Internationally Bestselling Author of Hooked and Indistractible

What if the only thing standing between you and the seemingly impossible…was belief? This is the question posed by bestselling author Nir Eyal in his new work, Beyond Belief.

Register now to learn more about how we can unlock our true potential.

Most of your limits aren’t physical. They’re psychological. In Beyond Belief, Nir Eyal reveals how the hidden assumptions you carry shape what you see, how you feel, and what you do—and how to replace them with beliefs that unlock your true potential.

Grounded in neuroscience, psychology, and unforgettable case studies, Eyal introduces the Three Powers of Belief: Attention, Anticipation, and Agency. Mastering these powers transforms how you see challenges, feel about the future, and act when it matters most.

You’ll learn how to:

• Spot hidden opportunities and solutions others overlook.

• Reclaim your mood, energy, and confidence by reshaping your beliefs.

• Stay calm, decisive, and in control when life feels uncertain.

• Break free from beliefs that sabotage your health, relationships, and career.

• Push further, last longer, and achieve beyond your limits.

If you’ve ever quit too soon, stalled in your career, or sabotaged your own goals, this book gives you the science and the system to go further than you thought possible.

Surgeries without anesthesia. Placebos that heal. Resilience multiplied 240 times longer. Beyond Belief reveals the science behind these breakthroughs and shows why your limits aren’t fixed—they’re learned. And with the right beliefs, you can achieve breakthrough results.

About the Author:

Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and human potential. He previously taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. He is the author of the international bestsellers Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, which have sold over 1 million copies in more than 30 languages. As an active angel investor, Nir has backed multi-billion-dollar companies that implement his methodologies, including Canva, Kahoot!, and others. In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, his writing has been featured in The New York Times and Harvard Business Review, and he is a regular contributor to Psychology Today.

Award-Winning Theoretical Neuroscientist, Inventor, and “Demented” Author

Join us for a timely conversation on AI, humanity, and the next steps towards building a better future with self-proclaimed “mad scientist” Dr. Vivienne Ming as we discuss her new book, Robot-Proof: When Machines Have All the Answers, Build Better People. 

Register today to take part in the discussion!

In Robot-Proof, Dr. Vivienne Ming helps readers grasp the ugly and the amazing of how individuals, companies, and societies will respond to the changes that are already taking hold due to the advent of AI. Robot-Proof is a book about people, exploring what it means to be human in an increasingly automated world.

This book presents, then answers, pressing questions that readers may or may not have thought to themselves, such as:

• What predicts long-term life outcomes across millions of little kids?
• Why is the Informational-Exploration Paradox the most terrifying phenomenon you’ve never heard of?
• What predicts the smartest team and how will AI change it?
• Why are ill-posed problems the future work, education, and a robot-proof humanity?

With poignant insight and delicate care to keep us grounded in the human perspective, Robot-Proof is an entertaining and thought-provoking read for all individuals seeking to understand the next steps in a new and completely unprecedented world.

About the Author:

Dr. Vivienne Ming explores maximizing human capacity as a theoretical neuroscientist, delusional inventor, and demented Author. Over her career she’s founded 7 startups, been chief scientist at 2 others, and founded The Human Trust, a philanthropic data trust and “mad science incubator” building a foundation model for human development. She co-founded Possibility Sciences to advance scientific discovery via massive scale hybrid intelligence. She also develops AI tools for learning at home and in school, models of bias in hiring and promotion, and neurotechnologies for dementia, TBI, and postpartum depression.

In her free time, Vivienne designs AI systems to treat her son’s diabetes, predict manic episodes in bipolar sufferers, and reunite orphan refugees with extended family members. For relaxation, she writes science fiction and spends time with her wife and children.

Vivienne was named one of “10 Women to Watch in Tech” by Inc. Magazine and one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2017. She is featured frequently for her research and inventions in The Financial Times, The Atlantic, Quartz Magazine and The New York Times.

Internationally Bestselling and Award-Winning Author of The Stationary Shop and Together Tea

Using many different styles of music, Claudia’s motivating, high energy dance class includes a classic dance movement warm-up using a chair, light weight strengthening exercises, and a full body stretch, using the mind-body connection to make this class both inspirational and fun.

Sing a little, dance a lot, move to your fullest potential, while getting a light aerobic workout, as well as gaining strength, flexibility, and energy. Posture awareness is the focus of this combination of standing, dance and chair stretch. Work out at your own pace while gaining benefits of the group energy.

Join us for this 45 minute workout that is guaranteed to make you feel great! Just drop in!

A Library Speakers Consortium and Smithsonian Institution Collaboration

Using many different styles of music, Claudia’s motivating, high energy dance class includes a classic dance movement warm-up using a chair, light weight strengthening exercises, and a full body stretch, using the mind-body connection to make this class both inspirational and fun.

Sing a little, dance a lot, move to your fullest potential, while getting a light aerobic workout, as well as gaining strength, flexibility, and energy. Posture awareness is the focus of this combination of standing, dance and chair stretch. Work out at your own pace while gaining benefits of the group energy.

Join us for this 45 minute workout that is guaranteed to make you feel great! Just drop in!

Using many different styles of music, Claudia’s motivating, high energy dance class includes a classic dance movement warm-up using a chair, light weight strengthening exercises, and a full body stretch, using the mind-body connection to make this class both inspirational and fun.

Sing a little, dance a lot, move to your fullest potential, while getting a light aerobic workout, as well as gaining strength, flexibility, and energy. Posture awareness is the focus of this combination of standing, dance and chair stretch. Work out at your own pace while gaining benefits of the group energy.

Join us for this 45 minute workout that is guaranteed to make you feel great! Just drop in!

With Special Guest Host Barbara Kingsolver

Join us for a special conversation between award-winning journalist Shoshana Walter and bestselling and award-winning author Barbara Kingsolver as they chat about Walter’s book Rehab: An American Scandal. In this work, Walter, a Pulitzer finalist, exposes the country’s failed response to the opioid crisis, and the malfeasance, corruption, and snake oil which blight the drug rehabilitation industry.

Today, more people have access to treatment than ever before. So why isn’t it working? The answer is that in America—where anyone can get addicted—only certain people get a real chance to recover. Despite record numbers of overdose deaths, our default response is still to punish, while rehabs across the United States fail to incorporate scientifically proven strategies and exploit patients.

In this book, you’ll find the stories of four people who represent the failures of the rehab-industrial complex, and the ways our treatment system often prevents recovery. April is a black mom in Philadelphia, who witnessed firsthand how the government’s punitive response to the crack epidemic impeded her mother’s recovery—and then her own. Chris, a young middle-class white man from Louisiana, received more opportunities in his addiction than April, including the chance to go to treatment instead of prison. Yet the only program the judge permitted was one that forced him to perform unpaid back-breaking labor at for-profit companies. Wendy is a mother from a wealthy suburb of Los Angeles, whose son died in a sober living home. She began investigating for-profit treatment programs—yet law enforcement and regulators routinely ignored her warnings, allowing rehab patients to die, again and again. Larry is a surgeon who himself struggled with addiction, and would eventually become one of the first Suboxone prescribers in the nation, drawing the scrutiny of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Be sure to register now to participate in this urgent conversation and learn insight on how we might fix the system to save lives.

About the Author: 

Shoshana Walter is a reporter for the Marshall Project covering the criminal justice system. Her reporting has been honored as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and Selden Ring, and she has won the Knight Award for Public Service, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and the Livingston Award for Young Journalists. She started her work on the treatment system at The Center for Investigative Reporting, where her work appeared in The New York Times Magazine, in newspapers, and on NPR stations across the country. She is based in Oakland, California.

About the Guest Host:

Barbara Ellen Kingsolver is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, essayist, and poet. Her widely known works include The Poisonwood Bible, the tale of a missionary family in the Congo, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, a nonfiction account of her family’s attempts to eat locally. In 2023, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for the novel Demon Copperhead. Her work often focuses on topics such as social justice, biodiversity, and the interaction between humans and their communities and environments.

New York Times Bestselling Author of The Alice Network and The Rose Code

You’re invited to join us for a virtual conversation with acclaimed author Kate Quinn about her latest fantastical work, The Astral Library, which poses the question: Have you ever wished you could live inside a book? Welcome to the Astral Library, where books are not just objects, but doors to new worlds, new lives, and new futures.

Alexandria “Alix” Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: unlike people, books will never let you down. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands. Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives…inside their favorite books.

The Librarian takes a dazzled Alix under her wing, but before she can escape into the pages of her new life, a shadowy enemy emerges to threaten everyone the Astral Library has ever helped protect. Aided by a dashing costume-shop owner, Alix and the Librarian flee through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen to the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes and the champagne-soaked parties of The Great Gatsby as danger draws inexorably closer. But who does their enemy really wish to destroy—Alix, the Librarian, or the Library itself?

Register now to hear more about The Astral Library, crafted for all bookworms and lovers of literature.

About the Author: Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of Southern California, she attended Boston University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set in the Italian Renaissance before turning to the 20th century with The Alice Network, The Huntress, The Rose Code, The Diamond Eye, and The Briar Club. The Astral Library is her first foray into magic realism. She and her husband now live in Maryland with their rescue dogs.

New York Times Bestselling Author of Population: 485 and The Jesus Cow

Join us in conversation with bestselling author and humorist Michael Perry, whose collection of genre-spanning works encapsulates the experiences–and the magic–of rural town communities and the everyday people who reside in them.

In Michael Perry’s memoir, Population: 485, the local vigilante is a farmer’s wife armed with a pistol and a Bible, the most senior member of the volunteer fire department is a cross-eyed butcher with one kidney and two ex-wives, and the back roads are haunted by the ghosts of children and farmers. Against a backdrop of fires and tangled wrecks, bar fights and smelt feeds, Perry tells a frequently comic tale leavened with moments of heartbreaking delicacy and searing tragedy.

Jesus Cow, Perry’s fiction debut, is a hilarious yet sincere exploration of faith and the foibles of modern life. Low-key Harley Jackson finds himself entangled in drama from all corners: A woman in a big red pickup has stolen his bachelor’s heart, a Hummer-driving predatory developer is threatening to pave the last vestiges of his family farm, and inside his barn is a calf bearing the image of Jesus Christ–a secret he wants to keep quiet, until the truth slips right through the barn door.

Register today to hear more about Perry’s expansive collection of stories!

About the Author: Michael Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist, corporate speaker, volunteer firefighter/first responder, and amateur snowplow driver. A lifelong resident of the rural Midwest, his “reflective roughneck” takes on life in Middle America have left hundreds of thousands of readers and live audiences laughing, nodding, and sometimes misty.

Perry, a registered nurse who put himself through college working as a Wyoming cowboy and a roller-skating Snoopy produces the popular audio newsletter “Michael Perry’s Voice Mail,” performs widely as a humorist and speaker, tours with his band The Long Beds, works as a script writer, voiceover artist and audiobook narrator, and still makes an occasional call with the local volunteer fire and rescue service.

Perry lives in rural Wisconsin and can be found online at www.sneezingcow.com.

Join us for an unforgettable experience as we chat online with Vanessa Riley about her newest book, Fire Sword and Sea, based on the folk story of the female pirate Jacquotte Delahaye.

The Caribbean Sea, 1675. Jacquotte Delahaye is the mixed-race daughter of a wealthy tavern owner on the island of Tortuga. Instead of marriage, Jacquotte dreams of joining the seafarers and smugglers whose tall-masted ships cluster in the turquoise waters around Tortuga. In Haiti she becomes Jacques, a dockworker, earning the respect of those around her while hiding her gender.

Jacquotte discovers that secret identities are fairly common in the chaotic world of seafaring, which is full of outsiders and misfits. As Jacques, Jacquotte falls in love with Lizzôa d’Erville, a beautiful courtesan who deals in secrets and sex. While others see their work clothes as a disguise, Lizzôa’s true self is as a woman.

For the next twenty years, Jacquotte raids the Caribbean, making enemies and amassing a fortune in stolen gold. When her fellow pirates decide to increase their profits by entering the slave trade, Jacquotte turns away from piracy and the pursuit of riches. Risking her life in one deadly skirmish after another, she instead begins to plot a war of liberation.

Don’t miss out on this exciting discussion! Register now to embark on a seafaring journey of self discovery and reclamation of personal power.

About the Author: Vanessa Riley is an award-winning author and proud recipient of the 2024 Georgia Mystery/Detective Fiction Author of the Year. She writes Sagas and Book Club Fiction that brings to life the hidden narratives of Black women and women of color in novels like Island Queen and Queen of Exiles. Her stories celebrate strong sisterhoods, diverse communities, and resilience across historical fiction, romance, and mystery genres.Her work has been featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and The New York Times.

Intermittent Wednesdays from February 11 to April 29

Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs and created by the Foreign Policy Association. This program provides background information and policy options for the eight most critical issues facing America each year.

This week’s topic: Ukraine and the Future of European Security
With reduced U.S. support for NATO and Ukraine, Europe faces strategic uncertainty. The Trump administration has signaled an intention to reduce its security role in Europe. What are America’s stakes in NATO and Europe’s strategic dilemmas, and how might Europe respond?

Rowayton resident Jim Frayer will facilitate discussions. Register here and pick up your Great Decisions 2026 briefing book at the library!

A video showing of the topic up for discussion will be shown at 6:30 p.m. every week. Actual discussion of the topic will begin at 7:00 p.m. Participants are invited to tune in to both!

Online programs hosted by the library will be provided via Zoom. Visit their website here to find the appropriate download instructions and download link for your device. Registration for all programs is required. Participants who register for any program will receive an email with the link to join.

Intermittent Wednesdays from February 11 to April 29

Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs and created by the Foreign Policy Association. This program provides background information and policy options for the eight most critical issues facing America each year.

This week’s topic: Trump Tariffs and the Future of the World Economy
Trump’s aggressive trade and tariff policies have shaken global economic norms. What’s the rationale behind this radical shift in economic policy, and what are the implications for multilateral trade and geopolitics?

Rowayton resident Jim Frayer will facilitate discussions. Register here and pick up your Great Decisions 2026 briefing book at the library!

A video showing of the topic up for discussion will be shown at 6:30 p.m. every week. Actual discussion of the topic will begin at 7:00 p.m. Participants are invited to tune in to both!

Online programs hosted by the library will be provided via Zoom. Visit their website here to find the appropriate download instructions and download link for your device. Registration for all programs is required. Participants who register for any program will receive an email with the link to join.

Mad for Mah Jongg? Here’s your chance to meet other players, benefit from consistent play, and build your confidence. We have cards for people to use, but if you are considering becoming a frequent player, please bring your own 2025 NMJL card (Available for purchase at nationalmahjonggleague.org).

You can just drop in! Please note that the program is held on a first-come-first-serve basis as we can only accommodate 16 people per afternoon.

Using many different styles of music, Claudia’s motivating, high energy dance class includes a classic dance movement warm-up using a chair, light weight strengthening exercises, and a full body stretch, using the mind-body connection to make this class both inspirational and fun.

Sing a little, dance a lot, move to your fullest potential, while getting a light aerobic workout, as well as gaining strength, flexibility, and energy. Posture awareness is the focus of this combination of standing, dance and chair stretch. Work out at your own pace while gaining benefits of the group energy.

Join us for this 45 minute workout that is guaranteed to make you feel great! Just drop in!

Calling all New Yorker Discussion Group attendees, documentary enthusiasts, or anyone looking for an interesting evening out! To kick off our Winter 2026 New Yorker Discussion Group session, join us for a movie screening of The New Yorker at 100, directed by Marshall Curry. The film offers a behind-the-scenes look at the storied magazine and the writers, editors, cartoonists, fact checkers, and other staff who put it together. Discussion about the film will follow! After that, we will pick the readings for next week.

To join the Winter 2026 New Yorker Discussion series, register here!  This program normally runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The magazine issue is on us. Stay tuned via our website and e-blasts for the list of articles to be discussed each week.

​SBC has been invited to host a gathering at Rowayton Library on Wednesday, January 7.

This will be a relaxed evening filled with good books and great company. Register here!

Here’s what to expect:

​​​​Meeting Flow:

• ​​​​6:00 – 6:30 PM: Arrive, settle in, and grab a drink or snack (and maybe say hi to a new face or two!).
• ​​​​6:30 – 7:30 PM: Our famous quiet reading time. Bring your current read or discover something new—we’ll have book suggestions ready if you’re looking for inspiration. Don’t forget those headphones if you’re listening to an audiobook!
• ​​​​7:30 – 8:00 PM: Time to chat! Whether it’s about the book you’re loving, a new recommendation, or just swapping fun stories, this is the time to share.

​​​​SBC’s Mobile Library will be there, so if you’ve got books you’re ready to pass on or swap, bring them along. It’s all about sharing the love of reading—one book at a time.

We are thrilled to welcome Liz Moore to discuss her latest work, The God of the Woods, an instant New York Times bestseller and one of NPR’s 2024 “Books We Love” highlights.

Join us in conversation with Liz as we embark on a tale of thrilling twists and disturbing disappearances. Register today to “enter the woods,” if you dare!

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

About the Author: Liz Moore is the author of five novels: The Words of Every Song, Heft, The Unseen World, the New York Times bestselling Long Bright River, and The God of the Woods. A winner of the 2014 Rome Prize in Literature, she lives in Philadelphia and teaches in the MFA program in Creative Writing at Temple University.

Join us for an online discussion with prominent cultural writer and bestselling author David Brooks on his book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply, in which he helps us pose essential questions: If you want to know a person, what kind of attention should you cast on them? What kind of conversations should you have? What parts of a person’s story should you pay attention to?

Register now to take part in a riveting and timeless conversation on how to connect with people from all walks of life, and why doing so is paramount to our individual and communal growth.

Driven by his trademark sense of curiosity and determination to grow as a person, Brooks draws from the fields of psychology and neuroscience and the worlds of theater, philosophy, history, and education to present a welcoming, hopeful, integrated approach to human connection. How to Know a Person helps readers become more understanding and considerate toward others, and to find the joy that comes from being seen. Along the way it offers a possible remedy for a society that is riven by fragmentation, hostility, and misperception.

The act of seeing another person, Brooks argues, is profoundly creative: How can we look somebody in the eye and see something large in them and, in turn, see something larger in ourselves? How to Know a Person is for anyone searching for connection, and yearning to be understood.

About the Author: David Brooks is one of the nation’s leading writers and commentators. He is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times, a writer for The Atlantic, and appears regularly on PBS Newshour. He is the bestselling author of The Second Mountain, The Road to Character, The Social Animal, Bobos in Paradise, and On Paradise Drive.

Do you need your paperwork notarized? Our Notary Public is available to notarize your documents free of charge. A Notary Public is a public servant appointed by state government to witness the signing of important documents and administer oaths. Please schedule an appointment for a notarization.

Required Paperwork
If you need something notarized, please bring two forms of ID containing your signature, one of which must have a photo.

Examples of Acceptable IDs
• Valid Driver’s License
• Passport
• Credit Card with Signature

Unacceptable IDs
• Social Security Card
• Birth Certificate

Before You Arrive
Be sure the documents are complete and ready for signature. Please don’t sign the document(s) until you appear before the Notary Public.

If you need legal advice, please consult an attorney. The Notary Public is prohibited from helping you to prepare, complete, or understand legal documents.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, this program is cancelled. Check back soon for the next session!

When it comes to the financial and real estate markets, people aren’t always as rational as you would think. Behavioral finance experts have been studying the not-so-smart decisions people make. We will reveal the fears, misperceptions and emotional needs people have that sabotage their investment and home sale returns.

Join us for this monthly roundtable for women on money led by financial professionals Julia Strayer and Liz Maccarone. This series’ discussion will focus on how to make sense of today’s financial markets, is open to women with any level of financial knowledge, and is an ongoing informational gathering to learn and share.

We’ll show you how to avoid the mistakes and make decisions like the pros. We’ll cover the latest market news and how that might affect your decision making. We’ll also give you background and context for understanding why market movement occurs and we’ll share strategies for keeping ahead of what might come.

 Register here!

Our Roundtable Leaders:

Julia Strayer, CPWA®, CIMA®, CRPC®
Senior Vice President, Wealth Management Advisor

Prior to joining Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2000, Julia was a vice president and private banker for BankBoston’s Private Bank for 7 years, responsible for asset management and trust services. Previously, Julia worked in marketing for 9 years with Merrill. Julia has a BA from Ohio State University and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Julia has appeared on the CNBC show “Power Lunch,” CBS “This Morning,” WGCH’s “Women in Business,” in addition to featured articles in USA Today.

Liz Maccarone, CRPC®
Senior Financial Advisor

Liz joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2012. Liz works closely with high-net-worth individuals and their families to create personalized and comprehensive strategies that support their goals, including investment management, retirement planning, liability management, and multigenerational planning. Liz values the importance of establishing and cultivating relationships with families including the next generation. Liz graduated from Fairfield University with a dual bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing. She began her career working at a boutique investment firm as a Business Development Associate, specializing in commodities and futures trading.

The roundtable meetings will be conducted via Zoom. Visit their website here to find the appropriate download instructions and download link for your device.

When it comes to the financial and real estate markets, people aren’t always as rational as you would think. Behavioral finance experts have been studying the not-so-smart decisions people make. We will reveal the fears, misperceptions and emotional needs people have that sabotage their investment and home sale returns.

Join us for this monthly roundtable for women on money led by financial professionals Julia Strayer and Liz Maccarone. This series’ discussion will focus on how to make sense of today’s financial markets, is open to women with any level of financial knowledge, and is an ongoing informational gathering to learn and share.

We’ll show you how to avoid the mistakes and make decisions like the pros. We’ll cover the latest market news and how that might affect your decision making. We’ll also give you background and context for understanding why market movement occurs and we’ll share strategies for keeping ahead of what might come.

 Register here!

Our Roundtable Leaders:

Julia Strayer, CPWA®, CIMA®, CRPC®
Senior Vice President, Wealth Management Advisor

Prior to joining Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2000, Julia was a vice president and private banker for BankBoston’s Private Bank for 7 years, responsible for asset management and trust services. Previously, Julia worked in marketing for 9 years with Merrill. Julia has a BA from Ohio State University and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Julia has appeared on the CNBC show “Power Lunch,” CBS “This Morning,” WGCH’s “Women in Business,” in addition to featured articles in USA Today.

Liz Maccarone, CRPC®
Senior Financial Advisor

Liz joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2012. Liz works closely with high-net-worth individuals and their families to create personalized and comprehensive strategies that support their goals, including investment management, retirement planning, liability management, and multigenerational planning. Liz values the importance of establishing and cultivating relationships with families including the next generation. Liz graduated from Fairfield University with a dual bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing. She began her career working at a boutique investment firm as a Business Development Associate, specializing in commodities and futures trading.

The roundtable meetings will be conducted via Zoom. Visit their website here to find the appropriate download instructions and download link for your device.

Using many different styles of music, Claudia’s motivating, high energy dance class includes a classic dance movement warm-up using a chair, light weight strengthening exercises, and a full body stretch, using the mind-body connection to make this class both inspirational and fun.

Sing a little, dance a lot, move to your fullest potential, while getting a light aerobic workout, as well as gaining strength, flexibility, and energy. Posture awareness is the focus of this combination of standing, dance and chair stretch. Work out at your own pace while gaining benefits of the group energy.

Join us for this 45 minute workout that is guaranteed to make you feel great!

Get yourself primed for the holiday season and join us for an online conversation you won’t want to miss! Charles Duhigg, author of the bestselling books The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better, presents the ultimate guide on how to communicate and connect with anyone at work, home, and in life in his latest work, Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection.

In this groundbreaking book, Duhigg unravels the secrets of the supercommunicators to reveal the art – and the science – of successful communication. He unpicks the different types of everyday conversation and pinpoints why some go smoothly while others swiftly fall apart. He reveals the conversational questions and gambits that bring people together. And he shows how even the most tricky of encounters can be turned around. In the process, he shows why a CIA operative was able to win over a reluctant spy, how a member of a jury got his fellow jurors to view an open-and-shut case differently, and what a doctor found they needed to do to engage with a vaccine skeptic.

Above all, he reveals the techniques we can all master to successfully connect with others, however tricky the circumstances. Packed with fascinating case studies and drawing on cutting-edge research, this book will change the way you think about what you say, and how you say it.

Register now to take part in the online discussion, learn how to enhance your everyday conversations, and add a new title to the holiday wishlist!

About the Author: Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist and the author of Supercommunicators, The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better. A graduate of Harvard Business School and Yale University, he is a winner of the National Academies of Sciences, National Journalism, and George Polk awards. He writes for The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine, and was the founding host of the Slate podcast How To! with Charles Duhigg.

You’re invited to learn from journalist and author Joseph Lee as he chats online with us about his stirring memoir, Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity. In it, he explores Indigenous identity in proximity to land that serves as an iconic vacationing spot for the wealthy–the “island paradise” Martha’s Vineyard.

Register now to join the author online as he delves into the true and vulnerable story, Nothing More of This Land.

Growing up Aquinnah Wampanoag, Joseph Lee grappled with what it means to be an Indigenous person in the world today, especially as tribal land, culture, and community face new threats. Starting with the story of his own tribe, which is from the iconic Martha’s Vineyard, Lee tackles key questions around Indigenous identity and the stubborn legacy of colonialism.

Lee weaves his own story—and that of his family—with conversations with Indigenous leaders, artists, and scholars from around the world about everything from culture and language to climate change and the politics of belonging. As he unpacks the meaning of Indigenous identity, Lee grants us a new understanding of our nation and what a better community might look like.

About the Author: Joseph Lee is an Aquinnah Wampanoag writer based in New York City. He has an MFA from Columbia University and teaches creative writing at Mercy University. His writing has been published in The Guardian, BuzzFeed, Vox, High Country News, and more. He was a Margins Fellow at the Asian American Writers Workshop and a Senior Indigenous Affairs Fellow at Grist.

You are invited to join us online and be one of the first to hear from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai about her astonishing memoir, Finding My Way. Malala reintroduces herself to the world, sharing how she navigated life as someone whose darkest moments threatened to define her narrative—while seeking the freedom to find out who she truly is.

Register now for an online conversation you cannot miss!

Thrust onto the public stage at fifteen years old after the Taliban’s brutal attack on her life, Malala Yousafzai quickly became an international icon known for bravery and resilience. But away from the cameras and crowds, she spent years struggling to find her place in an unfamiliar world. Finding My Way is a story of friendship and first love, of anxiety and self-discovery, of trying to stay true to yourself when everyone wants to tell you who you are. In it, Malala traces her path from high school loner to reckless college student to a young woman at peace with her past. Through candid, often messy moments like nearly failing exams, getting ghosted, and meeting the love of her life, Malala reminds us that real role models aren’t perfect—they’re human.

Finding My Way is a vulnerable, surprising memoir that buzzes with authenticity, sharp humor, and tenderness. It is an intimate look at the life of a young woman taking charge of her destiny and is a deeply personal testament to the strength it takes to be unapologetically yourself.

About the Author: Malala Yousafzai is an education activist, the youngest-ever Nobel laureate, bestselling author, and award-winning film producer. She was born in Mingora, Pakistan, in 1997 and graduated from Oxford University in 2020.

Using many different styles of music, Claudia’s motivating, high energy dance class includes a classic dance movement warm-up using a chair, light weight strengthening exercises, and a full body stretch, using the mind-body connection to make this class both inspirational and fun.

Sing a little, dance a lot, move to your fullest potential, while getting a light aerobic workout, as well as gaining strength, flexibility, and energy. Posture awareness is the focus of this combination of standing, dance and chair stretch. Work out at your own pace while gaining benefits of the group energy.

Join us for this 45 minute workout that is guaranteed to make you feel great!

To mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic movie “Jaws”, Christopher Shaw Myers is sharing a personal look at one of the film’s most memorable performances. In his book, Robert Shaw: An Actor’s Life on the Set of Jaws and Beyond, Myers writes a moving, enthralling biography of Robert Shaw, the actor who played Captain Quint…and also happened to be his uncle!

Copies of Robert Shaw: An Actor’s Life on the Set of Jaws and Beyond will be available for purchase at the event. Refreshments will be served.

Register here!

Christopher Shaw Myers grew up listening to the stories told by his colorful uncle, Robert Shaw, and other family members. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, he attended Trinity College, where he double majored in English Literature and Mathematics; and Columbia University, where he received a master’s in business administration. After a 30-year career in the hi-tech field, he delved deeper into his family’s history to explore the magic that Robert and his siblings cultivated in their lives. Chris lives with his wife and dog in Fairfield County, CT and can be found online at www.christophershawmyers.com.

Don’t know where to start when it comes to using Excel? No problem! This program is designed to help those with zero familiarity get the hang of the basics over the course of three sessions. ‘How do I use Excel?’ ‘What do I use it for?’ ‘Is there a difference between Excel and Google Sheets?’ These are exactly the sort of questions that are not only welcomed but encouraged! There’s not such thing as being too inexperienced. This program is primarily aimed at beginners, but those who are out of practice with Excel and would appreciate a refresher will also get a lot out of it!

Register online!

Don’t know where to start when it comes to using Excel? No problem! This program is designed to help those with zero familiarity get the hang of the basics over the course of three sessions. ‘How do I use Excel?’ ‘What do I use it for?’ ‘Is there a difference between Excel and Google Sheets?’ These are exactly the sort of questions that are not only welcomed but encouraged! There’s not such thing as being too inexperienced. This program is primarily aimed at beginners, but those who are out of practice with Excel and would appreciate a refresher will also get a lot out of it!

Register online!

Enjoy trying out new dishes?
Interested in sharing tips on how to tweak a recipe?
Want to swap cooking or baking suggestions over a delicious meal?
…then this Book Club is for you!

Welcome back to Culinary Fun in the Fall! Each season, Ruth Freeman and Kerry McFarlin will hold a session where participants select recipes from a few chosen cookbooks in the library’s collection. Then, make the dishes to bring to the library for a potluck dinner full of wonderful culinary delights, both savory and sweet.

Cookbooks for this session:

• Craveable by Seema Pankhania 
• Potluck Desserts by Justin Burke 
• TODAY Loves Food: Recipes from America’s Favorite Kitchen by the TODAY Show Family and Friends 

What you need to do:
– Register here.
– Come to the library and select a recipe and let us know which one you will bring to the potluck. Participants may make free copies of their chosen recipe at the library.
– Bring your dish and a copy of your recipe (annotated, if applicable) on the evening of the event. We can reheat in a microwave, but please have food table-ready and bring the appropriate serving utensil. We will supply liquid refreshments and paper supplies.

Questions? Contact the library at library@rowayton.org.

Coined as the “queen of British historical fiction,” Philippa Gregory returns to the infamous Tudor Court with a tale that is both timely and timeless. We invite you to sit down with us for an intriguing conversation with Gregory about her newest novel Boleyn Traitor (forthcoming October 14, 2025). Register today for this exciting glimpse into the perilous 16th century royal court!

Jane Boleyn watches from the shadows of the Tudor Court, where secrets are currency, every choice is dangerous, and even the faintest whisper can seal the fate of queens.

For Jane, survival demands playing every role required of her: a loving wife who conceals her doubts, a devoted sister to Anne Boleyn at the height of her power, and an obedient spy who carefully wields her words. But in a court ruled by ambition and a tyrant’s sword, Jane must rely on her sharp wit and skillful maneuvering to outthink those around her, knowing that one wrong move could cost her everything.

With a rich tapestry of new historical insights and lyrical language honed over decades of writing, Gregory’s return to the Tudors is a new definition of this most fascinating era. As the world becomes more extreme and unpredictable, Jane’s story of survival and ingenuity offers a compelling parallel, serving as both a powerful historical narrative and an echo of the challenges we face. This is a riveting tale of loyalty and betrayal, ambition and love—one that should not be missed by readers this fall.

About the Author: Dr. Philippa Gregory is one of the world’s foremost historical novelists. She wrote her first ever novel, Wideacre, when she was completing her PhD in eighteenth-century literature and it sold worldwide, heralding a new era for historical fiction. Her flair for blending history and imagination developed into a signature style and Philippa went on to write many bestselling novels, including The Other Boleyn Girl and The White Queen.

Dr. Gregory studied history at the University of Sussex and was awarded a PhD by the University of Edinburgh where she is a Regent and was made Alumna of the Year in 2009. She holds an honorary degree from Teesside University, and is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff. Philippa is a member of the Society of Authors and in 2016, was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Historical Fiction Award by the Historical Writers’ Association. In 2018, she was awarded an Honorary Platinum Award by Neilsen for achieving significant lifetime sales across her entire book output. In 2021, she was awarded a CBE for services to literature and to her charity Gardens for the Gambia, and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Since publishing in 2015, Leigh Bardugo’s highly popular Six of Crows has taken the world of YA literature by storm–and it’s not hard to see why. The complex fantasy setting, thoughtfully-structured magic system, and deliciously morally gray characters all collide in a world you won’t want to leave and you don’t have to! Join us as we pick the brain of the New York Times bestselling author herself, celebrating the release of her Six of Crows (The Dregs Edition).

Whether you’re a new reader or a loyal fan, register today to take part in the adventure!

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

In celebration of its decade-old status, the duology will be rereleased in special Dregs Edition paperback copies featuring beautiful new cover art by Harol Bustos, black stained edges, and updated maps.

About the Author: Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Familiar, Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University.

Join us in conversation with Smithsonian professionals Adrián Aldaba and Emily Key as they discuss Nuestra América and highlight inspiring stories of Latinos throughout history, as well as their incredible contributions to the cultural, social, and political character of the United States.

Register today to learn more about the rich history of Nuestra América!

The stories in Nuestra América cover each figure’s cultural background and childhood, and their accomplishments or contributions to American history. A glossary of terms and discussion question-filled reading guide, created by the National Museum of the American Latino, encourages further research and exploration. The museum has featured twenty-three of these stories in its exhibition ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States, the first exhibition to feature U.S. Latino history at the national level.

Featuring beautifully illustrated portraits by Gloria Félix, this is a book that children (and adults) will page through and learn from again and again. A must have for every school and home library to help students understand the American story!

We are pleased to announce our up-and-coming fundraising event, Rowayton Library: After Dark. Sway to groovy tunes with an assortment of food and drink. Be there Saturday, September 13 from 6:00 p.m. to 10 p.m.!

Tickets and Sponsors can be found here!

Please note that this is a 21+ event, so we ask that children be left at home! We offer many child friendly events on our Event’s Calendar. 

Bring an appetite for sizzling drama as we discuss New York Times bestselling author Casey McQuiston’s latest romantic comedy, The Pairing. Register now to join our discussion about Casey McQuiston’s spiciest book yet!

When two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour, they challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they’re over each other—except they’re definitely not.

Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other’s lives once and for all.

Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It’s in the past.

All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.

It’s not until they board the tour bus that they discover they’ve both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they’re trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It’s fine. There’s nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?

But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can’t have.

About the Author: Casey McQuiston is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of romantic comedies, including One Last Stop, Red, White & Royal Blue, I Kissed Shara Wheeler, and The Pairing. Red, White & Royal Blue was adapted into a movie in 2023 and released on Amazon Prime. Casey was recently named on the 2022 Time100 Next List. Their writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Bon Appetit. Born and raised in southern Louisiana, Casey now lives in New York City with a poodle mix named Pepper.

When it comes to the financial and real estate markets, people aren’t always as rational as you would think. Behavioral finance experts have been studying the not-so-smart decisions people make. We will reveal the fears, misperceptions and emotional needs people have that sabotage their investment and home sale returns.

Join us for this monthly roundtable for women on money led by financial professionals Julia Strayer and Liz Maccarone. This series’ discussion will focus on how to make sense of today’s financial markets, is open to women with any level of financial knowledge, and is an ongoing informational gathering to learn and share.

We’ll show you how to avoid the mistakes and make decisions like the pros. We’ll cover the latest market news and how that might affect your decision making. We’ll also give you background and context for understanding why market movement occurs and we’ll share strategies for keeping ahead of what might come.

 Register here!

Our Roundtable Leaders:

Julia Strayer, CPWA®, CIMA®, CRPC®
Senior Vice President, Wealth Management Advisor

Prior to joining Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2000, Julia was a vice president and private banker for BankBoston’s Private Bank for 7 years, responsible for asset management and trust services. Previously, Julia worked in marketing for 9 years with Merrill. Julia has a BA from Ohio State University and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Julia has appeared on the CNBC show “Power Lunch,” CBS “This Morning,” WGCH’s “Women in Business,” in addition to featured articles in USA Today.

Liz Maccarone, CRPC®
Senior Financial Advisor

Liz joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2012. Liz works closely with high-net-worth individuals and their families to create personalized and comprehensive strategies that support their goals, including investment management, retirement planning, liability management, and multigenerational planning. Liz values the importance of establishing and cultivating relationships with families including the next generation. Liz graduated from Fairfield University with a dual bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing. She began her career working at a boutique investment firm as a Business Development Associate, specializing in commodities and futures trading.

The roundtable meetings will be conducted via Zoom. Visit their website here to find the appropriate download instructions and download link for your device.

When it comes to the financial and real estate markets, people aren’t always as rational as you would think. Behavioral finance experts have been studying the not-so-smart decisions people make. We will reveal the fears, misperceptions and emotional needs people have that sabotage their investment and home sale returns.

Join us for this monthly roundtable for women on money led by financial professionals Julia Strayer and Liz Maccarone. This series’ discussion will focus on how to make sense of today’s financial markets, is open to women with any level of financial knowledge, and is an ongoing informational gathering to learn and share.

We’ll show you how to avoid the mistakes and make decisions like the pros. We’ll cover the latest market news and how that might affect your decision making. We’ll also give you background and context for understanding why market movement occurs and we’ll share strategies for keeping ahead of what might come.

 Register here!

Our Roundtable Leaders:

Julia Strayer, CPWA®, CIMA®, CRPC®
Senior Vice President, Wealth Management Advisor

Prior to joining Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2000, Julia was a vice president and private banker for BankBoston’s Private Bank for 7 years, responsible for asset management and trust services. Previously, Julia worked in marketing for 9 years with Merrill. Julia has a BA from Ohio State University and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Julia has appeared on the CNBC show “Power Lunch,” CBS “This Morning,” WGCH’s “Women in Business,” in addition to featured articles in USA Today.

Liz Maccarone, CRPC®
Senior Financial Advisor

Liz joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2012. Liz works closely with high-net-worth individuals and their families to create personalized and comprehensive strategies that support their goals, including investment management, retirement planning, liability management, and multigenerational planning. Liz values the importance of establishing and cultivating relationships with families including the next generation. Liz graduated from Fairfield University with a dual bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing. She began her career working at a boutique investment firm as a Business Development Associate, specializing in commodities and futures trading.

The roundtable meetings will be conducted via Zoom. Visit their website here to find the appropriate download instructions and download link for your device.

Using many different styles of music, Claudia’s motivating, high energy dance class includes a classic dance movement warm-up using a chair, light weight strengthening exercises, and a full body stretch, using the mind-body connection to make this class both inspirational and fun.

Sing a little, dance a lot, move to your fullest potential, while getting a light aerobic workout, as well as gaining strength, flexibility, and energy. Posture awareness is the focus of this combination of standing, dance and chair stretch. Work out at your own pace while gaining benefits of the group energy.

Join us for this 45 minute workout that is guaranteed to make you feel great! Register here!

View our Photo Release Policy, effective since February 1, 2019, here.

Join us for our new Saturday morning film club, Coffee and Classics! We’ll be showing a classic film starting at 11:00 a.m. and serving coffee and pastries on the side! It’s the perfect way to spend a hot summer day.

On Saturday, July 26, we will screening the classic suspenseful thriller “Rear Window”, starring Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart. As his broken leg heals, a man becomes absorbed with life outside his window and soon fixates on a mysterious neighbor who may have committed murder. “Rear Window” runs for 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Register here!

Join us for our new Saturday morning film club, Coffee and Classics! We’ll be showing a classic film starting at 11:00 a.m. and serving coffee and pastries on the side! It’s the perfect way to spend a hot summer day.

On Saturday, July 19, we will screen the classic screwball comedy “The Philadelphia Story” (1940), starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. When a snooty socialite is about to marry for the second time, her first husband shows up with two tabloid reporters hoping to seek revenge on his ex-wife by fouling up the wedding. “The Philadelphia Story” runs for 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Register here!

You’re invited to a fascinating conversation with neurologist and author Pria Anand to chat about her new book The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains (forthcoming June 10, 2025).

The Mind Electric speaks to the stories we tell ourselves about our brains, and the stories that our brains tell to us.

A girl believes she has been struck blind for stealing a kiss. A mother watches helplessly as each of her children is replaced by a changeling. A woman is haunted each month by the same four chords of a single song. In neurology, illness is inextricably linked with narrative, the clues to unraveling these mysteries hidden in both the details of a patient’s story and the tells of their body.

Stories are etched into the very structure of our brains, coded so deeply that the impulse for storytelling survives and even surges after the most devastating injuries. But our brains are also porous—the stories they concoct are shaped by cultural narratives about bodies and illness that permeate the minds of doctors and patients alike. In the history of medicine, some stories are heard, while others—the narratives of women, of Black and brown people, of displaced people, of disempowered people—are too often dismissed.

In The Mind Electric, neurologist Pria Anand reveals—through case study, history, fable, and memoir—all that the medical establishment has overlooked: the complexity and wonder of brains in health and in extremis, and the vast gray area between sanity and insanity, doctor and patient, and illness and wellness, each separated from the next by the thin veneer of a different story.

Moving from the Boston hospital where she treats her patients, to her childhood years in India, to Isla Providencia in the Caribbean and to the Republic of Guinea in West Africa, she demonstrates again and again the compelling paradox at the heart of neurology: that even the most peculiar symptoms can show us something universal about ourselves as humans.

Register now to join this intriguing virtual conversation!

About the Author: Pria Anand is a neurologist at the Boston Medical Center and an Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine. She is a graduate of Yale University and Stanford Medical School, and she trained in neurology, neuro-infectious diseases, and neuroimmunology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital.