What do you do with a broken toaster, a wobbly chair, a rusted bike chain, or a shirt in need of mending? Toss it? No way! Help reduce waste and save money by bringing it to Brownell Library’s first Repair Café where volunteer repair experts will be available to help guide you in making repairs for free. Registration is required for participants wanting to mend items, but all are welcome to explore, meet neighbors, and grab a free copy of Vermont Read: The Light Pirate. Call 802-878-6955 to learn about possible repairs and reserve your spot.
This event is part of the 2025 Vermont Reads The Light Pirate programming, specific to this program host, the Brownell Library. Please reach out to the library with questions about this program, or to find out more about their 2025 Vermont Reads programming.
About the 2025 Vermont Reads Book
Named after a catastrophic storm, Wanda is born into a world that’s rapidly changing. Rising sea levels and devastating weather patterns transform her coastal Florida town. As she moves from childhood to adulthood, Wanda adapts to this remade landscape, finding adventure, love, and purpose in a place largely abandoned by civilization.
Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time—The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton is a meditation on the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness. It considers the dissolution of the human-made world, and helps us see how human connection, adaptability, and a little bit of magic might guide us to a new future.
About the Author
Lily Brooks-Dalton grew up in Windham County in southern Vermont. She is the bestselling author of The Light Pirate, which was the runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, a #1 Indie Next title, a Good Morning America Book Club selection, one of NPR’s “Books We Love,” and a New York Times Editors’ Pick.
Her previous novel, Good Morning, Midnight, was the inspiration for the film adaptation The Midnight Sky and her memoir, Motorcycles I’ve Loved, was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. Her work has been translated into 18 languages.
A former writer-in-residence at The Kerouac House and The Studios of Key West, she currently lives in Los Angeles.
