A Special Thank You to Our Donors!


This isn't the March we'd planned. Instead of celebrating our Bainbridge Public Library supporters at our annual donor gathering and enjoying spring events at the library we are thanking our donors from afar and trying to find "virtual" ways to stay connected as a community. 

Please know that we treasure all our donors, supporters, and patrons. We look forward to the day when we can turn on the lights and gather in our beautiful library to celebrate each other in person once again.

In the meantime, we hope you will enjoy this always-popular feature of the annual donor party --

BOOKS TOO GOOD TO MISS -
Recommendations by Martha Bayley

Falcon Thief:   A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery & the Hunt for the Perfect Bird, by Joshua Hammer. A rollicking true crime story about a rogue who trades in rare birds and their eggs - and the wildlife detective who managed to stop him.   "Reading the Falcon Thief, one thinks of Truman Capote, who elaborated on a tiny news story...Like Capote, Hammer has a keen eye for elegant detail..."  The Christian Science Monitor

The Mirror & the Light, by Hilary Mantel.   This third and final volume in her acclaimed Wolf Hall series finds Thomas Cromwell, Henry the VIII's "fixer", at the height of his power - which makes him all the more vulnerable.   "A masterpiece...A novel of epic proportions,  (that is) every bit as thrilling, propulsive, darkly comic and stupendously intelligent as its predecessors...The trilogy is complete, and it is magnificent."    The Guardian

Mudlark:  In Search of London's Past Along the River Thames, by Lara Maiklem. A beautifully written memoir of one woman's obsession with scouring the shores of London's great river for discarded objects from the past.   "It's a riveting crash course not only in the history of London from prehistoric times to the present, but also in urban geography and how to read a living environment from organic clues."   The Wall Street Journal

Agent Running in the Field, by John Le Carre.   In the lead-up to Brexit, a 47 year old veteran of the British Secret Intelligence Service has been brought back to London to train new spies.   But something isn't quite right about his new assignment, new friends and old associations.    "So topical it arrives with the beeping urgency of a news alert".   The Washington Post

Imperfect Union:  How John & Jessie Fremont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity and Helped Cause the Civil War, by Steve Inskeep.   This surprisingly modern tale of ambition and fame tells the story of the husband and wife team who in the 1800's  were instrumental in the westward  expansion of the United States - culminating in John Fremont's candidacy for President in 1856 under the banner of the new Republican Party.  "Like Candace Millard's Destiny of the Republic,   Imperfect Union finds a big, resonant, star studded subject that has been hiding in plain sight."   The New York Times

This is Happiness, by Niall Williams.   It's 1958, and Noel Crowe, a "lapsed" seminary student leaves Dublin for his grandparent's village in County Clare.   Noel's unexpected arrival means that he must share a room with a lodger - an older gentleman who has come back to the village to make amends for a long ago wrong.   All you need to stir this pot is a bit of electricity, for this little Irish village will be the very last one finally connected to the national grid.    Old and new ways and old and new love all come together in one magical summer.  Glorious and lyrical prose...this novel is a delight.   Publisher's Weekly   * Washington Post Best Book of the Year*
BPL Community Report



The BPL Community Report for 2019-2020 is now available! Please check our website for the online version, or request a hard copy at ask@bainbridgepubliclibrary.org. Please include your name and mailing address. We hope you enjoy it.
Kitsap Great Give


Kitsap Great Give - a day of giving - is scheduled for April 21st this year. Early giving starts April 1st. Go to kitsapgreatgive.org to make your donations. When you choose the Bainbridge Public Library as one of the nonprofits you donate to, you'll be helping to maintain our beautiful library building and grounds - even while the doors are temporarily closed. Thank you!
Have You Seen This Library?

 

It's the Whistler, BC Public Library! Note the dog patiently waiting at the window. The Whistler Public Library was formed in December of 1985 by a dedicated group of community minded citizens in the basement of the Whistler Municipal Hall. Through the generosity of the Rotary Club of Whistler, materials and labor were provided to finish the interior of the 1400 square foot space which opened to the public on August 27, 1986. In January 2008, the library opened the doors on the LEED Gold certified 12,000 square foot facility it currently calls home. The library continues to evolve in accordance with its moniker as "Whistler's Living Room". On average the library receives over 250,000 visitors per year serving locals, second homeowners, and tourists from around the globe.

~ John Fossett
What's Up With Facilities?

Generic tools for Facilities work  

Several facilities projects were in the works before the required shelter in place. A structural engineer assessed the sheetrock cracking area and will make a final report with his recommendations. Some problems with the Friends of the Library HVAC system have been identified and different approaches for a solution are being explored. There are some possible changes needed in the garden area involving the bike rack and an additional trash enclosure. And the good news is that the Meeting Room has a new refrigerator that can be used for functions once the library is open again. A welcome addition indeed!
Books Worth Sharing

by Sonia Purnell

A Woman of No Importance: the untold story of the American spy who helped win WWII
By Sonia Purnell

Virginia Hall was an American spy. Born to comfortable wealth and blessed with a blue-blooded education, she wanted more than a life as a comfortable suburban wife. Beginning as a domestic journalist, she managed to secure an underling job with the US State Department so she could live abroad and experience WW II firsthand. Fond of languages and excitement, she soon tired of hitting the glass ceiling at the State Department and volunteered for ambulance duty in France as Hitler began to devour the country. She was soon recruited as a spy by SOE acting in occupied France. She then became one of the most successful and decorated undercover agents in the French Resistance. Adept at spotting locals who could further her undercover efforts, she managed and protected scores of men and women who worked tirelessly to undermine the occupation. Acknowledged by Britain, France and the US for her superb recruitment, coercion and espionage skills and high on Hitler's hit list, she still felt overlooked by her superiors because of her gender - especially by Churchill, who bestowed titles and decorations upon /her underlings (all male) at the end of the war. Her biography reads like a thriller and Purnell's superb research and writing skills make this a book not to be missed!  It is an astonishing story of a truly amazing woman who slipped through Hitler's clutches and saved untold lives, ultimately becoming one of the CIA's most decorated employees.

~ Susan Braun
Fun Library Facts

Find Your Place at the Library is the theme for this year's National Library Week  April 19-25,  2020. It i s a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. It is celebrated in special libraries school libraries and university libraries as well as public libraries.
Friends of the Library Book Sales

Our book sales are temporarily suspended. Please stay tuned for notice of their return.
Did You Know?

 

  • Bainbridge Public Library, a separate nonprofit organization, owns, operates, and maintains the Library building and grounds through community donations and grants. 
  • Kitsap Regional Library provides the library staff, collection, classes, and a virtual library at KRL.org with funding from property tax revenues.  
  • Together we provide the quality library our community wants and has come to expect.  
Thank you for your support.

Fall leaves outdoors blanket cozy