Theo IS Golden

A friend recently recommended Allen Levi's Theo of Golden to me, saying it was an "Eileen book." By that she meant a book that's a feel-good read that lifts up your spirits and restores your faith in humanity. (A little background: ever since the pandemic I've gravitated toward books with positive themes and stories to help me offset the doom and gloom of current events.)

In a nutshell, the book is about an 86-year old Portuguese man who goes only by the name of "Theo" and stays in the fictional town of Golden, Georgia over the course of a year. On his first visit to the local coffee shop, he spots on the walls charcoal drawings of the town's people drawn by a local artist. There and then, he decides to buy each drawing over time and gift it to its subject.

You're probably thinking what I was thinking--what a dull book. But hear me out. In the "bestowals" of the portraits, which happen on a bench near a town fountain, Theo speaks with and sincerely listens to the recipients talk as they look at their portraits. Most of the time, they open up about themselves to the attentive older gentleman who gives them his time and his interest. In the process, Theo makes friends and becomes a recognizable, well-loved member of the small Southern community.

We get to know about the various people of Golden, but ironically, we know little of Theo who evades sharing too much of himself. Without giving anything away, we do learn about Theo at the end of the book, but the real takeaway is that in today's high-tech world we still have human needs. We have needs to connect with others in person, to be really seen, to be truly heard, to give and to receive kindness. Most importantly, we have a need to give of ourselves, something that no technology can achieve. This is why Theo of Golden has touched me and I suspect so many others so deeply, making it number one on The New York Times bestseller list.

Which book has struck a chord with you? Share with us!

Wishing you great, heartfelt, moving reads from the perch.

Let's Meet at the...Death Cafe??

Death and taxes are two things you can't avoid, and I suspect most of us would prefer discussing the latter over the former. 

In the U.S., the subject of death is taboo unless we have to deal with it once a loved one passes. When that happens, different questions may arise. How do you plan a funeral? Cremation or burial? What do you experience when you die? These are big, uncomfortable, and scary questions about our mortality, and although we may not have all the answers, we can discuss these issues at a death cafe.

So, what the heck is a death cafe? Simply put, a death cafe is a casual meeting open to anyone who wants to talk about various aspects of death in a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental environment. And it's anything but morbid (pardon the pun). It can often be held at actual cafes or, more increasingly, at libraries with snacks and beverages.

It's important to keep in mind that a death cafe is not a grief support group. Sometimes, but not always, professionals in the death care industry (yes, that's what it's called) are present to help answer questions pertaining to their specialties. Included may be morticians, embalmers, death doulas, hospice nurses, cemetery caretakers, and crematorium technicians among others.

What are your thoughts? Would you go to a death cafe if one was held in our library? Share with us!

Wishing you the best from the perch.

Library Love, Part II

A few years back, I wrote a post about Library Love, which included some novels set in or related to libraries. Since then, similar books have been published, and as it's National Library Week, I thought I'd share newer titles that feature libraries in some way:

• The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson (Libby)  On the Nazi-occupied Isle of Jersey, a librarian hides her library's books that threaten the regime and starts a book club offering escapism to the island's residents.
• The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes (Libby)  A WPA editor is sent to Montana where she learns about a woman who, more than a decade earlier, turned a boxcar into a traveling library reaching isolated mining towns.
• Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller (Libby)  A hysterical read about what happens in a small Georgia town when someone replaces the books of a prudish woman's little library with banned books.
• The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson (BT 028.9 PAT)  The interesting stories of real life librarians and booksellers in the U.S. are presented.
• The Astral Library by Kate Quinn (Libby, F QUI)  A great magical realism read in which a young woman finds a literal escape in a special library that allows its users to live in their favorite books. Complete with book dragon.
• The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (F RIC)  A "blue" woman is part of the Pack Horse Library Project, delivering books to people in the remote areas of Appalachia on horseback during the Great Depression.

Don't forget that this week, our library is offering free T-shirts and book bags while supplies last. So stop by, pick up some goodies, and say hello!

Wishing you a Happy National Library Week from the perch.

Image Source: American Library Association

Great (FREE) Deals at the Library!

I don't have to tell you that the price of practically everything is up. Gas is up. Food is up. Services are up. Heck, even the price of girl scout cookies is up! (Amazing to think that as a brownie, I sold samoas for $2 a box.) I'm probably not the only one feeling that everything is going up except paychecks.

Believe it or not, there are some things that aren't going up in price. Actually, they COST NOTHING at all! You may have guessed--things at the library are FREE!!! And we're not just talking about books. Or DVDs. Or using computers.

These days, expect the unexpected at the library--video games, board games, puzzles, music CDs, audiobooks, and MORE! Tired of paying for Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services? Stream Kanopy from the library for FREE! Want to take a class and learn something new for the fun of it? Register for Universal Class for FREE! Not to mention we have other digital resources for books, audiobooks, music, language learning, newspapers, magazines, materials for kids and MORE all (you guessed it) for FREE!

So don't be shy and come over to the library to get some good FREE stuff! All you need is a library account, which we can make in minutes for anyone with a military ID. And if I may quote American author Anne Herbert, "Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries."

Wishing you the best from the perch.

"Discover" Washington State Parks

Spring is officially here, and the warmer weather is slowly coming to the Inland Northwest! It's time to get out of the house and back to the outdoors. With beautiful mountains, lakes, rivers, and forests, Washington State Parks are some of the best places to enjoy nature.

In case you're new to the area, Washington has more than 140 state parks, historic sites, marine parks, and trails, according to the Washington State Parks website. And a number of them happen to be around Spokane and the eastern part of the state. 

Keep in mind that state parks do require you to display a Discover Pass hanging from your car's rearview mirror, but fortunately, our library has several to loan out for a week for FREE! That's right--check out a Discover Pass from our library and save $$ (that's $10/day or $45/year). You just can't beat that!

Spokane has 3 state parks--Riverside, Mount Spokane, and Centennial Trail State Park. Some notable parks just to the west of Spokane are Sun Lakes-Dry Falls and Steamboat Rock; south are Palouse Falls and Steptoe Butte; north is Crawford State Park. You can learn more about these and other state parks by using this interactive map.

So stop by the library, check out a Discover Pass, and take the family or just yourself to one or more of Washington's state parks. There are plenty of things to see and do in them.

Wishing you happy exploring from the perch.

Image Source: Washington State Parks

Finding Balance

Do you have trouble finding balance in your life? Maybe it's a balance between work and personal time. Or work, personal time, and your partner. Perhaps work, personal time, your partner, and kids. Better yet, work, personal time, your partner, kids, and aging parents (and if that's the case, you have my full sympathy). Wow, and we haven't even talked about friends!

In my humble opinion, I think there are few of us who aren't trying to maintain some sort of balance in our lives. Speaking for myself, I try to balance work, a husband, and aging parents (mine AND my in-laws). Sure, there are times when one part of our lives need more attention than others (i.e., when my mother went to the ER via ambulance). When that happens, we can get a little (heck, VERY) stressed, exhausted, and unsettled.

So, minus unexpected emergencies, how are we supposed to keep balanced for the most part? Wondering about the answer(s) to this question, I turned to the books (naturally):

• Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman (158.12 BUR, Libby) The subtitle of the book says it all: "Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts." 
• The Good Caregiver by Robert L. Kane (649.8 KAN) Written by a medical doctor who was a caregiver to his own mother after she experienced a stroke, this book addresses caring for the aging parent as well as the caregiver.
• Tidy Up Your Life by Tyler Moore (Libby) The author (a.k.a. "Tidy Dad" on Instagram) discusses not only tidying your home physically, but also tidying yourself emotionally and finding your own definition of "good enough."
• Positive Discipline for Today's Busy (and Overwhelmed) Parent by Jane Nelson (Libby) Offers guidance on how to parent well and effectively without giving up on your own goals in life, creating balance between family and work.
• Chained to the Desk in a Hybrid World by Bryan E. Robinson (Libby)  In a world where the lines of work and life are blurred thanks to cell phones and other forms of technology, this book claims to help workaholics recover from workaholism.

Of course, there are many more books (in addition to internet resources) beside those I listed above.

As much as some of us may want or try to "have it all," the reality is we're human and we're capable of doing only so much. Luckily for us, there are a number of books and other resources to help no matter our situation.

Wishing you a good life balance from the perch.

Children and Social Media

This past December, Australia became the first country to ban social media for children under the age of 16. The shock around the world was perceptible. How was Australia going to actually do this? Would it help protect kids from cyberbullying and disturbing content?

Social media is something I do every day. While I wait at the perch for patrons to come to me with questions or checkouts, I'm often managing the library's social media accounts--on Facebook, X, and Instagram--along with this blog that you're reading. I see what's trending on the feeds, and I scan through the news outlets to see if anything is happening in the literary or real world that's worth posting. Social media is important for advertising the library, our programs, and any other information we need to impart.

In my private life, however, I rarely use social media. Yes, I do have a Facebook account, but I don't check it often and I hardly ever post anything, especially information that's too personal. I suppose I'm a strange Gen-Xer who grew up without the internet. I played outside and rode my bike to friends. Bullying may have happened at school, but home was a safe place. The phone (a landline rotary) was used only for talking. If I wanted to know something, I went to the library to use an encyclopedia or the card catalog to look up where a book was located. I'm comfortable using current technology (and even help others navigate it in the library), but I choose when to use it and when to unplug from it.

Australia wants to let kids be kids, and other countries are contemplating whether to follow its example. Despite some Australian kids finding ways onto social media platforms despite the tighter restrictions, many are spending more time outside, with family, and with friends. They are interacting more with each other in person. They are also doing more things offline.

What are your thoughts about children using or not using social media? Share with us!

Wishing you a good online-offline balance from the perch.