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One of the most popular annual author programs, Suspense Night, took place at Library Headquarters last night. Billed as “An Evening of Thrill and Chills,” this year’s lineup focused on crime fiction for movies and television. Special guest Ken Olin, producer and director of “This is Us” spoke about the process of taking a book to the screen, and making its characters come alive.

Reed Farrell Coleman served again as emcee and as auctioneer, as fans bid on a variety of books and memorabilia to benefit the Library Foundation. Meg Gardiner, Jeffery Deaver, Gregg Hurwitz and Ken Olin kept the audience laughing throughout. While some were in line to have their books signed, others enjoyed cake courtesy of the Mystery Writers of America, co-sponsors of the program.  

Cat lovers from throughout St. Louis converged at the Grant’s View Branch on Friday evening for Purr-palooza, the branch’s celebration of International Cat Day 2018. There were crafts, temporary cat tattoos, a photo booth, food trucks and representatives from five cat adoption agencies who brought adoptable cats and information about becoming a cat owner. Many of the 490 people who attended wore cat-themed outfits; others made cat ears at the craft table. 

Kids at the Daniel Boone Branch were excited to meet one of their favorite authors last Monday. Karma Wilson, author of 43 kids’ books (and counting!) shared “A Dog Named Doug” with her readers. During her reading, the author donned fluffy ears and paws, and posed for photos with canine props during the book signing.

The auditorium at Headquarters was full last night when author Peter Hayes arrived to talk about his new book, “Why?: Explaining the Holocaust.” The event was co-sponsored by the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center and the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.

With so many studies, books, films, documents and opinion pieces it is difficult to comprehend the enormity of the Holocaust. As a teacher at Northwestern University, Peter Hayes asked his students what questions they had about the Holocaust. He used the eight most recurring questions as a basis for the class, which he also used as basis for this book.

The Jewish Federation offered refreshments after Dr. Hayes’ presentation.

The grand nephew and collaborator of Julia Child, Alex Prud’homme, spoke at Library Headquarters last Friday evening. Prud’homme has written a new book about what his great aunt’s life was like in the 1970s, in the wake of her being called the ‘first lady’ of French food.

“The French Chef in America” describes Julia Child’s ‘hidden history’ and how her professional acme did not translate to joy in her personal life.  Even so, Prud’homme talked about how his aunt, in her 60s, broke new ground in television and as an author.

The heat didn’t stop people from lining up outside Library HQ to see heartthrob and STL native, Jon Hamm speak on Saturday night. The sold-out event raised over $50,000 for St. Louis County Library’s new Career Online High School program.

Hamm spoke with bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld about a range of topics, including his early years visiting the Thornhill Branch. Growing up with a single mom, when money was tight, Hamm would visit his local library to check out comedy records.

See more photos from the event. 

The community garden at the Prairie Commons Branch is back open! Garden volunteers gathered at the branch last weekend to get the raised beds ready for the 2017 growing season. The Prairie Commons Branch was closed for renovations for most of 2016, so gardeners were eager to start planning. The community garden at Prairie Commons has 35 total beds, including four accessible beds and one community bed. See photos from past growing seasons.