English-language Library in Angers

The library is closed for the summer from Saturday, July 13th to Tuesday, September 3rd at 1 pm.

However, the activities don’t come to a complete halt! Check the “What’s Happening” page to see a current listing of upcoming events.

And, if you are off to travel near or far, remember that you can always check out eBooks, simply by clicking here.

Sign-ups are now open for Conversation Groups (in English and French), Children’s Hour and Drama Club for 2019-2020.

Download the registration forms below:

• Children’s Hour
• English Conversation Groups
• French Conversation Groups
• Drama Club

Join us for the back-into-the-swing-of-things Volunteer Meeting on Wednesday, September 4th at 10 AM. This is a call for volunteers and we’ve got good news. There’s big things planned for the Fall and we need your help!

If you have some free time and would like to volunteer for the library in the coming year, come to this organizational meeting. At this meeting we will explain the different projects for the year ahead and ask you to think about in what ways you could play a part. If you are not able to attend this meeting, we would be happy to meet with you on an individual basis. Simply send an email to Liz, our volunteer coordinator, or just drop in and say hi!

Save the date for the library’s BIG Big Book Sale and Open House on Saturday, September 21st from 10 am to 6 pm!

It’s an all-day, fundraising extravaganza! Support your local library and enjoy great bargains on second-hand, English-language books! It’s the ultimate win-win. All proceeds go to funding the library’s many activities that you know and love.

Every month we add the latest and greatest new releases for your reading pleasure. New and Noteworthy for July:

• Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver, a mesmerizing story, involving two families, in two centuries, who live in a rundown neighborhood somewhere in New Jersey. Told in alternating chapters, they navigate the challenges of surviving their worlds in the throes of major cultural shifts.

• The Fire This Time edited by Jesmyn Ward, James Balwin’s ‘fire next time’ is now upon us and it needs to be talked about. This collection of essays and poems gathers a new generation of writers and thinkers to speak on race. ​

• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, get ready for heart-in-throat action, deadly romance, double crossing, moral complexity and faeries! With messy and complicated humans in a dark, twisted world inspired by old folktales. ​

• November Road by Lou Berney, it’s the crime of the century – the assassination of President Kennedy – and Frank Guidry knows too much. A chance encounter gives him the perfect cover and as the two strangers share the open road they find each other along the way. But, Frank’s hunters are closing in…​

• Women Talking by Miriam Toews, this is a fictionalized account of a real-life occurrence known as the ‘ghost rapes of Bolivia’. “This touching novel could be right out of The Handmaid’s Tale” – Margaret Atwood.

Come visit, browse and find your next favorite book. Have a look at our Books At Heart noticeboard for a full list of new acquisitions and recommendations from fellow members. There’s always something new and good to read at the library! 

“Halloween’s Coming” is a 3-day English-learning workshop for collégiens. Participants learn English in a fun, interactive way with games, songs and activities with lots of talking and moving around! The workshop will be at the library for three consecutive afternoons of three hours each: October 29th, 30th and 31st from 3 PM to 6 PM.

Limited to 15 participants so sign-up fast! Cost is 75 euros (includes snack, materials and library membership).

Sign up now at info@ellia.org / 02.41.24.97.07

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.