By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
The Westwood Public Library (WPL) recently welcomed patrons to come visit for a special after hours event entitled: “Mocktails & Must-Reads: Winter Warm Up.” This is WPL’s third Mocktails & Must-Reads event, the first one was hosted in the early summer for summertime reads and releases, while the second one was held in the early fall.
The WPL, which typically closes at 6pm, reopened at 6:30pm for patrons to pursue the library’s new book guide, mingle, and sip on mocktails and hot chocolate. There was a whiteboard outside of the community room for patrons to write down what they were reading, listening to, or watching so attendees could get ideas from others in attendance. There was also a table where patrons could enter their names for a chance to win an early release of one of the books mentioned in the adult reading guide.
At 7pm, all of the guests convened in the Community Room for the Book Buzz presentation. Librarian’s Kristy and Julia shared their most anticipated new releases of this year. This comprehensive list included horror novels, memoirs, mysteries, romance, and science fiction, all to be released throughout the next two months. While librarians Cecilia, Caitlyn, and Liz showcased various titles from their respective favorite genres that have already been published. The majority of these titles can be borrowed from the WPL and covered a variety of genres including mystery, crime fiction, romance, and mythological retellings.
Throughout the panel, the librarians offered book trivia for the patrons. The winners of these trivia questions received a Westwood Public Library tote bag. After the presentation, five guests were randomly selected to receive a wrapped copy of one of the early releases.
Afterward, patrons mingled and shared recommendations with one another as well as the librarians.
This event brought together readers and allowed them to add new titles to their “To Be Read,” list, as well as allowed them to request new titles to enjoy at the Westwood Public Library. Be sure to pick up a copy of the Adult Reading Guide from the main branch to help select your next read. For more events such as these, please visit www.westwoodlibrary.org
