Los Alamos library plans author talk, puzzle exchange weekend

Los Alamos Public Library will bring National Book Award winner Jason De León to Historic Fuller Lodge on Saturday, July 25, for a 2 to 4 p.m. author talk. The next afternoon, the White Rock Branch Library will host its second annual jigsaw puzzle exchange and competition from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at 10 Sherwood Blvd. Together, the two events give Los Alamos and White Rock residents a literary program downtown and a hands-on gathering on the east side of the county.

De León is the 2024 National Book Award winner and bestselling author of Soldiers and Kings. He is an anthropologist and professor whose work focuses on undocumented migration and the humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, and he is returning to New Mexico after an appearance at this year’s Santa Fe International Literary Festival. Registration for the talk is available through the library’s LibCal listing.

The White Rock program centers on a puzzle trade and competition rather than a one-time novelty. Two puzzle competitions were planned in June and July, along with the annual puzzle exchange at White Rock Branch Library in July, and the competitions are becoming a regular event. One competition format used a 300-piece puzzle, and the first team contest was held as part of White Rock Branch Library’s 10th Anniversary Street Fair.

The branch officially opened on July 31, 2015. The county library system hosts events at both Mesa Public Library and White Rock Branch Library. The county’s community survey runs through July 27 and will guide the next three-year strategic planning cycle for services, collections, and programs.