Adult Programs

Decoding the Mysteries of Cats with Stephen Quandt

March 24, 2023

What: A Zoom presentation about cat behavior

When: Wednesday, April 5th at 6pm

Where: This Zoom presentation will be available to join remotely, or participate in person at the library.

This webinar pulls together and interrelates:
the Cycle of Predation that can lead to “drive-by” ankle biting, play aggression, early morning wake up, and food aggression as examples. being prey on the Confidence Scale that can lead to similar behaviors but can also result in fearful cats, victimized cats (cat on cat aggression), fear aggression and redirected aggression.

The Q&A is typically geared towards guests who want behavior advice and all advice is happily given in the allotted time. Some guests may want additional support and they will be given the opportunity to book a private behavior consultation afterwards and into the future as needed. This 60 minute webinar (including extensive Q&A) is given over Zoom to any organization that wants it.

Meet Stephen Quandt!

Stephen Quandt, **CFTBS, Founder and Top Cat**

I am a shelter-trained and Certified feline training and behavior specialist with the Animal Care Centers of New York City, a not-for-profit shelter contracted by the City of New York to provide animal related services to the residents of New York. I’m also in private practice as a feline behavior consultant and I believe in a compassionate, educational and non-judgemental approach to cat behavior and I believe in creating a happier world for cats and the humans who love them! My husband and I share our home with our two cats, happy-go-lucky Cricket, and Jenny, her blind-from-birth bestie, who rules our home.

Stephen has given hundreds of behavior consults in person and over Zoom, many of them through his presence on the Airbnb Online Experience platform which you can view at https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/1725425 and where he has over 120+, 5 star reviews. He believes strongly in a compassionate, collaborative and educational approach to cat behavior, and he is Fear Free Certified. Decoding the Mysteries of Cats, or Why Cats Do What They Do!

Upcoming Author Talk- Kenneth M. Sheldon

February 21, 2023

Join us Wednesday, March 22nd at 6pm as Author Kenneth M. Sheldon talks about his book Deep Water.

Kenneth M. Sheldon is the author of the true-crime book Deep Water—Murder, Scandal and Intrigue in a New England Town, as well as suspense novels written under the pen name Michael Manley. He formerly served as West Coast Bureau Chief for Byte Magazine, the first magazine about personal computers, and has been a regular columnist for Yankee Magazine and New Hampshire Magazine. He has appeared on New Hampshire Chronicle, and on stage, the radio, and television. He is also the author of Welcome to Frost Heaves, a collection of stories written as Yankee humorist Fred Marple.

Deep Water is based on extensive research into the Dean murder, including thousands of pages of FBI documents, Grand Jury testimonies, newspaper accounts, private correspondence, and the archives of the Jaffrey Historical Society.

In the waning days of World War I, William K. Dean was brutally murdered, his body hog-tied and dumped in a rainwater cistern on his farm in the quiet town of Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Suspicion quickly fell on Dean’s wife, an invalid in the early stages of dementia. Her friends, outraged at the accusations, pointed instead to a former tenant of Dean’s, whom many suspected of being a German spy. Others believed that Dean’s best friend, a politically powerful banker and judge, was involved.

Pathfinder Tabletop Game at the RFL

December 28, 2022

If you liked D&D at the library this summer, you’ll love Pathfinder on Saturdays!

The Dragon Maze: Adventure Gaming Center, in association with Richards Free Library, invites you to join us on Saturday, January 14th from 10-2, for a thrilling fantasy adventure. We will be playing Dungeons & Dragons (Pathfinder Edition). Customizable premade characters will be provided. New players are always welcome, so bring your imagination and we’ll handle the rest…

Welcome to the age of heroes! In a land of myth and legend, you are a young adventurer who has traveled to the famed city of Ironhold, the site of one of the four Accursed Dungeons, ‘The Pit of Rovagug’. Here you can join the Adventurers Guild, and with a group of fellow aspiring heroes, seek your fortunes below…

After the Saturday the 14th kickoff, the party will reconvene on the 21st and the 28th, 10:00-2:00. See you then!

Upcoming Stress Reduction Class!

December 21, 2022

On January 24th at 1:30, Naomi R. Hall Ed.D. will be presenting a workshop on reducing stress. This is a free, drop-in program, so we hope to see you there!

Step into the New Year with less stress – You just survived all the chaos of the holidays. You’ve put the decorations away and want to put your best foot forward in the New Year. You hustled through the end of the year and prioritized everyone but yourself. What if you took time to Prioritize yourself in the New Year, so you can show up as our best self in your life? Let’s take some time to look at practical steps you can take to reduce stress and manage the stress you can’t control. We will look at techniques you can use in the moment to self-regulate and ideas for reducing overall stress.

Naomi R. Hall Ed.D.

Books Groups, Old and New!

September 6, 2022

Consider joining one of our book groups for a chance to chat about books, connect with friends, and try something new!

Copies of the latest books will be available at the library’s circulation desk. You don’t even need a library card to pick up a book! Just sign them out and join the discussion with like minded readers.

Books on Tap – 1st Thursday at 5:30

We’re bringing back the Books on Tap book group which meets at Salt Hill Pub. We’ll be meeting the first Thursday of the month. See you 5:30 at the Pub!

Oct 6th	The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Nov 3rd	The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
December 1st	Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Teen Book Club – every other Wednesday at 3

Teen Book Club is for middle and high school young adults. Join other readers to talk about
some old favorites and some exciting new reads! This group meets every other Wednesday.
The first meeting will be September 14th at 3:00 We’ll be talking about Heartstopper by Alice
Oseman.
If you are interested, Ask Molly! mdipadova@newport.lib.nh.us

My First Book Group – 2nd Tuesday at 3:30

Beginning this September, the library will host a monthly book club for primary school-aged students. On book group day, we will begin by eating a snack and walking through the pictures, reading the book aloud together, and then reading through silently or with our grownups, before coming back together to talk about the book and enjoy some imaginative play.

Registration will not be required, but if you are interested, we invite you to talk to Mo about joining in so we can have an idea of how many books to request, or to discuss what would be helpful to your child.

Our first meeting will be Tuesday, September 13th at 3:30 or after Richards School lets out. We’ll be reading Pete the Cat: Too Cool for School, by Kimberly and James Dean. Other book choices will include Chicken Said, “Cluck!” by Judyann Ackerman Grant, Otter: Hello, Sea Friends! By Sam Garton, and Biscuit and the Little Llamas by Alyssa Capucilli.

For more information, contact Mo at mchurchill@newport.lib.nh.us

The Beach Readers – 2nd Wednesday at 6

Want to get away? The Beach Readers have got you covered.

This group will offer books that are escapes from reality, easy to read, captivating, and accessible to many readers.

For more information, contact Ali at awood@newport.lib.nh.us

Sept	14	Pretty Little Liars	Shepard, Sara
Oct	12	Howl’s Moving Castle	Jones, Diana Wynne
Nov	9	Flamer	Curato, Mike
Dec	14	The Uncommon Reader	Bennett, Alan

Brown Bags and Books Book Club – 4th Tuesday at 12 Noon

The Brown Bag and Books club is a midday group and the books are chosen democratically once a year. Interested in discovering new books that you might have otherwise completely overlooked? Or do you want to enrich yourself and possibly understand the world from a different perspective? Consider joining in!