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"I am completely smitten with the Lunch with Books patrons...who welcomed me like a long-lost cousin. It takes two to have a successful reading: an enthusiastic presenter and an engaged audience, and boy did the stars align for us." -Marie Manilla, Still Life with Plums

"Lunch With Books is an outstanding program -- one of the best in the country." -NPR Journalist Matthew Algeo, The President is a Sick Man


"With a new book in hand, I’ve visited a lot of libraries lately, and I think the Ohio County Public Library is my all-time favorite. People are kind and welcoming, and deeply appreciate a visiting writer." -Jaimy Gordon, Lord of Misrule (National Book Award)

“I wanted the book launch to be at Lunch With Books because it is the best library book program in West Virginia and because Wheeling and the Wheeling area was centrally involved in so many of the firsts in West Virginia sports.” –Bob Barnett, Hillside Fields: A History of Sports in West Virginia

This blog is being discontinued.

This blog is being discontinued.
Please visit: www.ohiocountylibrary.org/calendar

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

May 4: Handraising Orphaned Fawns

131 people attended Stuart Bloch's presentation today--the second largest crowd in the 13-year history of the Lunch With Books program. Wow! Thanks for your support!

Up Next: Author Cynthia R. Hubbard will visit the Lunch With Books program at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling on Tuesday, May 4 at noon for a discussion of her book The Pleasure of Their Company: Adventures in Handraising Orphaned Fawns. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

A History of Bloch Brothers Tobacco

Stuart Bloch will appear at the Lunch With Books program at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling on Tuesday, April 27 at noon to discuss the history of his family’s world famous business: Bloch Brothers Tobacco Company, makers of stogies and Mail Pouch chew, a product famously promoted with iconic, painted barns that still dot the U.S. landscape. Bloch Brothers was a major player in Wheeling’s business history. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

April 20: The Civil War in West Virginia with Stan Cohen

Author and publisher Stan Cohen, who has written numerous books about West Virginia’s history, will visit Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, April 20 at noon to discuss the events of the Civil War in the state. Mr. Cohen is originally from Charleston but now lives in Montana, where he operates Pictorial Histories Publishing Co. He is the author of more than 60 books. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

April 13: Mt. de Chantal

Sister Joanne Gonter of the Mt. de Chantal Visitation Academy will appear at the Lunch With Books program at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, April 13 at noon to discuss the history of the school, which has been in Wheeling since 1848, when it was founded by the Sisters of the Visitation at the invitation of Bishop Richard Whelan. Because of low enrollment and dwindling resources, the Academy graduated its final class on May 31, 2008. Early in 2010, the remaining Sisters of the Visitation will relocate to the Georgetown Monastery in Washington, D.C. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Top Ten Lunch With Books Programs

Program; Presenter; Attendance; Date

1. SAENGERFEST; Eintracht German Singing Society; 200; 07-17-10

2. A Lucky Child; Auschwitz Survivor Judge Thomas Buergenthal; 198; 03-04-11

3. Fashion Show; Civil War 150; 194; 11-20-11

4. Ruanaidh; Art Rooney, Jr. and Jim O'Brien; 168; 06-15-10

5. Follow the River; James Alexander Thom; 160; 06-05-08

6. Warwood Memories; 157; 12-18-12

7. The Quiet Man Pub Reading; 150; 08-30-12

8. Wheeling Then and Now; Sean Duffy; 146; 09-07-10

9. Bloch Brother Tobacco; Stuart Bloch; 131; 04-27-10

10. Reasons to Believe; Dr. Scott Hahn; 126; 08-21-07

Book Discussion Groups

The Ohio County Public Library facilitates book discussion groups for both young adults and adults. Currently, the OCPL offers two adult groups, which meet on the first Monday and third Thursday of each month.

In addition to its own growing collection, the OCPL has access to the book discussion collection of the West Virginia Library Commission.

To join or form a book discussion group, or for more information, please call 304-232-0244.

Meeting of the Minds Philosophy Group

The Meeting of the Minds Philosophic Inquiry Forum is facilitated by David Weimer. The group meets virtually every Tuesday at 6 PM. Call the library for meeting room locations.

For more information, visit www.firstknowthyself.org/m&mphilosophy.htm or contact group organizer, David Weimer, at 740 526-0985 or by email at dwwweimer@comcast.net..