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Bundle up for winter and spend some cold dark nights with a good book or two! Winter Jackets, Anoka County Library’ s winter reading program for adults, begins January 17th and runs through February 29th, 2012. Celebrate reading this winter by participating in Winter Jackets and add even more enjoyment to your reading!

Participants in Winter Jackets receive a bookmark, a Winter Jackets pen, and a short review form to complete about a book they’ve read during the program. When submitted, the review form serves as an entry into a drawing for small prizes. All library users age 17 and older are encouraged to participate.

To help celebrate reading this year, Anoka County Library will host programs with 6 popular authors: Monica Ferris, Kevin Kling, Terry Mejdrich, Larry Millett, Sarah Stonich, and the Hartless Murderers group (Brian Landon, Jessie Chandler and Joan Murphy Pride). These author events will be held on a series of Saturdays at 2:00 pm at the Rum River Library, which is located at 4201 6th Avenue in Anoka.

February 25, 2012: Monica Ferris
Using the pseudonym Monica Ferris, Mary Monica Pulver writes the Betsy Devonshire mystery series, which is set in Excelsior, Minnesota and features an amateur needleworking sleuth. She’s won a place on national and local best-seller lists. She collects, and is often seen, in exuberant hats.


On Jan 21, 2012 you missed: Larry Millett
Known as an architectural historian and the author of Lost Twin Cities, Twin Cities Then and Now, and AIA Guide to the Twin Cities, Larry Millett’s most recent work, Once There Were Castles, offers a richly illustrated work of the lost mansions and estates of the Twin Cities. He has also written a popular Minnesota mystery series featuring Sherlock Holmes and Shadwell Rafferty.

On Jan 28, 2012 you missed: Sarah Stonich
Author of Shelter, a memoir set in northern Minnesota, The Ice Chorus, and the international best-seller, These Granite Islands, Sarah Stonich has recently completed Vacationland, a collection of stories connecting a dozen characters to the same remote resort near the Canadian border. When describing Sarah’s writing, award-winning author Colum McCann said, "One of the joys of reading is coming across books in which language is perfectly wedded to story."

On Feb 4, 2012 you missed: Terry Mejdrich
Author of the Charlie Johnson mystery series set in Minnesota forest country (A Mammoth Resurrection, The Bog Lady, The Devil’s Kettle, and Ghosts in the Heart), Terry Mejdrich has also been a lumberjack, farmer, carpenter, freelance reporter, and math/science teacher, sometimes all at once! Check out Thoughts From the Deep Woods, his collection of original poetry.

Join in the Winter Jackets fun and meet some of Minnesota’s most talented authors. These author events are free and open to the public, although seating is limited. Books will be available for purchase, with signing by the authors.

On Feb. 11 2012 you missed: Hartless Murderers
Brian Landon, Jessie Chandler, and Joan Murphy Pride (The Hartless Murderers) are the authors of silly, satirical, and downright funny murder mysteries. They have been writing together since 2005. All three authors contributed to a collection of mystery short stories, Why Did Santa Leave a Body? Look for Joan Murphy Pride’s Double Cross Country, Jessie Chandler’s Bingo Barge Murder and Brian Landon’s The Case of the Unnecessary Sequel and A Grand Ol’ Murder.

On Feb. 18, 2012 you missed: Kevin Kling
Best known for his popular commentaries on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, Kevin Kling delivers hilarious, often tender and autobiographical tales that are as enchanting as they are true to life: hopping freight trains, getting hit by lightning, growing up in Minnesota, and eating things before knowing what they are. Check out The Dog Says How or Kevin Kling’s Holiday Inn in print or eBook.

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This year during Winter Jackets, Anoka County Library will "Share the Warmth" by collecting packages and cans of hot beverages (coffee, tea, hot cocoa) to benefit Anoka County residents through their local food shelves. Each library will have a box to collect these donations through February 29th.

"By combining Winter Jackets with support of our local food shelf, readers in Anoka County can feel twice as good about spending some time with their favorite book," said Anoka County Commissioner and Library liaison Jim Kordiak.

Events are co-sponsored by MELSA (Metropolitan Library Service Association) and are funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

For more information about Winter Jackets, author events, or other library programs, call (763)712-2322 or visit your local Anoka County Library or the website at www.anoka.lib.mn.us.