Events at this location

This month we will read Anxious People by Fredrick Backman. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove comes a charming, poignant novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.

Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.

Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope—the things that save us, even in the most anxious times.

Carol Ruggiero belonged to a writing group in Milford, CT for over twenty years. Upon her passing, her devoted husband Albert Ruggiero felt her writing deserved a bigger audience so he published a collection of her work in Pearls from Carol. Join to hear about Carol’s life and her short, funny, and thought provoking stories, poems, and essays.

As Albert explains it, Carol enjoyed taking a serious topic and turning it on its head with a surprising ending. Though she suffered through many tragedies in her life, such as the loss of her children, “Carol always had a warm smile to share and an ear to lend to anyone who needed it. She was petite, pithy, and possessed a huge amount of common sense.” Albert took his love for his wife and turned it into a passion project to share her stories with the world.

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Jim Howson, local resident and former educator and war reenactor will give a presentation on his many years teaching and reenacting aspects of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. For more than 37 years, Jim Howson taught middle school students important lessons from American history and brought those lessons to life with his background as a historical reenactor. Howson made the life of soldiers tangible to students by bringing clothing, muskets, uniforms and other artifacts into the classroom.

During this presentation, Jim will talk about his experiences both as a reenactor and as a teacher and the importance of teaching and learning our history in ways that touch our senses and our hearts. Jim will share some of the artifacts he used in his classroom along with photographs and items used during his time as a reenactor. Howson will also touch upon some of the lessons he taught his students and how those lessons resonate through history.

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February 4th – 1:00pm

We are pleased to welcome back Steep Rock Association as we once again team up to reach out to community children. Learn to identify birds commonly seen at feeders. Make a simple DIY bird feeder using pinecones, birdseed, butter, and twine, and watch the pretty winter birds flock to your backyard! This program is best suited for ages 5 years or older and limited to 25 kids.

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Local Peruvian Artist, Marisabel Artieda, will lead this paint night! Marisabel will teach color-blending techniques as we paint a vivid but simple winter scene. All materials will be provided by the library. This program is limited to 20 people so please register in advance to reserve a spot.

Marisabel Artieda was born in Lima, Peru and started drawing and painting at a very young age. She studied art and graphic design at The Institute of the Andes where she earned her BA degree. In 2001 she moved to Washington, Connecticut, where she joined the Washington Art Association and found the support network that she was looking for. Marisabel teaches painting classes for children at the Washington Art Association.

Join Ms. Ashley and play a game of “Kids Create Absurdity.” This fun and unpredictable card game is full of crazy questions and hilarious answers. Some cards even include singing, doing impressions, telling stories or creating your own silly combinations. Snacks will be provided.

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Our next Short Story Discussion Group will meet via Zoom to discuss two short stories from T.C.Boyle’s 2022 collection I Walk Between the Raindrops. This collection is an inventive, uproarious, and masterfully told collection of short stories characterized by biting satire, resonant wit, and a boundless, irrepressible imagination.

From this collection, we will read “Dog Lab” and “These are the Circumstances.”

4th & 5th graders are invited to come to GML after hours on Friday, February 17th from 5:30-7:00 p.m. for a showing of minions: The Rise of Gru! Parents, drop your kids off after the library closes-we will order pizza from Washington Pizza. Bring a comfortable pillow to sit on!

“In the heart of the 1970s, amidst a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru (Steve Carell) is growing up in the suburbs. A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making back-up from his loyal followers, the Minions.” Runtime:1hr 30min (Rated PG)

Please register in advance on our website www.gunnlibrary.org so that we can order enough pizza for everyone.

If you have dreams of being a published author, it often feels like a daunting undertaking full of risk and no guarantees. Jan Kardys has 35 years of experience working with various high profile publishers and she will lead a two-hour workshop to teach aspiring authors what they need to know about how to get published.

Kardys has worked with Scholastic, Macmillan, and is the current president of the Black Hawk Literary Agency which has given her experience in editing, marketing, subsidiary rights, art, production and so much more. During this workshop, Kardys will give participants the information they need to take on the world of publishing.

Registration for this workshop is required.