County Library System/Chester County Library will now be hosting their monthly board meeting as a hybrid offering. If you have always wanted to attend a meeting but haven’t had the time, this is your opportunity. Please click on this link at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday June 21 to join the Chester County Library System Board Meeting virtually; or attend in person at the Spring City Library, 245 Broad Street, Spring City, PA 19475. The Chester County Library Board Meeting will immediately follow. Find the Chester County Library Board Packet here.

If you are a person with a disability and wish to attend this meeting and require an auxiliary aid, service, or other accommodation to observe or participate in the proceedings, please call Chester County Library’s Administration Office at 610-344-5600 or email mcrawford@ccls.org to discuss how we may best accommodate your needs.

Meet Mary Alice Munroe from The Islanders’ Series at Wellington Square Bookshop

June 15, 2022 ~ mkolb76 ~ Leave a comment

Join us for this ticketed event! We will host Mary Alice Monroe at the bookshop to celebrate the release of her new book (a sequel to The Islanders) Search For Treasure. Both books are listed on this page and can be purchased separately if desired. Note: We will have copies of the books in the store during the event.

Tickets are required to attend the event on June 20th. Register here for event tickets – $10 per ticket (without the book) and $25 per ticket (with book). Email angella@wellingtonsquarebooks.com with questions.
Monday, June 20, 2022 – 11:00am to 1:30pm
549 Wellington Square
Exton, PA 19341

June Staff Picks

June 9, 2022July 26, 2022 ~ ejscotolati ~ Leave a comment

Felicia’s Picks

Paris is Burning

A must watch film for those interested in queer history, focusing on NYC ball culture in the 80s and tackling issues faced by Queer POC at the time.

Giovanni’s Room

A fantastic modern classic focused on the relationship between our narrator, David, and his unpredictable lover Giovanni. While this novel isn’t exactly a “feel-good” read, it is a fantastic work by one of America’s best authors.

Jessie’s Picks

The Good Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam

Charlie Howard is a writer by day and cat burglar by night. He gets hired to steal two figurines, but ends up having to prove his innocence of a murder. Simon Vance, an Audiofile Magazine Golden Voice Narrator, is the perfect narrator for this witty caper.

Downton Abbey

This movie reunites the entire cast of the TV show for a visit from the King and Queen. To fully understand the backstories, watch the TV show first. Fans of the TV show will enjoy revisiting Downton Abbey.

Kim’s Picks

Aguirre, the Wrath of God

After Pizarro subdues the Incan empire, a troop of his men and two women descend into the Amazon rainforest and search for the fabled El Dorado, or City of Gold. The adventure does not go well.

In Which We Serve

Iconic playwright Noel Coward and fledgling director David Lean collaborated on this 1942 tribute to British sailors and their destroyer, the HMS Torrin. John Mills and Richard Attenborough make an impact. Coward is perfect as “Captain D.”

Eric’s Picks

Wet Hot American Summer

One of the absolute FUNNIEST movies featuring a murderer’s row of comedic talent before they became huge stars. The cast includes: Paul Rudd, Amy Pholer, Bradley Cooper, Molly Shannon, Janine Garofalo, Michael Ian Black, Christopher Meloni, and Elizabeth Banks in a sensational satire of summer camp films of the 70s! To this day there is nothing quite like the brand of humor director David Wain and this stacked cast cultivate in this movie. Take a trip this month to Summer Camp with this quotable summer time classic!

The Pixies/Doolittle

The Pixies defined a whole generation of music while simultaneously created a sound that has often been imitated but never replicated. To this day, there is no band that manages to cut straight to your ear and heart quite like the raw, emotional power of their music and there is perhaps no better example of the band than their sophomore album Doolittle. No matter how many times I hear the song “Debaser”, it remains so different, so uniquely raw, that it always manages to feel like the first time.