JMRL blog

On August 6, Books on Tap met to discuss What We Can Know by Ian McEwan. Born in England, McEwan is a celebrated British author. What We Can Know, published in 2025, is a dystopian novel set in 2119. The story follows Thomas Metcalfe, a professor of the history and literature of the 20th and […]

Summer is winding down at JMRL even though it’s still hot outside! Although the Summer Reading Challenge is over, there’s still time to collect your prize books from any JMRL branch before August 31.  Over 7,100 participants read almost 7 million minutes over the course of the 10 week challenge! More than 9,500 prizes have been […]

On July 2, a dedicated group braved the scorching heat to discuss The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali at Books on Tap. Kamali is an Iranian-American who was born in Turkey and has lived in Iran and Germany. Originally published in 2024, The Lion Women of Tehran is her third book. The book […]

A smaller group of Brown Baggers turned up to discuss “Ficciones” by Argentinian writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges. “Ficciones”, originally published in Spanish in 1956, is a collection of 17 short stories that proved to be a challenging read for our group. Just one of our group managed to get through all 17 stories […]

Central Library’s Brown Baggers book group read and discussed The Wind Knows My Name (2023) by Isabel Allende on June 18th.  Allende is a Chilean-American, prolific author who writes in Spanish and her works tend to be historical fiction with a bit of magical realism. “The Wind Knows My Name” tells the story of a […]

Books on Tap discussed Starling House by Alix E. Harrow on Thursday, June 4th at Random Row.  The author grew up in Kentucky, and currently lives in Central Virginia.  Starling House was a Reese’s Book Club selection and was shortlisted for several literary awards. Set in a poor, mining region in Kentucky, Starling House tells […]

If you don’t already know, JMRL has a staff-run podcast, formerly known as On the Same Page. The podcast has been rebranded as “Checked Out” and features an incredible new logo. If you’re a fan of the podcast make sure to keep an eye out for future changes coming up in the next year. Checked […]

Central Library Brown Baggers had a lively discussion of Ira Levin’s “The Boys from Brazil” on Thursday, May 21st.  Published in 1976, this thriller operates under the chilling premise that Dr. Josef Mengele, the concentration camp Nazi Dr now living in Brazil,(spoiler warning) has used Hitler’s DNA to clone 94 baby boys in Brazil. The […]

(Check out the fine free Media!) What does “fine-free” actually mean? For JMRL, going “fine-free” means no longer charging overdue fines. Items that are over a month overdue will still be charged a replacement cost to the library card until they have been returned. JMRL will still charge for items that were checked out and […]

On May 7, Books on Tap met to discuss The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea. Urrea was born in Tijuana, Mexico in 1955 and is listed as an American born overseas. His family moved to San Diego, and eventually the suburb of Clairemont. His father was killed on a trip back to […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:Dylan Padilla, pr@jmrl.org, 434-979-7151 x6676David Plunkett, director@jmrl.org 434-979-7151 x 6670 JMRL Goes Fine Free July 1, 2026 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — JMRL is happy to announce that it will begin its transition into a Fine Free library system this summer, beginning July 1. This initiative marks a significant step in the Library’s ongoing […]