Join Christine for a discussion of “Never Let Me Go,” Saturday, September 7th at 3pm in the Speakeasy upstairs.

Join Spenser on September 14th at 3pm to discuss James Baldwin’s “Go Tell it on the Mountain” for our Classics Book Club. Purchase the book here and sign up below. If you want to listen, purchase through libro.fm and support us there.

“A true-crime whiplash. Instead of focusing entirely on the case, the murderer, and the grisly details of forensics, author Sarah Gerard brings the victim back to life in a near biography. The point? To expand the grief of a young woman taken from her loved ones in a sadly common circumstance. Gerard's writing is quick and page-turning even when the chapter isn't centered around the murder. For those who want a true crime book without the yuck and exploitation, this is the answer.” - Spenser

Have you ever taken the ferry from NYC to Brooklyn? For $4 you get a ride down the river and the best views of Manhattan. Kid friendly, dog friendly, cheap NY fun. They even have a bar and snacks on board. An underrated good time for all. Take a trip.

Every Wednesday (yes, even through the summer) from 12-2pm we offer our community Paint Break. Bring your own materials or purchase some of ours and paint with us. No project, just time to hang out and chat and paint. Come alone and make new friends or bring your people and enjoy time together. Casual, fun, all levels welcome.

Save the date for the 20th anniversary of Feed Me Fresh this fall. An amazing and fun fundraiser to support Mount Kisco Child Care Center and their scholarship initiatives. This year the event will be held Saturday, September 21st. Check it out.

We held two amazing sessions with Northwell Health and Northern Westchester Hospital staff last week to help get the word out and find support for their newest initiative, mental health wrap around services for children and adolescents. Replicating a program currently being run on Long Island, the program will target schools, community orgs, and parents to provide a better option to ER visits with children in need of mental health services, providing services quickly, efficiently and with less trauma. Get involved and consider a gift this year to get this life-saving project started. Donate or find out more, email WHartmann@northwell.edu.

Limited time special: Strawberry soft serve! Mixed up right here by our angel, Angel, this delicious soft serve flavor is a true taste of summer. Pop by and get yours this week before we switch it up again. What a TREAT. Twist with vanilla or ask for chocolate syrup on top. Hurry.

Both mythical and realistic, Bear touches on so many concepts. If you’ve seen the internet buzz discussing whether you’d trust a bear or a strange man in the woods with a woman you love, this story speaks to that trope. Phillips touches the question of family and allegiance, of sisters and mothers, of care and hope, of debt and reality versus dreams. I loved this story. It touches heart strings and magic and sadness. Give it a read and come talk to me about it! - Gretchen

Ask our staff about the variety of book clubs available. We have a general book club, a classics book club, and a Queer book club. Interested in reading something else? Email us and ask - we’d love your input, info@katonahreadingroom.com. “Love Letters to a Serial Killer” August 3rd at 3pm, “The Dispossessed” August 10 at 3pm, Queer & Now book club August 18th (2 sessions, 11am or 1pm).

Take the time this summer to READ. Read with your kids, read next to your kids, let them SEE you read. Join us on Mondays and Fridays in the afternoon for “Silent Book Club” (or any other day to be honest) - it doesn’t have to be silent and it doesn’t have to be boring. Bring books, enjoy treats, read together. Unplug, make some time and model what it looks like to enjoy a good book. Show kids what it means to prioritize good books as much as you prioritize getting to tennis practice. Read. Read. Read. And have fun doing it. Make a book date and put down your phone.

From our favorite Sci-Fi reading staffer, Christine. Check out her review and grab a copy!

I went over this week to meet with my friend Dawn Meyerski, Executive Director of Mount Kisco Child Care Center, to film a little clip about the TWENTIETH anniversary of their gala, Feed Me Fresh. I created the concept with a team of amazing volunteers, board members and staff of the center 20 years ago and we sat talking about all that goes into a gala, the financial strains of running a non-profit, the need for child care, the difficulties of paying staff salaries that match their talents, and so much more. We walked the halls of this fabulous organization and I was reminded once again what this place means to families…

If you love a good end of the world, sci-fi, fight book with just a touch of romance and revenge, this one’s for you. A great imagining of life after AI takes over and breaks us. A thrill of lower class taking their run at the ruling class, great fight scenes in space, and of course an end that is no end as we await a second course. If you liked The Fourth Wing or Ready Player One or Divergent, here’s your new series.

Grab this great family mystery set at a camp in the Adirondacks. A perfect twist and turn, filled with the haves and have nots, the good and the bad, and excellent characters. Good to the last page.

The John Jay HS Community Read is on the shelves. Come join the high school in their required summer reading.

Back on the menu for a brief time, our favorite, super delicious COFFEE soft serve. We will be offering vanilla, coffee or a twist of both for the next few days…unless we can’t quit it. Come SOON and give it a swirl.

Hey all, check out our new VEGAN choice on the Very Berry, Tomato, or any other toasts. Instead of the regular cheese on the menu, ask for our Vegan Cream Cheese. Come for a taste.

Our baristas certainly know how to be COOL. Come check out their specialty drinks which they are always creating and our amazing COFFEE ice cream flavor this week too. It’s like living with crazy magicians at the wheel, every time I think they can’t get better they come up with something fun and NEW.