What's Up At The E. C. Scranton Memorial Library? A Lot

MADISON, CT — One can always count on a potpourri of events, talks, programs and more at the E. C. Scranton Memorial Library.

See all the myriad events on the September calendar here.

Book Caddy sticks around

From now until October 18th, you can continue picking up holds, dropping off returns, and browsing a small collection of bestsellers every Tuesday from 3-5pm when The Book Caddy is parked in the Madison EarthCare parking lot!

Prepare your garden for fall

Wednesday, September 14 @ 6:30 p.m. at the SML.
It will soon be time to put your plants down for a long winter’s nap. Don’t rush it! Rachel Blundon of Madison Earth Care will give you tips and tricks on preparing your garden for the cold weather. She will also share advice on planting bulbs, dealing with autumn leaves, and much more! With thanks to the Garden Club of Madison.

Chris' Picks for September

Here are this month’s five great recommendations from staff member Christopher Jennings Penders! Click on a title to place a hold. To find previous Chris Picks just click on the “what to read” link at the bottom of this page or type “Chris Picks” into the search bar on our home page.
Graham JoyceGraham Joyce is a speculative fiction author I’ve read many times. He is well worth a look. Sadly, Graham Joyce passed in 2014. His legacy lives on through the many books he has written. I’ve read quite a few of his books and have enjoyed each one.
Jonathan CarrollJonathan Carroll is my favorite author and if I’ve mentioned him here before I apologize. If anyone has read Alice Hoffman, another favorite of mine, I’ve concluded that the best way to describe Mr. Carroll is that he’s Alice Hoffman on LSD. Carroll has written a sort of trilogy with White Apples being the first and Glass Soup the conclusion. In Bathing the Lion, one of the main entities in the first two books appears for a final time. I have yet to find a Carroll book that I haven’t adored. Teaching the Dog to Read and The Ghost in Love are two more standouts.
Charles DeLintWhat I like about Charles DeLint is that he has created a fictional town in Canada called Newford and he populates the town with the same characters that show up in each of his books. This way, the reader becomes familiar with everyone in the town. Sometimes one or two characters play a leading role. In another book, someone else may play the lead, but every book DeLint has written takes place in Newford so there is continuity throughout his series.
Suzanne PalmieriI first heard of Suzanne Palmieri when I read The Witch of Little Italy. So much of what Suzanne wrote in that book aligns with my worldview. After reading The Witch of Little Italy, I shared my thoughts on the book online and Suzanne responded:
“I know we have not met. I know I was thrilled that you were interested in reading my book. But now? I know we have met…And out of all the amazing (and truly unexpected) reactions of people connecting with this novel…Yours has moved me the most. I am so honored. Really.”
Suzanne and I have continued to correspond, and we’ve become friends now as well.
Alice HoffmanAs mentioned above, Alice Hoffman is another slipstream writer I enjoy. Even after all these years and the many books I’ve read, River King remains my favorite. Ms. Hoffman, like Jonathan Carroll, has yet to disappoint me. She has an entire catalog of books to choose from and I don’t think you can go wrong with anything you choose to read.

The Palace Project

The Palace Project provides e-books and audiobooks through the Connecticut State Library and partnering libraries.

With the Palace app, you will have access to titles from the digital collections of Scranton Library (through OverDrive), the Connecticut State Library, Digital Public Library of America’s Open Bookshelf, and New York Public Library’s Instant Classics. You will not have access to digital magazines, however, and must still read those through the Libby app or OverDrive website.
Download the Palace app and look for E.C. Scranton Memorial Library. You will need to type in your library card to log in and download books. Check out the Getting Started Guide.