Welcome December – Dates for your Diary

Yes, it’s December already! We can’t believe it either. Another busy and eventful year at the library draws to a close and we’d like to remind you about some important dates this month:

12 December Cricklesingers Carol Concert at All Saints Child’s Hill – free carol concert by our thriving and exuberant community choir.

15 December – Carols by Candlelight at the library

20 December – Early Evening Family Concert of excerpts from The Nutcracker. Truly a cracking way to start your family celebrations

20 December – December’s Last Friday concert by Trio Taliesin

21 December – our last day “in the office” this year. We reopen on Monday 6 January

 

NHS Covid and Flu Booster Bus Visits the Library

The NHS Covid and Flu booster bus will be at the library on Monday 25 november, 1030-1600, offering vaccinations to

those aged 65 and over
those 18-64 in a clinical risk group
frontline NHS and social care workers
The will also offer free Health conversations to over 18s on

Blood glucose checks
blood pressure checks
immunisation signposting
BMI checks
smoking and alcohol
general health and well-being

Cricklereaders December 2025 – Julia by Sandra Newman

The last book of the year is Julia by Sandra Newman. 1984 from Julia’s viewpoint. London, chief city of Airstrip One, the third most populous province of Oceania. It’s 1984 and Julia Worthing works as a mechanic fixing the novel-writing machines in the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth. Under the ideology of IngSoc and the rule of the Party and its leader Big Brother, Julia is a model citizen – cheerfully cynical, believing in nothing and caring not at all about politics. She knows how to survive in a world of constant surveillance, Thought Police, Newspeak, Doublethink, child spies and the black markets of the prole neighbourhoods. She’s very good at staying alive.

But Julia becomes intrigued by a colleague from the Records Department – a mid-level worker of the Outer Party called Winston Smith, she comes to realise that she’s losing her grip and can no longer safely navigate her world.

Read along at home with us (places in the group are on hold for now but may open up again in the new year.

November’s Last Friday – Anjela Abelian & Andrea Rinciari

Anjela Abelian & Andrea Rinciari

Stripped-back jazz with a unique blend of jazz vocal and guitar drawing inspiration from the timeless collaboration of Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass. During this special evening Anjela Abelian, Camden’s very own jazz/contemporary singer and songwriter, collaborates with the virtuoso jazz guitarist Andrea Rinciari, they perform a carefully curated mix of jazz standards and originals. Anjela will be also introducing her recent single – “It’s So Much Fun”.

Anjela Abelian – Camden based jazz/contemporary singer and songwriter. Deeply rooted in jazz tradition, she loves the purity of the song form in every musical style and seamlessly fuses her musical journey with contemporary nuances. She mastered vocals with Speech Level Singing school, and under the guidance of such voice gurus as Anita Wardell and Dr. Voice.Anjela started refining her songwriting craft during the pandemic, when she found solace in an international online community of songwriters, and one of her songs, “Strawberries”, went to the semi-final of the International Songwriting Competition. The track “Strawberries” was later released and gained international acclaim with widespread radio plays across Europe and the US.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5a6XSEFwJs Website: www.anjelaabelian.com Instagram @anjelaabelian

Andrea Rinciari, a dedicated full-time jazz guitarist, had the privilege of learning from the legendary Barry Harris, greatly influencing his playing. With two successful album releases, Andrea’s guitar style is uniquely shaped around the influences of piano players, making pianistic choices on the guitar. His inspiration comes from jazz icons such as Bud Powell, Tadd Dameron, Elmo Hope, Freddie Redd, and Barry Harris, as well as non-pianist greats like Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Fats Navarro, and Clifford Brown, resulting in a distinctive approach to bebop-straight ahead jazz.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fDRV7-Hf2c