New Editions of Classic Literature

Jack London's two most famous and beloved tales of survival in Alaska were inspired by his experiences in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush. In The Call of the Wild, Buck is a pampered pet in California who is stolen and forced to become a sled dog in the Alaskan wilderness. There, he suffers both the brutality of nature as well as the savage treatment by a series of masters causing him to heed his long-buried instincts and turn his back on civilisation. White Fang is a reverse journey of sorts. White Fang is adopted by a group of Native Alaskans, but when the dogs of the village reject him, he is traded to a man who stages merciless fights with other dogs, wolves, and even lynxes. This life makes him violent, defensive, and dangerous, but a benevolent gold miner sets out to earn his trust and show him the meaning of love and family.

Lolita was first published by the Olympia Press, Paris on September 15, 1955. It quickly became Vladimir Nabokov's most famous and controversial novel. Humbert Humbert is feeling his age when he meets the nymphet Dolores Haze. He quickly falls into an obsessive, devouring, and, eventually, doomed passion for her. Many believe this work is a meditation on love as outrage and hallucination, madness and transformation. Does the story live up to its controversial past or is it tame by today's standards?

The mid twentieth century saw the rise of a counterculture icon by the name of Jack Kerouac. On the Road was a landmark work of fiction when it was published in 1957. His restless, questioning characters mimicked the changes in society at the time. The ardent relationship between writer Sal Paradise and his outrageous,vexing, and incomparable friend Dean Moriarty is one of the great friendships in American literature. Included with this classic work are four other autobiographical works about his life on the road--The Dharma Bums, The Subterraneans, Tristessa, and Lonesome Traveler--as well as a selection from his journals that illustrates his unique and dazzling career.

Only Four AARP Tax Assistance Sessions Remain!

AARP will be here in our Meeting Room for four more sessions to assist senior citizens and low-income taxpayers with their tax preparation for the 2017 tax year 

These are the final four Wednesdays :

March 21—March 28

April 4—April 11

On each of the scheduled days, the doors will open to begin tax assistance at 9 am. First come, first served.  The volunteers will only be able to assist 10 individuals per day - no appointments.  AARP membership is not required for this assistance.

Documents and Helpful Information that you will need to provide:

· A copy of your 2016 Income Tax Return

· All income documents for 2017 (W2 - 1099 - Retirement - Pensions - Social Security - Unemployment - etc) . 

· 2017 Mortgage statement showing interest and property taxes paid

· All 2017 Tax Receipts from Tax Collector's Office (Home, Land & Tags)

· All Social Security Cards (Taxpayers & Dependents)

· Driver's License or other valid picture ID

Women in the Spotlight--Fiction

In Miss Jane--a novel by Brad Watson--Miss Jane Chisolm is born into a rural area of early twentieth-century Mississippi. She is born with a genital birth defect that will surely exclude her from the roles traditional for a woman of her time and place; however, it frees her to live her life on her own terms. Unlike others with similar afflictions, Miss Jane isn’t melancholy or bitter about her situation. She is affable with an exuberance and generosity of spirit that is contagious and eternal.

When We Were Worthy is a novel by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen. The small town of Worthy, Georgia is just like most southern towns on a fall night—full of young people and football. On this night, however, the sound of sirens pierce the cool night air just a few hours after the Wildcats scored a winning touchdown. Two cars collided and three cheerleaders are dead. The only survivor is a boy in the other car and he is believed to be at fault, so naturally, rumors, allegations, and secrets begin to churn in this close-knit community. At the center are four women: Marglyn, a grieving mother; Darcy, whose son was behind the wheel; Ava, a substitute teacher with a time-bomb of a secret; and Leah, a cheerleader who should have been in the car with her friends, but wasn’t. When the truth is finally let loose, it will either bring redemption or destruction.

John Banville continues the saga of one of Henry James's characters in his novel Mrs. Osmond. Isabel Archer is the young protagonist in James's novel The Portrait of a Lady who was brought to Europe in the late nineteenth century by an aunt who thought that the trip would round out the girl's eager, yet naive view of the world. Isabel comes into a large, unexpected fortune and is lured into a marriage with the charming, penniless--and as she later learns--cruel and lying Gilbert Osmond. As married life grows more intolerable each day, Isabel defiantly takes a solo trip to England where she is confronted with the opportunity to free herself from the loveless union she is bound to, however, she inexplicably chooses to return to her husband in Italy. Mrs. Osmond picks up where James's novel ends and furthers Isabel's journey with an intensity and dark humor that would make the author proud.

Enchantress of Numbers is a novelization of the life of Ada Lovelace by Jennifer Chiaverini. The only legitimate child of the brilliant and infamous Lord Byron, Ada was destined for greatness from birth. Her mathematician mother is determined to save her child from the destructive and passionate behavior that seems to be the Byron legacy. Ada's education is a rigorous one founded in mathematics and the sciences. Fairytales and anything that sparks the imagination have long been banned from the nursery--or so her mother thinks. Ada is introduced into London society as a highly eligible young heiress and she soon discovers the intellectual and social circles she has longed for. An exciting new friendship with the brilliant, charming, and occasionally grouchy inventor Charles Babbage and his invention, the Difference Engine will most certainly define her destiny.

March is Women's History Month

This month, we saluted the women - both past and present - who have helped to form history.  Follow our page on Facebook as we present a selection of quotes from famous women over the years.

Is there a quote that you find particularly inspiring or witty?  Let us know on Facebook this month.