English-language Library in Angers

So you think you know the library? Take this little quiz and if you get 80% correct you win a free book of your choice from the selection on sale during our Open House & Spring Fundraiser on Saturday, April 27th from 10 am to 6 pm at the library (60 rue Boisnet, 49100 Angers).

Need a little help? Read this article about upcoming events for some helpful hints!

 

Don’t miss the Big Book Sale, Bake Sale and Plant Sale, our Spring FUNdraiser, from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday, April 27th.

It’s the ultimate win-win, you can help support your library while enjoying unbeatable book bargains! Plus, a plant sale, delicious bake sale and raffle for prizes! All profits go to funding the library activities you know and love!

Second hand books for sale and activities all day! Here are the details:

• Doors open at 10 am, come early to get your choice of the collection!
• Bring your little ones! Children’s Story Time starts at 11 am, ages 3-9 years old, open to first 10 arrivals (no reservations).
• Don’t miss the raffle! Buy a ticket and win a prize. Tickets are on sale all week from April 23rd to 27th. Raffle drawing at 5 pm!
• Not the biggest bookworm, but got a sweet tooth? There’s something for you too! Come and enjoy the Bake Sale’s tasty treats!
• Complimentary drinks: tea, coffee and decaf. Take a break, have your cake and kick up your heels in our lounge area (with a good book)!

There’s something for everyone! The library, it’s the place to be!

Angers’ “Journée citoyenne” takes place on Sunday, May 19th. It’s one day a year when locals can volunteer some of their time to the city. Every year the library receives subsidies from the City of Angers, so it’s nice for us to show our support. Anne Lebeugle, Library Chairwoman, suggests spending some time volunteering at the “Maison de l’Environnement.” Garden Club members might be particularly interested as it would consist mostly of weeding, raking, picking, painting garden furniture and light DIY work.

Between 10 to 12 volunteers would be ideal. The hours would be from 2 to 4 pm, followed by a snack. If you wish to stay longer you may. Please bring your own gardening gloves, pruning shears, small gardening tools (please label them) and your own drinking water.

To sign-up, please contact Sylvie, the Garden Club President, by May 3rd.

Drop by the library and check out our newest titles! Every month we add the latest and greatest new releases for your reading pleasure. New and Noteworthy for April:

• The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel: From the author of the Life of Pi, comes the story of a quest for a lost relic. The journey takes us from Africa, through Portugal to contemporary North America; from in the 1600s to the present day.

• The Locals by Jonathan Dee: The collision of two men’s very different worlds, rural vs urban, middle class vs rich, propels Dee’s powerful new novel.

• I’d Die For You: And Other Lost Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald: A collection of the last remaining unpublished and uncollected short stories of the iconic American writer. “A treasure trove of tales too dark for the magazines of the 1930s. Lucky us” – Newsday.

• Forgotten Women: The Leaders by Zing Tsjeng: Weaves together 48 unforgettable portraits of true pioneers and leaders, the women who shaped and were erased from our history, who have formed and changed the course of our futures.

• Spain, Guard My Bones by Jack Thompson: Dodging bullets, bodyguards and untrustworthy officials, journalist Charlie Barrow wastes no time making enemies in his search for answers after the discovery of a mass grave of Civil War victims.

• Little by Edward Carey: Does the name Marie Grosholtz ring a bell? How about Madame Toussaud? Not only a fictional biography, this is her first-person account of the court of Louis XVI and the French Revolution.

• Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean: Based on a true story set in St. Kilda, Quill and his friends try to survive, cold, starving and clinging to life, in the grip of a murderous ocean.

• Lanny by Max Porter: Set in a village outside London where the lives of present and past interweave: Dead Papa Toothwort awakes from his slumber and searches for his favourite, the boy called Lanny.

• Our Tiny, Useless Hearts by Toni Jordan: There are those with generous hearts and those with the meanness of this fourth novel by the award-winning Australian author. It’s all there: love, infidelity and divorce in a modern-day farce that scrutinises the family.

Come visit, browse and find your next favorite book. If you’re stuck for what to read don’t forget to have a look at our Books At Heart noticeboard or just ask a librarian! There’s always something new and good to read at the library! Browse the catalog by clicking here.

When you come into the library, you may be faced with the question, “What should I read next?” The library has a huge collection (about 30,000 books!)… but which books will promise you hours of good reading?

“Books at Heart” will help you with your question.  It’s a new initiative for book lovers, to promote sharing and feedback about books. Now you can tell everyone about the books you love!

Firstly, you’ll find a new noticeboard in the library, called “Our Books of the Year”. There’s already a small selection of truly excellent recommendations. It’s open to everyone… feel free to add YOUR book of the year. Spread the news!

Secondly, we invite people to “curate” their favorite books. A curator will promote a selection of books. It could be a genre (crime, historical, classics…), it could be linked to a country (Sweden, Canada, China…), or a non-fiction range (politics, history, cooking, etc.).

And, we need volunteers! As a curator, you will put an information card on the shelves every month or so, to promote a book or an author. And you will organize a front-of-library display once a year. If you want to become a curator contact Peter Bolos, library staff member, at collections@ellia.org.