Adult Services | Lower Providence Community Library

Welcome to the Adult Services page of the Lower Providence Community Library website. Find upcoming Programs & Events, check out our Resources for Readers, and send us your recommendations for books, DVDs, and other materials you would like to have in the library. Also, please let us know if you have any ideas for programming. We would love to hear from you!

To register for programs, email Barbara Loewengart or call the library at 610-666-6640 for the Circulation Desk.

Adult Yoga

Yoga taught by certified yoga instructor Kamini Patel via Zoom. Class times are as follows:

Monday @ 4:00 pm
Tuesday @ 7:30 pm
Wednesday @ 12 noon
Friday @ 12 noon

Zoom ID 6568878396
Password 000816

Chair Yoga for Adults

Chair yoga (gentle yoga for people with less mobility) taught by certified yoga instructor Kamini Patel via Zoom on Tuesdays at 2:00 pm and Thursdays at 4:00 pm.

Zoom ID 6568878396
Password 000816

Meditation Sessions

Experience the many benefits of meditation. Meets Monday evenings via Zoom at 7:00 pm. Taught by Roger Shaughnessy, YT-200. Please contact Roger directly via email with the subject line “Monday Night Meditation” at rvshaughnessy@yahoo.com

Please join us for FREE meditation sessions. Open to all levels. Bring your active mind and wear comfortable clothing.

Evening Book Discussion Group

On Wednesday, June 16 at 6:30 pm we will be discussing A Thousand Moons by Sebastian Barry. Our discussion will be held outdoors if the weather cooperates. In case of rain we will meet at 7:00 pm via Zoom. Please email Library Director Marija Skoog at mlskoog@mclinc.org for Zoom credentials. All are welcome!

Book Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions:

1. How well did Mayle’s frequent trips to Provence as a tourist prepare him for the reality of residing there? What were some of the initial surprises he and his wife encountered?

2. How does the form of the book–a month-by-month journal–enhance the immediacy of Mayle’s observations and draw the reader into his experiences? How do the changing seasons mirror Mayle’s own adjustment to his new environment?

3. Mayle writes that neighbors take on an importance in the country that they don’t have in the city [p. 6]. How do his relationships with Faustin, Massot, Menicucci, and the other local workmen reflect this? Does the fact that Mayle is a foreigner influence the way he is treated? How do the men working on his house endear themselves to Mayle, despite his continuing frustrations with their casual attitude about completing the job?

4. Mayle notes there are “two areas of endeavor in which France leads the world– bureaucracy and gastronomy” [p. 23]. What particular characteristics of the French does Mayle bring to light in stories about the bureaucracy involved in buying the house, a car, insurance, and other necessities?

5. The influx of tourists begins in May and reaches a high point in August. How does his status as a resident affect Mayle’s attitudes about friends and acquaintances who, as he himself once did, try to take in everything Provence has to offer during a short holiday? Does he learn things about himself and the life he has chosen by looking through the eyes of visitors? To what extent are his own perceptions influenced by his English upbringing?

6. How does the Mayles’ party for the workmen and their wives, as well as their own Christmas dinner at a local restaurant, put the events of the year into context and serve as a coda to the book as a whole?
(Questions issued by publisher.)

Evening Book Discussion List

Evening Book Discussion List 2020 – 2021

September – The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
October – Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
November – The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau.
December – Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
January – Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson
February – The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
March – Days Without End by Sebastian Barry
April – The Rent Collector by Camron Wright
May – A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
June – A Thousand Moons by Sebastian Barry

Afternoon Book Discussion Group

On Tuesday, June 15 at 12:30 pm, we will be discussing Writers & Lovers by Lily King. Please email Reference librarian Barbara Loewengart at bloewengart@mclinc.org for more information or to register. All are welcome!

Blindsided by her mother’s sudden death, and wrecked by a recent love affair, Casey Peabody has arrived in Massachusetts in the summer of 1997 without a plan. Her mail consists of wedding invitations and final notices from debt collectors.
A former child golf prodigy, she now waits tables in Harvard Square and rents a tiny, moldy room at the side of a garage where she works on the novel she’s been writing for six years. At thirty-one, Casey is still clutching onto something nearly all her old friends have let go of: the determination to live a creative life.
When she falls for two very different men at the same time, her world fractures even more. Casey’s fight to fulfill her creative ambitions and balance the conflicting demands of art and life is challenged in ways that push her to the brink.
Writers & Lovers follows Casey—a smart and achingly vulnerable protagonist—in the last days of a long youth, a time when every element of her life comes to a crisis.

Written with King’s trademark humor, heart, and intelligence, Writers & Lovers is a transfixing novel that explores the terrifying and exhilarating leap between the end of one phase of life and the beginning of another. (From the publisher.)

Book Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions:

1. Set in Boston in 1997, WRITERS & LOVERS is a transitional moment in a young woman’s life who suffers from anxiety and has trust and abandonment issues. Talk about Casey’s character, her personality, her ambitions, and her thoughts on marriage: “It was nothing I ever aspired to” (p. 72). Is she relatable? How or how not? Then discuss how your perspective of the protagonist changed over the course of the novel.

2. Geese are prominently featured in the novel and are known to be very loyal birds that mate for life and protect their young. Talk about how the geese are used as symbols in the story. Why do you think Casey chooses the geese to honor her mother’s memory? Did you also think her tribute was “weird”?

3. How do the city of Boston and the restaurant, Iris, function as characters? In what ways are the worker’s lives influenced by their place of employment? Casey comes to consider members of the staff such as Harry, Mary Hand and Victor Silva as part of her extended family. Observe how they, in turn, affect Casey and their importance to the story.

4. Casey’s mother and father have given her plenty of reasons to mistrust them. Compare Casey’s relationship with her mother with that of her father. To which parent is she closest and why? If she hadn’t discovered her father’s voyeurism (p. 278), do you think she would have forgiven her mother and moved in with her? Explain your answers.

5. On several occasions during the novel, Casey suffers extreme anxiety attacks. Persistent thoughts of her mother’s death, her father’s betrayal, crushing debt and recent medical scares leave Casey feeling like her “whole body is a bell” (p. 287). Speak about the ways her anxiety hinders her life and how she copes.

6. Throughout the novel, Muriel is often the calming voice of reason and the most stable relationship in Casey’s life. Talk about their friendship and how the author avoids the trope of toxic female friendships.

7. We’re introduced to Luke early in the story, but the repercussions of that failed relationship linger. Consider Luke’s role and how his actions affected Casey’s relationships with Oscar and, especially, Silas?

8. Take a closer look at how King uses Casey’s novel, Love and the Revolution, to explore the grieving process. Think of a time in your life when writing helped you to overcome a difficult period and share what you learned from that experience.

9. When Casey decides to commit to just dating Oscar, she says, “I’m done with the seesaw, the hot and cold, the guys who don’t know or can’t tell you what they want” (p. 199). How does your opinion of Oscar change after they start dating? Compare Casey’s relationship with Oscar to that of her relationship with Silas. What draws the couples together and what tears them apart? Do you agree with her choice of partner at the end of the novel? How would your decision have differed from that of Casey’s?

10. A major theme of the book is Casey’s past and current lovers and how those relationships impacted her. On page 239, Paco, her ex from Barcelona, says to her, “You hate men” (p. 239). Do you agree with him? Examine if King successfully addressed this one way or the other. Give examples to support your views.

11. On page 223, Casey says, “My father had this kind of drama in him, sudden surges of despair about life and wasted chances and breaks he never got. I figured that an actually successful man like Oscar would have outgrown all that crap.” What should we make of this comparison to her father and what does it say about Oscar’s character? Do you think she was being fair? Why or why not?

12. Casey remembers, “It’s Star of Ashtabula who reminds me of my mother” (p. 241). Why do you think Silas and his story come to mean so much to her?

13. We discover later in the novel that Casey isn’t her real name; her father started calling her that after his favorite poem, “Casey at the Bat.” On page 213, she tells Oscar, “That’s me. Named for a guy who struck out when it mattered most.” What does this say about her self-esteem and how she views herself? Why do you think Casey shared this part of herself with Oscar when she kept so many other things a secret?

14. Take the discussion a step further and consider why, after years of estrangement from her father, she still chooses to identify by that name? Reflect on the significance of the author revealing Casey’s real name, Camila, in the very next chapter when she is contacted by an agent hoping to represent her. What might King be trying to say about identity?

15. The theme of having a room of one’s own, the privacy to write to her fullest potential is always on Casey’s mind. In what ways does she compensate for not having an ideal place to write? How did learning about Casey’s writing process impact your reading and connection to the character? What do you think inspires Casey to write?

Guide written by Keturah Jenkins

A Different Kind of Book Club

A Different Kind of Book Club focuses on reading books with happy endings (romance, light fantasy, cozy mysteries and the occasional nonfiction). New members are welcome.
On Tuesday, June 15 at 7:00 pm, the club will be discussing The Good Earth by Pearl Buck. Meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. For the July 20 meeting the club will be discussing Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson. All are welcome to join. Please email Debra Duffy at deblrduff@gmail.com to receive a Zoom invitation or for more information.

Mahjong

Mahjong is back! We will begin hosting Mahjong every Tuesday from 11:00 until 1:45 pm. Initially we are limiting this program to 20 participants. Please register by emailing Barbara Loewengart at bloewengart@mclinc.org or you may call the library at 610-666-6640. All are welcome.

Good Neighbors Time Bank

Thursday, July 8 @ 6:30 pm

The Good Neighbors Time Bank is a local membership- based non-profit is a community dedicated to celebrating our gifts and honoring how those gifts can benefit others. The Good Neighbors Time Bank is committed to serving all of the members of the community including those who experience disabilities, poverty, homelessness or illness.
How does a time bank work?
A time bank is a community of people who exchange volunteer hours instead of money for the things they need. If a member gives one hour of service to another member, they will receive one time credit. This non-monetary exchange helps everyone in the community have access to the things they may need without having to spend money. This concept builds a strong community of friends and people who are committed to helping one another. A time bank is a way to create community and support members while saving money and using time for important meaningful relationships.
Join Allison Smale on July 8 at 6:30 pm virtually through this meeting link. https://www.gotomeet.me/AlliSmale
Until recently, the exploits of women who served as spies has often been overlooked or considered of little importance.

The Secret Army: Female Spies from the Revolutionary War through today

Presented via Zoom by Herb Kaufman, Historian
Tuesday, July 20 @ 7:00 pm

Until recently, the exploits of women who served as spies has often been overlooked or considered of little importance. This presentation details the exploits and bravery of many of the female spies in American History.

To register, please email Barbara Loewengart at bloewengart@mclinc.org
for Zoom credentials. This program is free and open to the public.
This program is presented by Lower Providence Community Library and
Huntingdon Valley Library.

Adult Summer Reading

Summer Reading will begin on Monday, June 21st and run through August 13th, 2021. Leave a review on Beanstack of the books you are reading or listening to and you will be entered into a weekly drawing to win a gift card. Registration begins online through Beanstack on June 14. For more information contact Barbara Loewengart at bloewengart@mclinc.org or you may call the library at 610-666-6640. All are welcome!

Questions about Adult Summer Reading

Memoir Writing Circle

The group will be suspending their monthly email gatherings for April and May. On June 14, July 12, August 9, September 13 and October 11 the group will be meeting in person from 6:30 – 8:00 pm at the Eagleville Park Pavillion. Each month a member of the group offers a writing prompt. Each member submits their piece to the group by a specified deadline and everyone offers each other supportive feedback. Submitting a piece each month is not required, but definitely encouraged. Please contact Kathy Thomas at k3Thomas@yahoo.com for more information or to become part of the group.

Join writers in finding their voice through memoir writing. The group will use writing prompts, poems, journal entries and images to discover the compelling themes and stories that comprise a memoir. Suitable for writers of all levels and experience.

Medicare

Douglas Keene, the APPRISE coordinator for Montgomery County, wants our patrons to know that state-trained APPRISE volunteer counselors have always offered free, unbiased easy-to-understand information about the best plans for health coverage for Medicare recipients. Counselors are available at (610) 834-1040 ext. 120 to return calls and assist people with their Medicare concerns? In addition, APPRISE has put a number of informative Medicare presentations (and more) on their web site at www.rsvpmc.org/medicare-help. You can watch these presentations on your devices at your convenience.