Body Behind the Bar!

Ashe County Public Library will be launching the Fall Series of Involving Books programming at Boon Docks Restaurant, West Jefferson on September 25 with a crime scene investigation!  Stop by Boon Docks at 5:30 p.m. for a Brouhaha book talk and pick up a copy of Louise’s Lies, featured read and discussion book, by, well-loved author Sarah Shaber.  As the story begins: “On a bitterly cold night in December 1943, Government girl Louise Pearlie and her friend Joe Prager are enjoying a quiet drink in the Baron Steuben Inn when a bloodstained body is discovered behind the bar.  Visit the “crime scene” and take note of clues to help you discover who did it?

Sarah Shaber’s novels feature young widow Louise Pearlie, a government girl who works for the Office of Strategic Services, the United States’ first spy agency.  This character has been described as “a grown-up Nancy Drew.”    Last year Sarah Shaber visited the county as an On-the-Same-Page Literary Festival guest and introduced us to her heroine with Louise’s War.  Louise’s Lies, is the latest in Shaber’s “Louise Pearlie Series” and all the mysteries are available for check-out at the library.  That said, these adventures don’t have to be read in any particular order and they all will keep readers fully engaged. Sarah Shaber returns to the county during the last weekend of October to share her research on WWII events and talk about her books.  Her talks come with “show-and-tell” as she brings war-era memorabilia used to research the time period of her stories. 

This fall the focus on Involving Books Programs will highlight the heroic careers of our local servicemen and service women.  There will be more special events, following the read/discussion of Louise’s Lies to take place in the month of November.  The library will be working with Ashe County Veterans Association, Museum of Ashe County History, and Ashe County JROTC students to preserve the stories of our local veterans for future generations!    Every day, memories of World War II—its sights and sounds, its terrors and triumphs—disappear. Yielding to the inalterable process of aging, the men and women who fought and won the great conflict are now in their late 80s and 90s. They are dying quickly—according to US Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, only 620,000 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II were alive in 2016.  It is crucial to gather and preserve the stories of our county veterans before it is too late. Everyone is invited to participate in the effort to interview Ashe County's WWII veterans and bring awareness to their sacrifices.  We must pass on an understanding for the price of freedom to future generations.

Check for full schedule of events on the library’s website: ashelibrary.org or call 336.846.2041 for more information.