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Hi All —
If you're like me, you don't need any more ideas for New Year's resolutions (Hello? Could this be the year I lose the baby weight? The baby is only 29 years old!) But seriously, there is one practice I urge you to adopt in 2019 if you haven't already. Read a book!
New research shows that almost a quarter of adult Americans didn't read a book in whole or in part last year. Unfortunately, those with the least household income and educational attainment are the least likely to have read anything. This saddens me because reading can help overcome those obstacles. I read a study that found reading can even have a positive impact on loneliness and isolation. Readers soon discover that they are not alone, and that other people can have the same thoughts and experiences. I love this quote from Carl Sagan:
“What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic."
Many people swear they don't have time to read. What I've found is that for things we value, we CAN accomplish so much in just 15 minutes a day. I used to tell my piano students that just 15 minutes per day turns into more than 90 hours a year. You can read TWELVE 400-page books in 2019, just in increments of 15 minutes a day! Think of the impact that will have on your understanding of the world, and of yourself. As always, staff at any branch would be happy to recommend a great book for you or your children. It is never too late to develop new, healthy habits...unless you’re talking about me going to the gym!
The rave reviews for bestselling novelist Ann Hood’s Kitchen Yarns led me to read her for the first time. A culinary memoir, these essays about family and food, grief and growth will resonate with any reader. Hood has lived a fascinating life, from TWA flight attendant to suburban mom, and can sure tell a story! A bonus is that she includes family recipes from Gogo (her mother), Mama Rose (Grandma), and Nonna (Great Grandma) among others.
Happy New Year!
Sherie Brown, Director
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