850-522-2100

850-233-5055

850-871-3092

Port St. Joe

850-229-8879

Wewahitchka

850-639-2419

Bristol

850-643-2247

Hosford

850-379-3300

by Megan Rosenbloom

There are books out there, some shelved unwittingly next to ordinary texts, that are bound in human skin. In Dark Archives, Megan Rosenbloom, a medical librarian and a cofounder of the Death Salon, seeks out the historic and scientific truths behind anthropodermic bibliopegy. Dozens of these books still sit on the shelves of the world's most famous libraries and museums. What are their stories?

by Flynn Berry

A producer at the BBC, Tessa is at work in Belfast one day when the news of another raid comes on the air. The IRA may have gone underground in the two decades since the Good Friday Agreement, but they never really went away, and lately bomb threats, security checkpoints, and helicopters floating ominously over the city have become features of everyday life. As the news reporter requests the public's help in locating those responsible for the robbery, security footage reveals Tessa's sister, Marian, pulling a black ski mask over her face.

by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

Flora Mancini has been happily married for more than twenty years. But everything she thought she knew about herself, her marriage, and her relationship with her best friend, Margot, is upended when she stumbles upon an envelope containing her husband's wedding ring--the one he claimed he lost. Good Company tells a bighearted story of the lifelong relationships that both wound and heal us.

by Paula McLain

Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing. The crime feels reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna's childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl changed the Mendocino community forever.

by Hunter Biden

When he was two years old, Hunter Biden was badly injured in a car accident that killed his mother and baby sister. In 2015, he suffered the devastating loss of his beloved big brother, Beau, who died of brain cancer. These hardships were compounded by the collapse of his marriage and a years-long battle with drug and alcohol addiction. Hunter recounts his descent into substance abuse and his tortuous path to sobriety. The story ends with where Hunter is today--a sober married man with a new baby, finally able to appreciate the beautiful things in life.

by John Sandford

An off-duty Coast Guardsman is fishing when he calls in suspicious behavior from a nearby boat. The craft is zipping along until it slows to pick up a surfaced diver alone in the ocean without his own boat. None of it makes sense unless there's something fishy going on. His hunch is proved right when all three Guardsmen who come out to investigate are shot and killed. When the FBI's investigation stalls out, they call in Lucas Davenport. And when his case turns lethal, Davenport will need to bring in every asset he can claim, including a detective with a fundamentally criminal mind: Virgil Flowers.

by Anne Hillerman

Officer Bernadette Manuelito's typical day stumbled across a crime scene takes an unexpected twist when she's called to help find an old friend. Years ago, Bernie and Maya were roommates, but time and Maya's struggles with addiction drove them apart. Now Maya's brother asks Bernie to find out what happened to his sister. Bernie learns that her old friend had confessed to the murder of her estranged husband, a prominent astronomer. But the details don't align. Uncovering new leads, Bernie finds herself in a remote spot on the Navajo Nation and a killer.

by Sally Hepworth

Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be dangerous. When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. However, this stirs up dark secrets from the past.

by Heather C. McGhee

Heather McGhee studies the American economy and why it so often fails the American public. From the financial crisis to rising student debt to collapsing public infrastructure, she found a common root problem: racism. But not just in the most obvious indignities for people of color. Racism has costs for white people, too. McGhee finds proof of what she calls the Solidarity Dividend: gains that come when people come together across race, to accomplish what we simply can't do on our own.

by Jenny Lawson

As Jenny Lawson's hundreds of thousands of fans know, she suffers from depression. In Broken, she explores her experimental treatment of transcranial magnetic stimulation with brutal honesty. But also with brutal humor.

Judith Batalion

One of the most important stories of World War II, a spectacular history that brings to light the extraordinary accomplishments of brave Jewish women who became resistance fighters--a group of unknown heroes whose exploits have never been chronicled in full until now.

For the most up-to-date information on Northwest Regional Library System location hours and services, visit the NWRLS Library Website.

In response to COVID-19, all locations are maintaining Grab and Go Guidelines. We encourage all patrons to wear a mask and maintain social distancing at 6 feet while inside the library. Please do not enter the library if you are sick! All children under the age of twelve must be accompanied by an adult. Computer time is limited to 1-hour per person, per day. Meeting and Study Rooms will be closed until further notice.

The Bay County Public Library’s will display the Downtown Through The Years photography exhibit throughout the month of May. The show has been organized by the library’s Local History Department which preserves print materials, artifacts, and photographs. The photographs highlight Harrison Avenue and Downtown Panama City beginning in the 1900s. Check out how the businesses, cars, and fashion have changed over a hundred year span of downtown history! Admission is free and on view during regular library hours.

Library Hours: Monday – Wednesday (9 am – 7 pm) and Thursday – Saturday (9 am – 5 pm)

Local History Hours: Monday – Friday (9 am – 4:30 pm)

Do you have photographs that document Bay County history? The Local History department continues to accept photograph donations or can make a digital scan of the original for the collection. Donations require visiting the Local History Room and filling out a Deed of Gift Form. For more information, call Local History at 850-522-2132.

BCPL Unstacked Podcast (episode linked here) with author and librarian, Megan Rosenbloom, on her title, Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin (2020). Unwind with Megan as she shares her research for the Anthropodermic Book Project, love for rare books and libraries, knitting, dark tourism and more. For more information about Megan Rosenbloom, visit: https://meganrosenbloom.com/.

Thanks to the support and funding from the Friends of the Gulf County Public Libraries, a staff member at each Gulf County branch has been certified as a Notary Public. Notary services will be available during regular library operating hours. There will be no charge for this public service, but patrons should call ahead to make an appointment.

The Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library is located at 110 Library Drive, Port St. Joe. Call to make an appointment at 850-229-8879. The Charles Whitehead Public Library is located at 314 North Second Street, Wewahitchka. Call to make an appointment at 850-639-2419.

Northwest Regional Library System’s Career Online High School (COHS) offers adults the opportunity to earn an accredited high school diploma and a career certificate online. The library’s program provides a limited number of scholarships to qualified students who are looking to advance their careers, and prepare for workforce entry or continue their education. Applicants who successfully complete the online self-assessment, the prerequisite course and an in-person interview will be considered for enrollment.

To be considered:

you must be 19 or older

you must be a resident of Bay, Gulf or Liberty County

you must have a library card in good standing or apply for a library card

you must have completed at least one year of high school

Once enrolled, Career Online High School pairs each student with an online academic coach, who provides the student with an individual career path, offers ongoing guidance, evaluates performance and connects the student with resources needed to master the courses. A student can complete the program in as little as five months but is given up to 18 months if needed. Students are expected to spend 8 to 10 hours per week on COHS. For more information or questions, please contact the library at 850-522-2100.

Tuesday, May 11th at 10 a.m. CST / 11 a.m. EST Springtime Storytime

Tania from the Bay County Public Library presents stories and songs that teach animals and the letters of the alphabet!

Thursday, May 6th at 10 a.m. CST / 11 a.m. EST Spring is in the Air

Thursday, May 13th at 10 a.m. CST / 11 a.m. EST Water Everywhere

Thursday, May 20th at 10 a.m. CST / 11 a.m. EST Barnyard Banter

Thursday, May 27th at 10 a.m. CST / 11 a.m. EST Grumpy Stories

Thursday, May 6th at 2 p.m. CST / 3 p.m. EST

Calendars have a long, storied history—and yes, there’s more than just one. Find out about Solar and Lunar calendars and the cultures that still use them and learn to make a calendar of your own!

Thursday, May 20th at 2 p.m. CST / 3 p.m. EST

Want to take family portraits to the next level? Or maybe just up your selfie game? May is national photography month, so let’s learn the basics of better photography. All you need is a smartphone.

Make and Take crafts are available at the Bay County Public Library, Panama City Beach Public Library, Charles Whitehead Public Library in Wewahitchka, Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library in Port St. Joe, Harrell Memorial Public Library in Bristol, and Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library in Hosford. Contact your library to find out more. Thank you to the PCB Library Foundation and Friends of the Gulf County Libraries for sponsoring your library.

May will have a new set of reading challenges geared for children. Each child will receive a goody bag and free books depending on the amount of books they read from the list!

Wednesday, May 5th @ 2 p.m. CST / 3 p.m. EST

Learn how to fold an origami samurai helmet, a koi banner, and an iris with stem for Tango no Sekku, or Boys' Day, which is celebrated every May 5th.

Wednesday, May 12th at 2 p.m. CST / 3 p.m. EST

Celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month and learn how to make a flower sculpture out of a bottle based on the work of Yayoi Kusama.

Wednesday, May 26th at 2 p.m. CST / 3 p.m. EST

Learn how to make a ring out of a bead and wire! This will include a take home craft kit for teens from the Bay County Public Library while supplies last.

Wednesday, May 5th @ 10:30 a.m. CST / 11:30 EST

Book: Artemis by Andy Weir

Zoom registration required. Email asmith@nwrls.com for Zoom invitation.

Thursday, May 13th @ 11:30 a.m. CST / 12:30 p.m. EST

Book: Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly

Zoom registration required. Email rfillingame@nwrls.com for Zoom Invitation.

Wednesdays, May 12th and 26th @ 11:00 a.m. CST / 12:00 p.m. EST

Talk about what you are reading! Zoom registration required. Email hogilvie@nwrls.com for Zoom invitation.

Mondays @ 10 a.m. CST / 11:00 a.m. EST

Heather, BCPL Outreach Librarian, shares reading trends and Buzz-worthy books!

Tuesday, May 4th @ 2 p.m. CST / 3 p.m. EST

Today's Tech Tips introduces you to how to use Google Sites to create your very own website! All you need is to create a google account.

Tuesday, May 11th @ 2 p.m. CST / 3 p.m. EST

Program will introduce Dutch post-impressionist painter, Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890) and his impact on the art world.

Register in advance for this Zoom webinar:

Wednesday, May 12th @ 2 p.m. CST / 3 p.m. EST

Eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive. Learn easy

ways to get the biggest bang for your buck on healthy

foods at the Grocery store. Program presented by

Christopher Cardinal of Humana.

Register in advance for this Zoom webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CTZ4-mBERBy_kW-LaS6lrQ

Friday, May 21st @ 2 p.m. CST / 3 p.m. EST

Zoom Registration Required. Email sburris@nwrls.com for the Zoom invitation and the mountain dulcimer music.

Tuesday, May 25th @ 2 p.m. CST / 3 p.m. EST

Rachael from the Bay County Public Library shares how to create beautiful flowers out of recycled book pages.

by Sarah Penner

Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary's fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries. Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary's in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

by Rachael Cruze

Live the life of your dreams without the debt, stress, and worry wreaking havoc on your joy! Love Your Life, Not Theirs will help you:

Quit the comparisons

Avoid debt

Spend on a plan

Save for the future

Communicate in healthy ways about money

by Eric Tyson

Investing for your future is wise and essential. Of course, you want to make solid investment choices and minimize mistakes. This updated, best-selling guide educates you on investing concepts and lingo so you can make the best decisions in all economies and markets. Understanding how to find and make smart investments is a skill that can be learned, and this book by money-pro Eric Tyson will help you by discovering how to weigh risk vs. return, offering tips on choosing stocks and funds, getting started in real estate and small business, and so much more.

With the Libby by Overdrive app, you can check out five e-books and downloadable audiobooks for free for 21 days. All you need is your library card number and PIN. Forgot your PIN? Just give us a call at 850-522-2100 and we'll set one up for you. And you can return items early!

To access e-books and downloadable audiobooks, click here or:

Go to www.nwrls.com

Click on Books & Research

Click on eBooks & eAudiobooks

Click on OverDrive and Libby to find eBooks, audiobooks and magazines

Download the Libby App to your device.

Sign in by selecting Panhandle Library Access Network.

Select Northwest Regional Library System as your library,

and login with library card number and PIN.