Island Books Open Book Club is at 7:30 p.m. the last Thursday of each month, at Island Books, 3014 78th St. Jan. 25, “The City of Falling Angels” by John Berendt.

Mercer Island Chapter of BNI meets Thursdays at 8 a.m. at the Community Center at Mercer View, 8236 S.E. 24th St. Contact Dr. Jeff Parton at 551-5333 or Mavis Lamb at 425-204-9800 for more information.

Mercer Island Thrift Shop needs volunteers of all ages for sorting, pricing and displaying donated items. Training is under way for evening and Saturday cashier and customer service positions. Call Suzanne Philen at 236-3454 for an interview.

Senior Foundation of Mercer Island: Entertainment 2007 books are selling for $30 each. They are available at: The Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce, 7605 S.E. 27th St.; Mercer Island Thrift Shop, 7710 S.E. 34th St.; and Hair it is!, 7420 S.E. 24th St. Proceeds go to Senior Foundation of Mercer Island. Contact Alanna Burdell at 236-7668 or 232-0997.

Classes

The Stock Market’s secret weapon: Reading charts for profit, will be from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight, at the Community Center at Mercer View, 8236 S.E. 24th St. The instructor is G. Roze. Call 236-3545.

Mercer Island Radio Operators emergency communications class will be held at the North end Fire Station, 3030 78th Ave. S.E. Orientation and kickoff is Feb. 1; Class and license examination is Feb. 24 and 25. Fee is $20 for cost of the Training Manual. Morse code is not required. Register now through Mercer Island Parks and Recreation, 236-3545. For more information, contact Don Sandstrom at 232-3471, or Bill Ellis at 232-4881.

Mary Wayte Pool:

Library

The following events take place at the Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave. S.E., unless otherwise noted. Please call 236-3537 for more information.

Shake, Rattle and Roll: Early literacy through music. For ages 6- to 24-months only with a caregiver. At 10 a.m. Wednesdays: Jan. 10, 17 and 24. Registration is required. Note you must attend all three sessions.

Creative Writing Workshop for home schoolers is from 9 a.m. to noon, Friday, Jan. 12. Featuring author, Clare Hodgson Meeker. Please register.

Opera preview and discussion of Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Mozart is at 7 p.m. tonight.

Mercer Island Arts Council Classics on Film: “The Golden Era of Hollywood Musicals.” is at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Community Center at Mercer View. “Gigi” is Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Mercer Island library. Admission, popcorn and refreshments are complimentary.

Teen programs are offered from 7 to 8 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month. Contact miya@kcls.org for more information.

Pajama story time is at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22. Come dressed ready for bed. Please register.

Toddler story time: for 2- to 3-year-olds is at 10 a.m. Tuesdays, to Jan. 23. Please register.

Preschool story time: for 3- to 5-year-olds is at 11 a.m. Tuesdays, to Jan. 23. Music and puppets. Please register.

Talk Time is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Improve your speaking and listening skills in this English conversation group. Call for more information.

Teen Anime and Manga Club meets from 7 to 8 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month.

Words on Wheels needs volunteers to select, deliver and return library materials to at least one homebound patron per month. Training is provided and a one-year commitment is required. Must be 18 or older. Contact Susan LaFantasie at 425-369-3235 at the Traveling Library Center.

SCORE Counseling for business owners is offered at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon the third Thursday of each month. Call to register.

Boys & Girls Club

Unless noted, all events take place at the Boys & Girls Club, 2825 West Mercer Way. Register online at www.mipositiveplace.org or call 232-4548.

Before and After School Childcare is from 6 to 8:45 a.m. (before school) and from 3 to 6 p.m. (after school) Tuition: Full time for both: $400 per month, part time for both $180 per month; a.m. $200 per month. Call Joan Caldon at 232-4548 for more information or to register at www.mipositiveplace.org.

Teen Scene after school for middle school students, is from 3 to 6 p.m. Register on line. The cost is $75 per month per person.

Teens: Need a place to hang out on Saturday? Visit the Boys & Girls Club. The cost is only $3. Open gym, movies, Xbox, Internet, Karaoke, and open mic nights. Play foosball, Ping-PO or pool. Free pizza and soda. Sponsored by Sahara. Call Nate at 232-4548.

Preschool Rainy Day Gym-Indoor Playground for pre-schoolers accompanied by parents is from 9:30 to noon Wednesdays, all the climbing and riding toys.

Preschool Messy Arts & Crafts-Stuff you won’t do at home! is from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays. The cost is $5 per session. Call 232-4548 to reserve or drop-in. Limited to 10 parent/child.

Parks & Rec

Call 236-3545, or register online at www.myparksandrecreation.com to receive a catalog of the Mercer Island Parks & Recreation Department events.

All events are held at the Mercer Island Community Center, 8236 S.E. 24th St. unless otherwise specified.

Bridge lessons are at 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Thursdays. The cost is $63 for 6 weeks. The instructor is Aidee Pokroy. Call for more information.

Seniors:

JCC

Unless noted, all events take place at the Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 E. Mercer Way. For more information, call 232-7115.

Soul Diet mini-workshop and book signing is at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11 with local author Rabbi Yitzchak Goldman.

Mah Jongg is from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12, in room 207. Please bring your Mah Jongg set. Free for JCC members, $2 for non-members .

Trip to the Tulalip Casino from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15. Contact Roni Antebi at ext. 269 for more information and reservations. No cost. Space is limited to first 24 callers.

Outing to the Seattle Public Library is at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 18. Register by calling ext. 269.

Free beginning Ladino class is from 2 to 3 p.m. Mondays, through Feb. 19. (no class on Jan. 22). Particularly for those who don’t have prior experience speaking Ladino. Call Roni Antebi at ext. 269 to register. Bring friends.

Cards and chit-chat from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22, in the auditorium.

Music class with the Seattle Symphony is from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Taught by Steven Lowe, annotator and lecturer for Seattle Symphony. Jan. 23, “Baroque and Classical Eras”; Jan. 30, “Romanticism in Music”; and Feb. 6, “the Modern Era.” The cost is $10 per lecture for JCC members, $15 per lecture for non-members. Register by Tuesday, Jan. 16. Minimum of five is required for the class.

Free TechLab computer classes: Beginner classes taught by King County Library System. From 10:30 to 11:45 a.m., Tuesdays, in the library’s portable classroom in the JCC parking lot. Register with Roni Antebi at ext. 7115.

Bridge games: will be from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on the first and third Friday of each month. Free for JCC members, $2 for non-members.

JCC Seniors:

All senior social programs will be held in the auditorium.

GALLERIES

Gallery at the Community Center at Mercer View Puget Sound Sumi artists and Photography by Ruth Gross will be shown Monday, Jan. 15 through March 9. Artists’ reception is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18.

Mercer Island Visual Arts (MIVAL) members’ work currently being shown: Esther Akrish, La Belle Spa, 8425 S.E. 68th St.; Cynthia Nuzzi and Jason Gambreth, Avellino Apts., 2836 78th St. S.E.; Laurie Malmfelt, All the Best Pet Care, 3937 78th Ave. S.E.; Karen Amanda, Dr. Troy Thomas, 2055 80th Ave. Suite 105 through December. Charolette Haugen and Jean Davis, Eques Restaurant, 900 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue, through February.

Religion

Christian Science First Church of Christ, Scientist: Sunday school is at 10 a.m. and Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. Child care is available at all services and meetings. The community is welcome. The reading room, a place for during-the-week individual worship and prayer as well as study and research is open to everyone on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 7605 S.E. 27th St. Call 232-0175 for more information, or e-mail fccsmi@attglobal.net. The church is at Island Crest Way at S.E. 47th St.

Congregational Church of Mercer Island: Sunday services: Communion and Sunday school at 10:30 a.m. followed by High School youth and confirmation class. Men’s breakfast is at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 13. Outside work party is from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 13. LOGOS resumes today after school to 6:45 p.m. Living questions is at 6 p.m. Tuesdays. BBC Class, “Heart of Christianity” by Marcus Borg at 9 a.m. Youth Group grades six to ninth meet from 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesdays. The church is at 4545 Island Crest Way.

Emmanuel Episcopal Church: Sunday services: 8 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I; 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II; 10 a.m. Church school and nursery care; 11:30 a.m. children’s choir. Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist and Healing service. “Love and Logic” parenting classes will begin Monday, Jan. 22. To register e-mail jannie@emmanuelmi-org or call 232-5663. The church is at S.E. 44th Street and 86th Avenue S.E., 232-1572, or e-mail at mail@emmanuelmi-org or visit our web page at http://www.emmanuelmi.org.

Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation: Youth Shabbat for eighth- to 12th-graders is at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 13. Contact Donna Peha at 425-277-8857. FirstFridays at HNT for young adults is at 7:30 p.m. Contact Melanie Berman at melanie@h-nt.org. Crash course in Jewish history is from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Sundays in January. The cost is $40. Contact Erica Newman Nash at melanie@h-nt.org to register. The synagogue is at 3700 East Mercer Way.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church: Sunday services are at 8 and 10:15 a.m. and the new Contemporary service is at 5 p.m. Sunday school and Adult education classes are at 9 a.m. Pastor’s Bible Study is every Thursday at 10 a.m. in the Fireside Room. The church is at 8501 S.E. 40th St.

Mercer Island Covenant Church: Sunday services: are at 8:30, 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.; Sunday school for all ages is at 9:45 a.m.; high school youth group meets at 6:30 p.m. Middle school youth group meets at 7 p.m. Tuesdays Men’s prayer group meets at 6:15 Men’s prayer group meets at 6:15 a.m. Wednesdays. Women’s prayer group meets at 8 a.m. Thursdays. Women’s Oasis study group meets at 9:15 a.m. Thursdays. Community dinner is Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $3 per person. Kids Club for first through fifth grades is Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. An introduction to a marriage course is at 6 p.m. tonight by Dr. Edyth Phillips. For additional information check www.micc.org or call 232-1015, ext. 100. The church is at 3200 78th Ave. S.E.

Mercer Island Presbyterian Church: Sunday services: worship in the Fellowship Hall at 8:15,10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14 the Madrona Book Cafe meets at Madrona Presbyterian Church at 12:45 p.m. The book is “Sapphire’s Grave”. To carpool or for more information call Peggy Sue Juergens at 232-1389. Cross country skiing to Cabin Creek leaves at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 27. Meet at MIPC and bring you own equipment. MIPC Western dance/barbeque from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Mercer Island VFW Hall, 1836 72nd Ave. S.E. Contact Ruth Ann Biggers at 232-5596, ext. 203 or ruthannb@mipc.org. or Dale Sewall at dales@mipc.org for more information. The church is at 3605 84th Ave. S.E.

Mercer Island United Methodist Church: Sunday school is at 9:45 a.m. Worship is at 11 a.m. All are welcome. The church is at 7070 S.E. 24th St.

New Hope Church: The church is located at 9170 S.E. 64th St.

Redeemer Lutheran Church: The morning worship service and communion begins at 10 a.m. Kid’s church serves our children during the service. For information, call Pastor Bill at 232-1711. The church is at 6001 Island Crest Way.

Redeemer Lutheran Church: Beginning Sunday, Jan. 7: Worship and Kid’s church services are at 10 a.m. Fellowship and Bible study is at 11 a.m. The church is located at 6001 Island Crest Way. Contact Pastor Bill Clements at 232-1711,

St. Monica Catholic Church: Call the Parish Office whenever one is seriously ill. Church office phone number is 232-2900. Pastor is Father Dennis Kemp. The church is at 4301 88th Ave. S.E.