Interested in playing chess? Whether you're a seasoned player or a novice, you are invited to play with others who meet every Tuesday and Thursday at 3 p.m. at Moon Lake Community Library.

In December of 1982, the peaceful forest on Taylor’s Ridge in Chattooga County, Georgia, was the setting for a grisly double murder. The shooting deaths of former Loyola University pharmacology professor Charles Scudder and his partner Joey Odom would come to be known as the Corpsewood Murders, named for the couple’s castle-like residence that was later destroyed by vandals. The two men had constructed the home themselves out of brick after they gave up city life for rural homesteading. On the property, sheriff’s deputies found expensive antiques and thousands of doses of LSD, as well as evidence that suggested that suggested Scudder and Odom were Satanists. The trail of the killers looked as cold as the chill in the winter air, until investigators got an unexpected break—an eyewitness account of what happened the night the two men died.

In December of 1982, the peaceful forest on Taylor’s Ridge in Chattooga County, Georgia, was the setting for a grisly double murder. The shooting deaths of former Loyola University pharmacology professor Charles Scudder and his partner Joey Odom would come to be known as the Corpsewood Murders, named for the couple’s castle-like residence that was later destroyed by vandals. The two men had constructed the home themselves out of brick after they gave up city life for rural homesteading. On the property, sheriff’s deputies found expensive antiques and thousands of doses of LSD, as well as evidence that suggested that suggested Scudder and Odom were Satanists. The trail of the killers looked as cold as the chill in the winter air, until investigators got an unexpected break—an eyewitness account of what happened the night the two men died.


Amy Petulla, the author of The Corpsewood Manor Murders in North Georgia, will speak at the Moon Lake Library on Monday, October 21, at 6 p.m. Petulla is a former assistant district attorney with the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, the office that prosecuted the killers. A trial lawyer for 20 years, she is now the owner of Chattanooga Ghost Tours. Copies of the book will be available for sale, and Amy will be glad to autograph them.
Join us at the library for an informative discussion about one of the region’s most infamous—and haunting—true crimes.

Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, is the October selection for the Moon Lake Book Club's discussion. This New York Times bestseller is an award-winning graphic novel memoir about the author's childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Through the author's eyes, the reader sees the country's sudden shift toward fundamentalism after the overthrow of the Shah, as well as the violence of her country's war with Iraq. Her parents, longtime Marxists who oppose the repressive regime, raise Marjane to be independent and critical, but as she grows older, they become fearful that her outspokenness will endanger her life. Persepolis, which was made into an animated film in 2007, is a quick read but one that will leave a lasting impression. ​

The book club will meet on Saturday, October 12, at 10:30 a.m. at Moon Lake Community Library (where the book is available for check-out). Everyone is welcome to join the discussion. Coffee and hot tea will be served.

Are you the keeper of your family papers? Do you know how to properly care for them, so they can be passed down through future generations? Jim Baggett, archivist for the City of Birmingham and the Birmingham Public Library, will teach us everything we need to know. Bring any letters, photos, etc. that you'd like to share. 

There are many basic and inexpensive things you can do to ensure that
your family letters, scrapbooks, and photographs are preserved for the future. Learn the fundamentals of home archiving at a free presentation on Monday, September 16, at 6:30 p.m. at Moon Lake Community Library.

Topics covered include:

• common threats to documents and photos, including mold, mildew, humidity, rodents, and insects
• supplies needed to preserve papers and photos and where to purchase those supplies
• advantages and disadvantages of scanning your papers and photos.

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Librarian Jim Baggett is the archivist for the Birmingham Public Libraries and the City of Birmingham. He and his family live part-time at their home on Little River near Mentone. Jim is the author of two books about Alabama history: Alabama Illustrated—Engravings from 19th Century Newspapers and Historic Photos of Birmingham. This winter, he will present a program about the 1918 influenza outbreak in Alabama, which has a Mentone connection.

Enjoy playing a variety of games with your neighbors and friends (old and new) at Moon Lake Community Library. Bring your favorite game or come learn how to play a new one.
Games are good for your brain, and playing them with others is good for your spirit. Bring a finger food to share in the pot luck. Coffee, tea and water will be provided. All ages are welcome. The fun starts at 6pm.

Join fellow book lovers for a discussion of The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict. This bestselling historical novel tells the story of Hedy Lemarr, the glamour icon and scientist whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication. Booklist calls it a “compelling fictionalized biography [that] pays tribute to the overlooked scientific contributions and the hidden depths of a stunning beauty and beloved movie star.”
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The book club will meet on Saturday, September 21, at 10:30 a.m. at Moon Lake Community Library (where the book is available for check-out). Everyone is welcome to join the discussion. Coffee and hot tea will be served.