Headquarters:
Bay County Public Library
850-522-2100
Panama City Beach
850-233-5055
Parker Public Library
850-871-3092
Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Library
Port St. Joe
850-229-8879
Charles Whitehead Public Library
Wewahitchka
850-639-2419
Harrell Memorial Public Library
Bristol
850-643-2247
Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library
Hosford
850-379-3300
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by Paul Tremblay
In a matter of weeks, Massachusetts has been overrun by an insidious rabies-like virus that is spread by saliva. But unlike rabies, the disease has a terrifyingly short incubation period of an hour or less.
Dr. Ramola Sherman, a soft-spoken pediatrician in her mid-thirties, receives a frantic phone call from Natalie, a friend who is eight months pregnant. Natalie's husband has been killed. Natalie was bitten. Natalie's only chance of survival is to get to a hospital quickly to receive a rabies vaccine. The clock is ticking for her and for her unborn child.
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by Paula Hawkins
When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London houseboat, it triggers questions about three women who knew him. Laura is the troubled one-night-stand last seen in the victim's home. Carla is his grief-stricken aunt, already mourning the recent death of yet another family member. And Miriam is the nosy neighbor clearly keeping secrets from the police. Three women with separate connections to the victim. Three women who are - for different reasons - simmering with resentment. How long can secrets smolder before they explode into flame?
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by Qian Julie Wang
In Chinese, the word for America, Mei Guo, translates directly to "beautiful country." Yet when seven-year-old Qian arrives in New York City in 1994 full of curiosity, she is overwhelmed by crushing fear and scarcity. In China, Qian's parents were professors; in America, her family is "illegal" and it will require all the determination and small joys they can muster to survive. Qian Julie Wang has penned an essential American story about a family fracturing under the weight of invisibility, and a girl coming of age in the shadows, who never stops seeking the light.
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by Miranda Cowley Heller
When Kevin Gogarty's eighty-three-year-old mother is caught shoplifting yet again, he has no choice but to hire a caretaker to keep an eye on her. Kevin, recently unemployed, is already at his wits' end tending to a full house while his wife travels to exotic locales for work, leaving him solo with his sulky, misbehaved teenaged daughter. Into the Gogarty fray steps Sylvia, the upbeat home aide, who appears at first to be their saving grace until she catapults the Gogarty clan into their greatest crisis yet.
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by J. D. Robb
The body was left in a dumpster, the victim a woman of no fixed address, known for offering paper flowers in return for spare change and for keeping the cops informed of any infractions she witnessed on the street. But the notebook where she scribbled her intel is nowhere to be found. Then Eve is summoned to a nearby building site to view more remains--in this case decades old, adorned with gold jewelry and fine clothing--unearthed by recent construction work. Now Eve must enter a complex world of real estate development, family history, and shocking secrets to find justice for two women whose lives were thrown away.
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by Louise Penny
The 17th book in the
Chief Inspector Gamache series. Chief Inspector Gamache finds his holiday with his family interrupted. He's asked to provide security for a guest lecturer at a nearby university. Gamache starts looking into Professor Abigail Robinson and discovers an agenda so repulsive he begs the university to cancel the lecture. They refuse citing academic freedom. Professor Robinson's views start seeping into conversations and dividing the community. When a murder is committed, Armand Gamache and his team investigate the crime.
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by Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King details her life's journey. She recounts her groundbreaking tennis career including 6 years as the top-ranked woman in the world, 20 Wimbledon championships, 39 grand-slam titles, and her watershed defeat of Bobby Riggs in the famous Battle of the Sexes. King describes the myriad of challenges she's hurdled. Hers is the story of a pathbreaking feminist, a world-class athlete, and an indomitable spirit whose impact has transcended even her spectacular achievements in sports.
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by Honoraee Fanonne Jeffers
The great scholar, W. E. B. Du Bois, once wrote about the Problem of race in America, and what he called "Double Consciousness," a sensitivity that every African American possesses in order to survive. Since childhood, Ailey Pearl Garfield has understood Du Bois's words all too well. Ailey is reared in the north in the City but spends summers in the small Georgia town of Chicasetta, where her mother's family has lived since their ancestors arrived from Africa in bondage. To come to terms with her own identity, Ailey embarks on a journey through her family's past. In doing so Ailey must learn to embrace her full heritage, a legacy of oppression and resistance, bondage and independence, cruelty and resilience that is the story of America itself.
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by John Tresch
Tresch reveals Poe's obsession with science and lifelong ambition to advance and question human knowledge. Even as he composed dazzling works of fiction, he remained an avid and often combative commentator on new discoveries, publishing and hustling in literary scenes that also hosted the era's most prominent scientists, semi-scientists, and pseudo-intellectual rogues. In showing that Poe lived, thought, and suffered surrounded by science, Tresch shows that many of his most renowned and imaginative works can best be understood in its company.
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by James Patterson
In the shadow of Mount Hood, sixteen-year-old Tennant is checking rabbit traps with her eight-year-old sister Sophie when the girls are suddenly overcome by a strange vibration rising out of the forest, building in intensity until it sounds like a deafening crescendo of screams. From out of nowhere, their father sweeps them up and drops them through a trapdoor into a storm cellar. But the sound only gets worse . . .
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by Emily Henry
Poppy and Alex have nothing in common. She is a wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. Yet somehow they are the very best of friends. They live in different locations, but every summer they have taken a vacation together. That was until two years ago when they ruined everything. Poppy wants to take another trip together and Alex agrees. Now she has a week to fix everything. What could possibly go wrong?
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For the most up-to-date information on Northwest Regional Library System location hours and services, visit the NWRLS Library Website.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to 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 one log on per person for 2-hours per day. Meeting and Study Rooms will be closed until further notice.
All Northwest Regional Library System locations will be CLOSED on Monday, October 11th for Staff Training.
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Unstacked Author Interview
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Join us for an interview with Brams Stoker award-winning author, Paul Tremblay. We'll discuss his novel, Survivor Song (2020). Unwind with Paul as he shares his writing and creative process, love of horror, punk rock, libraries, and more. For more information about Paul Tremblay, visit his website https://www.paultremblay.net/.
Copies of Survivor Song and other works by Paul Tremblay are available in the library collection for check out. Perfect spooky reads for October!
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September 26th through October 2nd is Banned Books Week. You can celebrate your freedom to read all year round! Books reach across boundaries and build connections between readers. Reading - especially titles that extend beyond our own experiences - expands our worldview. Censorship divides us and creates barriers.
The American Library Association tracked 156 challenges to library, school and university materials in 2020.
The top 10 most challenged books in 2020:
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George by Alex Gino
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Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendy and Jason Reynolds
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All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
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Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
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Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story about Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard.
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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
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Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
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The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
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The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
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Children's Virtual Programming
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(School Age Students 6 +)
Throughout the month of October
Could you survive being trapped in the library on Halloween Night? Solve a mystery, outsmart ghostly visitors and see if you have what it takes to escape! Click Link.
Thursday, October 7th at 2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET
Make a paper ghost that reaches for the sky and learn to demonstrate the use of static electricity with this craft! Take and Make STE(A)M Craft kits will be available while supplies last at the Bay County Public Library starting on October 1st.
Thursday, October 14th at 10 a.m. CT/ 11 a.m. ET
Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies read with permission from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books.
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Cat Ears: Crafts for Teens
Wednesday, October 6th at 2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET
Learn how to make your own costume cat ears just in time for Halloween! Teen Take and Make kit will be available the week of the video at the Bay County Public Library while supplies last.
Upcycled Origami with Kat: Halloween
Wednesday, October 13th at 2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET
Learn to fold an easy bat, crow, and a pumpkin jack o'lantern.
Spooky Snacks: Cooking for Teens
Wednesday, October 20th at 2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET
Learn some quick and easy tips for turning everyday food into spooky snacks for Halloween!
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Youth and Teen Programming At Your Library
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Bay County Public Library
Halloween Scavenger Hunt (Families)
Try out this spooky scavenger hunt set up in Youth Services throughout the month of October. There will be a candy prize for those who complete it!
Jack-o-Lantern Design Challenge
Enter into a Jack-o-Lantern Design Challenge where the best decorated pumpkin will be receiving a pumpkin themed prize. Participants can pick up a form in the Bay County Public Library Youth Services Department. Contest winners will be announced on October 28th.
Starting on Monday, October 4th
Learn how to make a clothespin bat by following along with
the video tutorial link provided in kit. The instructions, coffee filter, and clothespin will be provided in take home craft kits in Youth Services while supplies last. Markers will be needed to complete the craft, and paint is optional.
Halloween Take Home Craft Kit: Make Your Own Monster
Starting on Monday, October 18th
Take home craft kit with playdoh and an assortment of supplies such as pipe cleaner, googly eyes, and pom-poms to create your very own monster. Pick up the craft kits in Youth Services while supplies last. Watch the video tutorial link provided in the kit as an example of how creative you can get.
Teen Advisory Board (14 - 18 years)
Tuesday, October 19th at 4 p.m.
Want to have a say at your library? Want to earn volunteer hours? Want to make crafts, play games, and eat snacks? Join the Teen Advisory Board! Registration is required. Please stop by or call Youth Services at 850-522-2118.
Panama City Beach Public Library
Children's October Raffle
Guess how many candies are in the jar. The person closest to
the actual number wins the candy jar! Good luck!!
Children's Take and Make Kits
Throughout the month of October, stop in for our latest Take and Make Craft Kit. Kits will be available while supplies last. There will be a limited number, so stop by and pick one up to enjoy! We thank the Panama City Beach Library Foundation for sponsoring this program.
Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library in Port St. Joe
STEAMroom Challenge Kits
October's STE(A)M Challenge is to design and build a balloon car. November's STE(A)M Challenge is to create spinning toys! Take and make kits will be available while supplies last. Kits geared for School Age children and sponsored by the Friends of the Gulf County Libraries.
Let's Meet a Firefighter!
Saturday, October 9th from 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ET
Are you curious about fire trucks? Firefighting clothes? Hoses and ladders? You are in luck because October is Fire Safety Month!! Firefighters from South Gulf Volunteer Fire and Rescue will be at the library for an outdoor meet and greet in the library parking lot!
Shakespeare Society (Teen and Young Adult)
Saturdays, October 9th and 16th from 12:30 - 2 p.m. ET
A bi-monthly meeting of teenagers and young adults to read and appreciate the literary works of William Shakespeare. Hosted by the Port St. Joe Public Library, the Shakespeare Society will meet on the second and third Saturdays. Titles for October will be announced soon. Masks are recommended. Seating is limited to twelve. First come, first served.
Charles Whitehead Public Library in Wewahitchka
Take and Make Kits
Throughout the month of October and November, stop in for our latest Take and Make Craft Kit. Kits will be available while supplies last. We thank the Friends of the Gulf County Public Libraries for sponsoring this program.
STE(A)M Challenge Kits
Throughout the month of October and November, stop in for our latest STE(A)M Challenge project. Kits will be available while supplies last. We thank the Friends of the Gulf County Public Libraries for sponsoring this program.
Ghost Friend Craft
Starting on Friday, October 1st
Stop by the library during the month of October to create your own friendly ghost! All supplies will be provided for you in the children's area.
Spooky Guessing Game
Starting on Friday, October 1st
Guess how many critters are in the jar to win a spooky surprise! One winner will be announced on October 29th.
Fire Prevention Day Storytime
Friday, October 8th at 3:30 p.m. CT
Storytime will be held outside of the library near the gazebo. Come meet local firefighters, see the fire truck, and take a turn with the fire hose! A take home craft will be provided. Masks are recommended.
Harrell Memorial Public Library in Bristol
Children's Take and Make Kits
Craft kits will be available each month while supplies last for kids.
Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library in Hosford
Children's Take and Make Kits
Craft kits will be available each month while supplies last for kids.
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PBS POV Film: Pier Kids Community Viewing
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Where: Florida State University - Panama City
Outdoor amphitheater behind the Holley building
When: Thursday, October 7th at 7:30 p.m. CT
PBS POV documentary film, Pier Kids, directed by Elegance Bratton, provides insight into homeless queer and transgender Black youth who congregate at New York City's historic Christopher Street Pier seeking
safety and a sense of community. This film does contain
mature subject matter and strong language.
Please bring chairs and picnic items; however, no glass or alcohol are permitted. HOLI on Wheels (A Taste of India in the Panhandle) Food Truck will be parked in front of the Holley building from 5 - 8 p.m.
Guest Panelists from The LGBTQ Center of Bay County and FSU PC's PRIDE Club will lead an engaging post-film discussion. Partnership program with FSU-PC's ILLUMINATION Shedding Light on Diversity initiative and the Bay County Public Library.
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Adult Virtual Programming
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Tuesday, October 5th at 2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET
Did you know that some of our reference material, including books about integrative medicine and financial literacy, are available online? Check out this video to learn how to access Integrative, Alternative, and
Complementary Medicine and Financial Literacy Basics.
Beach Book Club (Zoom)
Wednesday, October 6th at 10:30 a.m. CT / 11:30 a.m. ET
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Email jmcduffie@nwrls.com for Zoom invitation.
October Tiered Tray Fun
Tuesday, October 12th at 2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET
Watch as Laura puts together a Hocus Pocus themed tiered tray.
BCPL Book Club (Zoom)
Thursday, October 14th at 11:30 a.m. CT / 12:30 p.m. ET
Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz
Email rfillingame@nwrls.com for Zoom invitation.
11th Street Dulcimers (Zoom)
Friday, October 15th at 2:00 p.m. CT / 3:00 p.m. ET
Email sburris@nwrls.com for the Zoom invitation and the PDF of October's Mountain Dulcimer tab.
Recycled Book Club: Hydrangea Book Ball
Tuesday, October 26th at 2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET
Learn how to make a decorative hydrangea out of recycled books!
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Adult Programming At Your Library
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Bay County Public Library
Medicare 101
Tuesday, October 5th at 2 p.m. CT
Join us in the meeting room as Humana representative, Christopher Cardinal, shares how Medicare works, what it covers, when to enroll and so much more! Seating is limited to 15. Masks are encouraged. Snacks provided. First come, first served.
Art Tour with Diane Russo
Tuesday, October 12th at 2 p.m. CT
Local artist, Diane Russo, will give a tour of her art exhibit that will be on display throughout October and November. Meet in the lobby for tour. Masks and social distancing are encouraged.
Panama City Beach Public Library
Sea Needles
Fridays beginning October 1st from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. CT
Bring your yarn and let's knit! Masks are encouraged. Program is limited in size to 7 total to allow for social distancing. First
come, first served.
Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library in Port St. Joe
Seaside Stitchers
Saturdays from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET
Bring whatever project you are working on and enjoy a relaxed social gathering in our Florida room with others who share your love for knitting, felting, crochet and other needle arts. Masks are recommended. Seating is limited to twelve. First come, first served.
Friends of the Library Meeting
Tuesday, October 12th at 10:30 a.m. ET
The Friends of the Gulf County Public Libraries is a 501(c)3 organization founded to support libraries in Gulf County by providing financial assistance for programs that support lifelong learning and enhance the cultural life of the community. Masks are recommended and limited seating. First come, first served.
Happily Ever After Book Club
Monday, October 18th at 10:30 a.m. ET
Have you had a hard time getting into a book lately? Just not interested in reading anything too heavy? You are not alone! Join us for a stress-free social hour discussing books that helped us get our mind off things. Coffee and breakfast sweets provided! Call the library at (850) 229-8879 to find out each month's title. Masks are recommended. Seating is limited to twelve. First come, first served.
Charles Whitehead Public Library in Wewahitchka
Fall Pumpkin Craft
Friday, October 1st from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. CT
All supplies will be available at a designated table. Appointments are required. Please call us at 850-639-2419 to reserve your space.
Adult Book Club
Monday, October 4th at 1 p.m. CT
Pre-registration limited to 8 individuals. Visit or call the library at (850) 639-2419 to reserve your spot and find out the book of the month. Masks are recommended.
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Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library in Hosford
Book Club
Tuesday, October 12th at 10:00 a.m. ET
October's book is The Drifter by Nicolas Petrie. Mask recommended. Group limited in size to 8 attendees. First come, first served.
Craft Day
Thursday, September 16th at 10:00 a.m. ET
Learn how to make Fall Candy Jars! Supplies provided. Group limited in size to 8 attendees. First come, first served. Masks recommended.
Senior Monthly Activity Packets
Packets contain coloring pages, word searches and more!
Harrell Memorial Public Library in Bristol
Senior Monthly Activity Packets
Packets contain coloring pages, word searches and more!
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New eBooks and eAudiobooks
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by Claire Luchette
Agatha has lived every day of the last nine years with her sisters: they work together, laugh together, pray together. Their world is contained within the little house they share. The four of them are devoted to Mother Roberta and to their quiet, purposeful life.
But when the parish goes broke, the sisters are forced to move. They land in Woonsocket, a former mill town now dotted with wind turbines. They take over the care of a halfway house. Agatha is forced to venture out into the world alone to teach math at a local all-girls high school. Who will she be if she isn't with her sisters? These women, the church, have been her home. Or has she just been hiding?
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by Mary Roach
Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and trespassing squirrels, Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature's lawbreakers. When it comes to "problem" wildlife, she finds, humans are more often the problem—and the solution. Fascinating, witty, and humane, Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat.
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by Richard Powers
The astrobiologist, Theo Byrne, searches for life throughout the cosmos while single-handedly raising his unusual nine-year-old, Robin, following the death of his wife. Robin is a warm, kind boy who spends hours painting elaborate pictures of endangered animals. He's also about to be expelled from third grade for smashing his friend in the face. As his son grows more troubled, Theo hopes to keep him off psychoactive drugs. He learns of an experimental neurofeedback treatment to bolster Robin's emotional control, one that involves training the boy on the recorded patterns of his mother's brain... With its soaring descriptions of the natural world, its tantalizing vision of life beyond, and its account of a father and son's ferocious love, Bewilderment marks Richard Powers's most intimate and moving novel. At its heart lies the question: How can we tell our children the truth about this beautiful, imperiled planet?
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With the Libby by Overdrive app, you can check out five e-books and 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:
Click on Books & Research
Click on eBooks & eAudiobooks
Click on OverDrive and Libby to find eBooks, audiobooks and magazines
OR
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.
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