the library in the forest for adults

Looking for a Good Book?

Find your next great read using
any of these helpful resources.

• New Book Arrivals at VHLF
• New in Movies and Music
• VHLF Staff Picks

• Amazon's Best of the Year so Far
• New York Times Bestseller List
• U.S. Today Book Reviews
• Entertainment Weekly Picks
• The Reader's Advisory Online

• All Readers
• FictionDB
• Overbooked
• Oprah's Book Club
• Red Room

Books on the Go...

Downloading books to your computer, mp3 player, iPod, smart phone or eReader is quick and easy.

• Downloadable eBooks
• Fiction Audiobooks
• Non-Fiction Audiobooks

Book Clubs

The Afternoon Book Club meets every third Wednesday of each month at 2:00pm in the Library Community Room. A specific book is selected each month and is discussed. The book club is free and open to all adults. Check out the news and events section for the monthly book selection.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Suggest an Item for the Library to Purchase? The Library in the Forest is continuely updating our catalog, but we are always looking for items to purchase. To make a purchase suggestion use this form or ask one of our staff for aa purchase request form at the information desk. Also, check out the Best Sellers Club.

Can I renew materials without coming into the library? To renew by telephone, call The Jefferson County Renewals Line (205-226-3790) which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your Library Card Number is required for renewals. Materials not eligible for renewal can include:

Materials long overdue
Materials being reserved by another patron
Materials that have been checked out less than 7 days.
Popular DVDs or books the library has designated as no renewal.
Materials that have already been renewed once.

From the Renewals Line you can also find out the titles you have checked out, the titles of overdue materials, titles that you have on hold, and a list of your outstanding charges.

Adult News & Events

Feb. 23: Friends of the Library Welcomes Brooke Bell

Brooke Bell, editor of Taste of the South, will give a glimpse into this highly successful company while spotlighting her own food publication. Thursday, Feb. 23 at 10:30am
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Feb. 23: Poetry Group

Join other writers. Receive feedback, inspiration, and support. Meet other local Poets or people who who love poetry to share your work or favorite poems, and have fun! (6:30pm in the Tree House)
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Mar. 13th: Ms. Olivia’s Evening Reads

Join us as we read Eudora Welty’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Optimist’s Daughter. This story of a young woman's confrontation with death and her past is a poetic study of human relations. (6:30 in the Tree House)
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Mar. 17: Garden Forum With Sallie Lee

Join County Agent Sallie Lee for information and inspiration on gardening with answers to questions about lawns, landscapes, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, vegetables, herbs and flowers. February’s topic to be announced. Check with Librarian Leslie West for more information. lwest@bham.lib.al.us (10:30am in the Tree House)
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Mar. 17: Rain Rarrel Construction

Alan Gurganus of the Alabama Environmental Council. Alan will provide instruction on constructing your own Rain Barrel. For the low fee of $30, materials will be provided and you will be carrying your own freshly made rain barrel home with you. Participants must register, we will only be accepting 30 people this class. (1pm in the Outdoor Classroom)
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Mar. 21: Afternoon Book Club with Leslie West

Join us as we explore Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls. This novel is about two sisters, two cultures, and the struggle to find a new life in America while bound to the old. (2pm in the Tree House)
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Mar. 29: Poetry Group

This is the place to come and express yourself. To discuss and improve on poetry. And so much more. Join other writers. Receive feedback, inspiration, and support. Meet other local Poets or people who who love poetry to share your work or favorite poems, and have fun!
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Apr. 3: Book Signing with Author & Holocaust Survivor, Ruth Siegler

April is Holocaust Remembrance Month. Join us for a very special event honoring author Ruth Siegler. Siegler and sister Ilse Nathan were in five different concentration camps and lost the rest of their immediate family in the Holocaust. Ms. Siegler and co-author Ann Mollegarden will discuss the memoir, and afterwards Ms. Siegler will sign copies of My Father's Blessing, the memoir about her experiences and her journey to a normal life in Alabama. (1pm in the Dogwood Room)
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Apr. 21: Garden Forum With Sallie Lee

Apr. 10: Ms. Olivia's Evening Reads

Join us as we discuss Jamie Ford’s debut novel Hotel at the Corner of Bitter & Sweet. The novel swings between 1986 and the 1940s, amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, where Chinese Henry and Japanese Keiko forge a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. (6:30pm in the Tree House)
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Apr. 14: Rain Barrel Construction

Alan Gurganus of the Alabama Environmental Council will provide instruction on constructing your own Rain Barrel. For the low fee of $30, materials will be provided and you will be carrying your own freshly made rain barrel home with you. Participants must register, we will only be accepting 30 people this class. (1pm in the Outdoor Classroom)
Read More

Apr. 18: Afternoon Book Club With Leslie West

Join us as we explore Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness. In this important book, fifty-three distinguished men and women respond to Wiesenthal's questions. Often surprising and always thought provoking, The Sunflower will challenge you to define your beliefs about justice, compassion, and human responsibility. (2pm in the Tree House)
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Apr. 26: Poetry Group

Mar. 30: Music in the Forest with Alabama Traveler

Bring a date and join us for our first musical event on the Roof Garden. Alabama Traveler performs a unique blend of bluegrass classics, jazz standards and 50's rock and roll. Each performance features Tom Kent on guitar and vocals and invited guest musicians.This performance features master guitarist Glenn Tolbert who provides mandolin and banjo backup on selected songs. Café Iz will remain open with a special menu of “dessert bites.” (6:30pm on the Rooftop Garden)
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Book Awards: General Fiction

Booker Prize
Christy Awards
Indies Choice Book Awards
National Book Awards
National Book Critics Circle
Nobel Prize in Literature
PEN Literary Awards
Pulitzer Prize
Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award
Willa Award