It’s a new year full of new evenings and afternoons for telling tales and reading stories at the Seanchai Library, and time for me to belatedly return to my round-ups of their weekly gatherings.
As always, all times SLT, and unless otherwise stated, events will be held on the Seanchai Library’s home on Imagination Island.
Monday January 7th, 19:00: Quite a Year for Plums
Anyone who has read the best-selling Mama Makes Up Her Mind or listened to Bailey White’s commentaries on NPR knows that she is a storyteller of inimitable wit and charm. Now, in her stunningly accomplished first novel, she introduces us to the peculiar yet lovable people who inhabit a small town in south Georgia.
Meet serious, studious Roger, the peanut pathologist and unlikely love object of half the town’s women. Meet Roger’s ex-mother-in-law, Louise, who teams up with an ardent typographer in an attempt to attract outer-space invaders with specific combinations of letters and numbers. And meet Della, the bird artist who captivates Roger with the sensible but enigmatic notes she leaves on things she throws away at the Dumpster.
Kayden Oconnell begins this series of selections in voice tonight, to be joined by Caledonia later in the month.
Tuesday January 8th / Wednesday January 9th, 19:00: Inkspell
Faerie Maven-Pralou reads the first part of Cornelia Funke’s young adult which forms the second part of her Inkworld trilogy. The books chronicle the adventures of teenager Meggie Folchart whose life changes dramatically when she realizes that she and her father, a bookbinder named Mo, have the unusual ability to bring characters from books into the real world when reading aloud. Mostly set in Northern Italy and the parallel world of the fictional Inkheart book, the central story arc concerns the magic of books, their characters and creatures, and the art of reading.
In Inkspell, a year has passed since the events related in Inkheart, the first book in the series. Not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of Inkheart, a book that has characters that come to life. Resa is back. The fire-eater, Dustfinger, wants to go back to his wife daughters-who are in the story. When he finds a crazy, self-absorbed psycho storyteller, Orpheus, who can read him back into the book, he goes into the pages. Soon Farid convinces Meggie to read him into the book so he can warn Dustfinger of Basta. But Meggie has figured out how to read herself and Farid into the book Inkheart.
Thursday January 10th, 19:00: Kona Legends
It was in 1866 that Eliza Maguire first heard these stories from old Hawaiians on Huehue Ranch in the Kona district on the island of Hawai’i. Many years later she translated them into English. First published in 1926, they are simple tales shared among the people of Kekaha, the barren, desolate section of North Kona that has often been ravaged by Pele, the Volcano Goddess. Included in this collection is the tale of ‘Akahipu’u, in which mischievous menehune try to steal the top of a hill, and the story of the cave of Makalei, which has provided water to generations of Kona residents. This updated edition of Kona Legends includes a new cover and artwork by Eva Anderson. We hope that this book will lead you to a richer understanding of the Kona area, its history, and its people.
Join Shandon Loring as he delves into these rich and fascinating tales.
Note that throughout January and February donations made to the Seanchai Library SL will go to the real world charity Doctors Without Borders! Have questions? IM or notecard Caledonia Skytower.
Join Caledonia Skytower at 
Caledonia Skytower continues her reading of All Seated on the Ground, Connie Willis’ 2007 science-fiction novella and winner of the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novella.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 