Please join us in the new Gallery of the Library at 7:30 pm on Thursday, February 2nd, when author Pete Hamill discusses his novel, Snow in August. This year's Wilton Reads! selection is eminently discussible, as our gatherings in December and January have proven. I am looking forward - as I am sure you are - to hearing Mr. Hamill talk about his book and the powerful messages and intriguing ending we've debated throughout the fall. Although I have not yet met him, I hear from colleagues that he is a wonderful speaker.

Our fall and winter community-wide read culminates with this event and we expect a big crowd. Books will be available for purchase and signing that evening and refreshments will be served. If you haven't already registered, you can stop by, call us (762-3950), or register online.

We are grateful to our sponsors for this year's Wilton Reads! for making all Snow in August events possible: The Wilton Bank, The Wilton Bulletin, and United Way of Norwalk & Wilton. Thanks go to Wilton PTA Council and Wilton High School Principal Tim Canty as well, for helping us to purchase the book for all Wilton High sophomores.

For more information about the book and the author, check out our Snow in August page. I hope to see you there!

In a 10-week program, teens (grades 7-12) will learn about the world of high finance using the real stock market and a real-time portfolio that simulates live trading with "not so real" currency. Participants should sign up in teams of two to four and will compete with other teams around the country. Library resources (print & electronic) will be utilized to help teams make their investment decisions.

The Library's own in-house investment guru, Michael McEneaney, will give teens on-going guidance. There is no charge for the program, thanks to a grant from the John Curran Memorial Teen Fund. This game is endorsed by the National Council on Economic Education and we are very excited to be able to offer it through February, March and the start of April.

Monday sessions, with the following exceptions, will run from 4-5:30 pm and will run from February 6th through April 10th: alternate dates will be posted when chosen for February 20th and March 20th. Sign your team up NOW in person, by phone (762-3950) or online.

Wilton Library staffer, David Palmieri, owner of Norwalk Karate, will teach kids the basic moves in Karate on Saturday, February 4th from 2-3 pm. Those aged 8-13 are welcome and no experience is necessary!

Learn more about this centuries old form of self defence that has its roots in Okinawan history and is increasingly popular for children, teens and adults in this country. Confidence and control are keywords for those who learn its principles. Please sign up in person, by phone (762-3950), or online - and do it soon, as advance registration is required.

On Wednesday, February 8th, from noon to 1 pm, Wilton Library Readers will be led by Susan Boyar in a discussion of Herzog, by Saul Bellow. The novel, a complex, compelling, absurd and realistic tale, became a classic almost as soon as it was published in 1964. Join Susan in discovering why the letters of this "tragically confused intellectual" that are the body of the book hold such appeal and pathos for us today. No registration is necessary and all are welcome.

Our International Book Group will be led by guest speaker Mary (Wong Heung-Kwan) Holaday as it discusses Falling Leaves: A True Story of an Unwanted Daughter, by Adeline Yen Mah on Wednesday, February 8th from 7-8:30 pm. This discussion will take place during the Chinese New Year and participants will be able to enjoy refreshments and international desserts. There is no charge for the program, but advance registration is suggested in person, by phone (762-3950), or online. All are welcome to attend.

I will be leading a discussion at the Senior Center on Tuesday, February 28th at 11 am of one of my favorite books, The Known World, by Edward P. Jones, and I hope you will join me (you needn't be a senior to attend!). Set in Manchester County, Virginia, 20 years before the Civil War began, the book has been called "a masterpiece of overlapping plot lines, time shifts, and heartbreaking details of life under slavery." Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, it is a fascinating and powerful read. Call The Senor Center at Comstock Community Center to register (834-6240).

Attendance at Wilton's Annual Town Meeting in the past ten years has ranged between 14.2% and 36.8% of eligible voters, with an average of 24.7%. For some this level of attendance indicates satisfaction with our current Selectman/Town Meeting form of government; for others this record is evidence of a need for change.

Please join us to discover the results of the recent League of Women Voters survey on this topic on Thursday, February 9th, at 7:30 pm. League surveys and studies have introduced important changes to our community in the past, so please show up and sound off - you CAN make a difference. Advance registration is suggested in person, by phone (762-3950) or online.

This month on Saturdays, February 11th and 25th, from 2-3 pm, children in grades K-3 are invited to listen to folk tales and fairytales read by the Children's Library staff. Stories from other times, other cultures and other worlds will engender a love of reading and literature to last a lifetime. Advance registration is requested in person, by phone or online.

Our winter weekday story time schedule began on January 23rd, but you may sign up at any time during the month:

Babies (6-11 months) ~ Wednesdays ~ 10:15-10:45 am
Ones ~ Tuesdays & Thursdays ~ 10:15 & 10:45 am
Twos ~ Tuesdays & Wednesdays ~ 10:15-10:45 am
Threes ~ Tuesdays & Wednesdays ~ (Tu) 10:30 am- noon, (W) 1-1:30 pm
Fours & Fives ~ Mondays & Tuesdays ~ 2-2:45 pm

Please note that babies, Ones and Twos must bring an adult along with them! There is no charge for story time, but we would appreciate your registration. There will be no session on Monday, February 20th, due to the holiday.

We are so fortunate to have the Norwalk Symphony (Not Just for Kids) series at our library again this year and the community knows it, showing up in droves for these exciting and educational sessions. This month, on Saturday, February 18th, from 1-2 pm, the Symphony brass section will be highlighted, and kids and their parents will get to meet the musicians, their instruments and their music. Please join us. Advance registration is suggested - in person, by phone (762-3950) or online.

Thanks to the Wilton Bank for sponsoring this special program!

We are about to start a new session of the Wilton Library Chess Club - and this one will feature RJ Chambers, Wilton High School Chess Club President, as instructor. The six week program for beginners through advanced players includes basic instruction, strategies and classic opening and closing moves. Advance registration and payment of a $20 program fee are required.

Session dates are on Thursdays from 4-5 pm: February 23rd, March 2nd, 9th, 23rd, 30th, and April 6th. Note that there is no session on March 16th.