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Fox and I: An Uncommon Friendship by Catherine Raven

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Life Stories Book Club

"Fox and I" by Catherine Raven

2025-08-21 18:30:00 2025-08-21 19:30:00 America/New_York Life Stories Book Club Discuss memoirs and biographies with other book lovers at the Burke Branch Library! Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library - Meeting Room

Thursday, August 21
6:30pm - 7:30pm

Add to Calendar 2025-08-21 18:30:00 2025-08-21 19:30:00 America/New_York Life Stories Book Club Discuss memoirs and biographies with other book lovers at the Burke Branch Library! Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library - Meeting Room

Discuss memoirs and biographies with other book lovers at the Burke Branch Library!

Life Stories Book Club enjoys memoirs of everyone from the anonymous to the famous with discussions every third Thursday of the month. Bring along your thoughts or even just your listening ears to indulge in some bookish conversation around our latest selection. Reading crafters are welcome to bring their works in progress.

This month, join us to discuss "Fox And I: An Uncommon Friendship" by Catherine Raven. Print and digital copies available to place on hold here.

Want a reminder? Please register to receive an email ahead of the event. Note: Registration is not required.

Contact Abby at ahargreaves@alexlibraryva.org for more information.

About the Book:

When Catherine Raven finished her PhD in biology, she built herself a tiny cottage on an isolated plot of land in Montana. She was as emotionally isolated as she was physically, but she viewed the house as a way station, a temporary rest stop where she could gather her nerves and fill out applications for what she hoped would be a real job that would help her fit into society. In the meantime, she taught remotely and led field classes in nearby Yellowstone National Park.

Then one day she realized that a mangy-looking fox was showing up on her property every afternoon at 4:15 p.m. She had never had a regular visitor before. How do you even talk to a fox? She brought out her camping chair, sat as close to him as she dared, and began reading to him from The Little Prince. Her scientific training had taught her not to anthropomorphize animals, yet as she grew to know him, his personality revealed itself and they became friends.

From the fox, Catherine learned the single most important thing about loneliness: we are never alone when we are connected to the natural world. Friends, however, cannot save each other from the uncontained forces of nature.

Fox and I is a poignant and remarkable tale of friendship, growth, and coping with inevitable loss—and of how that loss can be transformed into meaning. It is both a timely tale of solitude and belonging as well as a timeless story of one woman whose immersion in the natural world will change the way we view our surroundings—each tree, weed, flower, stone, or fox.

AGE GROUP: | Seniors | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Book Discussion Groups |

TAGS: | Book discussion groups | Biographies |

Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library

ahargreaves@alexlibraryva.org
Phone: 703.746.1704
Fax: 703.746.1775
Branch manager
Abby Hargreaves

Hours
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Mon, Nov 03 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Tue, Nov 04 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Wed, Nov 05 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Thu, Nov 06 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Fri, Nov 07 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sat, Nov 08 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, Nov 09 1:00PM to 5:00PM

About the branch

Parking:
There is a library parking lot available.

Public Transit:

  • Metrorail: King Street Station
  • Metrobus: F20
  • DASH Bus: 36A, 36B, 102

Upcoming Events

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Tue, Nov 04, 10:15am - 11:15am
Meeting Room
Join us for a fun-filled hour of stories, music, and movement for ages 0-5!

Tue, Nov 04, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room
Join us for a special uninterrupted playtime with your child and meet other caregivers. Discover how play and learning go hand-in-hand; toys and resources will be divided up by age (ages 0-3).

Tue, Nov 04, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Meeting Room
Calling all brick enthusiasts: come join us to make cool creations and participate in themed challenges. Grades 2-5.

Wed, Nov 05, 10:30am - 12:30pm
Meeting Room
Enjoy weekly sessions with other fiber artists. Bring and share your projects, and see others. Quilting tutorials will be provided on the first Wednesday of every month. No registration is required.

Thu, Nov 06, 11:00am - 11:45am
Meeting Room
Join us to learn the basic line dance steps to great Oldies and Motown music. This is a great class for beginners. Bring a friend or come alone. Please wear comfortable

Thu, Nov 06, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Meeting Room
Viva Line Dancing: Join our intermediate level of line dancing to improve flexibility and enhance memory. We work the dance floors! This class is not intended for beginners.

Thu, Nov 06, 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room
Come join us to make "Enchanted Book Pumpkins" and "Star Book."
This event is full

Fri, Nov 07, 10:15am - 11:15am
Meeting Room
We sing, play, dance, and rhyme all while promoting your baby’s development and literacy skills. For ages 0-14 months.

Fri, Nov 07, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room
Come and play with music in this fun parent-child learn & play class! Program focuses on activities that enhance brain development and build social skills, language/motor skills, and more (ages 0-5).

Fri, Nov 07, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Meeting Room
Have fun on Fridays after school building, making, playing word bingo, and winning prizes! Grades K-5.

Sat, Nov 08, 10:00am - 11:00am
Burke Lawn
Start your Saturday doing good for your community. Join the Burke Branch walking and litter pickup club.

Sun, Nov 09, 1:30pm - 4:30pm
Meeting Room
Let's celebrate the joy of playing games! Play a wide variety of games, the classics and the new. Bring a friend or make new ones.

Mon, Nov 10, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room
English practice for English language learners. No registration is needed. Class is held in the Burke Branch Meeting Room

Wed, Nov 12, 10:30am - 12:30pm
Meeting Room
Enjoy weekly sessions with other fiber artists. Bring and share your projects, and see others. Quilting tutorials will be provided on the first Wednesday of every month. No registration is required.

Thu, Nov 13, 10:30am - 11:30am
Meeting Room
Enjoy the benefits of a head-to-toe stretch session to help increase mobility, flexibility, and improve muscle function.

Thu, Nov 13, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Meeting Room
Viva Line Dancing: Join our intermediate level of line dancing to improve flexibility and enhance memory. We work the dance floors! This class is not intended for beginners.

Thu, Nov 13, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room
Learn about setting financial goals, the benefits of saving and investing, and types of investments with Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Financial Education Volunteers. 

Thu, Nov 13, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Meeting Room
Stitchers of all kinds and skill levels, join us for an hour of stitching and community at Burke Branch Library!

Fri, Nov 14, 10:15am - 11:15am
Meeting Room
We sing, play, dance, and rhyme all while promoting your baby’s development and literacy skills. For ages 0-14 months.

Fri, Nov 14, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room
Come and play with music in this fun parent-child learn & play class! Program focuses on activities that enhance brain development and build social skills, language/motor skills, and more (ages 0-5).

Fri, Nov 14, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Meeting Room
Have fun on Fridays after school building, making, playing word bingo, and winning prizes! Grades K-5.

Sat, Nov 15, 11:30am - 12:30pm
Meeting Room
Come make some fun themed slime at the Burke Branch! October’s theme is “Potions,” and November's theme is “Cozy.” All children must come with a guardian. Registration required.
This event is full

Mon, Nov 17, 10:30am - 12:15pm
Meeting Room
Join us to socialize and engage your mind with a game of bingo served with food, prizes, and fun. Registration is required.
This event is full

Mon, Nov 17, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room
English practice for English language learners. No registration is needed. Class is held in the Burke Branch Meeting Room

Tue, Nov 18, 10:15am - 11:15am
Meeting Room
Join us for a fun-filled hour of stories, music, and movement for ages 0-5!

Tue, Nov 18, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room
Join us for a special uninterrupted playtime with your child and meet other caregivers. Discover how play and learning go hand-in-hand; toys and resources will be divided up by age (ages 0-3).

Tue, Nov 18, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Meeting Room
Calling all brick enthusiasts: come join us to make cool creations and participate in themed challenges. Grades 2-5.

Wed, Nov 19, 10:30am - 12:30pm
Meeting Room
Enjoy weekly sessions with other fiber artists. Bring and share your projects, and see others. Quilting tutorials will be provided on the first Wednesday of every month. No registration is required.

Wed, Nov 19, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Meeting Room
Join us in-person for a celebration of Native American Heritage Month with a discussion of Robin Wall Kimmerer's 2013 nonfiction book.

Thu, Nov 20, 11:00am - 11:45am
Meeting Room
Join us to learn the basic line dance steps to great Oldies and Motown music. This is a great class for beginners. Bring a friend or come alone. Please wear comfortable

Thu, Nov 20, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Meeting Room
Viva Line Dancing: Join our intermediate level of line dancing to improve flexibility and enhance memory. We work the dance floors! This class is not intended for beginners.

Thu, Nov 20, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Meeting Room
Join us to celebrate Native American Heritage Month with a film screening of a powerful 2024 documentary giving tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life.

Fri, Nov 21, 10:15am - 11:15am
Meeting Room
We sing, play, dance, and rhyme all while promoting your baby’s development and literacy skills. For ages 0-14 months.

Fri, Nov 21, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room
Come and play with music in this fun parent-child learn & play class! Program focuses on activities that enhance brain development and build social skills, language/motor skills, and more (ages 0-5).

Fri, Nov 21, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Meeting Room
Have fun on Fridays after school building, making, playing word bingo, and winning prizes! Grades K-5.

Sat, Nov 22, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Meeting Room
Join us for a fun-filled hour learning more about tarot!

Mon, Nov 24, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room
English practice for English language learners. No registration is needed. Class is held in the Burke Branch Meeting Room