Build-A-Book at Post Road Library

A custom made version of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

Have you seen people ripping the covers off of their paperback books, just to reattach the most beautiful hardback cover to it? Do you ever have the urge to buy books with sprayed edges, but they just haven’t come out with a version of your favorite book with them yet? Are you creative and like repurposing things? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then Post Road Library’s Build-A-Book program series is right for you!

Build-A-Book is a series consisting of four separate programs throughout the month of August that will take you through all of the steps of rebinding a book into your dream creation. 

Week one will teach you how to make endpapers and DIY book cloth.  

The second week will help you learn how to construct the hardback case with your book cloth and attach it to a text block using the endpapers from week one. 

For week three you can bring back your freshly bound book with a blank cover to decorate and add embellishments. 

During the final program in this series, you will be creating a custom splashed edge to match your book.

Bring your own book to customize, or if you don't have that special book yet, use a library-provided book for practice. 

Coming to each session is recommended for the full learning experience, but not required. 

This program series will be held on every Thursday of the month of August, from 6:30–8:30 p.m. at the Post Road Library. View the entire series with all of the details on our website.

Please note: this event will require event passes. Event passes are free and available to interested participants on the day of the program. They will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis starting 30 minutes before the event start time. 

Look ahead for a sneak peek at some of the parts of this project!

Construction of the hardback case for your book.

Painting the edges of your book.

After learning how to rebind a paperback, the sky is the limit! Rebind your favorites at home, but leave the library books as they are! If you do rebind one of your books, we would love to see it. Tag us on social media at @FoCoLibrary on Facebook, Instagram, or Threads.

Sarah Spiller
Information Specialist
Post Road Library

Our Friend Maria

Our Friend Maria and staff member Erica

If you visit the Post Road Library, you will find the entrance to the Friends Bookstore tucked in the corner by the Holds shelves. The FCPL Friends and Advocates is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising funds that support programs, resources, materials, and staff at Forsyth County Public Library (FCPL). The Friends have bookstores at the Cumming, Post Road, Sharon Forks, and Denmark Libraries, and they maintain self-serve shelves at the Hampton Park Library. The revenue generated from the Friends Bookstores funds engaging and informative Library programs for all ages and supports staff and patrons with resources and materials beyond the Library's budget.      

We call our bookstore volunteers Friends and Maria is one of many Friends who is near and dear to the patrons and staff. With a unique story and a deep passion for the library, she is a wonderful part of our community and brings a distinct brightness to the bookstore.

Maria immigrated from Cuba to the United States in 1961 at the age of 12. She and her older sister traveled without their parents to attend school in Arizona. Maria has always had a special love for books; she fondly remembers her father taking her to the big library in Havana and how special those trips were to her. "I was always the kid to read all of my school books before school started. I could not get enough!" 

Once she entered high school, the library became a second home. Since she had after-school programs and could not go home before they began, she would spend hours among the shelves. She recalls how welcoming the librarians made her feel and how vital the library was at that age. Maria was often alone until her family returned late at night and the library provided a sense of safety.

Maria volunteers as a way to stay involved with the library. Even though it has been years since she was that little girl coming to the library, her love and passion for it has not dimmed. She loves interacting with the community, especially the children. As a former school teacher, she has a special place in her heart for children and their love of books. She is a strong believer that reading makes a huge difference in a child's life. When asked, "What do you love about the library?" Her response was heartfelt: "I love all of the staff here; they make me feel like I am welcomed. I love the programming—there is always more to learn! The guest speakers always teach me something new!" Maria most enjoys our knitting and crochet programming as a way to keep her mind sharp! She is always looking for ways to learn new skills and the library provides that for her. The staff are very grateful for our Friend Maria and the joy she brings to the bookstore every day.

Some of Maria's favorite books at the library include: 

• The Pendergast series by Preston and Child
• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore 
• Blood Moon by Sandra Brown

Maria is an outstanding example of how the Friends of the Library support FCPL. If Maria’s story has inspired you, you can find out more about becoming a Friend at on the FCPL Friends and Advocates website.

Erica Myers

Information Specialist

Post Road Library

Post Road Petpalooza

The Post Road Petpalooza has wrapped up and that can only mean one thing: we have a winner! After hundreds of patron votes and some intense competition, a winner has been announced. We ended the bracket with the age-old debate: cats versus dogs. This year the dogs took the crown. We are happy to announce that this year’s winner is Ruthie, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi!

Ruthie, the winner of this year’s Post Road Pet Palooza!

It is our imperative as librarians to recommend some pet-themed books, in honor of our winning pet. Animals are warm and cozy, so here are some cozy mysteries featuring animals that you may want to check out.

Ruthie can’t read, but if she could, she would recommend the Chatty Corgi Mysteries by Jennifer Hawkins. This series stars Emma Reed, a former woman in finance that wants to leave her busy life in London behind, and her talking corgi, Oliver. When they move to the countryside and attempt to win over the landlord that doesn’t like dogs, they quickly discover the woman dead in her own home. Emma and Oliver must work together and figure out who killed her…

Next are Donna Andrews’s bird-themed Meg Langslow Mysteries. Our protagonist is a successful decorative blacksmith that also happens to be great at sleuthing. Every book involves the titular bird of the book, and includes gems of titles like Lord of the Wings and Gone Gull. She even includes different holidays in her series, so there is a Meg Langslow book to read at any time of the year!

Combining two things every librarian loves: books and cats, we have to include the Bookmobile Cat Mysteries by Laurie Cass! Librarian Minnie Hamilton is the driver of a bookmobile in the resort town of Chilson, Michigan, and her cat Eddie comes along with her on the journey to deliver books to its residents and vacationers. Unfortunately, things are not as simple as they seem around town and murder mysteries must be solved.

Mrs. Murphy the cat, her human companion Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, and Welsh Corgi Tucker are the stars of the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries, which posits that our animal companions are just as smart as we are. Harry often starts to investigate what exactly happened to the murder victims around her. The good news is that Mrs. Murphy and Tucker are usually one step ahead of her and already sleuthing. The bad news is that they have to figure out how to communicate with their owner to tell her what they know. Can they do it? You’ll have to read the books to find out!

This was a fierce competition and some tough choices were made, but everyone had fun seeing which pets got to move on in the bracket. Thank you to everyone who voted in this year’s Post Road Petpalooza!

We hope you enjoyed today’s post, and let us know in the comments if you have any favorite animal-themed books to recommend!

Sarah Spiller

Information Specialist

Post Road Library