One Book Bernardsville

This month Bernardsville Library and its community will be enjoying a shared reading experience called One Book Bernardsville. We will be reading "The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken" by Laura Schenone, discussing the book at three different book group meetings, and participating in an interesting and varied assortment of programs related to Italian culture, cuisine, and ethnic history.

Our first program offers insights into the Italian community in Bernardsville which provided skilled artisans for the Mountain Colony estates they helped build at the turn of the 20th century. While the stately homes are known to many, the history of this Italian community, Little Italy, is less well appreciated. Learn about Bernardsville's Little Italy at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, and hear how you can connect to your own family's history through Ancestry.com, as well.

If you love Frank Sinatra standards, come back again the next day for a jazz singer's rendition of the tops hits when Maggie Worsdale sings Sinatra at 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 11. This concert is funded by the Friends of the Bernardsville Public Library. On Sunday, October 25, at 2 p.m., we offer a completely different musical program featuring world class tenor Salvatore Chiarelli. You'll find yourself entranced as Mr. Chiarelli sings a lovely selection of classical, popular, and traditional Neapolitan/Italian songs.

For a taste of Italy, attend our two free programs on cuisine and wines! Diane dePalma will teach us how to make ravioli and provide a tasting, too, on Saturday, October 24 at 2 p.m. Follow that up on Wednesday, October 28, 7 p.m. with a free Italian Wine and Cheese Pairings program presented by Gary's Wine and Marketplace.

And to tie this all together, we will host the author of our One Book Bernardsville selection when Laura Schenone comes to the library to talk about her book and her quest for that lost family recipe. She'll be here on Wednesday, October 14, at 7 p.m., so feel fee to ask her a few questions. Copies of her book will be available for purchase and signing. We hope you'll attend at least a few of these wonderful free programs and that you'll enjoy discussing this book with your neighbors, the library staff,  and your own book groups. Please refer to the website for dates when we offer library book group discussions.