Adults

Story Time for Adults


Hand holding open book
Fridays at Noon: You're never too old for a good story! Take a break each Friday at noon, as your Menlo Park librarians read aloud to you. 

Let's Talk Books

Small human figure standing within huge open boook
Wednesday, Dec. 2: Join us for a chat about books that we think are worth a read. We'll bring you up to date on some of the books that have come out lately.

The Second Wave of Feminism: The Lavender Menace

Photo from 1970 protest: women wearing "Lavender Menace" t-shirts
Monday, Dec. 7: The Women’s History Museum takes us back to 1970, to the protests against the exclusion of lesbians and lesbian issues from the feminist movement.

Book Clubs Are Back!
Books, stacked diagonally

Join us virtually, to talk about some great reads! Our Literature Book Group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, our Mystery Readers Group convenes on the 3rd Wednesday, and our Sci-Fi/Fantasy group gets together on the 4th Monday.

Literature Book GroupTuesday, Dec. 8
The Pearl, by John Steinbeck
Mystery Readers GroupWednesday, Dec. 16
Holiday Mysteries
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book GroupMonday, Dec. 28Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, by Philip K. Dick

Cooking Demonstration: A Taste of African Heritage

Bowl of prepared couscous
Friday, Dec. 11: Cook along with us, if you like, as we learn how to make a pair of healthy and delicious regional specialties from West Africa!

Meet the Poet: Samuel Getachew


2019 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate Samuel Getachew on stage, seated
Monday, Dec. 14: Recently spotlighted in a New York Times feature, “Young Black Poets,” the 18-year-old is 2019 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate and an incoming Yale freshman. We’ll meet him in conversation with poet and musician Jym Marks.

Introduction to Home Food Preservation

Person standing behind table full of jars of home-preserved food
Monday, Dec. 15: Get the information you need to start canning, pickling, fermenting, freezing, and dehydrating.

Raise a Glass, Quarantine-Style

Hand grasping glass mug of beer, a surgical mask in background
Thursday, Dec. 17: Germany has one of the oldest and richest beer cultures in the world, and this month we will raise our glasses to German beers. Join us for some trivia, beer lore, and fun.

Art and Artists: Can Toy Bears Jump?


Group of dolls jumping
Friday, Dec. 18: By day, Simlian Ong of Singapore is a colleague, a wife and a mom—but in her spare time, she’s a toy collector and photographer. You’ll be amazed at what her dolls and toys get up to.

Virtual Tour: Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles


Holding pen full of California sea lions at rehab center
Monday, Dec. 21: Go behind the scenes, meet the center’s pinniped patients, and learn how staff and volunteers work to return injured animals back to their ocean homes.

Virtual Tour: Japanese American National Museum


Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles
Monday, Dec. 28: Explore the museum’s exhibition chronicling 130 years of Japanese American history and then speak to a survivor of America’s concentration camps.