Library News

Artists Gisela and Cindy unveil their woven art piece for Art Walk 2025.
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Spinning Yarns: Celebrating Weaving Heritage in Hartland

This year's hARTland Art Walk celebration featured a spotlight on the incredible weaving history of Hartland.

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Art piece depicting an Oktoberfest celebration.
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Ale Together Now: Oktoberfest!

With gorgeous fall weather setting in, Oktoberfest styles are the perfect beer for the season. Easy drinking yet flavorful, both festbier and märzen beers ring in the harvest season perfectly with their malt-forward flavor and crisp mouthfeel.

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A volunteer crafting during the first weekend of Art Walk, 2025.
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Get Creative with Cromaine! Art & Craft Programs for All

With hARTland Art Walk officially underway, we're ecstatic to get crafty this fall!

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New at Cromaine

Book cover for "The Gnomes of Grimblewood"

The Gnomes of Grimblewood

Discover 8 enchanting little gnomes to knit, from popular knitting designer and gnome enthusiast, Sarah Schira.

In the depths of Grimblewood forest, tucked away under rustling pine and spruce trees, you'll find the Grimblewood gnomes: an eclectic and kindly bunch, ready to welcome anyone who rambles their way. From Gnorri, the skilled gardener tending to the Ancient Oak, to Gnoddy, who loves a cup of acorn and chanterelle tea, here is a charming circle of gnomes to knit and befriend...

Need-to-gnome:

  • Discover all the materials and notions you need, as well as all the necessary know-how, including how to block, stuff and assemble your gnomes to create their distinct personalities.
  • Each gnome has their own distinguishing features: choose from hats with earflaps, cablework, tassels or whimsical curled tips; choose outfits with colorwork details, stripes or cabling; create majestic beards with corkscrew curls or delicate loops, or even add some beard pockets!
  • Suitable for confident knitters, the book contains all the necessary colorwork and cable charts, along with Sarah's 'Chart of Everything': the ultimate guide to calculating the yarn weights you need for each and every gnome.
  • Every gnome is made in two weights of yarn - fingering (4-ply) and light worsted (DK/8-ply) - so you can knit your chosen new friend in a small or medium size. Or both!
  • Advice is given on how to adapt your gnomes to make them child-friendly, if you wish to make friends for the little ones in your life.

#NeverNotGnoming

Book cover for "How Not to Age"

How Not to Age

Instant New York Times Bestseller

Uncover the evidence-based science to slowing the effects of aging, from the New York Times bestselling author of the How Not to Die series 

When Dr. Michael Greger, founder of NutritionFacts.org, dove into the top peer-reviewed anti-aging medical research, he realized that diet could regulate every one of the most promising strategies for combating the effects of aging. We don’t need Big Pharma to keep us feeling young—we already have the tools. In How Not to Age, the internationally renowned physician and nutritionist breaks down the science of aging and chronic illness and explains how to help avoid the diseases most commonly encountered in our journeys through life.

Physicians have long treated aging as a malady, but getting older does not have to mean getting sicker. There are eleven pathways for aging in our bodies’ cells and we can disrupt each of them. Processes like autophagy, the upcycling of unusable junk, can be boosted with spermidine, a compound found in tempeh, mushrooms, and wheat germ. Senescent “zombie” cells that spew inflammation and are linked to many age-related diseases may be cleared in part with quercetin-rich foods like onions, apples, and kale. And we can combat effects of aging without breaking the bank. Why spend a small fortune on vitamin C and nicotinamide facial serums when you can make your own for up to 2,000 times cheaper?

Inspired by the dietary and lifestyle patterns of centenarians and residents of “blue zone” regions where people live the longest, Dr. Greger presents simple, accessible, and evidence-based methods to preserve the body functions that keep you feeling youthful, both physically and mentally. Brimming with expertise and actionable takeaways, How Not to Age lays out practical strategies for achieving ultimate longevity.

Book cover for "People Like Us"

People Like Us

One of USA Today’s 15 Books You Should Read This Summer
One of Atlanta Journal-Constitutions Hot New Summer Reads
One of People's Most Anticipated Summer Books
One of Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2025
A Late Show Book Club pick

The riveting new novel by the author of the 2021 National Book Award winner and bestseller Hell of a Book

People Like Us is Jason Mott’s electric new novel. It is not memoir, yet it has deeply personal connections to Jason’s life. And while rooted in reality, it explodes with dreamlike experiences that pull a reader in and don’t let go, from the ability to time travel to sightings of sea monsters and peacocks, and feelings of love and memory so real they hurt.

In People Like Us, two Black writers are trying to find peace and belonging in a world that is riven with gun violence. One is on a global book tour after a big prize win; the other is set to give a speech at a school that has suffered a shooting. And as their two storylines merge, truths and antics abound in equal measure: characters drink booze out of an award trophy; menaces lurk in the shadows; tiny French cars putter around the countryside; handguns seem to hover in the air; and dreams endure against all odds.

People Like Us is wickedly funny and achingly sad all at once. It is an utter triumph bursting with larger-than-life characters who deliver a very real take on our world. This book contains characters experiencing deep loss and longing; it also is buoyed by riotous humor and characters who share the deepest love. It is the newest creation of a writer whose work amazes, delivering something utterly new yet instantly recognizable as a Jason Mott novel. 

Finishing the novel will leave you absolutely breathless and, at the same time, utterly filled with joy for life, changed forever by characters who are people like us.

Book cover for "Sally's Baking 101"

Sally's Baking 101

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The ultimate baking book for home cooks of all skill levels with 101 sweet and savory, foolproof recipes plus helpful tips for best results—from the creator of the beloved website Sally’s Baking Addiction.

“Sally has a gift for creating recipes that bakers trust and that families and friends crave. There’s so much to learn and so much to love here.”—New York Times bestselling author Dorie Greenspan

For years, Sally’s Baking Addiction has been the trusted online resource for anyone who wants to make delicious baked goods from scratch. An expert self-taught baker, Sally McKenney has been dedicated to developing and perfecting a wide range of baking recipes and her devoted audience trusts her implicitly. In this collection of 101 irresistible recipes, she presents an array of crowd-pleasing bakes to suit every occasion and craving, from cookies and bars to cakes, pies, breads, and brunch fare. Sprinkled throughout the book, you’ll find a selection of her most treasured fan favorites, including Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Strawberry Cake, Homemade Pizza Dough, and Classic Apple Pie.

Sally shares everything you need to know to be a successful home baker including basic baking principles, tools and ingredients, detailed how-to’s, and step-by-step photos. She also offers her best tips and tricks, such as how to brown butter, prepare your baking pans, freeze baked goods, test for doneness, and so much more. Simpler recipes are included if your time is limited or you’re just beginning your baking journey, like Chewy Banana Walnut Cookies, Thick & Fudgy Brownies, Lemon Lavender Olive Oil Cake, and the Ultimate Fruit Crisp. Advanced bakers will be excited to try Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Danishes, Tiramisu Cake Roll, Sky-High Chocolate Mousse Pie, and Asparagus & Smoked Salmon Tart. Many of the recipes are somewhere in between, including Buttermilk Chive Fantail Rolls, Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies, Caramel Sheet Cake, and Butternut Squash & Sage Chicken Pot Pie.

With Sally’s Baking 101 as your guide, you’ll gain the knowledge you need to feel confident baking from scratch with tempting, reliable recipes guaranteed to delight family and friends.

Book cover for "We All Want to Change the World"

We All Want to Change the World

A sweeping look back at the protest movements that changed America from activist and NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with personal and historical insights into lessons they can teach us today

“A compelling case for standing up for justice at a time when everything, it seems, is on the line.”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

For many, it can feel like change takes too long, and it might seem that we have not moved very far. But political activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar believes that public protest is a vital part of affecting change, even if that change doesn’t come “right now.”

In We All Want to Change the World, he examines the activism of people of all ages, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds that helped change America, documenting events from the Free Speech Movement through the movement for civil rights, the fight for women’s and LGBTQ rights, and, of course, the protests against the Vietnam War. At a time in our history when we are witnessing protests across campuses, within the labor movement, and following the killing of George Floyd, Abdul-Jabbar reminds us that protests are a lifeblood of our history:

“Protest movements, even peaceful ones, are never popular at first. . . . But there is a reason protest gatherings have been so frequent throughout history: They are effective. The United States exists because of them.”

Part history lesson and part personal reminiscences of his own activism, We All Want to Change the World will resonate with anyone who recognizes the need for social change and is willing to do the work to make it happen.

Book cover for "Here We Go"

Here We Go

It's Never Too Late for the Next Act

When Ellie and Sandy met after becoming empty-nesters and then widows, their late-in-life friendship blew open a new, exciting chapter of life: living fearlessly and adventurously. But they never could’ve imagined it would also propel them—in their 80s—to accidental fame, going viral on social media as the ‘travelling grannies,’ inspiring people young and old across cultures when they went around the world in 80 days. While still working full-time, they’ve adventured the world for decades—always on the unbeaten path and a budget ($29.00/per night.) Their adventures transformed their outlooks, galvanized and deepened their friendship and their faith, and instilled a positivity that has proven wildly contagious. They’ve found purpose in the fact that people around the globe are inspired by their friendship and wrote this book to share their adventures with readers and to invite them to make their own.

From the icy shores of Antarctica, the deep bush in Zambia on Medical Missions (without electricity or plumbing, just the restorative power of meaningful service and human connection), to the breathtaking night sky above the Syrian desert, life on the road has gifted Ellie and Sandy essential wisdom. Here We Go expands on the joyous message of hope that launched them into the spotlight, delivering tales of their exploits, advice and inspiration for anyone who aims to live with grace and gusto, connect authentically with others despite differences, and embrace our potential for joy and love.

To quote Ellie and Sandy, “Make some plans and live!”