OLLF Newsletter – Winter 2025
From the President:The budget, for the city of Dallas, passed and the Skillman Southwestern branch was closed. For fiscal 2026-27, 4 branches to be named will be closed and library services will be further reduced. As always, library supporters must make their voices heard at budget townhall meetings and at city hall year-round.
A copy of the November BookPage. It has information on all the newest books. OLLF provides funding for 50 copies a month for our branch.
OLLF has provided about $1,000 for fall and winter programming.
Our website currently has 5,362 author pages. It covers new and old authors with author biographies and books in order of publication. It is updated with new authors on a weekly basis. Many of the authors added this year are first time authors from around the globe.
Day of Giving September 18, 2025
Our organization raised $1384 from the Day of Giving this year. We will use those funds to provide support for Spring and Summer programming in 2026.
The money we spend on gardening programs is from a grant that we received from American Woodmark. We are focusing on gardening books for indoor and patio gardening since gardening space is limited in Oak Lawn.
Carlos – our first cat member
After Oct. 1st, we will buy books about pet care for children, and we are planning a pet related event in April 2026. As our pet membership grows, we will expand our services for pet owners.
Book Recommendations for Winter 2025 (as it gets cooler outside, it is the perfect time to grab a book).
Fiction:
The Unforgettable Loretta Darling by Katherine Darling. A historical novel set in Hollywood in the late 1950’s. Loretta is an immigrant from England who moves with her soon to be husband to Hollywood. Her husband, Raphael, wants to become a movie star. Loretta wants to become a makeup artist for the stars. On her wedding day, Loretta is taken by her husband to a wild orgy where she is nearly raped. She escapes with help from an English writer. She leaves her husband and becomes a waitress and then a makeup artist.
The Devil Raises His Own by Scott Phillips. A historical novel set in 1916 with an interesting cast of characters who all end up in Los Angeles. There is an old photographer, Bill, his granddaughter, Flavonia, who murdered her husband. Henry, a runaway who becomes a photographic asst. There are Irene and George who are a gay couple who make “Blue (erotic films), Ezra who abandoned his family and then spends the entire book trying to find them.
The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths. Like any good murder mystery, the Postscript Murders starts off with a death that may or may not be suspicious. Peggy Smith, the deceased woman was in good health and her care giver Natalka thinks the death is suspicious. She gets a neighbor, Edwin (a gay man) and Benedict (a former monk) to help investigate with help from the police. This is an intricate book with multiple deaths and multiple murderers which makes for an interesting read.
The Women by Kristin Hannah. A historical novel about the Army nurses who served in Vietnam. The focus is on Frankie and her two friends Ethel and Barbara. The time is from 1966 to 1993. A very intense novel about the challenges of taking care of seriously wounded soldiers and then the rejection by the public when Frankie comes home from the war. She is shunned by her family, the VA and the public. Frankie has PTSD, bad luck with men, a drinking and drug problem. She is a mess, but her friends help her recover.
Non-Fiction:
Shadow Men by James Polchin. A true crime story set in 1921-1923. A man is found murdered on the side of the road. A few days later a wealthy man confesses to the murder but claims self-defense. The story does not add up but because of the murderer’s status and wealth he only spends a short time in jail and the powers that be protect him from prosecution until NY State intervenes.
Mellon vs Churchill by Jill Eicher. The story of Winston Churchill (Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon who tried to resolve the issue of paying off loans that the UK had taken out during WW1 to fund the war against the Germans. It was an on and off issue during the 1920s and early 1930’s. The UK thought the loans should be cancelled completely and the Americans expected repayment.
Children of Radium by Joe Dunthorne. The author uncovers the truth of his great grandfather’s involvement in the production of chemical warfare agents in Germany prior to World War 2. His Jewish grandfather was transferred from Germany to Turkey just before World War 2 started and spent the war working with the Turkish government to develop munitions and chemical warfare weapons.
Catherine de Medici by Mary Holingsworth. A biography of Catherine de Medici, queen of France in the 16th century and mother to 3 French Kings. She lived a very interesting life. Her husband died young and she had to help govern France while her children were young. She had to negotiate between the various religious and political factions to keep the peace in France which was always on the verge of war for over 40 years.
For suggested books, you can use this link: https://oaklawnlibraryfriends.com/book-recommendations/
To check out upcoming events at our branch, you can View our online calendar at dallaslibrary.org/events
Shop Kroger & Benefit the Library
You must re-enroll starting August 1st each year. If you have a Kroger Care card, link your card to number # 41560 and you will benefit the Oak Lawn Library Friends every time you shop at Kroger.
New mobile signage for the seed library and gardening programs.
Oak Lawn Library Friends Membership Form
| Name(s) | ||||
| Address | ||||
| City, Zip | Home Phone | |||
| Email Address | ||||
| Membership Status (please check one) | ||||
| Student/Senior $6 | You can pay with cash, check or PayPal. The PayPal option is on the Oak Lawn Library Friends website. | |||
| Sustaining $20 | ||||
| Pet Membership – $10 | ||||
| Household $25 | ||||
| Non-profit $50 | ||||
| Close Friend $75 | ||||
| Corporate $250 | ||||
| Other | ||||
| MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: Oak Lawn Library Friends 4100 Cedar Springs Dallas, Texas 75219 | ||||
We have added a new pet membership. The cost is $10 a year and all funds raised from these memberships will be used to support pet programming and fund the purchase of books about pets. Our sewing classes have made some pet bandanas. When your pet joins, you get a free bandana for your pet.
You can join online for yourself or your pet. If you want, you can send a photo of your pet, and we will put them on our Instagram feed and on a dedicated page for pet members.
The link to our membership page is: https://oaklawnlibraryfriends.com/membership-page/
Finally, I encourage you to join OLLF as a member or consider serving on the OLLF board. The board meets several times a year with staff. We discuss what programs and books the staff and the community want and explore ways to raise money or provide volunteers to meet those needs.
Oak Lawn Library Friends 