Ingalls Memorial Library

05/29/2026

Public Service Announcement on behalf of the Rindge Woman's Club.

05/29/2026

The phones are back up! Thanks for your patience!

05/29/2026

We're going to have a special guest next week! Celeste the Rock Star will visit our children's library on Friday, June 5th at 10:30! Come for crafts and a chance to meet Celeste!

05/29/2026

05/28/2026

I wanted to love this book (who doesn't love a book with a Bundt cake on the front?) - but it was just okay for me.

I'll start by saying that it's a series of interconnected stories about three generations of the Rubenstein family. It starts as 74-year-old Jeanne, is dying. Her older sister, Syliva, brings a delicious apple cake that is a hit among all family members....except for the eldest sister, Helen, who feels the recipe is hers alone to make. The resulting grudge is held throughout the book, as this Jewish family navigates the joys and messiness of every day life.

There have been some great books that are comprised of interconnected stories: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman, and Olive Kittredge by Elizabeth Strout to name a few I enjoyed. But for me, the stories in This Is Not About Us didn't move the characters forward enough for me to care about them. The sisters' kids and grandkids face growing up, job loss, divorce, doubt and disillusionment, sibling rivalry and bad weather...just like we all do.

There is a chapter towards the middle of the book about Jamie, the dog walker, and a lost poodle named Sheba. The character of Jamie was developed, but her relationship to the Rubenstein family was not. This chapter distracted me for the remainder of the book as I waited for the connection to be made. And it really wasn't. Jamie had a walk-on part in one of the very last chapters as the family gathers for a religious ceremony. (I may have actually given up on the book, but I HAD to find out who Jamie was.)

I don't mean to discourage you from reading This Is Not About Us. As with all books, had I read this at a different time, I may have loved it. Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for a book about a petty grudge and a dysfunctional family making their way through life. I just kept thinking about how the book started with a death and wondering how it is that the family could not acknowledge that life is too short to worry about who made the darn cake!

Everyone I've talked to about this book recommended Isola by the same author, so I'll give that a try!

Happy Reading!

05/27/2026

Sorry for the short notice...
Mr. Joe is out today.
There will not be Story Time.

05/26/2026

What's up this week in the children's library?

Today is Elements of Musical Theater! Ever want to learn the technical details of putting on a show? Come by to find out!

Wednesday is our Nintendo Switch Day! This month, we'll try out Towerfall! TowerFall is the ultimate archery combat/party game. Up to 6 players can play at once!

Thursday is Japanese Club. This month, we'll watch Howl's Moving Castle!

RSVP using our calendar! https://www.ingallslibrary.com/calendar1.html

05/22/2026

05/22/2026

The library will be closed on Monday, May 25th in observance of Memorial Day. We will reopen on Tuesday at 1:00.

(We are open Saturday from 9 to 12.)

05/22/2026

Here's what's up next week in the children's library! Please check our calendar to RSVP! https://www.ingallslibrary.com/calendar1.html