The Bookmark About Libraries and Friends

by Mary Olson

The celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Ventura County continues this Fall–

In the 1950’s, Ventura County had its own version of the Trial of the Century. Ventura Friends of the Library are welcoming Deborah Holt Larkin back to town to speak about her memoir: A Lovely Girl: The Tragedy of Olga Duncan and the Trial of One of California’s Most Notorious Killers.

Deborah Holt Larkin was ten years old when her father, the court reporter for the Ventura County Star-Free Press, was immersed in the trial of Olga Duncan’s killers taking place at the Ventura County Courthouse (now Ventura City Hall). Larkin’s memoir tells the story of this stranger-than-fiction murder case and the influence of her reporter father’s work in her early life.

On Saturday, November 4, 10 am to noon at the Atrium at City Hall, you can hear all about this true crime saga from Deborah Holt Larkin. She tells us, “In between the carefully researched true crime procedural chapters, the thread of the story winds back to chapters of my coming-of-age memoir about our quirky family life and my dawning realization that sometimes terrible things can happen to good girls. That evil can hide behind a mask of
normalcy.”
Please park behind the City Hall. The event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and book signing will follow the talk.

Then, on Sunday, November 5, Deborah Larkin will be the guest speaker at Ventura Friends of the Library Annual Membership Meeting at 2:00 pm in the Topping Room in E.P. Foster Library, 651 E. Main St. Guests are always welcome at our annual meetings. As some of our members will remember Deborah’s father, Bob Holt, from his 34 years reporting for the Ventura Star-Free Press, we’ll be eager to hear her recollections of his impact on her life during the course of these dramatic events. Books will be available for purchase and
signing by the author. A brief business meeting for Ventura Friends of the Library members will follow the talk.

On Saturday, December 2, noon to 1:00 pm, Ray D. Preuter Library will host a Living History performance. Connie Korenstein continues her performances of historical figures of Ventura County as Lucy Levy. A Parisian socialite, born in 1882, Lucy’s tale is one of love, travel, and surprise, as she adjusts to life in Hueneme, California, during the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression. This event is sponsored by the Ventura County
Library Foundation. The event is free and open to the public. Ray D. Prueter Library is located at 510 Park Avenue, Port Hueneme For additional information please, contact Timothy Furgal, Regional Librarian, at (805) 486-5460 or [email protected].

Ventura Friends of the Library are having a very busy November; we are also having a book sale:
Ventura Friends of the Library Book Sale
Saturday, November 18, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
at the Vons at Telegraph & Victoria
Fiction, Non-fiction, Children’s
Manga, Comic Books, Graphic Novels
Puzzles, Audiobooks, DVDs & CDs

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