The Bookmark: Connecting the literary dots in Coweta
By Nancy Carol Sanker, The Bookmark
Blame it on The Secret Garden. It reeled me right into the escapism of reading. Blue-spined Nancy Drew’s read by the glow of a flashlight under the bedtime covers strengthened my book love. Nancy’s mysteries are far from the current choices of my “grands” which include Narwhal Unicorn of the Sea and Click, Clack, Moo. It really doesn’t matter – the magic is the same.
What leaves you spellbound? Your answer might include an evening with your book club, hearing a favorite author, watching your child read to a patient pooch or building a Little Free Library. This column will help you connect the literary dots in our community and lead you to your own brand of magic.
Book club notes
The book club phenomenon is growing across America. Barnes and Noble announced that in 2019 their store-sponsored clubs would move to meet every month. Head by the Newnan B&N and register for more information on their book clubs or visit; bn.com/bookclub . You might win a copy of next month’s selection!
The Carnegie Library offers a book club called As the Page Turns on the fourth Tuesday from 3:30-4:30 p.m.. Reserve your spot by visiting www.newnancarnegie.com or calling 770-683-1347.
Do you want to start your own club? It’s easy! Find a few book-loving friends and discuss the basics, including frequency of meetings, book selection, hosting and discussion leaders. Oh, yes. And food. Our group is called Wine & Words. Need I say more? Seriously, we do discuss books! I’ll share another chapter of our book club evolution next time – there are peaks and valleys. Meantime visit www.bookbub.com for details on starting a successful club. If you are already in a club, what are you reading? Our next selection is Where the Crawdads Sing by Owens.
Libraries and Activities
Remember when libraries were solely about reading? Coweta County’s branches in Senoia, Grantville and two in Newnan, the Central Library and the Powell Branch, are bustling with much more than books! Here is a small sampling illustrating the wide range of offerings:
Central, 85 Literary Lane (770-683-2052) – Saturday, February 9 – 2:00-3:00 – Lego Building Club
Senoia, 148 Pylant St. (770-599-3537) – February 14 – 4:30-5:30 – Card Makers
Powell, 25 Hospital Rd. (770-253-3625) – February 16 – 10:30-11:30 – CAREing Paws Reading Dogs
Grantville, 100 Park Drive – February 22 – 4:30-5:30 – A Family Art Adventure
Call the library nearest you for a complete list of events and…there are always new books on those shelves!
Little Free Libraries
Newnan is participating in the growing world-wide phenomenon of 80,000 free-standing “take a book, return a book” libraries. The Leadership Coweta class provided the first of five Little Free Libraries (LFL) right across from the Boys and Girls Club at 72 Wesley Street. Coweta Habitat for Humanity gifted Newnan’s Division of Family and Children’s Services facility with a large LFL at 533 Highway 29 N. Discover a treasure map of more libraries in our area and find information on installing a Library in your neighborhood by visiting www.littlefreelibrary.org. We are building one for our neighborhood and will share tips as we move forward on our project to encourage a love of books. Hmmmm… I think I’ll donate a copy of The Secret Garden!
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Nancy Carol Sanker landed in Newnan via Ohio, Colorado and California. The constants in her life are her love of family, friends, fundraising and books. Nine years ago, she created Lights for Linda to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in memory of her sister. Now she will illuminate the literary opportunities and fundraisers our community offers readers of all ages. Nancy’s 11-year-old book club provides fresh, new titles while her two and eight-year-old grandchildren keep her aware of books for “littles.” Who knew a cow could type? Your contributions about book clubs, Little Free Libraries, events and fundraisers will lead the The Bookmark to success! To email Nancy … [email protected].
