Gloucester

Sawyer Free Library’s Storytime: New Time & Location

~ Sawyer Free Library

After a short pause, Sawyer Free Library‘s is excited to announce weekly STORYTIME with Christy is resuming at a new time and location – this Wednesday.

Join Christy for a morning of stories, songs, rhymes, bubbles and fun with friends this Wednesday, January 11 from 11:15am to 12 noon in Movement Arts Gloucester MA‘s beautiful space in downtown Gloucester.

During the construction phase of the Library, weekly Wednesdays Storytime for our youngest patrons and families will be held inside Brown’s Mall at MAGMA (Movement Arts Gloucester MA) located on the top floor of the Brown Building in Gloucester. Families and caregivers can enter at 186 Main Street and take the elevator to the 5th floor. Please note that the new time is 11:15am – 12noon, weekly on Wednesday.

Until construction begins, attendees are able to park in the Library’s parking lot, and walk over to Storytime via Pleasant Street. For more information visit, SawyerFreeLibrary.org or 978-515-6349.

For all other Sawyer Free Children’s Library services and activities please, visit 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester or sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Sawyer Free Library Unveils the Most Checked-Out Library Books of 2022

~ Sawyer Free Library

As the page turns on 2022, the Sawyer Free Library has compiled a list of some of the year’s most popular books, sharing the top checkouts for adults, teens, and children. Of the thousands of print, digital, and audiobooks patrons borrowed, these were Gloucester’s favorite books of 2022. 

“It’s not surprising that as we slowly regained our ability to leave our homes, our reading turned to reflect on the priorities and values of our time spent in quarantine. In 2022, Gloucester seemed to want to read stories about relationships, families, and the uncertainties of modern life,” said Beth Pocock, the Library’s Assistant Director. “The Sawyer Free Library takes great pride that our beloved community continually turns to us for unparalleled access to books, knowledge, and entertainment to feed their souls, brighten their spirits and enrich their lives.”

Top Adult Fiction

1. Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout

2. by Amor Towles

3. Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult 

4. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

5. The Judge’s List by John Grisham

6. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

7. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

8. Never by Ken Follett

9. Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart

10. State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny

The most borrowed book was Elizabeth Strout’s Oh William!, with a story full of family secrets that eventually grows into an uplifting meditation on our humanity. Taking the second spot is The Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles follow-up to his blockbuster novel Gentleman from Moscow, a complex story about two brothers whom you’ll come to care as deeply about as you did Count Alexander Rostov. 

Another highlight on the list is Anthony Doerr’s celebrated novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land. A New York Times bestseller, National Book Award finalist, and Best Book of the Year by most major newspapers, Cloud Cuckoo Land follows five young dreamers through time and space from 1453 Constantinople to the future. 

The pandemic and its shared experience provided the underpinning for many of this year’s other favorites. In Wish You Were Here, Jodi Picoult tells a story about the pandemic shattering a well-planned life and providing a platform for rethinking priorities. A group of friends meeting in a country house to wait out the pandemic in isolation sets the stage for Gary Shteyngart’s book, Our Country Friends. Referred to by many as “The Great Pandemic Novel,” Shteyngart aptly captures the uncertainties of modern life we all felt so keenly during the pandemic. 

No list of Gloucester favorites is ever complete without a few good thrillers. One of this year’s most popular suspense writers, Liane Moriarty, adds Apples Never Fall to 2022’s list.  John Grisham’s latest legal thriller, The Judge’s List, and State of Terror, by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny aptly fill two other suspenseful slots.

Top Adult Nonfiction

1. The Gloucester Notebook by T.S. Eliot, 1888-1965

2. The Dawn Of Everything: A New History Of Humanity by David Graeber

3. Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson 

4. Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town by Elyssa East

5. Words Like Loaded Pistols: Rhetoric From Aristotle To Obama by Sam Leith 

6. Happy, Healthy Minds: A children’s guide to emotional wellbeing by The School Life

7. The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story       

8. The Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrach

9. Quick + Simple: Simply Wonderful Meals With Surprisingly Little Effort by Jacques Pepin

The top ten non-fiction titles circulated at Sawyer Free in 2022 reveal the range of demographic groups that the Library serves. For those who love Gloucester’s history and lore, the top spot went to The Gloucester Notebook by T.S. Eliot, a collection of poems the 21-year-old Eliot first began to write at Harvard.  The number two spot in local history went to Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town by Elyssa East.

Cape Ann’s long history of independent free-thinkers continues, with readers finding The Dawn of Everything and The 1619 Project appealing along with Caste The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson which remained on the list from last year. The books rewrite traditional history very differently in surprising and eye-opening ways. While many parents found a helpful tool with Happy, Healthy Minds, inspiring chefs looked for guidance from the likes of renowned cookbook author Jacques Pepin. And local students who made their way to the Sawyer Free Library for their summer reading materials found the most in demand book this summer was Words like Loaded Pistols: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama. 

From familiar series to popular new releases, the Sawyer Free Library’s younger patrons read a lot in 2022. Children and young adults were browsing the Library’s shelves at record rates, in person and online, and to follow were some of their best-loved reads. 

For younger readers, Dog Man master Dav Pilkey chewed up the top spot on the most popular children’s books list. Raina Telgemeier’s Ghosts and Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid graphic novel titles were also top reads this year. The Young Adult titles with the highest circulation were Welcome to the Dark House, the suspenseful story by Laurie Faria Stolarz, and Siege and Storm, the second book in Leigh Bardugo’s popular Shadow and Bone Trilogy and the compelling tale Spice & Wolf: Volume 1 by Isuna Hasekura.

Top Children/Teens Fiction

1. Dog Man: Fetch-22 by Dav Pilkey

2. Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

3. The Magic School Bus: Inside a Beehive by Joanna Cole

4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney

5. The Thank You Book by Mo Willems

6. The Babysitters Club: Kristy and the Snobs by Chan Chau

7. Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

8. Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

9. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

10. Spice & Wolf: Volume 1 by Isuna Hasekura

Find these and millions of other books through the Sawyer Free Library. Visit the Library in its new location at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester or sawyerfreelibrary.org, where its friendly and talented Librarians are always there to help you find a new book to read and so much more. 

Approximately 14,000 people currently possess Sawyer Free Library cards. Anyone who resides or attends school in Gloucester can obtain a Library card for free by applying in person, online, or by mail. For more information, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500.

Open House at SFL@21 Main Street on Saturday, December 17th

~ Sawyer Free Library

EVERYONE IS INVITED TO

SFL@21MAIN STREET OPEN HOUSE

Saturday, December 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Come discover the Sawyer Free Library‘s new space and learn about all its services, both in person and digital.

Swing by to say hello to your favorite librarians and meet a few new ones.

There will be a scavenger hunt for kids, local history display and more for all to enjoy. Cookies and hot chocolate will be served too!

If you have any questions, please call us at 978-325-5500 or visit www.sawyerfreelibrary.org.

 

Author Talk with Pulitzer Prize winning historian Nicole Eustace 

~ Sawyer Free Library

On Wednesday, December 14 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., the Sawyer Free Library is pleased to invite you to explore early-American history during an online afternoon conversation with Pulitzer Prize winning historian Nicole Eustace as she discusses her 2022 award winning book Covered With Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America. This is a virtual event, for link, register at sawyerfreelibrary.org.

On the eve of a major treaty conference between Iroquois leaders and European colonists in the distant summer of 1722, two white fur traders attacked an Indigenous hunter and left him for dead near Conestoga, Pennsylvania. Though virtually forgotten today, this act of brutality set into motion a remarkable series of criminal investigations and cross-cultural negotiations that challenged the definition of justice in early America.

In Covered with Night, Dr. Eustace reconstructs the crime and its aftermath, bringing us into the overlapping worlds of white colonists and Indigenous peoples in this formative period. As she shows, the murder of the Indigenous man set the entire mid-Atlantic on edge, with many believing war was imminent. Isolated killings often flared into colonial wars in North America, and colonists now anticipated a vengeful Indigenous uprising. Frantic efforts to resolve the case ignited a dramatic, far-reaching debate between Native American forms of justice—centered on community, forgiveness, and reparations—and an ideology of harsh reprisal, unique to the colonies and based on British law, which called for the killers’ swift execution. As Eustace powerfully contends, the colonial obsession with “civility” belied the reality that the Iroquois, far from being the barbarians of the white imagination, acted under a mantle of sophistication and humanity as they tried to make the land- and power-hungry colonials understand their ways. 

About the Author: Nicole Eustace is a professor of history at New York University. A historian of the early modern Atlantic and the early United States, she specializes in the history of emotion. She is author of Pulitzer-Prize winning Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America, as well as Passion Is the Gale: Emotion, Power, and the Coming of the American Revolution and of 1812: War and the Passions of Patriotism as well as coeditor of Warring for America: Cultural Contests in the Era of 1812.

This virtual event is Wednesday, December 14 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. For the link, register at sawyerfreelibrary.org. If you have questions, please contact moneill@sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5562.

Ladies Night In: The Holiday Edition

~ Sawyer Free Library

Join us for LADIES NIGHT IN: The Holiday Edition on Thursday, December 15 at 5:30 p.m. at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester.

The Sawyer Free Library is creating a Romance Book Club and the first book we are reading is The Great Christmas Knit-Off by Alexandra Brown. The fun festive evening will be complete with cocoa, cookies, a holiday book discussion and perhaps a few knitting projects. 

Those interested should register HERE and come by SFL@21 Main Street to pick up a copy of the book!

For more information or if you have questions, visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org or call 978-325-5501. 

Sawyer Free Library Honors Long-time Volunteer with Prestigious Community Award

~ Sawyer Free Library

Each year, the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library recognize outstanding volunteers for their efforts and dedication to the Library. As a part of the Sawyer Free Library’s Annual Meeting, the Mary M. Weissblum Volunteer Award was presented to lifelong Gloucester resident Rebecca Aliberte. She was honored with the community award for her leadership, tireless dedication to the Friends of the Sawyer Free Library, and countless hours volunteering in the Library’s children’s room.


“Volunteers are essential to the work of our Library, and so every year, we seek to celebrate one of our most exceptional volunteers. This year we have chosen to honor the wonderful Rebecca Aliberte,” said Assistant Library Director Beth Pocock in presenting the award.  


Rebecca has volunteered in the Library’s children’s room for over ten years. On any given day, one might find her doing various tasks to help ease the load of the library staff from cutting out crafts to organizing books story time. In addition, Rebecca served as the President of the Friends of the Sawyer Free Library for three years. Under Rebecca’s leadership, the all volunteer group, made significant contributions to enhance the Sawyer Free Library, including purchasing equipment and funding a wide variety of library programs for all ages.


The annual volunteer award was established in 2016 by the Library’s Board of Trustees and named after Mary Weissblum, who served the Library tirelessly over four decades. 


For more information about volunteering at the Sawyer Free Library, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or come in and say hello at its new downtown location at 21 Main Street in Gloucester.

Rebecca Aliberte being honored by the Sawyer Free Library with the 2022 Mary M. Weissblum Volunteer Award.

Cape Ann Veterans: Don’t Miss The Open Door’s Thank You for Your Service Mobile Market!

~ todtheopendoor

The Open Door will hold a Mobile Market this November thanking Cape Ann veterans for their service, in honor of Veterans Day.

WHEN: Wednesday, November 16 from noon to 1 p.m.

WHERE: Cape Ann Veterans Services at 12 Emerson Avenue, Gloucester MA

WHAT: All those on Cape Ann who have served in the military are welcome to stop by The Open Door Thank You for Your Service Mobile Market. A selection of fresh, delicious fruit, vegetables, and eggs will be available for veterans to choose from.

Questions? Contact The Open Door at 978-283-6776.

Join Us on Friday, November 25th for Game Night!

~ Hammond Castle Museum

Join us on Friday, November 25th for a historic night of tabletop gaming and be one of the first to play “Hammond Naval Warfare.” Patented in 1912 by our founder, inventor John Hays Hammond Jr. “Naval-War-Game Apparatus” (renamed Hammond Naval Warfare) is an early precursor to the popular naval combat game, Battleship by Hasbro Gaming. For the first time, this tabletop game is available for play! And, all attendees will have a chance to win their own set!

Doors open at 5pm and gaming goes until 10pm. Bring your friends and stop by for an hour or stay the whole time!

Tickets available at: bit.ly/3TCI9yh

UPDATE: Postponed until May 5 & 6 Broadway Returns To Hammond Castle Museum!

~ Hammond Castle Museum

Join us as Hello Friends Productions premiers Once Upon A Time, an original review of beloved Broadway show tunes and popular songs that capture our imaginations. The first half features great music from shows such as Sunset Boulevard, Man of La Mancha, Legally Blonde, Shrek the musical, Hadestown and Finding Neverland. And in the second half, get ready as they present a modern day retelling of the classic fairytale, Cinderella told with popular hits from the 50’s through today. Starring Bobby Kerrigan, Kelly Murphy, Thom Smoker, April Foley, Becky Penner Ruccio, Crystal VanArtsdalen, Tom Edmonds, Andrew Hankinson and Sean Murphy. They are sure to have us all laughing, toe tapping, and singing right along! Parking is free. Premier Seating $30, General Admission $25

Tickets at: https://bit.ly/3eGXwqz

Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street

~ Sawyer Free Library

SAWYER FREE LIBRARY AT 21 MAIN STREET IS OPEN! Come visit us in our new welcoming space!

Here you will find most all of the in-person library services you have come to depend on, including:

  • An ample selection of books, audiobooks, DVDs, and music CDs for all ages, including adult new releases and bestsellers.
  • Comfortable chairs to read the Library’s selection of current magazines and daily newspapers.
  • Children and teen spaces.
  • Local history research resources.
  • Public computers, printing and copying services, Wi-Fi access, and study tables.
  • Free and discounted museum passes.
  • Digital Devices to Go.
  • Your favorite Sawyer Free Librarians and so much more!

Through the hold system, cardholders can request items from the Library’s full CD, DVD and audiobook collections. Cardholders continue to have access to thousands of titles from other NOBLE libraries that will also be delivered to the new space.

Our new temporary space, is open for all to use and enjoy! Located on the second floor, it is handicap accessible by elevator.

So come by, and say hello! We can’t wait to see you soon at 21 Main Street!

For more details visit, SawyerFreeLibrary.org