Welcome to the December 2025 Library Newsletter!
 
December has arrived, and with it comes a month of celebration, connection, and community here at the library. 
 
This month, the library is bringing a bit of holiday magic into the community. On December 12, families are invited to visit with Santa, enjoy festive treats, do holiday crafts, and capture memories with a professional photographer. Next week, you can drop by to grab a free STEAM Club To-Go kit and build your own ice lantern, a cozy winter craft perfect for home. For bibliophiles and journal-lovers, a Book Journals Craft Night early this month, offering the chance to reflect on 2025 and set reading goals into the New Year. There's so much more on our calendar, so be sure to check it out below, along with upcoming titles coming soon to the library, a flashback to some November programs, and more!
 
Whether you’re looking for family-friendly fun, quiet reading time, or creative ways to unwind, we’ve got something special for you. Let’s make the last chapter of 2025 a great one together!
 
Check out our current calendar and more information about each program! You can download the calendar by clicking here! 
Author Talk: Scott Sunderwald
A huge thank-you to Scott Sunderwald, author of Radically Wild, for an unforgettable evening at the library! Scott shared incredible stories from his adventures and gave us an up-close look at artifacts from his adventures. We loved exploring the wild through his eyes and many attendees even went home with signed copies of his book!
 
Adult Craft Night: Diamond Painting
Adult crafters took on Diamond Painting this month! Each carefully and precisely created their bookmarks with ease!
Early Readers' Book Club
We read the book "Du Iz Tak?", a book written in an insect language, and created our own bugs to take home!
The title reads "Your Library, Your Story". It has a graph paper background with more handwritten, vontage paper on either side of the title. On top of the paper on the left is a vintage camera, and to the right is a photo taken from the Coal Branch Archives of skaters embracing. The vibe of the title image is nostalgic and muted, looking like an old scrapbook.
We'd love to hear and share your experience about the Hinton Municipal Library with others in the community, including anything from a program you loved, a fun experience or memory you have, your favourite e-resource, or even a review of a good book! If you'd like to share your experience, contact us via email, or message us on social media!
 
December 2025 Programs at a Glance
To sign up to select programs and see our full calendar of events, click here!
Step into a snow-dusted fairytale world where every page you read brings you further along the path. As you journey through the Frosted Forest, you’ll discover sparkling landmarks, cozy woodland hideaways, and magical winter creatures. 
 
Track your reading minutes to travel deeper into the woods, and complete special quests: fun seasonal activities to help you explore, create, and imagine. 
 
Will you reach the Ice Palace at the heart of the forest? Bundle up, grab a good book, and begin your wintry quest by using challenge code FOREST on the Beanstack app or desktop site!
 
Dive into the world of literature that has faced censorship with Open Books: A Banned Book Challenge on Beanstack! This challenge will be running from the start of Banned Book Week in October in the United States to Canada's Freedom to Read Week in February. For every book you read from our curated list of banned books, you’ll earn an entry towards a Banned Book Merch Pack, full of unique items celebrating the freedom to read. Use code OPENBOOK to join and participate!
 
To learn more about Beanstack and how it works, please visit hintonlibrary.org/beanstack
 
 Coming Soon...
Here's a sneak peak at some of the books that are currently being processed by Hinton Municipal Library staff and will be available soon! PSA: We update the "Coming Soon" list on our website every week with ALL the new books coming to the Hinton Municipal Library, so click here to check it out!
 

Star Wars: The Last Order by Kwame Mbalia
Star Wars: The Last Order
by Kwame Mbalia

New York Times best-selling author Kwame Mbalia makes his Star Wars debut with this exciting YA novel! Following the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the Resistance rescues a ship full of young passengers who had been kidnapped by the First Order. As Finn and Jannah set out to find the First Order officer responsible before he can endanger any more children, the two former stormtroopers must wrestle with their own complicated pasts as soldiers of the oppressive regime. Take a deep dive into the pasts of popular characters Finn and Jannah in this richly-drawn, action-packed story that fans have been asking for.
Heavenly Tyrant (Iron Widow, Book 2)
by Xiran Jay Zhao

After suffering devastating loss and making drastic decisions, Zetian finds herself at the seat of power in Huaxia. But she has also learned that her world is not as it seems, and revelations about an enemy more daunting than Zetian imagined forces her to share power with a dangerous man she cannot simply depose. Despite having vastly different ideas about how they must deconstruct the corrupt and misogynist system that plagues their country, Zetian must join this man in a dance of truth and lies and perform their roles to perfection in order to take down their common enemy, who seeks to control them as puppets while dangling one of Zetian's loved ones as a hostage. With political unrest and perilous forces aiming to undermine Zetian at every turn, can she enact positive changes as a fair and just ruler? Or will she be forced to rely on fear and violence and succumb to her darker instincts in her quest for vengeance?--Provided by publisher.
Heavenly Tyrant (Iron Widow, Book 2) by Xiran Jay Zhao
The Omen Girl by Yueh Yang
The Omen Girl
by Yueh Yang

A chosen-one YA fantasy debut novel inspired by Asian culture with a richly developed world--perfect for fans of Elizabeth Lim, Amélie Wen Zhao, and Sue Lynn Tan. Sozo was born cursed. Called a monster. Raised to hide. But Sozo is done running. Abandoned by her parents when her Omen stain appeared, Sozo survives the streets through her secret weapon: her ability to conceal her curse. It's a rare talent that her shadowy mentor, Esp, sees as the key to infiltrating and competing in the Decade Race of Stars. The race is deadly, but the prize is irresistible: a single wish for anything. Esp dreams of using it to reshape the world, and Sozo convinces herself the risk is worth it, but keeping her stain hidden--and her monstrous side in check--is harder with every challenge, especially when sunny Naqi enters the picture, offering her kindness and friendship she was never allowed. As Sozo fights to survive the race, doubts creep in. Should she claim the wish for Esp no matter the cost? But what if it hurts Naqi? With monsters lurking inside and out, Sozo must decide whose future she's fighting for and if she's willing to pay the ultimate price.
King of the Neuro Verse
by Idris Goodwin

Stuck in summer school, seventeen-year-old Pernell navigates life and the challenges of ADHD while battling to become the Cypher King, leader of the lunchroom's impromptu rap circles.
King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin
Wayward Gods: Divine Mortals, Book Two by Amanda M. Helander
Wayward Gods: Divine Mortals, Book Two
by Amanda M. Helander

Nineteen-year-old Mona, a soothsayer forced to marry the king against her will, works to stop the prophesized end of the world that even the gods are powerless to prevent.
The Mad Wife
by Meagan Church

In the 1950s, nothing is valued more than conformity, and Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the ideal housewife. But after the birth of her daughter, Lulu's carefully constructed life begins to teeter. Exhausted by expectations and haunted by tragic memories, Lulu looks to her new neighbor, Bitsy. Bitsy, always the model of a perfect housewife, is not quite what she seems and Lulu knows something dark lurks beneath Bitsy's constant smile. Increasingly fixated on Bitsy and her perfectly crafted life, Lulu's mental state begins to fracture, and memories she had suppressed long ago begin to rise to the surface. Soon, Lulu is forced to confront the possibility that she might be headed down a path much darker than she could ever foresee. Set against the backdrop of a post-war era defined by tradition and constrained femininity, The Mad Wife weaves together a coming-of-age search for identity with a psychological drama so poignant, you won't be able to put it down--
The Mad Wife by Meagan Church
The Pleasures of Wintering: Winter-Inspired Rituals for Rejuvenation, Serenity, and Joy by Erin Niimi Longhurst
The Pleasures of Wintering: Winter-Inspired Rituals for Rejuvenation, Serenity, and Joy
by Erin Niimi Longhurst

Discover the enriching lessons of winter through practices that p romote rest, contemplation, and rejuvenation, including rituals for self-care, slow living, mindfulness, and creativity. Perfect for fans of Wintering and How to Do Nothing.--Provided by publisher.
Nifty Gifty: Mini Crafts with Major Charm
by Alexa Pedrero

The must-have guide to creating tiny, special, homemade presents for anyone you love. From popular TikTok crafter Lauraleii-- Provided by publisher.
Nifty Gifty: Mini Crafts with Major Charm by Alexa Pedrero
Prairie Edge by Conor Kerr
Prairie Edge
by Conor Kerr

Shortlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize - Finalist for the 2024 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Prize - A Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year - One of CBC's Best Canadian Fiction of 2024 The Giller Prize-longlisted author of Avenue of Champions returns with a frenetic, propulsive crime thriller that doubles as a sharp critique of modern activism and challenges readers to consider what Land Back might really look like. Meet Isidore Ezzy Desjarlais and Grey Ginther: two distant Métis cousins making the most of Grey's uncle's old trailer, passing their days playing endless games of cribbage and cracking cans of cheap beer in between. Grey, once a passionate advocate for change, has been hardened and turned cynical by an activist culture she thinks has turned performative and lazy. One night, though, she has a revelation, and enlists Ezzy, who is hopelessly devoted to her but eager to avoid the authorities after a life in and out of the group home system and jail, for a bold yet dangerous political mission: capture a herd of bison from a national park and set them free in downtown Edmonton, disrupting the churn of settler routine. But as Grey becomes increasingly single-minded in her newfound calling, their act of protest puts the pair and those close to them in peril, with devastating and sometimes fatal consequences. For readers drawn to the electric storytelling of Morgan Talty and the taut register of Stephen Graham Jones, Conor Kerr's Prairie Edge is at once a gripping, darkly funny caper and a raw reckoning with the wounds that persist across generations.
The Door on the Sea
by Caskey Russell

When Elåan trapped a salmon-stealing raven in his cupboard, he never expected it would hold the key to saving his people from the shapeshifting Koosh invaders plaguing their shores. In exchange for its freedom, the raven offers a secret that can save Elåan's home: the Koosh have lost one of their most powerful weapons, and only the raven knows where it is. Elåan is tasked with captaining a canoe crewed by an unlikely team including a human bear-cousin, a massive wolf, and the endlessly vulgar raven. To retrieve the weapon, they will face stormy seas, cannibal giants and a changing world. But Elåan is a storyteller, not a warrior. As their world continues to fall to the Koosh, and alliances are challenged and broken, Elåan must choose his role in his own epic story--
The Door on the Sea by Caskey Russell
Fungi for Gardeners: Know Your Garden Fungi and How to Grow Them by DK
Fungi for Gardeners: Know Your Garden Fungi and How to Grow Them
by DK

Discover the wonder of fungi and the vital role they play in your garden with expert guidance from the RHS. Did you know that the world's largest living organism is a fungus? Or that without fungi we would disappear under a mountain of dead leaves? Fungi are all around us, including in our gardens. From the vast mycorrhizal networks in the soil to the array of mushrooms that pop up overnight and the less welcome varieties that appear on our plants, we live surrounded by this fascinating, often hidden world. Beautifully illustrated, RHS Fungi for Gardeners is packed with information on how to identify fungi, why fungi are key to a healthy garden, and projects for growing your own mushrooms to eat or just enjoy!
Dead Hand Rule: Book Three of the Craft Wars Series
by Max Gladstone

From the co-author of the viral New York Times bestseller This Is How You Lose the Time War....Great powers clash and epic action unfolds in book three of the Craft Wars series. The time until the end-times is ticking away. If the world has any hope of surviving, it must come together now. The foundations of the world are quaking. Markets crash and cities burn as a new god struggles to be born. Ancient hunters skitter across space, eager and hungry. Dark forces conspire to undermine anything or anyone who could stand in their way. Divided, the world of the craft is certain to fall. In Alt Coulomb, the great powers of the world gather in conference. Empires, divinities, and corporate concerns take seats at the table. Untold wealth and inexhaustible might is on offer, but coalition will not come easily. Can these forces come together to save the world? And if they do, what parts of it will they choose to save, and for whom? Also Available by Max Gladstone: The Craft Sequence1. Three Parts Dead2. Two Serpents Rise3. Full Fathom Five4. Last First Snow5. Four Roads Cross6. Ruin of Angels The Craft Wars1. Dead Country2. Wicked ProblemsLast ExitEmpress of ForeverThis is How You Lose the Time War (with Amal El-Mohtar)
Dead Hand Rule: Book Three of the Craft Wars Series by Max Gladstone
What's My Baby Thinking?: Practical Child Psychology for Modern Parents by Tanith Carey
What's My Baby Thinking?: Practical Child Psychology for Modern Parents
by Tanith Carey

Right from the day your baby is born, they are thinking - they have a lot to learn and figure out! Your baby also has a strong desire to communicate, but it isn't always easy to work out just what they are trying to tell you. In this fascinating, research-led book, parenting author Tanith Carey and Clinical Psychologist Dr Angharad Rudkin explain just what your new baby might be thinking, in 75 typical scenarios, from newborn to two years old. What's My Baby Thinking? looks in depth at your baby's brain development, the neuroscience of behavior, how babies learn, attachment and communication. It explores everyday parenting experiences, from birth to two, to help you see the world from your baby's point of view. Written in an engaging Q&A format, the topics covered include: What is my baby looking at? Does my baby have favorite people? Can my baby understand what I'm saying? Why does my baby love peekaboo? Is my baby musical? In keeping with the series style, there are 'Parenting survival guides' throughout, for a deep dive into key topics such as Sleep Development, Twin Thinking and Separation Anxiety. Fully illustrated, and packed with practical advice on how to meet your baby's developmental needs, this book will be a fascinating and useful book for all new parents.
Just a heads up that access to World Book Online will be discontinued as of December 31st, 2025. Be sure to check out this e-Resource while it is still available!
 
Try exploring the following e-resources, which cover similar content! 
 
For narrated stories, reading practice, and interactive games: 
  • LOTE4Kids supports library and school communities with an engaging collection of audio-enhanced picture books in various reading formats, allowing children to enjoy books and learn language through storytelling. Access stories in over 50 languages with animations, read-along text, and fun activities to help engage young readers.  
  • TumbleBookLibrary contains animated talking picture books, read-along chapter books, graphic novels, non-fiction books and videos, curated playlists, and puzzles and games for kids in grades 3-6.  
For access to worldwide news publications: 
  • PressReader provides instant online access to magazines and current newspapers from more than 100 countries in over 60 languages.  
 
Click HERE to see a list of all of our Electronic Resources.
 
Hinton Municipal Library
803 Switzer Drive
Hinton, Alberta T7V 1V1
780-865-2363

www.hintonlibrary.org