Warm places

With the current cost of living crisis leaving many residents worried about heating their homes throughout the colder months, the council have started establishing community 'warm places' in Wrexham - already existing heated spaces where people are welcome to come to get warm.

They're starting with libraries, where anyone who wants to can come inside to be warm and comfortable. Drop in sessions will also take place on select dates to offer support and advice. The next session will take place at Coedpoeth Library on Friday, December 2, 2pm-5pm.

We're going fines free!

From January 1, 2023 you will no longer be fined if your library items are late back, however if you've not returned them after 90 days then you will be billed a replacement cost of the item plus an administration fee. You will still be able to renew your books up to five times if you cannot get in or you haven't finished with them and we would encourage you to do this. If you have books which you have had for a while we would really appreciate their return and to facilitate this we are holding a book amnesty throughout December.

World Cup competitions

To celebrate Wales reaching the football World Cup finals and to show our support for them you can enjoy World Cup themed competitions, crafts, a sweepstake and a treasure hunt at some of our libraries. If you visit Cefn Mawr Library there is a football sweepstake for children under 16, Rhos Library have a special exhibition by Rhos Aelwyd Football Club plus a competition for schools, Ruabon Library have World Cup themed craft packs and treasure hunts for adults and children, and Wrexham Library have a Design Your Own World Cup competition and a treasure hunt for children. If you just fancy a good book about football then don't worry, we have that covered too with special World Cup book displays in our libraries too. There is something for everyone at their local library this World Cup!

Christmas Crafts at Cefn Mawr Library

If you have children and you're looking for something to do leading up to Christmas why not register for the Christmas Craft sessions at Cefn Mawr Library. They will be held every Monday starting on November 28 through to December 19, 3.15pm-4pm. Booking is essential for these sessions, call the library on 01978 820938 to reserve your place.

Learning at Lunchtime

Addysg Oedolion Cymru/Adult Learning Wales are offering you the opportunity to join our free block printing workshop. Learn the ancient art by creating your own design using various blocks, layers and paints. This session will take place at Wrexham Library on Wednesday, December 7, 1pm-2pm. The session is free but booking is essential. Please call the library on 01978 292090 to reserve your place.

Book review

The Herd by Emily Edwards

The Herd by Emily Edwards

The Herd by Emily Edwards

The Herd is set in the UK in 2019. The plot surrounds two women - Bry and Elizabeth - who have been friends since university. They now live on the same street and are godmothers to each of their daughters. The Herd tackles the subject of childhood vaccinations. Elizabeth's daughter has not been vaccinated because of a series of febrile convulsions as a baby. Bry has been brought up terrified of vaccines because her mother strongly believes her brother was severely affected by his vaccine. Tragic events follow a birthday party and their friendship is rocked to the core! When I first started reading The Herd I was put off straight away by the names given to the characters, such as Bry, Ash and Row, which could be attributed to male or female. I first visualised 'Bry' as a male character and it was very difficult to reverse that once it was in my head!! Also a little bit of bad language, which is usually a put off for me, but in this case not too excessive! However, I'm glad I continued as it proved to be a thought provoking read which explored many moral and ethical questions. A very unintentionally topical book which caused much debate in our book group. We very much had a 'Marmite' book on our hands!