Location: Anastasia Island

Anastasia Island Crafters are getting ready for the holidays! This month we have three more fabulous and fun crafts you can create: reindeer pins, lace angels, and a yarn Santa.

RSVP helps us to have enough supplies on hand. All are welcome!

All supplies are generously provided by our fellow crafter, Carla & the Friends of the Anastasia Island Branch Library.

Teens and adults can come into the Anastasia Library to solve a twisted fairytale murder mystery: The Magical Mishaps Agency needs your help to look into the bloody disappearance of Little Red’s grandmother! All signs point to Mr. Wolf…. Could it be that simple?  Space is limited. Email njebbia@sjcfl.us to sign up.

Join us for an our Bilingual Little Ones Class in the Anastasia Library! Young children and their caretakers can join Ms. Nicole in a storytime featuring engaging stories, songs, and finger plays in both English and Spanish. Space is limited in the kids area of the branch, so please leave your strollers outside the library.  Please email njebbia@sjcfl.us with any questions.

Craft time is open to all children and focuses on teaching scissor, glue, and coloring skills.

Join us for an our Todder/PreSchool Craft in the Anastasia Library Event Room. Children of all ages and abilities are welcome at this craft time. Each week we will work on different skills for children to develop, including scissor skills, fine motor skills, gluing, exploration and others. Materials are generously provided by the Friends of the Library.

This class if for youth grades K-5 who can come into the library to gain hands on experience with our OSMO kits. OSMO kits are a play based learning system using iPads along with different educational components.  We will have just added onto our kits to include coding and drawing OSMO in addition to words, tanagrams, and numbers. Families can play as a group too! OSMO kits are limited, so register early!

Join us at Anastasia Island Library for a bit of mid-week meditation. Nancy is an Intuitive Healer specializing on releasing blocks, rebalancing and immersing the body with the Angelic and Universe energies. As a certified Usui Reiki Master with Advanced Symbols, focus is on the body, aura and chakras to remove blocks, cords, trauma, disease, ancestral contracts, old guides and outdated programming.

Contact lgoode@sjcfl.us or 904-209-3730 for more information.

Join Ms. Nicole in the Anastasia Library or via Zoom for our Wings of Fire Book Club! Kids, grades 3-6, can join us for this popular book series. We will have book trivia, discussions and hands on activities and weekly challenges! Registration is required as supplies are limited.   No registration necessary.  If interested in attending via zoom, email njebbia@sjcfl.us. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
November = The Dangerous Gift
December = The Flames of Hope

Welcome back! This month we are reading and discussing Untamed: The Wildest Woman in America and the Fight for Cumberland Island by Will Harlan which has been re-scheduled from the November Book Club. Read what others are saying:

“Vivid. . . . Ms. Ruckdeschel’s biography, and the way this wandering soul came to settle for so many decades on Cumberland Island, is big enough on its own, but Mr. Harlan hints at bigger questions. Who does this island belong to? The Park Service, the Carnegies, Carol—and, for that matter, the turtles? What is the difference between stewardship and ownership? Carol Ruckdeschel found a home as the latest in a series of women who have tried to protect Cumberland Island. The difference being that, rather than being a Carnegie, she is a benevolent invasive species of one.”—Wall Street Journal

“Harlan intimately and expansively profiles a fearless Southern island dweller. . . . A moving homage and an adventure story that artfully articulates the ferocities of nature and humanity.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Carol Ruckdeschel isn’t quite your mother’s idea of a role model, but she is my idea of an inspiring woman. Her gifts are many, her commitment resolute, her contribution world-class. And boy—as you’ll read—has she had fun. What a story! It’s as beautiful as the island she loves.”—Carl Safina, author of The View from Lazy Point and A Sea in Flames

“A true action hero, Carol Ruckdeschel is using her powers of insight, persuasion, and personal commitment to protect a wilderness island off the coast of Georgia. She’s not just bemoaning the tragic decline of the natural world that sustains all life on earth, humans and turtles included. She is also putting her own life on the line to save what’s left. Thanks to Carol, there is hope for wild creatures who have preceded humankind by hundreds of millions of years—and hope for an enduring future for ourselves as well.”—Sylvia Earle, record-setting oceanographer, National Geographic explorer-in-residence, 2009 TED Prize winner, Mission Blue founder, Time‘s first Hero of the Planet, and author of The World Is Blue

“Get ready to inhale steaming carcasses, gun smoke, and salty sea air. Harlan has a magic touch for storytelling. He rings out every sensory detail in this compelling sketch of a controversial, no-holds-barred life.”—Jennifer S. Holland, National Geographic writer and New York Times bestselling author of Unlikely Friendships

“Open this book to the brine of salt marsh, the musk of turtles and sea breezes, and the astonishing story of Carol Ruckdeschel. From the first line I was captivated by this biography of a fierce and enigmatic passion for wildness, mesmerizing and beautiful. May we all learn something of love from it.”—Janisse Ray, author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood

“This is going to be a winner. I loved it—and was even choked up a time or two by Carol’s passion to save wild Cumberland. An ‘undertow of awe’ sweeps beneath the entire story. As Carol’s life reveals, the battles for wilderness are many and the victories are short-lived, but ultimately the fight comes down to one thing: pure, unwavering love.”—Brooke Williams, author of Halflives: Reconciling Work and Wildness

“Deliciously engrossing. . . . Readers are in for a wild ride.”—Citizen-Times (Asheville)

 In addition to discussing UnTamed…prepare yourselves for a 1-minute round robin discussion of your favorite reads of 2022 or even earlier!

Please join us for some fun, socialization and just all-around good time!

Come into the library  to create some great holiday crafts and ornaments.  We’ll supply the craft materials – you supply the creativity!  All crafting supplies are paid for courtesy of the Friends of the Library. No Registration required.

Join us at Anastasia Island Library for a bit of mid-week meditation. Nancy is an Intuitive Healer specializing on releasing blocks, rebalancing and immersing the body with the Angelic and Universe energies. As a certified Usui Reiki Master with Advanced Symbols, focus is on the body, aura and chakras to remove blocks, cords, trauma, disease, ancestral contracts, old guides and outdated programming.

Contact lgoode@sjcfl.us or 904-209-3730 for more information.

Join the Anastasia and Southeast Libraries out front of the St. Augustine Beach Police for some fun crafts, FREE professional pictures with Santa, a holiday movie, the firetruck and more! This is a free event sponsored by the SABPD and Friends of the Libraries.

Abhishek and Lakshmi of Heartfulness Meditation are looking forward to seeing you all again and teaching you the practice of meditation that can help reduce stress and negativity, while building on being present and increasing patience and tolerance.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Join us for an outdoor book club that focuses on our natural world. We discuss our all-time favorite nature titles, both fiction and non-fiction. The book club meets at parks throughout St. Johns County, practically in your own backyard! This month we will be meeting in Vaill Point Park and will be reading “How to Read Nature” by Tristan Gooley.

When most of us go for a walk, a single sense—sight—tends to dominate our experience. But when New York Times–bestselling author and expert navigator Tristan Gooley goes for a walk, he uses all five senses to “read” everything nature has to offer. A single lowly weed can serve as his compass, calendar, clock, and even pharmacist! In How to Read Nature, Gooley introduces readers to his world—where the sky, sea, and land teem with marvels. Plus, he shares 15 exercises to sharpen all of your senses. Soon you’ll be making your own discoveries, every time you step outside!  

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. If the weather is sunny, please bring your own camp chair for sitting out under the trees. If it’s rainy, we’ll be sitting in the park pavilion. Feel free to bring your own snacks & beverages! Please notify us at least 3 days in advance if you should need a sign language interpreter. The book is available in e-audiobook format on the library’s Hoopla platform. If you have questions or would like to request a print copy of the book, please contact Amy at aackerman@sjcfl.us or 904.827.6934.

This book club is a partnership between the St. Johns County Public Library System and the St. Johns County Parks & Recreation Department.  Some materials are supplied by the Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine.

All libraries will be closed for the Christmas holiday on Saturday, December 24, and Monday, December 26, 2022. All libraries will resume regular operating hours on Tuesday, December 27.

Book drops will remain open during all closed days and our virtual services such as eBooks, databases, and downloadables are available 24/7. We wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday.

The St. Johns County Public Library System will be closed Monday, January 2, 2023, for the New Year’s Day holiday. All locations will resume regular operating hours on Tuesday, January 3.

Book drops will remain open during these closures and our virtual services such as eBooks, databases, and downloadables are available 24/7. From all of us at SJCPLS, we wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday!

Anastasia Island Crafters are celebrating St. Johns Reads by stenciling a much needed kitchen item – dish towels! Stencil On Island Time once or many times, or use some of our fish molds for your own unique Island Time dish towel.

RSVP helps us to have enough supplies on hand. All are welcome!

“St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual “one book, one community” event focused on creating a shared conversation on a selected novel. In its 18th year, the 2023 event features a variety of programs on Buttermilk Graffiti by Edward Lee including a special visit from the author at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 14, at the First Coast Technical College’s Character Counts Conference Center, 2980 Collins Ave., St. Augustine. Buttermilk Graffiti is available to enjoy in print, digital audiobook, and eBook formats.

Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. St. Johns Reads is generously supported by the St. Johns County Public Library System’s Friends of the Library groups.”

Teens and adults can come into the Anastasia Library to solve a mystery.  Food brings communities together, but not in this case. Baker’s Dozen, America’s most beloved baking competition show, is in trouble! One of the five remaining contestants is planning to poison one of the judges tonight during the live taping of the show’s semi-final. The icing on the cake? If you alert the contestants that you suspect foul play, the killer will have a chance to escape. Sign up online at www. sjcpls.org

“St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual “one book, one community” event focused on creating a shared conversation on a selected novel. In its 18th year, the 2023 event features a variety of programs on Buttermilk Graffiti by Edward Lee including a special visit from the author at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 14, at the First Coast Technical College’s Character Counts Conference Center, 2980 Collins Ave., St. Augustine. Buttermilk Graffiti is available to enjoy in print, digital audiobook, and eBook formats.

Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. St. Johns Reads is generously supported by the St. Johns County Public Library System’s Friends of the Library groups.”

Welcome back! This month we are reading our St. Johns Reads selection – Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine by Chef Edward Lee. Read what others are saying:

“Striking stories. . . . Lee is a master.”
—New York Times Book Review

“Lee is a gifted storyteller and those first few chapters will grab you and keep you riveted all the way to the end.”
—Bon Appétit

“Part adventure tale, part memoir. . . . Don’t hit the beach without this remarkable book in your bag.”
—Fine Cooking

“Conjure[s] writers as diverse and compelling as Alexis de Tocqueville, M.F.K. Fisher and Anthony Bourdain. . . . Powerful, poignant, and timely.”
—Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Lee peels open the layers of what it means to be American today. . . . [Buttermilk Graffiti] contains a level of awareness that’s often missing from chef memoirs. . . . Lee is just as well-read and reflective as master of the genre Anthony Bourdain, but he brings a fresh take.”
—Eater

“Raw, gritty. . . . Each chapter in Buttermilk Graffiti presents a new adventure.”
—Richmond Times-Dispatch

“A tapestry of American cuisine. . . . Lee’s elevation of the often anonymous people behind the food we eat speaks to his concern with not just style, but substance.”
—Los Angeles Times

“Like all great food writers, [Lee is] always on the verge of declaring the thing he is currently chewing on to be among the greatest things he’s ever eaten. He will eat two West Virginia slaw dogs before 8 a.m. and stay up all night on your porch drinking whiskey. . . . He’s so amiable that as you read the book, you can easily imagine that he’s a friend.”
—The Wall Street Journal

“A great romp of a read with humor, poignancy, and—for people who love food—a page turner.”
—Edible DC

“Altogether eye-popping. . . . Buttermilk Graffiti is a timely and important work that reminds readers that America’s melting pot is alive and well in the most unexpected places. And, that we all belong.”
—New York Journal of Books

“Excellent. . . . Lee celebrates unexpected confluences of cuisines while refusing to be limited by definitions of ‘authenticity.’”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“An acclaimed chef and restaurateur travels across the country to explore the cultural history behind the evolving American cuisine. Lee . . . points out the essential role that both immigrants and longtime settlers play in the food we eat. . . . A heartfelt and forward-thinking book.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“At a time when America’s melting-pot culture frightens so many citizens, Lee finds hope and joy in visiting ethnic communities all across the nation’s breadth.”
—Booklist

Please join us for some fun, socialization and just all-around good time!

“St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual “one book, one community” event focused on creating a shared conversation on a selected novel. In its 18th year, the 2023 event features a variety of programs on Buttermilk Graffiti by Edward Lee including a special visit from the author at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 14, at the First Coast Technical College’s Character Counts Conference Center, 2980 Collins Ave., St. Augustine. Buttermilk Graffiti is available to enjoy in print, digital audiobook, and eBook formats.

Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. St. Johns Reads is generously supported by the St. Johns County Public Library System’s Friends of the Library groups.”

Join SJCPLS for a special St. Johns Reads event featuring the author of our 2023 book pick! We are pleased to host Chef Edward Lee and discuss his book “Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine,” talk about his writing process, and explore his passion for food and culture. Please note: This event is being held offsite. Details bulleted below.

• When: 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 14, 2023
• Where: First Coast Technical College Character Counts Conference Center, Bldg. C, 2980 Collins Ave., St. Augustine, FL

This event is free and registration is not required. For more information, visit our St. Johns Reads webpage or email sjcpls@tblc.libanswers.com.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual “one book, one community” event focused on creating a shared conversation on a selected novel. In its 18th year, the 2023 event features a variety of programs on Buttermilk Graffiti, by Edward Lee, including a special visit from the author at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 14, at the First Coast Technical College’s Character Counts Conference Center, 2980 Collins Ave., St. Augustine. Buttermilk Graffiti is available to enjoy in print, digital audiobook, and eBook formats.

Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. St. Johns Reads is generously supported by the St. Johns County Public Library System’s Friends of the Library groups.

The St. Johns County Public Library System will be closed Monday, January 16, for the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. All locations will resume normal operating hours on Tuesday, January 17.

Book drops will remain open and our virtual services such as eBooks, databases, and downloadables are available 24/7.

As we celebrate St. Johns Reads and all that is special about St. Johns County’s history, Dr. Darien Andreu will share the history of the Minorcans. Their dreams for a better life, their fight for survival in a desolate and dangerous Florida, their journey to St. Augustine as they sought protection, and the Minorcans that still call St. Augustine home.

“St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual “one book, one community” event focused on creating a shared conversation on a selected novel. In its 18th year, the 2023 event features a variety of programs on Buttermilk Graffiti by Edward Lee including a special visit from the author at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 14, at the First Coast Technical College’s Character Counts Conference Center, 2980 Collins Ave., St. Augustine. Buttermilk Graffiti is available to enjoy in print, digital audiobook, and eBook formats.

Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. St. Johns Reads is generously supported by the St. Johns County Public Library System’s Friends of the Library groups.”

Welcome to I Love Julia @ Chez Bibliotheque! Julia Child has inspired many of us and this month in honor of our St. Johns Reads selection, we are exploring the flavors of St. Augustine! Maggi Smith Hall, author of Flavors of St. Augustine: a historic cookbook, knows the St. Augustine history and the history of its food. Maggi will ZOOM in from Hawaii for this very special program. What is on the menu? Will it be raccoon, gator, frog legs, squirrel? Join us to find out!

Chez Bibliotheque will open at 10:45 a.m. For more information, please contact lgoode@sjcfl.us or 904-209-3730.

“St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual “one book, one community” event focused on creating a shared conversation on a selected novel. In its 18th year, the 2023 event features a variety of programs on Buttermilk Graffiti by Edward Lee including a special visit from the author at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 14, at the First Coast Technical College’s Character Counts Conference Center, 2980 Collins Ave., St. Augustine. Buttermilk Graffiti is available to enjoy in print, digital audiobook, and eBook formats.

Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. St. Johns Reads is generously supported by the St. Johns County Public Library System’s Friends of the Library groups.”

The St. Johns County Public Library System will be closed Monday, February 20, 2023, for the Presidents’ Day holiday. All locations will resume normal operating hours on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.

Book drops will remain open during this closure and our virtual services such as eBooks, databases, and downloadables are available 24/7.

The St. Johns County Public Library System will be closed Friday, April 7, 2023, for the Good Friday holiday. All locations will resume normal operating hours on Saturday, April 8, 2023.

Book drops will remain open during this closure and our virtual services such as eBooks, databases, and downloadables are available 24/7.