Booked for Lunch—Local Authors at the Library

Enjoy the revival of a popular program for readers at the Leon County Main Library—Booked for Lunch!

Every other month, on the third Thursday at 12:15 PM, enjoy a special mid-day break by bringing a bag lunch to the library and meeting or reconnecting with a local author.  The library provides dessert and drinks; the author reads from and talks about books they’ve written; and you provide questions and comments.

We are so happy to bring back this program. The new Booked for Lunch series is made possible by a generous donation from Ms. Walli Beall, civic leader and lifelong library supporter extraordinaire, who with the Friends of the Library worked so hard  to raise support and funds for building the LeRoy Collins Leon County Main Library.  The main library has been welcoming library users for 27 years and we look forward to many more years of service.

Here is our line-up for the first three Booked for Lunch programs:

September 20, 2018 12:15 P.M., Collins Main Library (200 West Park Avenue, 606-2665)

Walli Beall talks about her book The Seasons of Goodwood:  The Unfolding Story of a Treasured Southern Mansion as Home. Come and learn about the history of the working plantation, its buildings and the lives that people there led.  Ms. Beall will be joined by Virginia Perkins who will be discussing her book Ida's Story: Life in Mid to Late 19th Century Tallahassee.  Join us for a fascinating look back at local history.

November 15, 2018,  12:15 P.M., Leon County Main Library

Rhett DeVane, writer of popular novels set in our area that deliver great plots with humor and Southern atmosphere, reads and talks about what inspires her clever books. Check one out from your favorite library to read before you meet her!

January 17, 2019, Dr. B.L. Perry, Jr., Branch Library ( 2817 S. Adams Street, 606-2950), 12:15 P.M.

David Kirby, poet and Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of English at Florida State University, reads poems and reflects on life with humor and pathos.

 See you there.

Cay Hohmeister

Director, LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library System

Walli Beall

Rhett DeVae

David Kirby

Join us for The Great American Read this fall!!

The LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library in partnership with WFSU-TV, and with a grant from the Florida Humanities Council, offers activities to go along with The Great American Read series broadcast on PBS this fall.  

The Great American Read is an eight-part series that explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through the prism of America’s 100 best-loved novels (as chosen in a national survey).  It investigates how and why writers create their fictional worlds, how we as readers are affected by these stories, and what these 100 different books have to say about our diverse nation and our shared experience.  You can vote for your favorite novels from the list and help decide America's best loved book in the series' finale by going to the Great American Read website.  Please plan to attend.

You can also vote for your favorite books at the branches and  through the Library's social media as well.  Leon County will make Traveling Book Club kits for the top 10 novels.  For information on the Traveling Book Club please click here.

On Saturday, October 13 at 2:00 p.m., Dr. Ned Stuckey-French, Florida State University English professor, will hold a workshop on Digital Storytelling.  Participants of all ages will learn to use existing, free technology and their own digital devices to create their own video versions of the novels on the Great American Read list.  These videos may be shared on the library facebook page.

The Library will also be sponsoring Great American Read related programming in September and October as well as a special screening of one of the episodes at the WFSU studios.  This is a great way to increase attention for these 100 great novels, so please join us for all the fun!

Here's a sneak peek at what's coming soon!

Depth of Winter by Craig Johnson

Every Day is Extra by John Kerry

The Good Neighbor: the Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King

In His Father's Footsteps by Danielle Steel

In Pieces by Sally Field

The Next Person You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

Browse our entire collection at www.LeonCountyLibrary.org for more great picks. In most cases, you can place a hold before the book comes out!

Get Your Motor Running at Your Library

The LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library has resources for all types of car enthusiasts, from the first time car buyer to the entrepreneur looking to start a car share business. Our collection includes a wealth of books and magazines such as Car and Driver and Muscle Car Review (both magazines are also  available online through rbDigital magazines). Cars are a major investment, so why not save some money by stopping by your local library before heading to the show room or garage? Check out our Automate database, which contains service and repair information on most major manufacturers of domestic and imported vehicles, with repair information for most vintage makes starting as far back as 1974. Automate can be accessed online anywhere with a library card. We have a large selection of Chilton’s repair manuals for cars, trucks and motorcycles if you prefer information in print. Before you purchase a car, check out Consumer Reports, including their annual car buying guide. Consumer Reports is also available online via our LexisNexis database and can be accessed online anywhere with your library card. We created a helpful free pamphlet full of resources on buying, selling and repairing cars available for patrons at the reference desk. Auto aficionados can find materials on everything from racing to the history of the industry. Whether you want to price a used car or research NASCAR history, staff is here to assist you.