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Headquarters:
Bay County Public Library
850-522-2100
Panama City Beach
850-233-5055
Parker Public Library
850-871-3092
Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Library
Port St. Joe
850-229-8879
Charles Whitehead Public Library
Wewahitchka
850-639-2419
Harrell Memorial Public Library
Bristol
850-643-2247
Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library
Hosford
850-379-3300
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The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading
by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann
To be a bookseller or librarian you have to play detective. Be a treasure hunter. A matchmaker. An advocate. A visionary. A person who creates "book joy" by pulling a book from a shelf, handing it to someone and saying, "You've got to read this. You're going to love it." Step inside The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians and enter a world where you can feed your curiosities, discover new voices, find whatever you want or require. This place has the magic of rainbows and unicorns, but it's also a business. The book business. Meet the smart and talented people who live between the pages and who can't wait to help you find your next favorite book.
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Table for Two
by Amor Towles
The millions of readers of Amor Towles are in for a treat as he shares some of his shorter fiction: six stories set in New York City and a novella in Los Angeles. The New York stories, most of which are set around the turn of the millennium, take up everything from the death-defying acrobatics of the male ego, to the fateful consequences of brief encounters, and the delicate mechanics of comprise which operate at the heart of modern marriages. In Towles's novel, Rules of Civility, the indomitable Evelyn Ross leaves New York City in September, 1938, with the intention of returning home to Indiana. But as her train pulls into Chicago, where her parents are waiting, she instead extends her ticket to Los Angeles. Told from seven points of view, "Eve in Hollywood" describes how Eve crafts a new future for herself-and others-in the midst of Hollywood's golden age.
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James
by Percival Everett
When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. While many narrative set pieces of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river's banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin...), Jim's agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.
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The Reaper Follows
by Heather Graham
Deep in the Florida Everglades, the body of a woman is discovered in pieces, presumably ravaged by an alligator. Upon closer inspection, it's determined no animal could make such perfectly precise cuts. Only a blade could do that. Wielded by a human. Soon, dozens of oil drums emerge amid the river of grass. Each one packed to the brim with body parts. FDLE special agent Amy Larson and her partner, FBI special agent Hunter Forrest, share a bad feeling that extends beyond the horrifying nature of the grim discovery. They've seen this kind of sadistic killing before, and when a small beige horse is discovered at the bottom of one of the barrels, they know exactly what it means. The fourth horseman of the apocalypse rides a pale horse--and his name is Death.
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Can't We Be Friends: A Novel of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe
by Denny S. Bryce & Eliza Knight
1952: Ella Fitzgerald is a renowned jazz singer whose only roadblock to longevity is society's attitude toward women and race. Marilyn Monroe's star is rising despite ongoing battles with movie studio bigwigs and boyfriends. When she needs help with her singing, she wants only the best--and the best is the brilliant Ella Fitzgerald. But Ella isn't a singing teacher and declines--then the two women meet, and to everyone's surprise but their own, they become fast friends.
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The Good, The Bad, and the Aunties
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
After a romantic honeymoon across Europe, Meddy Chan and her husband Nathan have landed in Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with her entire extended family. Chinese New Year gets even more festive when a former beau of Second Aunt's shows up at the Chan residence bearing extravagant gifts. He's determined to rekindle his romance with Second Aunt and the gifts are his way of announcing his courtship. His grand gesture goes awry however, when it's discovered that one particular gift was intended for a business rival to cement their alliance and included by accident. Of course the Aunties agree that it's only right to return the gift. But what should have been a simple retrieval turns disastrous and suddenly Meddy and the Aunties are helpless pawns in a decades-long war between Jakarta's most powerful business factions.
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The Age of Revolutions and the Generations who Made It
by Nathan Perl-Rosenthal
The revolutions that raged across Europe and the Americas over seven decades, from 1760 to 1825, created the modern world. Revolutionaries shattered empires, toppled social hierarchies, and birthed a world of republics. But old injustices lingered on and the powerful engines of revolutionary change created new and insidious forms of inequality. In The Age of Revolutions, historian Nathan Perl-Rosenthal offers the first narrative history of this entire era. Through a kaleidoscope of lives both familiar and unknown--from John Adams, Toussaint Louverture, and Napoleon to an ambitious French naturalist and a seditious Peruvian nun--he retells the revolutionary epic as a generational story. The first revolutionary generation, fired by radical ideas, struggled to slip the hierarchical bonds of the old order. Their failures molded a second generation, more adept at mass organizing but with an illiberal tint. A breathtaking history spanning three continents, The Age of Revolutions uncovers how the period's grand political transformations emerged across oceans and, slowly and unevenly, over generations.
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Shakespeare's Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance
by Ramie Targoff
A remarkable work about women writers in the Renaissance brings us in close to four women who were committed to their craft before there was any possibility of "a room of one's own." In an engaging narrative of everyday life in Shakespearean England, Ramie Targoff carries us from the sumptuous coronation of Queen Elizabeth in the mid 16th century into the private lives of four women writers working at a time when women were legally the property of men. Some readers may have heard of Mary Sidney, accomplished poet, but few will have heard of Amelia Lanyer, the first woman to publish a book of poetry in the 17th century, or Elizabeth Cary, who published the first original play by a woman, about the plight of the Jewish princess Mariam. Then there was Anne Clifford, a lifelong diarist, who fought for decades against a patriarchy that tried to rob her of her land, in one of England's most infamous inheritance battles. Targoff uncovers the treasures left by these extraordinary women by helping us see the period in a fresh light and by supplying an expanded reading of history and a much-needed female perspective on life in Shakespeare's day.
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Children's Book Week is May 6 - 12, 2024.
everychildareader.net
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All Northwest Regional Library System locations will be CLOSED for Memorial Day - Monday, May 27th. | |
Puzzle Lending
Bay County Public Library
Come take a peek at Bay County Public Library’s new puzzle lending collection. We have over 90 puzzles that are available for check out. All puzzle lending and returning must be done at the Bay County Public Library Reference Desk in Adult Services. There is a limit of 2 puzzles per patron. We are accepting puzzle donations if they are in good condition and have all the pieces.
Panama City Beach Public Library
Panama City Beach Public Library has a wonderful puzzle collection to borrow from as well! There is a limit of 2 puzzles per patron.
| Children's Library Programming |  | |
Bay County Public Library
Bounce & Rhyme Storytime (Ages 0 - 36 months with Caregiver)
Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. CT.
Early literacy fun for you and your little ones with songs, rhymes, stories, and movement.
Preschool Storytime (Ages 3 - 5 with Caregiver)
Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. CT
Enjoy books, songs, and rhymes while building early literacy skills.
Trading Card Game Day (Children + Teens)
Friday, May 3 at 3:30 p.m. CT
Every first Friday of the month, visit the Youth Services department to play, trade, and share your card collections - Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, & Magic the Gathering.
Free Comic Book Day (All Ages)
Saturday, May 4 starting at 9 a.m.
In the Youth Services Department, 'blind bags' with three assorted comic books in four age groups will be available while supplies last. The age levels are: ages 4 - 7, ages 8 - 12, ages 13 - 16, and Adults 17+. There will also be some "Make Your Own Comic Book" kits, one per person. The library is partnering with Comic Emporium and Arena Comics, our two local comics shops in Panama City. We encourage everyone to visit Comic Emporium and Arena Comics to get more free comics!
Doodle Club (Ages 8-12)
Wednesday, May 8 at 3:30 p.m. CT
Join us for doodling, and other fun drawing games and activities. Registration required, and opens 3 weeks prior to each class. For registration, call 850-522-2118 or visit the library.
Comic Club (Ages 8 - 12)
Friday, May 24 at 3:30 p.m. CT
Join us to discuss comics, meet other comic-loving kids, and create your own comics! Registration required, and opens 3 weeks prior to each class.
Family Game Day (Families with Children 6 - 11)
Saturday, May 25 from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. CT
Mario Kart & Board Games. Parents must stay with their children. Program in the Meeting Room.
Japanese Language Club (Ages 6 - 12)
Wednesday, May 29 at 4 p.m. CT
Young fans of Japanese games, anime, and culture will enjoy the beginner class to learn Japanese words and phrases. Registration required, and opens 3 weeks prior to each class. For registration, call 850-522-2118 or visit the library.
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Panama City Beach Public Library
Book Babies (Ages 0 - 2)
Tuesdays from 10:00 - 10:20 a.m. and 10:30 - 10:50 a.m. CT
Come hear delightful stories, have fun with finger plays, move and groove to silly songs! Class sizes are limited to 24 people each session; two class times of same class.
Sail into School (Ages 3 - 5)
Thursdays from 10 - 11 a.m. CT
Get ready to have some fun with your child as they learn through stories, songs, and craft time. Class size is limited to 24 people.
May 2 - Things that Go
May 9 - Sea Creatures
May 16 - Being You!
May 23 - Friends
May 30 - Pirates!
Process, Practice, Purpose: Drawing Workshop
Saturday, May 4 from 10 - 11:30 am CT
Registration Required. Call 850-233-5055 to register. Professional artist-muralist, Suzanne Whitaker, will use her illustrations What if I Try? as inspiration for this workshops activities. Participants will enjoy the story of Onyx, the Cat, who tried all sorts of new things. Suzanne will then lead the participants in experimenting with the drawing process. Program sponsored by the PCB Library Foundation.
LEGO Club (Ages 7 - 11)
Tuesday, May 14 at 4 p.m. CT
Join us every month for a different theme to create with LEGOs. We will display completed LEGO creations in the library. Registration required due to limited class size. Registrations begin on the 1st of each month by visiting the library or calling 850-233-5055.
May Take and Make Craft Kits
Make Your own Rainbow Fish Weaving. Kits are available while supplies last and sponsored by the Panama City Beach Library Foundation.
Parker Public Library
Library Animals Storytime and Craft (Ages 3 - 6)
Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. CT
LEGO Club (Ages 6 - 11)
Saturday, May 4 at 12:30 p.m. CT
Join us for LEGOs in the Library!
Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library in Port St. Joe
Chess Club (All Ages)
Mondays at 2:30 - 5 p.m. ET
All ages and abilities welcome.
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Instrument Petting Zoo
Saturday, May 4 at 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET
Get up close and personal with musical instruments! Students from the Port St. Joe High School Marching Band will teach participants about the instruments they play and the sounds they make. The event is free to the public and geared towards children.
Origami with Stellan (All Ages)
Monday, May 20 at 4 p.m. ET
Learn how to fold an origami ladybug! Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, has several benefits. It can help improve concentration, hand eye coordination, and fine motor skills.
Crafternoon with Marilyn (All Ages)
Thursday, May 16 at 4 p.m. ET
Charles Whitehead Public Library in Wewahitchka
LEGO Club
Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. CT
Build unique challenges followed by free play.
Mother's Day Craft
Friday, May 10 at 3:30 p.m. CT
Listen to a sweet story about mom and then create a beautiful craft!
Family Fun Day
Monday, May 13 at 3:30 p.m. CT
Join us for games and a snack!
STEAM for Littles (Ages 1-6)
Monday, May 20 at 3:30 p.m. CT
Learn while you play with S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) at this fun program!
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Harrell Memorial Public Library in Bristol
Saturday Storytime (All Ages Welcome)
Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET
Story time and craft hour followed by playtime with library STEM and imaginative play items.
LEGO Club (Ages 6 - 12)
Thursday, May 16 at 4 p.m. ET
Join up with friends for exciting monthly challenges along with free play! LEGOs provided by the library.
Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library in Hosford
LEGO Club (Ages 6 - 12)
Tuesday, May 21 at 4 p.m. ET
Join up with friends for exciting monthly challenges along with free play! LEGOs provided by the library.
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Bay County Public Library
Teen Game Night (Ages 12 - 18)
Wednesdays, May 1 and May 29 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. CT
Play various Switch games in the meeting room.
Free Comic Book Day (All Ages)
Saturday, May 4 starting at 9 a.m.
In the Youth Services Department, 'blind bags' with three assorted comic books in four age groups will be available while supplies last. The age levels are: ages 4 - 7, ages 8 - 12, ages 13 - 16, and Adults 17+. There will also be some "Make Your Own Comic Book" kits, one per person. The library is partnering with Comic Emporium and Arena Comics, our two local comics shops in Panama City. We encourage everyone to visit Comic Emporium and Arena Comics to get more free comics!
Teen Advisory Board (Ages 14 - 17)
Tuesday, May 14 at 4 p.m. CT
Earn volunteer hours and help your library! Discuss books you enjoy and potential teen library programs. Registration required. Please visit the library or call 850-522-2118. Snacks provided by the Friends of the Bay County Public Libraries.
Upcycled Origami with Kat: Pterosaur (Virtual)
Wednesday, May 8 at 2 p.m. CT
Learn how to fold an origami pterosaur! Program will be shared on Facebook and the Northwest Regional Library System, FL YouTube channel.
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Denny S. Bryce and Eliza Knight (Click to Listen):
Join us for an interview with bestselling historical fiction authors, Denny S. Bryce and Eliza Knight. We'll discuss their collaborative writing process for Can't We Be Friends: A Novel of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe. Unwind with Denny and Eliza as they share their love of history, archives, film, music, libraries and more!
| Unstacked is a monthly library podcast with author interviews. The titles can be placed on hold in the library collection as soon as they are available. Listen to Unstacked on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts! | Adult and Family Library Programming |  | |
Bay County Public Library
Program in Meeting Room unless otherwise noted.
Beginning Japanese Class (Adults 18+)
Monday, May 6 at 5:30 p.m. CT
Come learn some basics of conversational Japanese, as well as reading and writing hiragana. Registration Required. Call 850-522-2107 to register.
Collage Makerspace
Tuesday, May 7 from 2 - 4 p.m. CT
Sarah Burris, collage artist and librarian, will introduce collage basics. All materials will be provided to create your own collage in celebration of World Collage Day (May 11).
BCPL Book Club (Zoom/In-Person Hybrid)
Thursday, May 9 at 10:30 a.m. CT
May: Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Email rfillingame@nwrls.com for Zoom invitation or meet in the Meeting Room. Extra copies of the monthly title purchased thanks to the Bay County Public Library Foundation. Email to see if a copy is available.
Saturday Book and Film Series
Saturday, May 11 at 2 p.m. CT
May Film: To Walk Invisible: The Brontë Sisters (2016 |PG)
Popcorn and waters provided by the Friends of the Bay County Public Libraries.
11th Street Dulcimer Group (Zoom/In-Person Hybrid)
Friday, May 17 at 2 p.m. CT
All skill sets welcome. Email sburris@nwrls.com for Zoom invitation or meet in the Youth Services Program Room.
Crafternoon @ The Library
Friday, May 31 from 2 - 4 p.m. CT
Bring a current craft project or the supplies to start a new one! Adult coloring pages provided. Join other crafters in forming a more tight knit (or crocheted) community! Program geared for adults, but teens welcome. Beverages provided by the Friends of the Bay County Public Libraries.
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Panama City Beach Public Library
Sea Needles
Fridays from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. CT
Bring your knitting, crochet, or quilt projects and join other crafters for an enjoyable time. Newcomers welcome!
Beach Book Club (Zoom/In-Person)
Wednesday, May 1 at 10:30 a.m. CT
Reckoning by Catherine Coulter
Email shill@nwrls.com for Zoom invitation or meet at the library! New members are always welcome. Extra copies of the book have been provided by the Bay County Public Library Foundation. Check the front desk to see if there is a copy available!
Humana Health Education Class: Train Your Brain
Wednesday, May 15 at 2 p.m. CT
Program on foods to boost your brain is taught by Jacob White, a Humana representative. Light refreshments are provided.
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WJHG Chapter Chat Book Club
Tuesday, May 21 at 2 p.m.
Jessica Foster and Mel Zosh from WJHG News Channel 7 will lead Chapter Chat Book Club. Open to the public to attend. Title will be announced on air in the beginning of the month. Follow us on Facebook for the exact title. Stay tuned! Extra copies of the monthly title provided by the Bay County Public Library Foundation. Visit or call the front desk to see if a copy is available!
Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library in Port St. Joe
Seaside Stitchers
Saturdays from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. ET
We offer a warm, seaside welcome to anyone who is interested in needle arts. Bring your latest project and join us as we knit together a more vibrant community!
Chess Club (All Ages)
Mondays at 2:30 - 5 p.m. ET
All ages and abilities welcome.
Florida Friendly Gardening
Saturday, May 11 at 10:30 a.m. ET
Join the UF/IFAS Master Gardeners each month for a new topic in Florida Friendly landscaping and gardening.
Yoga (Donation Afterhours Class)
Saturday, May 11 at 2 p.m. ET
Every 2nd Saturday of the month, Leila Fortier of Ananta Yoga is leading a donation-based yoga class designed for all skill levels. All donations will go to the library.
Writers Group
Tuesdays, May 14 and May 28 at 10:30 a.m. ET
Join writers to discuss writing techniques, challenges, & and offer supportive feedback.
Crafternoon with Marilyn (All Ages)
Thursday, May 16 at 4 p.m. ET
Library Book Club
Monday, May 20 at 10:30 am ET
Join our community of readers for lively discussion and new insights! Contact the library at 850-229-8879 for the monthly title.
Origami with Stellan (All Ages)
Monday, May 20 at 4 p.m. ET
Learn how to fold an origami ladybug! Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, has several benefits. It can help improve concentration, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills.
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Charles Whitehead Public Library in Wewahitchka
Scrabble
Monday, May 6 at 2 p.m. CT
Enjoy an afternoon with others playing scrabble.
Friends of the Wewahitchka Library Monthly Meeting
Thursday, May 9 at 9:30 a.m. CT
Meetings are open to all members. If you are not yet a member, but are interested in supporting the library, we invite you to join us.
Tupelo Needleworks
Monday, May 13 at 1 p.m. CT
Bring your current knit, crochet, quilt or craft project! Meet and enjoy time with others.
Family Fun Day
Monday, May 13 at 3:30 p.m. CT
Join us for games and a snack!
Writing Your Family History
Friday, May 17 at 2 p.m. CT
Learn tips on compiling and writing your family history.
Busy Bee Readers Book Club
Monday, May 20 at 2 p.m. CT
Please contact the library by calling 850-639-2419 for monthly book club titles.
Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library in Hosford
The Book Buzz
Thursday, May 9 at 2 p.m. ET
Join us for a cup of tea, as we share our latest favorite book. Each month we will explore a different theme or genre, with a list of great titles available.
Creative Crafters (Adults and Teens 16+)
Thursday, May 9 at 3 p.m. ET
Crafters are invited to bring your own craft and socialize, while sharing tips and ideas with other crafters. Not currently working a project? We have crafting supplies, adult coloring and much more to enjoy!
| New eBooks and eAudiobooks | |
Just for the Summer
by Abby Jimenez
Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage. It's supposed to be a quick fling, but suddenly they are navigating a lot more than they expected including real feelings for each other.
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The Anxious Generation: How the Great rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
by Jonathan Haidt
After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on most measures. Why? Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood” began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood” in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood” has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.
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The Truth about the Devlins
by Lisa Scottoline
TJ Devlin is the charming disappointment in the prominent Devlin family, all of whom are lawyers at their highly successful firm—except him. After a stint in prison and rehab for alcoholism, TJ can’t get hired anywhere except at the firm, with the title of investigator. But one night, TJ’s world turns upside down after his older brother John confesses that he murdered one of their clients. It seems impossible coming from John. TJ plunges into the investigation, seizing the chance to prove his worth and save his brother. But in no time, TJ and John find themselves entangled in a lethal web of deception and murder. TJ will fight to save his family, but what he learns might break them first.
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With the Libby app, you can check out five e-books and audiobooks at a time for free for 21 days. All you need is your library card number and PIN. Forgot your PIN? Just give us a call at 850-522-2100 and we'll set one up for you. And you can return items early!
To access e-books and downloadable audiobooks, click here or:
Go to www.nwrls.com
Click on Books & Research
Click on eBooks & eAudiobooks
Click on Libby to find eBooks, audiobooks and magazines
OR
Download the Libby App to your device.
Sign in by selecting Panhandle Library Access Network.
Select Northwest Regional Library System as your library,
and login with library card number and PIN.
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