HARDWICK – There is much to cover at the Jeudevine this month so let’s jump right in.
On June 19, at 5:30 p.m., in the Parker Ladd Community Room the Hardwick Trails Committee, together with Adaptive Sports Partners, is hosting the premiere of a Vermont-based documentary film, “Best Day Ever.” The movie follows the stories of two Vermont disabled athletes as they take on the challenges of mountain-biking along trail systems in Vermont.
You will be both astounded and moved to tears. Do not miss this! You can see the film trailer at bestdayever.mov
On Tuesday, June 30, at 7 p.m., in the Parker Ladd Community Room, the Jeudevine and the Galaxy Bookshop together will celebrate the launch of Hardwick writer Brett Stanciu’s latest novel, “Call It Madness.” The story is of Avah Lavoie, a millennial who feels her life is at a dead end. An unexpected phone call from her estranged mother prompts Ava to set out for “an inherited ramshackle Vermont house,” where she intends to understand how a series of family secrets has shaped her life.
The summer reading program for children kicks off this month. The first session, on Thursday, June 25, at 1 p.m., is Fizzical Fairytales: Finding Rhymes as Duggy Diggs. It follows archaeologists Diggy and Dug as they explore olde London.
Peeking ahead, on Saturday July 18, the Jeudevine will celebrate its one hundred and thirtieth birthday and the first anniversary of the new addition. It will be a worthy bash, with music and cake, perfect for a summer Saturday.
Last month’s Human Library was a great success. In response to the level of participation and positive feedback the library staff are planning a similar event later this year and a repeat again during next year’s Hardwick Spring Festival. If you are interested in participating as a “human book” please speak with Diane or Kevin at the library.
We are heading into summer, a season during which bookworms often turn to lighter fare, so called “beach reads,” mysteries and such. If you are so inclined, I can recommend the books of three regional writers, each of whom has created a body of work around the cases of a fictional detective. Given our geographic proximity to the places these mysteries unfold, the landscape and the people will feel familiar to you.
Closest to our Northeast Kingdom homes, but across the border in southern Quebec, Louise Penny has written twenty novels in her Inspector Gamache series. Her hero is the lead homicide detective for Quebec. Her fictional village is Three Pines which could be any one of the towns we drive through as we cross the border into the Eastern Townships. Last fall she visited the Haskell Free Library that straddles the international border between Stanstead, Quebec and Derby Line to promote her latest book in the series. Following President Trump’s imposition of tariffs and travel restrictions she donated a large sum to build an entrance to the library on the Canadian side of the building.
In Vermont, but at the other end of the state, Archer Mayor has authored more than thirty novels around his lead character, detective Joe Gunther of Brattleboro. Mayor has experience working in law enforcement in Windham County.
Recently I came across “Knife Creek,” a mystery by Paul Doiron. His central character is Mike Bowditch who finds himself investigating crimes through his work as a Maine game warden. His bailiwick is the woods and small towns of the state. In “Knife Creek,” he pursues leads along the Saco River of southern Maine and stumbles into trouble as he winds his way down Class 4 roads to homes thought to have been abandoned.
The shelves of the Jeudevine hold many works of these three writers. If you find you like one then you will find much more to read.
Let the summer begin.
