Vineyard Haven Library will be CLOSED for carpet cleaning on Saturday, December 23rd. Other MV libraries are open on Saturday, but may be closing early. All MV libraries will be CLOSED for the holidays on Sunday December 24th & Monday December 25th.
Vineyard Haven Library will be OPEN regular hours on Tuesday December 26th
As we starting counting down the days to the new year, it's time to look back at all the wonderful books published in 2023 and gather the collective wisdom of critics as to which stand out from the crowd. Here is our annual compilation of "best books" lists from newspapers, websites and radio stations. If you still need a suggestion, check out our Shelf Service page on our website, or stop by the library at any time!
The New York Public Library's Best Books of 2023
The New York Times 10 Best Books of 2023 (To access New York Times online click HERE and enter the code c59d2806040934a2. Then create a username and password for unlimited 3-day access. Renew your three day pass by returning to the library website. You may use this login and password for every future visit to the New York Times online.)
Winners of the 2023 National Book Awards
Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2023
The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2023
Teens Top Ten from the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
New York Public Library's Best Books for Teens 2023
Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2023 for Children
School Library Journal's Best Picture Books of 2023
The new issue of Martha's Vineyard Magazine includes a feature article on former mariner turned folk artist, Captain John Ivory, whose paintings can be seen at the Vineyard Haven Public Library.
https://mvmagazine.com/news/2023/11/13/john-ivory%E2%80%99s-last-command
The talk by Jane Slater mentioned in the article was recorded and can be viewed on the library's Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/765105772
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Have you missed having an app to access your CLAMS account, place holds and check out e-materials? The wait is over! Find our new app in Google Play or the Apple App Store by searching for "CLAMS Library Network" and download today!
Use the new app to:
...and more!
* The CLAMS "Libby" app will still be available for selecting and reading eBooks and other downloadable content!
REGISTER ONLINE or by calling the library.
Beginning in January, Philip Weinstein, the Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of Literature at Swarthmore College, will present a nine-part seminar, Known and Unknown Worlds: Fictions of the 21st Century.
Programs will be held online via Zoom twice monthly from 6pm - 7:30pm, beginning Thursday January 18th (subsequent sessions will be on Wednesday evenings). Prior to the first class in January, registered participants will receive a welcome email with Zoom access information. A limited number of copies of the books will be available for pickup at the library, or can be requested through CLAMS. All sessions will be recorded.
Additional course description, readings, and class dates appear below.
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My candid answer is that no common theme or procedure joins together these six books. Rather, I find them the most resonant novels published (in English) in the 1st two decades of our new century. It's too early to call them classics, but (like classics) they stay in the mind long after an initial reading. The impression they make--on this reader at least--is intricate, powerful, lingering. With the exception of The Dutch House, each is difficult to categorize. Indeed, Austerlitz, The Known World, and Apeirogon escape all familiar novelistic frameworks. The Corrections and A Visit from The Goon Squad operate in more recognizable territory, but both are capable of startling you. As for The Dutch House, it is, while neither unfamiliar nor surprising, simply perfect.
We will devote two sessions each to the three longer novels (The Corrections, The Known World, Apeirogon), and a single session each to the three others. I cannot predict what you will come away with, but I can say this: together, they comprise an unforgettable set of readings. Rather than expertise--who is an expert on 21st century fiction?--I shall offer what guidance I can. A remarkable experience--in equal measures challenging and rewarding--lies ahead.
Dates and reading assignments:
Thursday Jan 18 2024: Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections (1st of 2 sessions)
Wednesday Jan 31 2024: Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections
Wednesday Feb 14 2024: W.G. Sebald, Austerlitz
Wednesday Feb 28 2024: Edward P Jones, The Known World (1st of 2 sessions)
Wednesday Mar 13 2024: Edward P Jones, The Known World
Wednesday Mar 27 2024: Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad
Wednesday Apr 10 2024: Ann Patchett, The Dutch House
Wednesday Apr 24 2024: Colum McCann, Apeirogon (1st of 2 sessions)
Wednesday May 8 2024: Colum McCann, Apeirogon
Philip M. Weinstein is Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English Emeritus at Swarthmore College. His numerous publications include Faulkner’s Subject: A Cosmos No One Owns (1992), What Else But Love? The Ordeal of Race in Faulkner and Morrison (1996), and Becoming Faulkner (2009). His newest book is a collection of essays entitled Soul-Error, published in May 2022. Professor Weinstein has been offering literary seminars in cooperation with the Vineyard Haven Public Library since 2012, and is the Honorary Co-Chair of the Capital Campaign for Vineyard Haven Library's expansion and renovation project.
REGISTER ONLINE or by calling the library.
