Korean Art, Culture and Food Explored at Bernardsville Library

“The Hidden Treasures of Korean Art and Modern Korea,” a program of the Korean Spirit And Culture Promotion Project (KSCPP), will be presented at Bernardsville Public Library on Saturday, June 22 at 11:30 am.  Two documentary films about Korea will be shown, the first film illustrating the artistic and cultural achievements of Korea's past, and the second demonstrating Korea's industrial achievements since the Korean War.  The films will be followed by the re-enactment of traditional Korean wedding ceremony and a full, complimentary traditional Korean meal.  There is no charge to attend, but advance sign-up is required.

Once known as the Land of the Morning Calm, Korea now possesses the 10th to 12th largest economy in the world and plays an important role in the world's economy, culture, and politics.  Korean Spirit & Culture Promotion Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is dedicated to raising awareness of Korean history and culture.  In appreciation for United States support for Korea during the Korean War and in the years that followed, KSCPP has been introducing the history and culture of Korea to residents of the United States since 2005.

To register for this special program, go to at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up. 

Aromatherapy for Beginners

Learn about the many benefits of natural oils when Certified Natural Health Professional Galina Lebid, RN, speaks at Bernardsville Public Library on Tuesday, June 11 at 7:00 pm. Bring the desire for good health, an open mind, and curiosity!

Ms. Lebid will touch on many topics, including why and how essential oils act as powerful antioxidants, antiseptics, detoxifying agents, hormone regulators, stimulators of the immune system, and relaxants.  She will also discuss why essential oils were widely used by different cultures throughout the history.  Listeners will learn how to prevent colds and protect themselves during flu seasons; how to alleviate allergies, eczema, asthma and other conditions; how to increase immunity, vitality, and longevity naturally; what oils to use to balance the digestive system; and what essential oils one may use to replace toxic cosmetics, skin care products, deodorants, and household cleaners. 

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested.  To register, call the library at 908-766-0118 or sign up online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs.

Saturday Crafters to Meet @ Bernardsville LIbrary

Saturday Crafters, a monthly craft group organized by Bernardsville Public Library, will meet on Saturday, June 8 at 3:00 pm.  Individuals are invited to bring their own handwork projects to the Library and work together in a comfortable, communal setting while enjoying the benefits of shared tips and conversation. They can also take advantage of the many books available at the library on different types of crafts.

There is no charge to attend the meeting, and no sign-up is needed.  For more information, call the library at 908-766-0118.

Seniors' Day @ Bernardsville Library

On Friday, June 7 at 10:00 am, Bernardsville Library will hold its 11th annual Seniors’ Day with a free continental breakfast, a chance to socialize, and a musical program of karaoke. Hosted by the Friends of the Bernardsville Public Library. Free. Advance sign-up is required at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org/adult-program-listing.

Never Forget a Password Again: Passwords in the Clou

Have you ever forgotten or lost a password and had to go through a complicated process to re-set and re-learn?  Find out at Bernardsville Public Library, on Thursday, June 6 at 1:00 pm, why you need to have many passwords and yet can avoid such problems by using online utilities that secure and remember all of them for you.  Library Director Karen Brodsky will review a variety of reliable sites that offer this service for free or for a fee.  You can access them from any computer with an Internet connection and protect yourself from fraud, phishing or memory lapses.  [The same program will also be offered on Wednesday, June 19 at 7:00 pm.]

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested.  Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up. 

"Feathers & Petals" - Photos on Display @ Bernardsville Library in June

Dr. Allyson Hurley, a dentist and fine art photographer from Bedminster, will be exhibiting a large body of her work in a show entitled Feathers and Petals at Bernardsville Public Library during the month of June.  An opening reception will be held on Sunday, June 2 from 2:00-4:00 pm. The public is welcome.

Dr. Hurley is an accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and a certified professional photographer through The Professional Photographers Association (PPA).  She has combined a professional proficiency in the use of photography in cosmetic dentistry with a personal passion for capturing and expressing the delicate balance between wildlife and nature.  An award-winning photographer, she thrives on the double life she leads with both of her passions.  

Dr. Hurley likes to aim her camera at scenes where she captures the natural landscapes and wildlife of her favorite places.  Her work reveals a love of color and light and how they affect the mood in her photographs.  The show provides a balance of images between flora and fauna.  Her latest endeavor is to paint on her photographs with pastels to create mixed media pieces of her images that have been printed on watercolor paper. This new technique is perhaps even more like the creative process she goes through with cosmetic dentistry by taking basic beginnings and making something totally unique and beautiful out of it.

Dr. Hurley’s photography is featured in corporations and private homes in the US and Europe.

The photographs will be on view at the library during regular library hours unless a meeting is in progress. For further information, call the library at 908-766-0118.

        

Saturday Samplers Book Group to Meet

Bernardsville Library’s book discussion group, Saturday Samplers, will meet on Saturday, June 1 at 3:30 pm to discuss The Snake Stone: A Novel (2007) by Jason Goodwin. [The author will not be present.] 

The Snake Stone is the sequel to British writer and historian Jason Goodwin's best-selling "The Janissary Tree" (2006) which won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Novel in 2007.  A detective series set in 1830s Istanbul, it has appeared in over 40 languages.  The novels feature detective, polyglot, chef, and eunuch Investigator Yashim.  In The Snake Stone, Yashim is suspected of the murder of a French archeologist who had been asking questions about long-lost Greek artifacts.  His efforts to clear his name take him from markets and wharves to palaces and underground tunnels as he uncovers a secret society, unearths sacred relics and hunts the murderer.  "When you read a historical mystery by Jason Goodwin, you take a magic carpet ride to the most exotic place on earth," wrote Marilyn Stasio in The New York Times Book Review.

Two more books in the series were published after The Snake Stone.  Mr. Goodwin has also written award-winning books on travel and history, notably "Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire."  In 1990, he walked 2,000 miles across Eastern Europe, from Gdansk to Istanbul, and recounted the journey in the award-winning "On Foot to the Golden Horn."

Led by Evelyn Fischel, Saturday Samplers is a book discussion group dedicated to sampling various kinds of literature, including short stories, nonfiction, new and old novels, and even teen fiction. Its goal is to search out interesting, noteworthy, and sometimes overlooked books. Readers can find information about the group and about the books and authors on the reading list at http://saturdaysamplers.blogspot.com. No sign-up is needed to join the discussion. Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.

University of Can-Do Master's Program

The next session of the "University of Can-Do Master's Program" will meet on Wednesday, May 29 at 7:00 pm at Bernardsville Public Library. "Do you have a goal that you think you can't make happen?" asks Andrea Mastrobattista who leads the group, "Well, you can, because you have what it takes to accomplish it."

This workshop runs throughout the year, and each month participants discover more skills for cultivating and maintaining the "can-do" determination to make a dream come true.  In this installment of the Can-Do Master’s program, they will learn how to break the habit of self-sabotage.  "Often, we are on our own biggest roadblocks in life. Attend this workshop to learn how to get out of your own way," said Ms. Mastrobattista.

There is no charge to attend the library workshop, but advance registration is requested.  Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org, and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Memoirs & Coffee Book Group to Meet

The next meeting of Bernardsville Public Library’s book discussion group, Memoirs and Coffee, will be held on Tuesday, May 28 at 10:30 am in the library’s Community Room.  Pat Kennedy-Grant, Readers’ Services Manager for the library, will lead the discussion of Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? (2011) by Jeanette Winterson.  [The author will not be present.]

This book is the story of a life's work to find happiness by a girl who was adopted by a family of Pentecostal evangelists and moved out at the age of sixteen.  It is the story of how the painful past the author thought she had written over and repainted returned to haunt her later life, and sent her on a journey into madness and out again, in search of her real mother.  

Ms. Winterson studied at Oxford University.  Her debut novel, "Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit," was an international bestseller.  A reviewer from The New York Times wrote of Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?, [It] "is raucous. It hums with a dark refulgence from its first pages. . . . Singular and electric . . . [Winterson's] life with her adoptive parents was often appalling, but it made her the writer she is."

There is no charge and no sign-up is needed to join the discussion.  Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.

Grow Your Own Food, Organically

Wanda Knapik, Director of the Bernardsville Community Garden and owner of My Local Garden, will discuss how to grow organic vegetables, herbs, fruits, nuts, and berries in your own backyard or a plot in a Community Garden on Thursday, May 23 at 7:00 pm at Bernardsville Public Library. 

"If trees blew down with the hurricane, you can now plant fruit trees or a vegetable garden in that sunny spot in your yard," says Ms. Knapik, "At the end of May, you can be planting tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and herbs.  Using organic practices will produce healthier, more nutrient dense food that tastes better than anything in the store." 

In this program, listeners will learn tips and tricks of planting and harvesting, connecting with nature, and enjoying the beauty and abundance created in their own backyards. At the end of the program, Ms. Knapik will answer any gardening questions they have.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested.  Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.