The Bookmark: January Literary Happenings in-and-around Coweta County
By NANCY CAROL SANKER, Special to The Paper
I walked into the bookstore in relaxed mode. No expectations. Just absolute delight in absorbing the shop’s old-world ways. And there it was. A book I didn’t even know existed was propped up amidst hundreds of possibilities … and it was about a topic in my top five faves. Guess what went home with me? I chortled all the way.
This snippet is how I would like us to greet the New Year. Arms and minds wide open to possibilities, with the only expectations being to survive the upcoming pandemic-laced months ahead. Toss in love, faith and care for those whose arms are aching and we’re all off to a great start. Well … maybe not a truly great start, but it is a fresh beginning.
The following events, books, libraries, bookstores, and authors will help fill your arms and enrich your minds. Prepare yourself for new possibilities!
Coweta Public Library System (CPLS)
All libraries will be closed on Monday, January 17 for Martin Luther King Day.
Central (770-683-2052), Powell (770-253-3625) Branches
Monday-Friday – 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Saturday – 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Sunday – closed.
Senoia Branch (770-599-3537)
Monday, Wednesday, Friday – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday – closed.
Grantville Branch (770-683-2052)
Monday – Friday- 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday – closed.
Free Wi-Fi in all library parking lots – 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Password: Bookworm.
• Saturday, January 15, 10:30 a.m. at the Powell Branch – CAREing Paws … Children in 1st grade and above are invited to enjoy reading to Annie, an always-interested four-legged listener. Safe distancing and masks are requested. Register for your child’s 15-minute time slot at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/216421852587.
3D Print Club – Start the year with new skills and fun at the Powell branch! For fifth graders and older – all you need is access to a computer and an adult’s email address for communication/project descriptions. Drop in or out at any time. Sign up at [email protected].
The Newnan Carnegie Library (NCL)
1 Lagrange Street, downtown Newnan (www.newnancarnegie.com) – 770-683-1347.
Register for events on Eventbrite. Space is limited.
Monday-Friday – 9 a.m-5 p.m.
Saturday – 9 a.m.-noon
Sunday – closed.
• Thursday, January 13, 2:30 to 4 p.m. Vision Board Creation Event – You can do even more than simply opening your arms to change and success. Quiet your mind, imagine opportunities and splice together pictures of them. Discover what you want out of the next portion of your life. Feel free to bring your own magazines, scissors, poster board, tape, and whatever else you feel you might need, but some will be provided by the library. Register at Eventbrite.
• Tuesday, January 18, 6 to 8 p.m. The Other Night School, The Harlem Renaissance and “The New Negro” presented by Dr. Stacy Boyd. Learn more about the historical, cultural, and political landscapes surrounding what one scholar described as “Black America’s spiritual coming of age.”
• Thursday, January 20, 6:30 p.m. – New Year, New Voices, New Stories – Plan to join guest authors C. Matthew Smith from Newnan (Twenty Mile), Katherine Nichols from Atlanta (The Unreliables) and Clay Bryant Sr. from Hogansville (Solving the West Georgia Murder of Gwendolyn Moore) for an educational evening … and let’s be honest, a fun get-together! Reserve your spot at Eventbrite.
• Monday, January 24, 10 a.m. – Carnegie Literary Circle will discuss The Snowchild by Eowyn Ivey. A couple’s lives are changed forever by the unexpected arrival of a wild and secretive little girl on their snowy doorstep. There’s magic here, served on a plate of the vast Alaskan landscape.
Write On – News from Hometown Novel Nights
You will benefit from hearing about their challenges, successes and lessons learned so you don’t have to repeat them. T.M. “Mike” Brown is always willing to help – http://www.TMBrownAuthor.com/.
Stay tuned as the HNN leadership team announces a jam-packed schedule of 2022 author programs. Aren’t you glad you live here?
Road Trips and Restaurants
• Saturday, January 8, 1 p.m. Pretty Good Books, 118 Church Street, LaGrange. Join journalist Neely Young as he discusses his latest book, Georgia Made, which details “the famous, obscure, colorful, outrageous and saintly, all with fascinating stories and all consequential, sometimes in ways felt the world over.” Lunch at the Nutwood Winery (706-881-7401) sounds enticing. Just saying….
• Saturday, January 15, 1 p.m.– Pretty Good Books – LaGrange author, Mike Jones, will be available to sign the perfect Valentine gift for ages 6 and under. When I Was Small tells the tale of a ram who recalls his life as a lamb and all the farm animals he befriended as he grew. They were surely different, but friends nonetheless. This is the perfect template for young minds. Here’s a sidebar tidbit – Mike is a career livestock auctioneer who has conducted auctions in 46 states and …. on a Carnival Cruise ship!
• Saturday, January 22, noon to 2 p.m. Peachtree City Library, 201 Willowbend Road. 770-631-2520. Join Amazon best-selling authors, Lee St. John and Scott Ludwig as they discuss their new releases, Still Crazy After All These Years and Southern Comfort. Get the inside scoop on their self-publishing journeys. Remember to register for this free event.
You don’t need any recommendations for where to eat in PTC, right? So many possibilities.
Book Club News
• Wednesday, January 19, 6 p.m. Newnan Bookends has selected “The Dirty Book Club” by Lisi Harrison to discuss at Art & Jakes Sports Bar. Members will have fun discussing this book which is the rare combination of “original, dishy and smart.” This club is on Facebook.
• Arielle Doheny reports that her SummerGrove book club will be reading No Exit by Taylor Adams. This full-throttle thriller rivals Agatha Christie for ingenuity and James Patterson for flat-out speed. Now that’s the way to jump start the New Year!
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Hopefully your minds and arms are now bursting with literary possibilities. Happy New Year!
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About Nancy: A love of reading which began as a child continues. Nancy collects children’s books that have messages for readers of all ages. Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor and The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld are two of her favorite tales of faith and friendship. She looks forward to hearing about your literary news, writing workshops, Little Free Libraries and book clubs at [email protected].
