​We’re excited to announce that the library now offers Wi-Fi as a free service to our patrons and visitors. Public access to the internet allows everyone in the community to have access to the world, whether for job applications, research, correspondence, or general surfing. You’ll need to bring your own device, then simply sign in and agree to follow policies which the library board is currently formulating. Soon, we plan to have a library computer that patrons can use.

​The library got a bit cozier in late March when we acquired two attractive and comfortable chairs. Come on in and have a seat! We plan to soon add a side table and coffee table.

In order to increase access to the library, we are extending our hours on Saturdays until 1 p.m. Our current hours are: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3–6 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. (Coffee and games begin at 9!)

I first discovered Mentone last year, and soon began returning weekly, driving 90 miles from an area northwest of Huntsville. The energy I felt was very positive and welcoming.

Every week I was so looking forward to coming back up to explore the caverns and walk the meandering pathways through the beautiful hardwood forests that surround this blessed community.

On one occasion, an owner of one of the local shops offered me a copy of The Groundhog. In that edition, I discovered that Moon Lake Community Library has “chess and games of strategy” every Saturday morning. What?! With everything else this community has to offer — chess, too!

My priorities immediately shifted. They became: #1 — Chess on Saturday mornings; #2 — Hike another day.

Through these chess games and the library, I have had the privilege of meeting many local residents. In October of last year, I moved to Mentone.

We invite you all to come to the library each Saturday morning for chess, other games of strategy, coffee, and conversation. This library is a great place to spend some time. (Paradigm shift: It’s not your typical library. This one is really fun.) Playing chess is a great way to spend some time. A social pastime. Casual chess.

Throughout the years, studies have found that, for young people, learning to play chess dovetails learning real life lessons. Have a plan. As time passes, review the plan. Adjust the plan to accommodate changes that have occurred. Chess teaches, as do real life lessons, that there are consequences for the choices that you make. Stay focused, follow the plan. Consider options for the most desirable result. Make bad choices, and you will not survive for long.

Studies have also found that, for those of us who are…older, keeping the mind active and engaged with games of strategy, such as chess, helps deter the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

If you have ever played chess at all, please come in for a visit and for play.

If you have never played before, but are interested, please come in. I will gladly help you learn how to set up the board, how the pieces move, the rules of the game, and chess etiquette. It remains a light-hearted atmosphere. No stress.

Regardless of your age, please come. When a man of 70+ years sits down at the table with a young man of 10 years, the age difference disappears. It’s all about the game.

​Explore the caverns of your mind. Create pathways across the board as you walk through the hardwood forest of chess pieces.

​Mah Jongg is an exciting game that relies on skill and luck. It originated in China and has been played in the United States for almost 100 years. It is a little like Poker and Rummy, but it uses different suites which are on tiles, instead of cards. There are runs and multiples that make hands, and the hands have various values, depending on how difficult they are to make.

Donna McComb and I will teach a class at Moon Lake Community Library on Saturday, April 14, at 10 a.m. We have enjoyed playing Mah Jongg for years and have taught before. Studies show that playing mah jongg improves cognitive ability and flexibility, and that the effects can be long-lasting.

To get the feel of the game, you will get hands-on play time, with your two coaches explaining the options that are available as you discard tiles after picking up new ones. We will teach you how to play 3-handed and 4-handed, so you can practice on your own. Everything needed to play this ancient Chinese game will be supplied. (We play the National MJ League rules/card.)

Spring’s rebirth is certainly in the air at Moon Lake Community Library. We’re happy to now have this website, where you can access our online catalog and browse ALL of our books (8,000+) and DVDs (900+) at your convenience. Parents and children also have online access to Moon Lake School’s collection, from which anyone in the community can borrow. 
 
We’re in the process of culling our reference shelves and moving a selection of books to our sale shelves. This will make it easier to see what we have to offer in non-fiction (a lot!). We plan to replace many of these books, so come by and see what’s new. 
​

Kelly Leavitt
Librarian

March Madness
Hello everyone, hope you are staying warm. Things here are happening at your local Community Library. We have new books and DVDs for your enjoyment, plus we are working a few new programs in the works that are sure to please, such as a preschool toddler story time. We are also creating sitting areas for you to come, sit and relax in the comfort of the library. On that note, this is a call for furniture donations of gently used chairs, sofas or small tables so we can make the sitting area cozy and warm. Please contact the library if you have any pieces you would like to donate.
 
Great things are in the works, so come on by and say hello and see what all the ‘madness’ is about. And remember to Like us on Facebook!
 
Books
Fire and Fury inside the Trump White House
The first nine months of Donald Trump’s term were stormy, outrageous and absolutely mesmerizing. Never before has a presidency so divided the American people. Micheal Wolff shows how and why Donald Trump has become the king of discord and disunion.
 
The People vs. Alex Cross
The latest from James Patterson has Alex Cross on the wrong side of the law. Followers of his nemesis Gary Soneji are dead, and Cross is charged with gunning them down in cold blood.the charges are explosive. The evidence shocking, the prosecution relentless, and the accused stands alone.
 
Two Kinds of Truth
The new thriller from Michael Connelly is tense, fast-paced, and fueled by the legendary detective Harry Bosch’s unrelenting sense of mission. Bosch risks everything to go undercover into the shadowy world of organized crime and pill mills. “Connelly writes cops better than anyone else in the business.” (New York Post.)
 
Year One
A stunning new novel from bestselling author Nora Roberts—an epic of hope and horror, chaos, and magic, and a journey that will unite a desperate group of people to fight the battle of their lives. The end has come. The beginning comes next.
 
DVDs
Taken
When his estranged daughter is kidnapped in Paris, a former spy (Liam Nelson) sets out to find her at any cost. Relying on his special skills, he tracks down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launches a one-man war to bring them to justice. Rated PG-13.
 
Limitless
Eddie Morris (Bradley Cooper) discovers a top-secret pill that unlocks 100 percent of his brain’s capacity. He instantly acquires mind-bending talents and mesmerizing visions that big him big money, women, and limitless success. But his life soon becomes a nightmare as the drug’s side effects take their toll and he finds himself entangled with a cunning broker (Robert DeNiro). Rated PG-13.
 
The Internship
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson team up to crash the digital world in this laugh-out-loud comedy. The competition is fiercely funny as Billy and Nick break all the rules at the state-of-the-art Google campus in a hilarious quest to land their dream jobs. Rated PG-13.
 
Dolphin Tale
Inspired by the amazing true story of Winter, the dolphin. A boy discovers a dolphin with an injured tail, without which she may not survive. With the help of a marine biologist (Harry Connick Jr.) and a prosthetist (Morgan Freeman), Winter May receive a second chance at life. Rated PG.