Meeting summary is prepared by Riverton Library Association Board Secretary, Bea Horn.

A Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees met Monday evening, September 26, at the library at 7:30 PM.

President Kim Paulsen noted the building exterior repair work and painting project, in progress. Much of the wood has been replaced. Phyllis Rodgers and her committee met over the summer to decide a new color palate for the exterior. Phyllis has worked tirelessly with the painting contractor, Kevin O’Shea as well as Larry Bradshaw of Bradshaw Electric, to restore our building and the lighting of its entrances and walkways. Thus far, we are within our projected budget.

Iris Gaughan has volunteered to chair the Friends of the Library. She proposed the Friends assume responsibility for the grounds, as well as continue their fund-raising efforts to benefit the library.

Kim Paulsen announced that Eleanor Paladino will not seek another term on the Board, and thanked her for her service. Eleanor joined the Board in 2002, and became our Treasurer in 2003. She has worked on the Candlelight Tours, annual cocktail parties and seen us through capital projects, with her financial projections. Kenneth Smith, Esq., who joined the Board in 2012, has also announced his resignation from the Board. We thank him for his service.

Karen Healey reported the 2016 Candlelight House Tour will take place on December 3, from 4 PM. to 9 PM. Cost of tickets is $15.00 (advance sale) and $20.00 at the door. Ticket sale dates and locations will be announced soon. In addition to nine homeowners welcoming us into their homes, local businesses will be open and carolers voices will be heard. Look for our complete list of all homes and businesses to be open within the next week.

Now that summer is over, the Used Book Sale is up and running each Sunday, starting at 1 PM.

Jo Horton has agreed to chair the annual cocktail party and fundraiser. Specifics, including date, will be announced following the Annual and Regular Meetings, to be held in January 2017.

Image thanks to goodreads.com

Always on the lookout for an excellent book choice, librarian, Nancy Fort, recommends an historical fiction, The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki.

I came across this book while viewing a webinar about cross-over and cross-under titles.  A cross-over title is a book written for a younger audience that also appeals to an older audience, think Twilight.  Similarly a cross-under book is written for an older audience but may also appeal to a younger audience.  Accidental Empress is an adult fiction book.  It is a hefty 495 pages long.

Image thanks to goodreads.com

It’s about Empress Elisabeth the wife of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I and takes place in the 1850’s.  Where is the cross-under appeal you ask?  Well to start, Elisabeth or “Sisi” as her family calls her is only a teenager when she travels to Austria to meet her cousin Franz Joseph who is betrothed to her sister.  Her sister has no interest in marrying Franz Joseph and Sisi, who is naturally more gregarious than her sister, wins his heart.

Image thanks to people.com

The real life Elisabeth was the Princess Diana of her time.  She was extremely stylish and took credit for many of the fashions of the day.  Her personality won her the adoration of the people.  Her story is fascinating.  She was not prepared to lead a royal life but faced the challenge and became a very popular public figure.  It is tempting to romanticize Elisabeth’s life but the novel does present some of the obstacles she may have faced in reality such as a disapproving mother in law and a philandering husband.  Elisabeth matures from a headstrong young woman to a clever political partner of the Emperor over the course of the novel.  A transformation made even more amazing considering the prevailing attitude of the time that a woman’s role was in the home as wife and mother.  I encourage you to read this book and find out more about this remarkable historical figure.