Wednesday January 25th at 4:30 PM, Captiva Memorial Library’s Cultural Fest features an author talk and book signing by Katie Gardenia, author, artist, and creator of the original, internationally renowned Bubble Room restaurant on Captiva Island. Her just published book is titled A Bubble Moment: A Collection of Fond Memories, Short and Tall Stories, Recollections, and Secret Recipes from the Original Owner and Creator of the World Famous Bubble Room Captiva Island Florida “This book is a treasure hunt for the reader who journeys through envelopes of secret recipes, comical stories, and whimsical Art. Each book will be personally autographed by Katie and will hopefully be passed on for loved ones to enjoy.”

Thursday 3PM, on January 26th at the Captiva Memorial Library kids and families will celebrate Chinese New Year: Year of the Dragon. Hear Chinese folktales. You will take home a tangram puzzle and make your own Chinese fan too!

Looking for something to do between programs? Check out some new books!

Behind the Seams by Betty Hechtman

“The Tarzana Hookers learn that the entertainment biz can be deadly. The crochet group’s informal leader, actress CeeCee Collins, has a movie out, and thanks to the Oscar buzz, she’s scheduled to appear on the famous Barbara Olive Overton Show. Molly and the girls tag along, but when CeeCee’s niece Nell-a production assistant on the show-is accused of poisoning one of the producers, Molly and the Hookers must set aside their crochet projects to clear Nell’s name. And if they don’t soon, someone else will be the next Hollywood headline. Betty Hechtman is the author of the Crochet mystery series. She lives near Los Angeles, California.” *

Chalice of Blood: A Mystery of Ancient Ireland by Peter Tremayne

“Ireland AD 670: When an eminent scholar is found murdered in his cell in the Abbey of Lios Mor, fear spreads among his brethren. His door was secured from the inside, with no other means of exit. How did the murderer escape? And what was the content of the manuscripts apparently stolen from the scholar’s room? Abbot Iarnla insists on sending for Sister Fidelma and her companion Brother Eadulf to investigate the killing. But even before they reach the abbey walls, there is an attempt on their lives. As the mystery deepens, Fidelma and Eadulf must also wrestle with problems of their own, problems which threaten to separate them forever…” *

A Crimson Warning by Tasha Alexander

“Secrets prove deadly in this new novel from Tasha Alexander featuring Lady Emily Hargreaves. Some very prominent people in London are waking up to find their doorsteps smeared with red paint, the precursor to the revelation of a dark secret and worse by someone who enjoys destroying livesNewly returned to her home in Mayfair, Lady Emily Hargreaves is looking forward to enjoying the delights of the season. The delights, that is, as defined by her own eccentricities – reading The Aeneid, waltzing with her dashing husband, and joining the Women’s Liberal Federation in the early stages of its campaign to win the vote for women. But an audacious vandal disturbs the peace in the capital city, splashing red paint on the neat edifices of the homes of London’s elite. This mark, impossible to hide, presages the revelation of scandalous secrets, driving the hapless victims into disgrace, despair and even death. Soon, all of London high society is living in fear of learning who will be the next target, and Lady Emily and her husband, Colin, favorite agent of the crown, must uncover the identity and reveal the motives of the twisted mind behind it all before another innocent life is lost. Tasha Alexander is the author of the Lady Emily novels, a series of historical suspense, including Tears of Pearl and Dangerous to Know. She attended the University of Notre Dame, where she signed on as an English major in order to have a legitimate excuse for spending all her time reading. She and her husband, novelist Andrew Grant, divide their time between Chicago and the UK.” *

House of Secrets by Tracie Peterson

“When her father orchestrates a surprise trip to the summer house of her childhood, Bailee Cooper is unprepared for what follows. What is intended to be a happy reunion for Bailee and her sisters, Geena and Piper, quickly becomes shrouded by memories from the past. Together again, the three sisters sift through their recollections of fifteen years ago…of an ill mother, and of their father making a desperate choice. They vowed, as children, to be silent–but one sister believes the truth must now be revealed. Yet can they trust their memories? Mark Delahunt arrives in the wake of this emotional turmoil. Determined to win Bailee’s affection, Mark becomes the strong fortress for her in this time of confusion, and what was once a tentative promise begins to take root and grow. Caught between the past and an uncertain future, can Bailee let God guide her to heal the past and ultimately to embrace love?” *

“The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel by Anthony Horowitz

” For the first time in its one-hundred-and-twenty-five-year history, the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate has authorized a new Sherlock Holmes novel. Once again, THE GAME’S AFOOT…London, 1890. 221B Baker St. A fine art dealer named Edmund Carstairs visits Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson to beg for their help. He is being menaced by a strange man in a flat cap – a wanted criminal who seems to have followed him all the way from America. In the days that follow, his home is robbed, his family is threatened. And then the first murder takes place. Almost unwillingly, Holmes and Watson find themselves being drawn ever deeper into an international conspiracy connected to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston, the gaslit streets of London, opium dens and much, much more. And as they dig, they begin to hear the whispered phrase-the House of Silk-a mysterious entity that connects the highest levels of government to the deepest depths of criminality. Holmes begins to fear that he has uncovered a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society. The Arthur Conan Doyle Estate chose the celebrated, #1 New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz to write The House of Silk because of his proven ability to tell a transfixing story and for his passion for all things Holmes. Destined to become an instant classic, The House of Silk brings Sherlock Holmes back with all the nuance, pacing, and almost superhuman powers of analysis and deduction that made him the world’s greatest detective, in a case depicting events too shocking, too monstrous to ever appear in print…until now. Anthony Horowitz is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Alex Rider series and the award-winning writer of PBS’s Foyle’s War, Collision, Injustice as well as many other film and television projects. He lives in London.” *

* book jacket/publisher description