Read. Renew. Repeat! Summer Reading is June 1 through July 31 at Solon Public Library. We’re starting things off with our Kick-Off Party Thursday, May 30 at 5:30 p.m., which includes a foam party, water and yard games, popcorn, and more! Pick up your reading slips, brochure, and start planning your summer fun with the Library.
Library Events
Get ready to plan your Solon Area Garage Sale shopping! The Friends of the Library will have maps and listings available at the Library and on our website beginning Thursday, May 30. The area sales will be held Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1 in Solon and the surrounding areas. Get ready to find some treasures!
The Friends of the Library will hold their garage sale in the Library meeting room from 8 a.m.-Noon on both Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1.
As we look ahead to June, these are just a few of the upcoming events we’re excited about. As always, please pick up a printed copy of our calendar or visit our website to learn more.
Storytime on Tuesday, June 4 is at a special location… join us at the Splash Pad located in Solon Recreation and Nature Area at 10:30 a.m. We’ll enjoy songs, books, and games together! Plan ahead and be prepared to enjoy the splash pad too.
Saturday Storytime is Saturday, June 8 at 10:30 a.m. Join us in the meeting room at the Library for songs, books, and games together! Storytime is geared towards preschool aged children, but everyone is welcome to join us.
On Tuesday, June 11 we’ll begin the summer schedule for Storytime: two sessions of the same Storytime to help with large crowds and to be flexible for your schedules. Join us at 9:30 or 10:30 a.m. to enjoy!
Don’t forget to register for the Mobile Planetarium on Tuesday, June 4. We’re excited to partner with the Science Center of Iowa to see Iowa Skies Tonight! This program takes place at the Solon United Methodist Church’s Family Life Center, 131 N West St, Solon. Register for either Session 1 at 12:15 p.m. or Session 2 at 1:00 p.m. The inflatable dome is handicap accessible, but please be aware of strobe lights and other intense lighting for those with epilepsy and other conditions that cause sensitivity to light.
Fiber artists, book lovers, and interested newbies are invited to join us for KNIT-LIT Wednesday, June 5 at 6:30 p.m. Each month this fiber art themed book club meets to discuss the latest book and work on their projects. It’s a great space to learn more about different methods, meet great folks, and enjoy something new. Pick up a copy of the latest book, No Idle Hands, at the Library and join us!
This week’s Kids activity is Shrinky Dinks with Recycled Plastic Thursday, June 6 at 2:00 p.m. We’ll use different materials to recycle them into our own Shrinky Dinks! Get creative and reuse that plastic for something fun! Kids programs are for incoming 1st-5th graders.
Library Access
Regular Library hours are Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Don’t forget, the digital library is always available! Find an eBook, eAudiobook, magazines and more with Bridges, or with the Libby app on your favorite smart device. You can even stream classic films, discover new favorites, and more with Kanopy on your favorite smart device.
Everyone is welcome at the Library and our programs. Please contact us with access needs.
What’s New?
Whether you enjoy the mystery and intrigue of a true crime, like to dive into a biography, or learn about something new, we’ve got a book for that! These are just a few of the latest titles to hit the new non-fiction shelves.
The Bishop and the Butterfly by Michael Wolraich. Vivian Gordon went out before midnight in a velvet dress and mink coat. Her body turned up the next morning in a desolate Bronx park, a dirty clothesline wrapped around her neck. At her stylish Manhattan apartment, detectives discovered notebooks full of names—businessmen, socialites, gangsters. And something else: a letter from an anti-corruption commission established by Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Led by the imperious Judge Samuel Seabury, the commission had uncovered a police conspiracy to frame women as prostitutes. Had Vivian Gordon been executed to bury her secrets? As FDR pressed the police to solve her murder, Judge Seabury pursued the trail of corruption to the top of Gotham’s powerful political machine—the infamous Tammany Hall.
Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters by Susan Page. Barbara Walters was a force from the time TV was exploding on the American scene in the 1960s to its waning dominance in a new world of competition from streaming services and social media half a century later. She was not just a groundbreaker for women (Oprah announced when she was seventeen that she wanted to be Barbara Walters), but also expanded the big TV interview and then dominated the genre. By the end of her career, she had interviewed more of the famous and infamous, from presidents to movie stars to criminals to despots, than any other journalist in history. Then at sixty-seven, past the age many female broadcasters found themselves involuntarily retired, she pioneered a new form of talk TV called The View. She is on the short list of those who have left the biggest imprints on television news and on our culture, male or female. So, who was the woman behind the legacy?
Say More by Jen Psaki. Not many White House Press Secretaries capture the nation’s interest the way Jen Psaki did. Refreshingly candid and clear, Psaki quickly became known for her ability to break through the noise and successfully deliver her message. In her highly anticipated book, Psaki shares her journey to the Briefing Room and beyond, taking readers along the campaign trail, to the State Department, and inside the White House under two Presidents. With her signature wit, Psaki writes about reporting to bosses from the hot-tempered Rahm Emanuel to the coolly intellectual Barack Obama to the surprisingly tenderhearted John Kerry. She also talks about her time working closely with President Joe Biden from the start of his administration to set a new tone for the country, restoring a sense of calm and respect for the role of the media in our Democracy.
Silk: A World History by Aarathi Prasad. Throughout history, across cultures and countries, silk has reigned as the undeniable queen of fabrics, yet its origins and evolution remain a mystery. In a gorgeous and sweeping narrative, Silk weaves together its intricate story and the indelible mark it has left on humanity.