New Books at the TFL
Check out the newest books at the TFL!
Click here to see new books by genre
We are excited to offer Biblio+, a free streaming video stream service for our patrons.
Sign up with your library card at https://biblioplus.com/library/thompsonfreelibrary.org to start streaming their selection of films and TV series today! The biblio+ app is available for download on almost any device: Apple (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV), Android phone and tablet, Amazon devices, Fire TV, Roku, and others or stream directly from www.biblioplus.com. You’ll just need your library card number (contact us if you forget it!) and your email. We can also assist patrons in setting up Biblio+ on their devices.
Biblio+ provides popular and award-winning shows, movies, and documentaries with more being added every month. The service isn’t meant to compete with the giants spending billions to offer seemingly endless options in the streaming space, like Netflix or HBO Max. Instead, it is a highly-curated service hoping to provide what you want to watch, rather than everything you could ever watch. Recently, a large collection of BBC offerings were added, including the original British version of The Office, Call the Midwife, The Young Doctor’s Notebook, Wallander, and more. Other content such as literary adaptations, documentaries, and independent award winners are constantly refreshing the options available.
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ways to spend your autumn days at Thompson Free Library September 25, 2023 - by Kim Brawn We project a lot onto October. Thoughts turn to scenes of brilliant foliage, creative costumes that scare and delight, and pumpkin spice-infused everything. Sometimes October plays the unpredictable card, in politics they call it the October surprise (think tall FBI guy turned author), sometimes it’s a very jolting surprise like I had waiting for the bus at the corner of Van Ness and California in San Francisco on October 17, 1989.* Hopefully this October will be full of comfortable fall rituals and surprises of the interesting and exhilarating kind. The Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft has a myriad of ways to spend your autumn days. Rescheduled from August, Ed Linz returns to TFL on Thursday, October 5 at 6 p.m. to tackle the Vietnam War, the topic of his latest book, “A Filthy Way to Die.” Ed, an engaging presenter, will discuss the origins of the war and memories of it from his Naval Academy classmates who fought on the ground, in the air, at sea, and on the rivers and canals. This will be an interactive session seeking comments and thoughts from those in attendance. Bias is the topic of discussion for TFL’s Philosophy Circle onContinue Reading September 2023: Thompson Free Library Celebrates 125th Anniversary and New Pavilion August 29, 2023 - By Kim Brawn We’re very fortunate that Lucia Eddy Thompson was fond of reading and not poker or we might have a casino instead of a library at 186 East Main St. in Dover-Foxcroft! It was 125 years ago that our founder Dr. Elbridge A. Thompson dedicated the Thompson Free Library in the loving memory of his wife, Lucia. This month, we celebrate that anniversary—what began as a proposal at a town meeting in 1897 transformed into a library that has changed lives and the greater community. Fascinated by Harry and Meghan? Say hello to Henry and Lucy, the stars of Gerard Gawalt’s latest book Fire and Ice: Henry and Lucy Knox and the Settling of Maine. Henry, a bookseller from Boston, who became a general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War married Lucy from a wealthy British loyalist family and the heir to an expansive property in the Eastern District of Massachusetts known as Maine (now Knox County). Gerard, who has written many historical books and is a curator at the Library of Congress, will discuss this intriguing true story on Thursday, September 7 at 6 p.m. as part of the James Brown Lecture Series. (In memory ofContinue Reading Savor the flavors of August at Thompson Free Library August 1, 2023 - By Kim Brawn Libraries are like dim sum and tapas — small bites loaded with big flavor. A way to sample many different “cuisines” (as in books, authors, & topics) from around the state, country, and world. If variety is the spice of life, then the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft is off the Scoville heat scale. While in town for the Alumni Weekend parade on Saturday, Aug. 5 be sure to stop by TFL’s Mini Book Sale (9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) featuring kids’ books and paperbacks all for 10 cents each! Sale will be in the front of the library with original doors open. Aug. 5 at 6 p.m. the Maine Highlands Council for the Arts presents PanStorm in concert under the TFL pavilion. PanStorm is a community steel band from Hermon whose mission is to spread unbridled joy through steel drum music. Admission is by donation. Bringing high speed and affordable internet to everyone should not be mission impossible. Find out how to save money and gain access to what has become an essential utility on Tuesday, Aug. 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. as Eastern Maine Development Corporation discusses the Affordable Connectivity Program. Life flows better with aContinue Reading July 2023: Summer is a big deal at Thompson Free Library July 5, 2023 - by Kim Brawn Are you tired of paying for endless streaming channels? A la carte has become mucho dinero! Entertainment costs big bucks these days, so finding the best deals is essential. This summer there’s no question where you’ll find great bargains: the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft. Our July programs feature top-notch talent (human and animal!), intriguing topics for all ages, and are free and open to the public. It wouldn’t be summer at TFL without “Reading with Erma!” every Wednesday at 3 p.m. through Aug. 23. Erma (a certified therapy dog) and her human companion April will read with kids who might need extra help, want to be ready for the next school year, and who love dogs and reading! TFL’s Summer Kid’s Series presents “Chewonki: Fur, Feathers & Feet” Thursday, July 6 at 10:30 a.m. This traveling natural history program, aimed at preschoolers through second grade, focuses on animal adaptations and includes furs, skeletons, and live animals. At 6 p.m. on July 6 award-winning newspaper reporter and columnist Amy Calder stops by to discuss her book, “Comfort is an Old Barn: Stories from the Heart of Maine.” Amy has been with the Morning Sentinel for 34 years,Continue Reading A Breath of Fresh Air at Thompson Free Library May 30, 2023 - by Kim Brawn June is when the outdoors becomes a second home. The greenery, the gardens, the songbirds set the stage for projects galore, both practical and fun. It’s an exciting time at the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft as we christen the new outdoor pavilion which will be a wonderful outside venue for programs, meetings, concerts, and more. It’s a way to, as naturalist/author John Muir wrote, “keep close to nature’s heart . . .” We’ll start by getting back to our roots, partnering with Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District, for “Tree ID 101” on Thursday, June 8 at 1:30 p.m. Jim Ferrante from the Maine Forest Service will show us how to use the dichotomous key within the Forest Trees of Maine book to assist with the identification of common trees. He’ll also share some tricks of the trade on how to narrow down your list of potential species. Bring your forestry-related questions! TFL’s Reading Group will discuss The Witch Elm at 6 p.m. on June 8. The Guardian review says this Tana French novel “. . . works brilliantly as a twisty pageturner, but it is far deeper and more nuanced than that. French’s theme throughout is the bruisedContinue Reading No Time for Regrets with Thompson Free Library May 11, 2023 - by Kim Brawn “Over time, people regret what they didn’t do more than what they did do,” writes Daniel Pink in his bestseller The Power of Regret. Don’t let those missed opportunities gnaw at you, instead take advantage of what’s possible in the present and use those past regrets to prevent future ones. This May and beyond, the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft is bursting with things to do, people to see, and new chances to act and connect. If you have found yourself saying I wish I had gone to see the giant trolls, taken my kids to a cool museum, or lounged on a state park beach, then welcome to Pass Season at TFL. We have three great ones available. The State Park Pass admits a vehicle and all occupants for free. Checkouts are for three days that we are open. (i.e., if you check it out on Thursday, you will have it until the next Tuesday.) Some parks, including Baxter, are excluded. Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor is an exciting place the kids will love featuring floors of hands-on interactive exhibits. This pass is for one specific day and includes four free admissions ($10 for each additionalContinue Reading Our April 2023 Newsletter Is Out April 20, 2023 - Our latest newsletter is out now! Click the link below to see it! April 2023 [pdf] Contents: Cathie Pelletier Storms Into Town | Paving Her Own Way as a Writer | The Bee’s Trees | Weed Whackers | To Boldly Grow | Egging Us On | Biblio: A Real Plus | Bigfoot, Big Turnout | Help Wanted | Win-Win | This Library is Cool as Ice! | Blind Date with a Book | Dazzling DisplaysContinue Reading April Adventures with Thompson Free Library April 13, 2023 - by Kim Brawn Imagine if your favorite movie characters were replaced by Peeps (the marshmallow candy, not your BFFs!). The shark from “Jaws,” R2D2, Brando in “The Godfather.” Think Field of Peeps, Top Peep Maverick, Every Peep Everywhere All at Once. Or books: Moby Peep, All the President’s Peeps (ok, that works both ways!), or even Colleen Hoover’s unforgettable, It Ends with Peeps. Peep dioramas are the theme of this year’s spring art show. But there’s much more on tap. April’s lineup at the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft is like the eclectic morning show you never knew you needed. It’s almost time to plan your gardens which means it’s time for the return of TFL’s popular Free Seed Library. Soon you’ll be able to browse through dozens of seeds packets (vegetables, flowers, & more) — pick up an old favorite or try something new. Later, feel free to help replenish our stock with seeds of your own. Now for the peep de résistance (you just know this would be Mo Rocca’s segment). Get ready for TFL’s Easter Peep Diorama Art Show. Pick up a pack of Peep bunnies at the library April 4-8 to create your own diorama fromContinue Reading Time Well Spent at Thompson Free Library February 21, 2023 - by Kim Brawn It’s fleeting and precious and “of the essence” in climactic movie scenes. While I’m skeptical that it heals all wounds or is always on my side, I am happy that “springing forward” will give us more of the daylight kind. Yes, I’m biased, but time at the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft is definitely well spent. Maine author and law enforcement veteran David Wilson, who has lived and worked in Piscataquis County, visits TFL on Thursday, March 2 at 6 p.m. to discuss his latest work “Peanut Butter Memoirs,” which he describes as “a sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, but always true reflection of my career in law enforcement.” Bill Bushnell in the Kennebec Journal called the book “a gritty, unvarnished view of a cop’s profession, its rewards and disappointments, successes and set-backs.” If you have some free time on Friday, March 3 at 3:30 p.m. why not join TFL’s Philosophy Circle to discuss the perception of (you guessed it!) “Time” and how it affects our lives. A quick trip to Wikipedia shows that time is often referred to as the fourth dimension, a paradox, the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversibleContinue Reading Welcome to Biblio+ February 8, 2023 - We are excited to offer Biblio+, a free streaming video stream service for our patrons. Sign up with your library card at https://biblioplus.com/library/thompsonfreelibrary.org to start streaming their selection of films and TV series today! The biblio+ app is available for download on almost any device: Apple (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV), Android phone and tablet, Amazon devices, Fire TV, Roku, and others or stream directly from www.biblioplus.com. You’ll just need your library card number (contact us if you forget it!) and your email. We can also assist patrons in setting up Biblio+ on their devices.Continue Reading2021-12-03