🥇 Library Champion Newsletter | 3️⃣ ways to begin living the reading life
Library Champion,
It's the 202nd day of the year: we're 55% through 2021. That means it’s time for a check-in: how's your reading year going? When you read, do you look for what is new or do you have a plan for what you will read next? Many of us having reading lists, but I often don’t hear of many people living a reading life. Here are 3 ways to begin that lifestyle:
- What do you want in your reading life? Examples: Fun, Escape, Learning, Encouragement, Laughter, Growth, Surprises, Understanding, Energy, Variety, Knowledge.
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What do you suspect your reading life needs right now? Here are some questions to ask yourself: do you want to focus more on your chosen priorities and less on the latest thing that catches your eye, find other reading people for bookish conversation, cultivate consistency in your reading time, take more notes and capture quotes, read more older books and fewer brand-new ones, experiment with a timer or habit tracker, spend time reflecting on what you read, branch out beyond your go-to genres, or regularly write reviews for what you read.
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Choose a few satisfying mini-projects. There’s a difference between having a reading life and a reading list. Here are some ways to create a reading life: start a physical or digital To Be Read list stack or shelf, create a comfy reading nook, cull your written or digital TBR, read a book with a book club, cull or declutter a physical bookshelf, attend a virtual or in-person author talk, get personal feedback and recommendations for your reading life from a trusted source (like a librarian!), participate in a reading retreat or schedule your own private retreat, try a new-to-you format like audiobook, eBook, or graphic novel, get familiar with your library’s website and learn how to access databases, pause holds, and borrow eBooks or audiobooks, style a bookshelf that brings you joy, donate or give away books you want to part with, compile and share a list of ten lifetime favorite books, or get involved with a literary program or charity.
What I'm currently reading
On the house: a Washington memoir by John Boehner.
A good friend just read this book and recommended it. It's interesting so far. John is very candid in his past and present observations of Washington politics.
Some books I bought today that you should borrow (now with a list included)
Fierce Little Thing: A Novel by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
(Adult fiction, thriller )
It all began when Saskia’s 4-year-old little brother died. With her father in jail, her mother absconded, and her grandmother unwilling to care for her, Saskia’s family disintegrates. Sent to live with family friends just after she turns 12, she initially thrives. Phillip, her new father figure, is an eccentric painter, and although his wife, Jane, is rarely around, Saskia soon bonds with their son, Xavier, who's her age.
Then Jane decides not to come home, and Phillip takes them to Home, where the enigmatic leader, Abraham, holds court, urging everyone to “Unthing” themselves and give up all worldly attachments. There in the woods of Maine, Saskia finds new friends among the other kids. But she is also surrounded by adults trying to navigate marital and financial difficulties.
In the background, the siege on Waco has Abraham on edge, and bad choices eventually erupt in a catastrophic event. Sixteen years later, Saskia and her friends from Home are living separate lives: Xavier and his husband are trying to adopt a child, Ben and Cornelia have built their own families, Issy is a single mom. Only Saskia lives alone and isolated in her late grandmother's Connecticut house. Mysterious letters have arrived in all their mailboxes, luring them back to Home, threatening to reveal a terrible secret.
As the tightly structured chapters toggle between Saskia’s past and present, Beverly-Whittemore deftly ratchets up the tension by slowly, almost imperceptibly revealing the psychological troubles haunting not only Saskia, but also Abraham. Avoiding the expected storyline of “cult leader sexually abuses young girl,” Beverly-Whittemore crafts something else entirely as the sins of the past come home to roost.
Don't miss these new releases!
- A Bad Day for Sunshine by Jones, Darynda
- Robert Ludlum's The Bourne treachery by Freeman, Brian
- Not a Happy Family by Lapeña, Shari
- The Walnut Creek wish by Brunstetter, Wanda E.
- Unthinkable by Parks, Brad
- Safe In My Arms by Shepard, Sara
- Just One Look by Cameron, Lindsay
- All The Little Hopes by Weiss, Leah
- Claimed by Ward, J.R.
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Keep kids reading
(Photo Credit: Getty Images / Global Moment)
"This may not be a product you can buy, but it’s the most valuable item on this list. As old-fashioned as it sounds, library cards—both of the digital and plastic variety—can usher in a world of reading possibilities.
First, of course, there are the books to be checked out. Then there are the various programs libraries offer, from summer reading competitions to creative writing classes to maker-spaces. And don’t forget there are a vast array of digital resources, from eBooks to magazines to graphic novels to audiobooks, that are entirely free."
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Thank you for being a library champion. You make a difference each day!
--Vince Giordano
Librarian and Director of the Juniata County Library.
P.S.- You don't need to create an account or jump through a bunch of hoops to be a library champion. I wouldn't say this if it wasn't true. You can make this happen in less than a minute. Just click here.