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• ••••••• As a small child growing up in Northern Minnesota, the first snow fall arrived in late October. By Thanksgiving the river outside my home was frozen solid and children of all ages donned their winter parkas and ice skates and headed out on a new adventure, the smell of turkey and pumpkin pie lingering in the air. Suddenly someone would sing out "Over the river and through the woods." We all joined believing we were speeding off on make believe sleighs to celebrate Thanksgiving. Those memories never faded. Thanksgiving has been ranked as America's second favorite holiday. It is a time to embrace family and friends and show one's gratitude for the blessing of living in America, and to celebrate our ancestors' beginning days in the original 13 colonies. Many of us remember studying Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn in our American literature classes. Every English teacher loved the novels and wanted us to love them, also. There were tests and papers and analyses of the themes of the novel. For some it was "little more than an adventure story," others found it deeply moving as we joined Huck Finn and runaway slave, Jim, who journeyed on a raft down the Mississippi to a promise land of freedom. In April 2024 Percival Everett's novel, James, was released as an action-packed reimagining of e Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, told from Jim's point of view. From the moment it was released, the response to his novel has been amazing. "James offers page-turning excitement… Gripping, painful, funny, horrifying, this is a multi-level entertainment, a consummate performance to the last." e Guardian. It is no surprise that Everett received the Pulitzer Prize for James. It was also a New York Times bestseller, winner of the National Book Award, the Kirkus Prize for Fiction, Barnes and Noble's 2024 Book of the Year, named Best Book of the Year by e Washington Post, e New Yorker, NPR, e Economist, e Chicago Tribune, Vanity Fair and others. The Afternoon with Authors Series will continue Sun., Nov. 30 at 1 pm with OHCC resident playwright, Anita Simons. In her presentation, "From the Page to the Stage," she will describe how she becomes inspired, develops plots and characters, creates action, and appeals to her audiences by telling a good story and adding humor to drama. Sign up early at the front desk. Library Club dues are still $15 and cover all registered permanent residents in a household. Also, dues paid after Nov. 1 cover the remainder of 2025 and all of 2026. Beat the crowd at "Do Dues Day" and sign up early! "Be thankful for the warmth of November and the love it brings." Written by Sally Benton and submitted by the Library Association | OHCC LIVING | NOVEMBER 2025 | 13 Library Association NOVEMBER BOOK BUYS Behind e Badge ......................................................... Johnny Joey Jones e Black Wolf ..................................................................... Louise Penny Buckeye .................................................................................Patrick Ryan Bury Our Bones In e Midnight Soil..................................... V.e. Shwab Emma On Fire ................................. James Patterson & Emily Raymond Gone Before Goodbye ..................... Harlen Coben & Reese Witherspoon e Intruder................................................................... Frieda Mcfadden e Killing Stones .................................................................. Ann Cleeves e Listeners ................................................................. Maggie Stiefvater Mark Twain ........................................................................ Ron Chernow e Picasso Heist ...........................James Patterson & Howard Roughan e Portrait.......................................................................... Danielle Steel e Proving Ground ......................................................Michael Connelly Sharp Force ................................................................... Patricia Cornwell She Didn't See It Coming ..................................................... Shari Lapena e Tin Men..........................................................Nelson & Alex Demille Twice .....................................................................................Mitch Albom e Widow .......................................................................... John Grisham And To All A Good Bite ................................................... David Rosenfelt Christmas In Bethel ................................................... Richard Paul Evans e Christmas Ring ....................................................... Karen Kingsbury e Christmas Stranger ............................................. Richard Paul Evans A Ferry Merry Christmas ............................................ Debbie Macomber Written by Jean Heer

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