Your Monthly News & Updates |
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Lanier Library was an important part of Margaret Howe’s life in Tryon as remembered by friends and as evidenced by the generous bequest from her estate to local organizations that include Lanier.
Born in 1923, Margaret rode a horse to school as a child on a farm in Illinois. As a young woman, she worked in post-WW II Paris. In Tryon, she was a member of Lanier Library until her death at age 98.
Classical music composer Rita Landrum, a descendant of the family for which the town is named, was born at St. Luke’s Hospital in 1955 and recalls that Margaret “was always passionate about animals both wild and domestic. When we were trying to encourage a roaming cat to choose us for his home, we learned he was often in her house, too, visiting at will by coming through her cat door."
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“Margaret was elegant, interesting... always had a kind word, never forgot our birthdays, and even wrote beautiful notes on nice stationery to our cats. She expressed herself well in a steady hand well into her 90s. She drove a car much longer than she should have, but always made it to church on time… and always left her cane in the car no matter where she went. When she finally moved to White Oak, eventually needing assisted care and then skilled care, she still offered to help me whenever she saw me visiting my mother. And of course, she was a reader, hence her devotion to Lanier Library throughout her many years here.”
Rita, a Lanier Library member since childhood and currently on the Board, adds, “We hope others will emulate Margaret’s generous example and include Lanier Library in their estate plans. There is great satisfaction in having even a small part in providing future generations access to life-changing resources and experiences.”
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Recently, the library board engaged a professional to complete an inspection of our lovely building. While we were pleased to learn that our building is in overall good condition for its age, the inspection did turn up several items of deferred maintenance that need to be addressed. |
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We have already tackled the most immediate concern, electrical issues that could have become a safety hazard. In the near future, we will also be able to address moisture problems in the basement and replace some outdated furnaces.
Future plans include addressing some interior needs such as an updated, more accessible bathroom and new carpet. Additionally, we have installed three Aerus portable surface and air purification system units that will help protect library visitors from airborne viruses, including Covid-19.
The board and staff are committed to making the library building a safe place for all to visit.
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We now have 42 members who have designated the library as their charity of choice with Amazon Smile, and the pennies are mounting! Help us to reach our goal of 50 Smile contributors!
Here is the direct link to the library on AmazonSmile:
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2021 Lanier Library Book of the Month
Reading Challenge
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The October Book of the Month challenge is to read a book with more than 300 pages. That could be many different titles. If you usually read books that long, why don't you stretch yourself a little further to a 400 or 500 page book?
You can pick up a 2021 Lanier Library BOM Reading Challenge book log at the library, or download it here:
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We're still unsure of the prizes, but you can count on a prize for each group this time. You will earn one ticket with your name on it for each monthly challenge accomplished and be entered into the drawing to be held on January 31, 2022. Since we got a late start, the challenge will run from February 2021 through January 2022.
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BOOK LOVERS Meets October 2nd @ 10 am
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Book Lovers will meet in the library Saturday, October 2nd at 10 am. All are welcome. The only requirement is a love of reading, and a desire to discover more books to love!
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NONFICTION BOOK CLUB Meets October 10th @ 1:30 pm
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The Nonfiction Book for October is First Friends by Gary Ginsberg. The book is available through the Cardinal system at Polk County and Spartanburg County libraries.
The Nonfiction Book Club will meet outside at Greene Corner Park on October 10th at 1:30 pm. If it rains, they will meet inside the library. Please bring a chair to the outdoor meeting.
The November nonfiction book club title is Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge by Edward Wilson. This title is available in print in our library or Polk County Libraries, but not on hoopla.
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And here are the links to our September orders and acquisitions. Feel free to contact the library to put your name on the hold list for any you would like to read. You can call us or log in through the catalog on the website using your library card number for ID and PIN. And, as always, let us know if there is a book or DVD you think would enhance the collection.
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Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
By Susan Cain
We all have those books that get lost in the To Be Read stacks. I am as guilty as anyone of skipping over an older book for the shiny new release that has everyone talking. My mom lent me her copy of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain more than five years ago. I moved it from one home to another, always intending to pick it up but never quite finding the right mood for cerebral nonfiction, until recently.
I used to consider myself an extrovert, but reading this book helped me claim my true self as an introvert. Cain begins with a story from her own life as a young corporate attorney who found herself in charge of an important negotiation for her client, facing fears of public speaking and confrontation. In that encounter, Cain relied on her strengths as an introvert: her tendency to over-prepare for meetings, ask more questions and feel comfortable in silence. The meeting was a success for her clients, and not long afterward, Cain left corporate law for a career in consulting.
Each ensuing chapter includes details from psychological studies on introversion and extroversion as well as personal anecdotes from Cain’s own research at Harvard Business School or in the Asian-American community of Cupertino, California, among others. The fifty pages of endnotes reassure you that Cain has been meticulous in her research, but feel free to skip the details if you are more interested in discovering stories of how both introverts and extroverts make valuable contributions to their communities. A chapter of particular interest centered on recognizing introverts in the school classroom and making space for both group projects and independent work to meet the needs of all types of learners.
Maybe, like me, you shy away from some nonfiction because a novel seems like a nice escape from the stresses of life. Or perhaps you read this book when it was published nearly a decade ago. But if you missed it, as I did, I recommend it as a great source to understand your own introversion or the introversion of someone in your life.
Review by Jenny Purtill
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When you come, please bring your mask. If you forget one, complimentary masks will be available. We plan to record programs for those who prefer not to attend in person. Recorded programs will be available on the library website.
Masks are strongly recommended at all times in the library. Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe during this recent surge of Covid cases.
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Around and Around with Sherlock
Tuesday, October 12th at 6 pm
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Sherlock Holmes has been around since 1886. Again and again, he has returned to inspire plays, movies, actors, radio and TV shows, and novelists. Holmesian fans worldwide refuse to let the sleuth and Watson disappear. Dr. Corinne Gerwe, Ph.D. in Biological Psychology, is one such fan, recalling Sherlock as part of her youth.
She is now also the author of four mystery novels, including The Strange Case of the Doyle Diary Murders, and two professional books, including The Art of Investigative Psychodynamic Therapy.
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At the next Live@Lanier, Dr. Gerwe will share Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s influence on her writing and also introduce Saluda’s Mountain Page Theater players in their reenactment of excerpts from the 1945 radio production of “A Scandal in Bohemia.”
Step back in time with the players and imagine yourself at the side of your console radio listening to Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
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Bibliotrivia is back this October with a special Holmesian Twist!
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October 8th - 10th brings the Tryon International Film Festival to town, and Lanier Library is host to several workshops on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The TRIFF organizers have graciously invited library members to attend any of the events held at the library at no charge. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity.
If you would like to attend this special event, please click here to sign up!
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LAST MONTH'S PROGRAMS & EVENTS |
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Simon Thompson of Birding Ventures |
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On September 9, Simon Thompson of Ventures Birding treated about 25 participants to an informative and entertaining program on bird migration in Western North Carolina. Simon is a familiar face to many around Tryon as he used to lead bird walks at FENCE. He shared with the group which birds are currently migrating in this area (such as the rose-breasted grosbeak and the common nighthawk), where they are heading, and what events can send them off their typical course. There was plenty of laughter, many questions, and the opportunity for fellow bird enthusiasts to meet and discuss our avian friends. Thank you to the Tryon Garden Club for sponsoring this event!
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Lanier Library welcomes all library-friendly dogs,
but asks that they remain on leash at all times.
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Meet "Casper"
the Friendly Pup
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Sandra's October Shelf Display: Try a Classic You've Never Read Before for Our November Reading Challenge! We encourage our members to share with us some of their favorite titles.
As always, Sandra's book displays are designed to be dismantled. And if you have a favorite book, be sure to share it with us to add to the display.
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The October Display Case will feature the first 25 years of Spartanburg's Hub City Writers Project, featuring books published by the Hub City Press (publisher of What Luck This Life by keynote author Katherine Schwille), as well as other memorabilia highlighting the organization's history.
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Thanks to Phyllis Martin for sharing her collection of salt and pepper shakers in our September Display Case.
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“Hope” is the thing with feathers - (314)
BY EMILY DICKINSON
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
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