Attention writers – middle school, high school and adults!  It is time to enter the La Veta Library’s annual Scary Story Contest.

The emphasis this year will be on description, characterization, plot, setting, and suspense.  There is no word limit although we hope you have mercy on the judges and try to keep your stories within a five page range.  Mechanics like spelling, paragraphing and typing are a must.

The stories must have a title page complete with name, grade and phone number. We know that students from middle and high school in La Veta and Walsenburg will be submitting stories.  We want to remind all students in Huerfano County who are home-schooled, go to alternative school or are schooling online that this contest is open to them also.

Not only is this an opportunity to hone your short story writing skills, it is an opportunity to win a cash prize for first and second place at both the high school and middle school level. Adult prizes for first and second place will be publication on the LVPL website.

Stories must be turned into the library by MONDAY, OCTOBER 24. For more information contact the Library at 742-3572 or info@lvpl.org.  Best of luck to all who enter.  WRITERS, we look forward to reading your stories.

 

 

Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen
Alison Weir
In this dramatic work of historical fiction, Weir examines the life of King Henry VIII’s first wife, Katherine of Aragon. This richly detailed novel is the first in a series of six books, in which each volume will explore the life of one of King Henry VIII’s wives.

 

 

 

Meadowlands: A World War I Family Saga
Elizabeth Jeffrey
Compelling characters, rich detail and attention to history dominate this novel that follows an aristocratic British family through World War I and the subsequent decline of the manor. Fans of Downton Abbey may want to check this one out.

 

 

 

To The Bright Edge of the World
Eowyn Ivey
In this engaging work of historical fiction, Ivey brings us to the Alaskan wilderness in 1885 as Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester set out on an expedition to map the new territory and document its native inhabitants.

 

 

 

The Unseen World
Liz Moore
In this moving, lyrical work of literary fiction, Ada struggles to develop a healthy relationship with her father, a world-renowned scientist that may have a mysterious dark side. When her father begins to develop Alzheimer’s, custody of this sheltered home-schooled only child falls to her father’s lab partner. In this coming-of-age tale, Ada works through adolescence as she discovers strange clues to her father’s identity.

 

 

The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks
Terry Tempest Williams

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you enjoy creating things made of fiber, you might be interested in attending a Social Fibering event at the Library. The next meeting will be Thursday, August 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the meeting room.

Formed in the winter months of 2016, the Social Fibering group meets about every three weeks at the Library. Participants are people who like to do ‘fiber things’. Knitters, weavers and quilters meet to create and visit.

For more information on Social Fibering at the Library, call 742-3572 or email info@lvpl.org.

La Veta Library is hosting storytime every Wednesday throughout the summer from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the library’s family room.

Storytime includes books, music and dancing to help young children develop literacy skills. Storytime is designed for children five years old and younger. An older caretaker should attend storytime with children because adult participation makes this learning opportunity even more beneficial.

For more information about this free program sponsored by the Friends of the Library, call 742-3572 or email kelsey@lvpl.org.

 

Liberty’s Last Stand
Stephen Coonts
In the days before a presidential election, the president is assassinated during a public speech. The country devolves into chaos and the government declares martial law. Jake Grafton and Tommy Carmellini are tasked with uncovering the huge conspiracy behind the assassination.

 

 

The Weekenders
Mary Kay Andrews
Riley Griggs looks forward to a relaxing vacation on Belle Island with her family. Her plans are thrown awry when her husband disappears and she is served with papers. As she looks to her friends for comfort, she learns that they all have their own secrets, some of which involve murder.

 

 

Ghosts of War
Brad Taylor
Political machinations litter the pages of the latest Pike Logan thriller. Logan and Cahill set off for Poland to identify artifacts hidden in a Nazi gold train, but during their trip they learn about a secret plot to force a showdown between Russia and NATO. And the consequences could bring about World War III.

 

 

The Opposite of Woe: My Life in Beer and Politics
John Hickenlooper

 

 

 

 

#CheckOutColorado with a state park pass and backpack this summer! As part of a partnership between the Colorado State Library and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, La Veta Library patrons can now check out a kit that includes a state park pass to hang in your car, a set of binoculars, and wildlife guides.

Use the kit to get into state parks for free and explore them using the other items in the kit. Two kits are available. Each kit may be checked out for seven days. Take advantage of this great opportunity to explore Colorado’s state parks and consider purchasing your own pass for more fun throughout the summer.

Don’t have a library card? No worries! All Colorado residents, seasonal residents, and visitors can apply for a library card. For more information, call 719-742-3572 or email info@lvpl.org.

The After Party
Anton DiSclafani
Cece and Joan have always been best friends and partners in crime. When Joan starts to drift away from Houston’s 1957 social scene, Cece sets out on a mission to bring her back to her old life.

 

 

 

 

Before the Fall
Noah Hawley
Ten rich people and one impoverished painter depart on a private jet headed for Martha’s Vineyard. Only the painter and a four-year-old boy set to inherit his family’s immense wealth survive when the plane goes down.

 

 

 

Flight of Dreams
Ariel Lawhon
Emilie Imhof is the only female crew member on the Hindenburg on May 3, 1937. She has access to entire airship and hears all of the rumors about bomb threats circulating on the ship. As Emilie struggles to maintain her professional demeanor, she misses the secrets that everyone else on board is hiding.

 

 

A Game for All the Family
Sophie Hannah
“Pulled into a deadly game of deception, secrets, and lies, a woman must find the truth in order to defeat a mysterious opponent, protect her daughter, and save her own life in this dazzling standalone psychological thriller with an unforgettable ending…” – William Morrow and Company

 

 

I Let You Go
Clare Mackintosh
Jenna Gray moves to the Welsh Coast after her little boy is killed in a hit-and-run. The police are trying to track down the driver, which makes it harder for Jenna to heal. The unexpected twist in this thriller might appeal to you if you enjoyed Gone Girl or Girl on the Train.

 

 

 

Ink and Bone
Lisa Unger
“In this explosive psychological thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger, a young woman’s mysterious gift forces her into the middle of a dangerous investigation of a little girl’s disappearance.” – Touchstone Books

 

 

 

Property of a Noblewoman
Danielle Steel
Large Print
“A young woman discovers a delicious cache of heirlooms in an abandoned safe deposit box…Drawn to the mysterious woman in the photographs, Jane digs deeper into the woman’s luxurious, golden life and the older, dashing man who occupies her pictures and letters.” – Random House

 

The Quality of Silence
Rosamund Lupton
“Yasmin, a beautiful astrophysicist, and her precocious deaf daughter, Ruby, arrive in a remote part of Alaska to be told that Ruby’s father, Matt, has been the victim of a catastrophic accident. Unable to accept his death as truth, Yasmin and Ruby set out into the hostile winter of the Alaskan tundra in search of answers.” -Brilliance

 

 

Seven Days Dead: A Thriller
John Farrow
A terrrific storm devastates the Gulf of Maine. The storm drags many characters, including a detective, into its wake and reveals a mounting murder toll that puzzles the detective. He soon discovers a murder many years ago may be a key clue in his new case.

 

 

 

Dishonorable Intentions
Stuart Woods
“Stone Barrington’s latest lady friend is full of surprises, both good and ill. A sensual woman with unexpected desires, Stone finds her revelations in the boudoir extremely agreeable. But on the other hand, she also has some unfinished business with a temperamental man who believes Stone is an intolerable obstacle in the way of his goals.” – G.P. Putnam’s Sons

 

End of the Watch
Stephen King
“Brady Hartsfield, the Mercedes killer Stephen King introduced in his Edgar Award-winning first book in [this] trilogy, returns to diabolically drive his victims to suicide in this last … installment starring the evermore winning Bill Hodges and Holly Gibney.” -Scribner

 

 

 

The Cavendon Luck
Barbara Taylor Bradford
“It is 1938 in England, and Miles and Cecily Ingham have lead the family in bringing the Cavendon estate back from the brink of disaster. But now, with the arrival of World War II, Cavendon Hall will face its biggest challenge yet. It is a challenge that will push the Inghams and Swanns to protect each other and the villagers, and reveal their true capacity for survival and rebirth.” – St. Martin’s Press

 

The House of Secrets
Brad Meltzer and Tod Goldberg
“When Hazel Nash was six years old, her father taught her: mysteries need to be solved. He should know. Hazel’s father is Jack Nash, the host of America’s favorite conspiracy TV show, The House of Secrets. Now, years later, Hazel wakes up in the hospital and remembers nothing, not even her own name…” – Grand Central

Secrets In Their Eyes
2015, PG 13
“Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts star in this intense thriller about an obsessive search over 13 years for the killer of an investigator’s daughter.” – Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

Victor Frankenstein
2015, PG-13
“In their attempts to aid humanity, Dr. Frankenstein (James McAvoy) and his assistant Igor (Daniel Radcliffe) create a monster that holds unimaginable terror for anyone in its path!” – Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

The Intern
2016, PG-13
“In ‘The Intern’ Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro) is a 70-year-old widower who has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” – Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

The Night Before
2016, R
“Three best friends set out to find the Nutcracka Ball – the Holy Grail of Christmas parties – and enter a night of debauchery and hilarity.”-Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

Goosebumps
2015, PG
“When monsters are unleashed from their manuscripts & terrorize a town, it’s up to R.L. Stine, Zach & Hannah to get them back in their books.” – Amazon

After the Fire
Jane Casey
A conservative British politician turns up as one of three dead bodies in a fire at a public housing complex in London. Police inspector Maeve Kerrigan is even more perplexed when she learns that the politician was dead before the fire. The fast-paced action-packed mystery may remind readers of Laura Lippman and Lisa Scottoline.

 

Before the Wind
Jim Lynch
“Growing up on the Puget Sound, the Johannssen family has sailing in their blood, but the oldest brother, Josh, is left puzzling over what caused his siblings to flee, one to Africa, the other to points unknown as a fugitive and pirate.” -Knopf

 

 

Black River
S.M. Hulse
“A former prison guard and talented fiddler returns to his Montana hometown to bury his wife and confront the inmate who, twenty years ago, held him hostage during a prison riot.” -Mariner Books

 

 

 

Everybody’s Fool
Richard Russo
“The irresistible Sully, who in the intervening years has come by some unexpected good fortune, is staring down a VA cardiologist’s estimate that he has only a year or two left, and it’s hard work trying to keep this news from the most important people in his life.” – Random House

 

Exposure
Helen Dunmore
In London, at the height of the Cold War, colleagues Giles and Simon discover a top-secret file has gone missing. Simon’s wife has buried the file in the backyard in an effort to protect her family from its contents. Betrayal and exposure seep through the pages of this espionage thriller.

 

Fatal Thunder
Larry Bond
India and Pakistan reach a stalemate in a war marketed as the end of terrorism. A secret posse of Indian military officials come up with a brilliant plan to shake things up by targeting China, Pakistan’s ally, with nuclear warheads. An official reaches out to Jerry Mitchell to put an end to the conspiracy.

 

The Nest
Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
The Plumb siblings reunite when an accident endangers their joint trust fund. They have each made important plans for their portion of the money and now face the threat of losing it. Old tensions rise to the surface as they examine their lives and the choices they have made.

 

 

Red Rising
Pierce Brown
“Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future…Darrow discovers that vast cities and sprawling parks cover the planet, and Reds are nothing more than slaves to the decadent Gold ruling caste. Now he will sacrifice everything and stop at nothing to bring down his enemies.” – Thorndike

 

Titans
Leila Meacham
“In the midst of [a] transformative time in Southern history, two unforgettable characters emerge and find their fates irrevocably intertwined: Samantha Gordon, the privileged heiress to the sprawling Las Tres Lomas cattle ranch near Fort Worth, and Nathan Holloway, a sweet-natured and charming farm boy from far north Texas.” – Grand Central

 

NONFICTION

Getting to Green
Saving Nature: A Bipartisan Solution
Frederic C. Rich
Environmental Issues

 

 

 

The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria
Janine Di Giovanni
World History

 

La Veta Library’s 2016 Summer Reading Program is a great way to encourage children to read during the summer months. The program, which will run May 31-August 15, is free and open to all children between birth and age 14.

Visit the library to register for the program, which begins May 31. Participants will log the time they spend reading or doing early literacy activities. Completed logs will earn participants up to three rewards, such as sports equipment, water bottles, wallets, and lanyards.

The library has a wide collection of magazines, novels, and nonfiction books for children of all ages. Children may read anything they choose as part of this program, and library staff can assist participants in finding books that match their interests and reading levels. The library also offers a selection of children’s eBooks through the 3M Cloud Library, which can be downloaded for free to tablets, smartphones, and computers.

The library will also offer free story time sessions every Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m. beginning June 8. The library invites you to attend story time with any of your children between birth and age five.

Contact Kelsey at 719-742-3572 or info@lvpl.org for more information.