OLLF Newsletter – Summer 2025
From the President:It has been a busy spring as OLLF has been busy planning and spending money to enhance library services at the Oak Lawn Library. We provided $200 to support the SMART Summer program which starts May 31st.
We have also funded $400 for gardening related books, $600 for supplies for upcoming programs and $1,000 for new fiction and books about American history. We are also reworking the seed library to provide additional information on planting and gardening at home. Also, we will be funding some gardening programs this summer and fall.
A copy of the April BookPage. It has information on all the newest books. OLLF provides funding for 50 copies a month for our branch.
Our website currently has 5012 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.
Book Recommendations for Summer 2025
Fiction:
Thin Air by Ann Cleeves. The 6th in a series of murder mysteries set in the Shetland Islands. What begins as a wedding celebration and a week-long holiday turns into a missing person report and then murder. Inspector Jimmy Perez and his team must travel to the northernmost island of the Shetlands to solve a series of murders linked to a girl who went missing about 100 years ago. Ann Cleeves is also the author of the “Vera” series.
The Butterfly House by Katrine Engberg. The title Butterfly House refers to a residential facility for caring for mentally ill teenagers in Denmark and then closed a few years back. When a dead naked body is found in a fountain, Lead Investigator Jeppe Korner works to uncover the mystery at Butterfly House and why so many former employees are turning up dead across Copenhagen.
Best Murder of the Year by Jon P. Bloch A murder mystery set at the Oscar’s in Hollywood. The Best Actor of the Year Award goes to Shane Kirk, however, Shane, the lover of Rick Domino, is missing and is found dead in the alley behind the awards ceremony venue. Rick goes looking for Shane and discovers the body of Tara winner of the Best Actress Award. Rick gets accused of murder and must prove that he did not commit the murder.
The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee. Imagine that when you fall asleep, your mind goes to a Dept. Store that sells dreams that you will dream while you sleep. This is the premise of a first novel from South Korea. It is a novel idea with surprising twists.
The Water Room by Christopher Fowler. Th 2nd book in a series about Bryant and May who are detectives in the Peculiar Crimes Unit of the Metropolitan Police. This time they are investigating a series of murders on a quiet street in Camden. A lady who drowned in a dry room, a man suffocated in his bed and a construction worker buried in a heap of concrete and mud at a construction site.
Non-Fiction:
The Longest Con by Joe Conason is a detailed history of how conmen and grifters have bilked millions of Americans of billions of dollars thru appeals to religion and fear since the 1950’s. It also discusses how lobbyists have become the cesspool of pay for play in American politics and hijacked American conservatism.
The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher. Titled a strategy for Christians in a post- Christian nation. The author argues that the only way for Christians to adapt to a more secular culture is to withdraw from society and emulate the Benedictine monks by focusing on getting closer to God.
The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing. A part memoir and part gardening book set during Covid. Olivia and her husband buy an old garden and try to restore it to what it once was set against the challengers of dealing with lockdown during Covid. Also, she wonders about the human cost of some of the great gardens in England.
For suggested books, you can use this link: https://oaklawnlibraryfriends.com/book-recommendations/
Upcoming programs at the Oak Lawn Library:
Adult
Sew Much Fun with Jill:
On-The-Go Disposal Bags for your Car Part 2
Wednesday, May 7
5pm-7:45pm
(registration required)
Life Skills for Everyday Heroes:
Budgeting and Credit 101
Thursday, May 22
6pm-7pm
Stich, Sip, and Snitch
Saturday, May 24
1pm-3pm
Art in the Style:
Takashi Murakami
Wednesday, May 28
6pm-7pm
DIY Texas Wildflowers Press Project Part 2
Saturday, May 31
11am-1pm
(registration required)
Kids
Lei Day
Thursday, May 1
6pm-7pm
Japanese Daruma Doll Workshop
Saturday, May 10
1pm-2pm
Mental Health Awareness Month- Pony Bead Bracelets
Wednesday, May 21
6pm-7pm
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.
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 