On a recent weekend I had spent the afternoon atop a ladder scraping loose paint from my house. Tired, dirty and hungry, I rummaged around my empty fridge for something for supper. Instead, I called in a pizza order. I hoped to make a quick run into the restaurant and make a fast getaway before anyone could see me in my disheveled state.
Such plans are rarely successful. Right in the parking lot I encountered two favorite library patrons. Readers can never just pass one another with a wave and a quick “hi.” We always stop to discuss what we are reading, what books we’ve just finished and what books we are planning to read next. This time one of the ladies talked about slogging her way through a book she truly wasn’t enjoying, but felt she should finish anyway.
I gave up that attitude at college graduation. No more reading books I didn’t enjoy. No more putting off reading what I really wanted to read because I had to finish something boring first. Since I’m reading for pleasure, why not? The only exception is when the information contained in the book is valuable in itself. Sometimes, knowledge is important regardless of how badly it is presented. Those types, like books about health issues or taxes or politics contain important information. I read those only when absolutely necessary.
Recently there has been a real buzz about a book called The Shack by William Young. We have two regular copies of the book, plus one in large print and one on audio cd. We can’t keep them on the shelves. Everyone who reads it tells all their friends who tell all their friends. From what I’ve been told, it sounds fascinating…..God comes into the book as a very large African American woman. I kind of like that image, so I’ve started the book two times. I never get past the snowstorm in the first few pages. Finally in talking to coworkers, I’ve decided that the book is a GSPW-a good story, poorly written. Life is too short for those, also. Someday someone will write it better. Then I’ll read it.
Otherwise, I enjoy everything I read. I don’t feel guilty stopping after a few pages or a few chapters. My “to read” list is already longer than I’ll live to finish. Don’t feel you have to finish every book you ever start. We have about 20,000 more of them at the library…..a few are surely bound to please.
New(ish) @ your library, a few of what are known in the children’s library as information books. These grownup books are just chock full of everything we might need to know about the retirement years.
Don’t Retire, Rewire by Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners. In a study conducted by Merrill Lynch, more than 60% of Americans reported that they expected to continue working into retirement. Well, thanks to Merrill Lynch, et al, the other 40% of us will probably have no choice. This little book will help us mold our careers to fit our retirement pocketbooks.
Smart Women Don’t Retire-They Break Free by Gail Rentsch. The sub-title of this one is “from working full-time to living full-time.” What a prospect! Think of all the books I can read!
Retirement Without Borders by Barry Golson. How to retire abroad- I might give this one serious consideration. Let those selfish, far-flung, childless, grownup children of mine come see me for a change. Or, just give me grandchildren and I’ll stay here and be happy.
How to Care for Your Parents’ Money While Caring for Your Parents by Sharon Burns. A frightening thought, whether you are the child or the parent. This may be the most important book on my short list. Someone needs to understand how to stretch resources to cover a whole host of possible contingencies. This book is a well-recommended resource for planning for all eventualities.
Whatever your reading desires, be it business or pleasure, find it @ your library.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Express Yourself @ your library
Memorial Day has come and gone; most of us are back at work. Our kids are finishing up their last full week of school. Next Wednesday school gets out early and the summer fun begins at the library. We used to offer something special that first day of summer vacation…something special to entice the kids and the parents to come into the library to sign up for the summer reading program.
It became apparent that not only was a program or an event unnecessary, it got in the way! We don’t have room for a presenter or a display; the old building is rocking with kiddies, tots, parents, strollers and chaos. We add extra reinforcements to our scheduled staff, we all take our vitamins and prepare to go into the fray armed with books, movies, puppets, games and prizes to amaze and astound young readers. Even those who can’t read yet.
Last year 276 children registered for our summer reading program. Despite declining school enrollment, that number has remained fairly constant from year to year. In June and July last year the children’s library offered 25 separate programs. All together they were attended by 650 kids and parents. Where else would you find 25 FREE children’s activities? Anyone who knows Jean Holste knows that these weren’t just traditional library story hours. Every event is a performance. Last year’s theme was “Catch the Reading Bug”. The programs all revolved around creepy, crawly things.
This year the theme is Be Creative @ your library. Jean has her usual array of not-so-usual programs. Each participant will receive a reading log. This year it is shaped like an artist’s palette. ( I looked that up in the dictionary. Did you know that there are also separate definitions for palet and pallet and pallette?) For each 30 minutes the child reads or is read to, he/she colors in one paint splotch. When all the splotches are colored in, the kiddo receives a prize. Also happening will be Tot Time on Mondays, The Artsy-Smartsy Club (this one is my favorite) and six different Art Starts programs. Also happening are the every-popular Stories & More and Read-To-Me Club. Check with the children’s library for details.
Because kids eventually age-out of the children’s library, but not out of library/reading enthusiasm, we also have a program for tweens and teens. For the 6th-12th grade set, this year’s summer program is entitled Express Yourself @ your library. Every summer Sherri Crowley and I turn the teen corner into something befitting the program theme. In years past we created a haunted house and a castle. Last year’s theme was Metamorphosis. We created a gauzy, floaty-looking scene with lots of color and netting. Not sure what we had in mind at the time. This year, it’s an artist studio, complete with paint brushes and drop cloths. The corner is always adorned with artwork from our “library kids”, the ones who spend lots of time here. Now their artwork has become part of the whole stage set. Sherri and I start planning about February. We decorate and transform because we like to. That there is a summer program with a theme is a bonus for us. Gives us an excuse.
For this group we have one larger prize. No messing around with trinkets for our guys. For every 200 pages read, the kids get an entry for our drawing. The prize this year is a portable DVD player. There will be other assorted programs and activities throughout June and July.
We will also have some contests and activities for grownups. There will be a drawing for some of those reusable, recyclable library bags. They were so popular; I’ve ordered a new batch. We may come up with a large-ish adult prize, too.
Here is a creative endeavor for you to try now: go to www.jacksonpollock.org. Click on “Enter Jackson Pollock. Org. Every move of the mouse will draw. Each click will change the color you are drawing with. The longer you hold the mouse in one place, the bigger paint blob you will make. The faster you move the mouse, the thinner the line you draw. Warning: This website is hypnotizing and addictive!
If you have fun and like your creation, print it out in color and bring it in to the library. We will put it in a picture mat and hang it up. Every work of art from this website wins a prize @ your library.
It became apparent that not only was a program or an event unnecessary, it got in the way! We don’t have room for a presenter or a display; the old building is rocking with kiddies, tots, parents, strollers and chaos. We add extra reinforcements to our scheduled staff, we all take our vitamins and prepare to go into the fray armed with books, movies, puppets, games and prizes to amaze and astound young readers. Even those who can’t read yet.
Last year 276 children registered for our summer reading program. Despite declining school enrollment, that number has remained fairly constant from year to year. In June and July last year the children’s library offered 25 separate programs. All together they were attended by 650 kids and parents. Where else would you find 25 FREE children’s activities? Anyone who knows Jean Holste knows that these weren’t just traditional library story hours. Every event is a performance. Last year’s theme was “Catch the Reading Bug”. The programs all revolved around creepy, crawly things.
This year the theme is Be Creative @ your library. Jean has her usual array of not-so-usual programs. Each participant will receive a reading log. This year it is shaped like an artist’s palette. ( I looked that up in the dictionary. Did you know that there are also separate definitions for palet and pallet and pallette?) For each 30 minutes the child reads or is read to, he/she colors in one paint splotch. When all the splotches are colored in, the kiddo receives a prize. Also happening will be Tot Time on Mondays, The Artsy-Smartsy Club (this one is my favorite) and six different Art Starts programs. Also happening are the every-popular Stories & More and Read-To-Me Club. Check with the children’s library for details.
Because kids eventually age-out of the children’s library, but not out of library/reading enthusiasm, we also have a program for tweens and teens. For the 6th-12th grade set, this year’s summer program is entitled Express Yourself @ your library. Every summer Sherri Crowley and I turn the teen corner into something befitting the program theme. In years past we created a haunted house and a castle. Last year’s theme was Metamorphosis. We created a gauzy, floaty-looking scene with lots of color and netting. Not sure what we had in mind at the time. This year, it’s an artist studio, complete with paint brushes and drop cloths. The corner is always adorned with artwork from our “library kids”, the ones who spend lots of time here. Now their artwork has become part of the whole stage set. Sherri and I start planning about February. We decorate and transform because we like to. That there is a summer program with a theme is a bonus for us. Gives us an excuse.
For this group we have one larger prize. No messing around with trinkets for our guys. For every 200 pages read, the kids get an entry for our drawing. The prize this year is a portable DVD player. There will be other assorted programs and activities throughout June and July.
We will also have some contests and activities for grownups. There will be a drawing for some of those reusable, recyclable library bags. They were so popular; I’ve ordered a new batch. We may come up with a large-ish adult prize, too.
Here is a creative endeavor for you to try now: go to www.jacksonpollock.org. Click on “Enter Jackson Pollock. Org. Every move of the mouse will draw. Each click will change the color you are drawing with. The longer you hold the mouse in one place, the bigger paint blob you will make. The faster you move the mouse, the thinner the line you draw. Warning: This website is hypnotizing and addictive!
If you have fun and like your creation, print it out in color and bring it in to the library. We will put it in a picture mat and hang it up. Every work of art from this website wins a prize @ your library.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
We are in a library lull right now. Kids and their parents and teachers are working to wrap up the school year. Librarians are finishing up spring programs, getting ready for another summer reading program in June and July.
This week we will meet to discuss our latest Humboldt Reads! book , Pay It Forward. The next selection, nonfiction this time, is The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan. Evelyn Ryan’s story is told by her daughter, Terry. Somehow, just as the family budget would hit crisis point, Mrs. Ryan would write another prize-winning jingle and win just exactly the right prize to keep her family afloat a while longer. Books are available now at the library. Check one out and join us for a lively dinner and book discussion in June.
Since there isn’t much live action in the library these days (but JUST wait until school is out!), I have some new books to share with you:
Miss Julia Delivers the Goods by Ann B. Ross – There is a whole series of Miss Julia books. Each one is more delightful than the last. Miss Julia lost her husband at about retirement age. After his death she discovered he wasn’t quite the man she had thought. Once Julia got over the shock of it all, she sets out to do good works and live life to the fullest.
The Sisters Antipodes by Jane Alison- This is a memoir of just about the craziest sounding childhood I can imagine. Two Foreign Service families, each with two little girls, become friends while living in Australia. Eventually, friendly takes on a whole new meaning and both couples divorce, swap daddies, and remarry. This book is the struggle of the four girls caught in the middle. Oh, my!
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn- If you read Flynn’s Sharp Objects, you know that she is a master of the surprise ending. Look for nothing less in her newest book.
The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women & a Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffery Zaslow. This one has received quite a bit of attention here in Iowa. We women seem to hang on to our friends. It will be an interesting read to hear how these women have stayed friends through marriage, children, divorce, long distance moves, illness and even death.
Columbine by Dave Cullen – We all followed this story as it unfolded ten years ago. After years of interviews and research, Cullen tells the story of the brutality of this crime. This book has received quite a bit of early publicity. Here’s your chance to read it before everyone else is talking about it.
Southern Living Ideas for Great Kids’ Rooms – Someone donated this book to the library. The rooms are the cutest I’ve ever seen….built in beds, beds in lofts and tents, a dresser that incorporates a carousel horse, a choo choo train bed and a closet that resembles a castle. What more could you want?
Do Your Own Home Staging: Sell Your Home Faster, Sell It for More by Tina Parker – This one has a lot of good information for decluttering and depersonalizing your home when you put it on the market. There is a check list for each room in the house.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne – We all ought to read this before we see the movie. It’s the story of two little boys who make friends through the fence at a World War II concentration camp, one inside the camp, the other outside, the son of the camp’s commandant.
Spring brings lots of rainy days. Come on in and be prepared to curl up with a good book from your library.
This week we will meet to discuss our latest Humboldt Reads! book , Pay It Forward. The next selection, nonfiction this time, is The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan. Evelyn Ryan’s story is told by her daughter, Terry. Somehow, just as the family budget would hit crisis point, Mrs. Ryan would write another prize-winning jingle and win just exactly the right prize to keep her family afloat a while longer. Books are available now at the library. Check one out and join us for a lively dinner and book discussion in June.
Since there isn’t much live action in the library these days (but JUST wait until school is out!), I have some new books to share with you:
Miss Julia Delivers the Goods by Ann B. Ross – There is a whole series of Miss Julia books. Each one is more delightful than the last. Miss Julia lost her husband at about retirement age. After his death she discovered he wasn’t quite the man she had thought. Once Julia got over the shock of it all, she sets out to do good works and live life to the fullest.
The Sisters Antipodes by Jane Alison- This is a memoir of just about the craziest sounding childhood I can imagine. Two Foreign Service families, each with two little girls, become friends while living in Australia. Eventually, friendly takes on a whole new meaning and both couples divorce, swap daddies, and remarry. This book is the struggle of the four girls caught in the middle. Oh, my!
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn- If you read Flynn’s Sharp Objects, you know that she is a master of the surprise ending. Look for nothing less in her newest book.
The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women & a Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffery Zaslow. This one has received quite a bit of attention here in Iowa. We women seem to hang on to our friends. It will be an interesting read to hear how these women have stayed friends through marriage, children, divorce, long distance moves, illness and even death.
Columbine by Dave Cullen – We all followed this story as it unfolded ten years ago. After years of interviews and research, Cullen tells the story of the brutality of this crime. This book has received quite a bit of early publicity. Here’s your chance to read it before everyone else is talking about it.
Southern Living Ideas for Great Kids’ Rooms – Someone donated this book to the library. The rooms are the cutest I’ve ever seen….built in beds, beds in lofts and tents, a dresser that incorporates a carousel horse, a choo choo train bed and a closet that resembles a castle. What more could you want?
Do Your Own Home Staging: Sell Your Home Faster, Sell It for More by Tina Parker – This one has a lot of good information for decluttering and depersonalizing your home when you put it on the market. There is a check list for each room in the house.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne – We all ought to read this before we see the movie. It’s the story of two little boys who make friends through the fence at a World War II concentration camp, one inside the camp, the other outside, the son of the camp’s commandant.
Spring brings lots of rainy days. Come on in and be prepared to curl up with a good book from your library.
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