Join Mentor Reads to Learn about President James A. Garfield

Meet fun people and learn about Mentor's favorite son during Mentor Reads with the Garfield National Historic Site.

Every day is President's Day in Mentor, because our city is one of the few that can claim to be a hometown to a president.

To celebrate (and also learn about) our president Mentor Library started a book club, Mentor Reads James A. Garfield, with the James A. Garfield National Historic Site.

Our next meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8, at our Main Branch on Mentor Avenue. We'll be talking about Horatio Alger's "From Canal Boy to President: The Boyhood and Manhood of James A Garfield." Alger is the bard of rags-to-riches tales, so he's uniquely suited to tell the story of someone born in a one-room log cabin who rose to the presidency.

If you'd like to borrow a copy of "From Canal Boy to President" from us, it's already uploaded onto all of our Nooks (along with a bunch of other things.) You can also read it for free online with your computer, phone, tablet or eReader thanks to Project Gutenberg.

If you can't make it this month, join us Feb. 12 to talk about "Crete and James: Personal Letters of Lucretia and James Garfield." All of our book clubs are free and open to everyone.

If you love history, the Garfield National Historic Site also leads a monthly program about the U.S. Civil War. At noon on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at our Main Branch, they'll be talking about famous regiments from our state, including the 23rd and 42nd Ohio. You can register for the lunchtime talk on MPL's event calendar.

See you at the library!

Learn about the real-life Downton Abbey at Mentor Library

Sometimes the real world is even odder than the fiction it inspires.

Are you frothed for Downton Abbey's return Sunday night?

If you can't wait to see who Lady Mary picks—we're team Blake all the way; Lord Gillingham is duller than a scuffed wingtip—then you might be interested in hearing about the history that inspired Downton Abbey.

If so, come join our Book & Brush Club at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 at our Main Branch. We'll be discussing Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon.

The book tells the real story of Lady Almina, the fifth countess of Carnarvon and daughter of wealthy industrialist Alfred de Rothschild. Among her accomplishments, she turned Highclere Castle—the inspiration and setting for Downton Abbey—into a hospital during the Great War.

Sara Hume, an assistant professor and curator at Kent State University, will also be joining us on Jan. 28 to talk about the fashions of Downton Abbey.

And speaking of fashion, we're having costume contest! Don your finest Downton-influenced togs to the library on Jan. 28, and the best outfits will win prizes.

Want more? We'll also be screening the PBS documentary The Secrets of Highclere Castle starting at 5 p.m. in our new Village Room (which is in the basement of our Main Branch.)

Our Book & Brush Club offers lively discussion about historical art novels and nonfiction. If you love art, literature and where those two intersect, then you'd probably enjoy our book club. We meet the final Wednesday of the month, and it's open to everyone. If you want to join us, you can pick up a copy of Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey from our reference desk.

For more information contact Barb Hauer at 440.255.8811, ext. 210, or email Barbara.Hauer@MentorPL.org. Click to see the Book and Brush Club’s 2014-15 book list.

Try one of the online book clubs at Mentor Library

Pick from more than a dozen online book clubs—from romances to science fiction, new releases to classics.

Mentor Library has book clubs for art lovers, mystery enthusiasts, teens, seniors, American Girl fans and more.

And they're all great (largely because the people who come to them are wonderful.) Besides, a book club's a fun way to discover new books and chat about them with like-minded folks.

But what if your schedule is too erratic for a traditional book club? Is there still a way for you to participate?

Of course!

There are 14 online book clubs you can sign up for through Mentor Public Library. They include clubs for classics, new releases, romances, science fiction, audiobooks and more. (Here's the full list.)

All you have to do is give your email address. Then, chapters from the clubs' books will be emailed directly to you.

It's a great way to sample books without having to commit to them. You get a couple of chapters emailed to you. If you have time, read them. If you love it, check the book out from your local library. If you don't have time or don't love it, skip the book and try again next time.

And if you really love the book and want to talk about it, each book club has a moderated forum where you can talk about it with other readers.

Check out your options and join a book club that works around your schedule.

James A. Garfield National Historic Site & Mentor Library team for new book club

The first read for the new book club is "James A. Garfield" by Ira Rutkow.

James A. Garfield National Historic Site is one of Mentor Library's favorite partners. We already team with them on our Major Battles of the Civil War series. (The next talk, by the way, is on the Battle of Cedar Creek this Wednesday at noon.)

Now we're joining forces to start a book club called “Mentor Reads James A. Garfield."

The group will meet at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month from now until April 2015 at our Main Branch. Volunteers from James A. Garfield National Historic Site will lead the discussions on a different book related to the president each month.

The first meeting will be this Thursday, Oct. 9, and the book discussed that evening will be James A. Garfield by Ira Rutkow.

Everyone is invited to join us. People can call or visit the library to borrow a copy of each month’s book. Those with their own copies of the books are invited to read their personal copies and attend the discussions, as well.

For more information, you can call the James A. Garfield National Historic Site at (440) 255-8722 or visit the national park's website.

See you soon!

New Book Club for Teens at Mentor Library

Our Teen Book Club's first meeting will be Saturday, Aug. 9, at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch.

Ariel Johnson, one of the library associates at Mentor Public Library, wishes she read more for fun when she was a teenager.

"I didn't do a ton of leisurely reading when I was in high school, mainly because I was too busy doing assigned reading," she admitted. "Looking back, I wish I had taken more time to read things for fun."

It was during the summer that Ariel would read what she wanted, which was mostly fantasy novels—J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien were favorites.

"I pretty much just read whatever was appealing to me at the time," she said.

Ariel wants to give that sense of freedom and fun to other teens, and she doesn't want it confined to summer; so she's starting a Teen Book Club at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch.

"I want to help inspire teens to take a bit of time out of their crazy schedules and dedicate it to reading for fun," she said. "One book a month, with no grades or tests—no stress."

The book club is open to anyone in ninth through 12th grade and its first meeting is 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9. (You can register for it on our website, if you like.)

Teens don't have to read anything before the first meeting. They can just drop by and talk about their favorite books. They can also pick up our club's first discussion book, The Fault in our Stars by John Green. (Yeah, we know that some of you may have read it before, but it's still beautiful the second time. Fair warning: It doesn't matter how many times you read it; you'll still cry.)

Then, the book club will meet again to discuss The Fault in our Stars on Sept. 6.

From then on, the club will meet the first Saturday afternoon of each month at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch to talk about books from YA authors Rainbow Rowell, Ransom Riggs and other writers whose names don't all start with R.

And, of course, teens can suggest books too.

"I'm frequently going to gauge the teens' interests and take book suggestions from them," Ariel said. "This is their club, after all, and I don't want it to feel like homework."

If you know a teen who likes reading, loves reading or is just looking for some new people to talk about The Fault in our Stars with, tell them about our Teen Book Club.

If you have any questions regarding the Teen Book Club, call Mentor Library's Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch at 440-257-2512.

Get to Know Poe during Mentor Reads

Dee Tarentino laughs during a Know Poe book talk at Mentor Senior Center.

There's still time to join one of our Know Poe book talks.

As part of our Know Poe month in July, we’re holding a city-wide book club called Mentor Reads.

We’ve compiled some of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous poems and short stories, including “The Raven,” “The Tell-Tale Heart” and more, into books that are available throughout Mentor and Mentor-on-the-Lake.

You can pick up copies at any Mentor Public Library branch.

Take a book. It’s free! You can then join us for a discussion on Poe and his work. We've already had talks at city parks, Melt and Yours Truly, but there are still a couple of meetings left.

If you’ve always been interested in joining a book club or just love reading, this is a great place to begin.

Discussions will be at:
Friday, July 25, 12 p.m. at the News Herald
Tuesday, July 29, 6:30p.m. at Mentor Public Library Main Branch
Wednesday, July 30, 6:30 p.m. at Mentor Public Library Main Branch
Thursday, July 31, 7 p.m. at Wildwood Cultural Center

You can come to one or all of them. We can’t wait to hear what you think.

See you soon!

Click here for a full list of all our Know Poe programs.