Ringing in the New Year

If you're like me, you're holidayed-out at this point.  After knitting and crocheting Christmas gifts, cleaning the house, decorating, cooking, hosting, and making merry, my fa-la-la-la-la just fa-la-la-la-left.  And there's another holiday coming up just a couple of days away?  I don't think I have it in me for the next one.  I told my husband that Christmas was all about family and friends, but I want New Year's to be all about us--staying at home, relaxing, and having some peace and quiet.

Are you on the same page with me?  Are you in desperate need of some New Year's downtime in the comfort of your own home?  Here, then, are some ideas for things you can do at little or no charge (some with the help of your library and neighborhood perch librarian) to make ringing in the New Year a special one:

• Do a puzzle.  I'm not a whiz at puzzles, but a 300-500 piece puzzle is possible even for an anti-talent like me to complete before midnight.
• Watch a DVD.  Make some popcorn, cuddle up on the sofa, and watch that movie you've been wanting to see.
• Read a book.  I know I'm biased with this one, but you knew I had to say it.
• Play a board game.  Unplug from the electronic devices and play Monopoly, Checkers, Dominoes, etc.
• Take a bubble bath.  Spend some relaxing quality time with a very important person--you!
• Get some takeout.  Take a break from cooking and treat yourself to pizza, Chinese, burritos, or something else that tickles your taste buds.
• Eat chocolate.  Need I say more?

Of course, you can also sit down and write out your resolutions for the following year, but we'll save that discussion for another post.  Whatever you decide to do, have a safe and wonderful Happy New Year full of good reading!

With best wishes from the perch.

Keeping Holly During the Holidays

There's commercialism, controversy over classic holiday songs, and plenty of bah humbug during that most wonderful time of the year.  Some of us are stressed over buying presents, preparing the house, baking cookies, seeing the family, not seeing the family, or just stressed over being stressed.

Perhaps it's good for all of us to take a moment, breathe, and remember some of the lessons we learned way back in kindergarten (courtesy of Robert Fulghum) to help us appreciate and enjoy the holiday season better.

• Wash your hands before you eat.   'Tis the season to be spreading colds and viruses, so make sure you wash your hands to keep yourself and everyone healthy.
  
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.  They're not just for Santa!  Just be sure to have them in moderation, okay?
  
• Clean up your own mess.  Whether the party is in your own house or someone else's, keep things neat.
  
• Don't take things that aren't yours.  It's a time of giving, so don't be a grinch.
  
• Don't hit people.  There's never a reason to do this.  Just don't.
  
• Say you're sorry when you hurt someone.  We all say the wrong thing sometimes; apologies mean a lot.  And don't talk about politics.
  
• Be aware of wonder.  Look at how those beautiful, colorful lights dance in the tinsel.  Catch some falling snowflakes on your tongue.  Read a good holiday book or watch a holiday movie from your library.

Enjoy the parties, the people, the food, and yourself during the holidays this year.  Keep them happy, clean, and stress-free.

Happy Holidays and Season's Readings from the perch.

Don't Buy It, Make It

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be over, but the holiday shopping season continues.  Maybe you found those perfect gifts for the people in your life, and if you did, that's great.  You can stop reading this post (but please humor me and read on).  If you're like me, though, you avoided the crowds and the mayhem to stay home and wonder what to get the people who have everything and say they want nothing for Christmas.

Of course, I can't give some people nothing for Christmas (especially when I know they already got me something), so I went to almighty Google to ask what to get people who say they want nothing.  Well, I was impressed to see that you could actually buy the "Jar of Nothing" from various places ranging in price from $3.50 to $19.95.  That's something for nothing!  Actually, the Jar of Nothing comes with a lot of humor, but somehow I think the recipients would fail to see it.

I racked my brain to think of what to gift the people who want nothing and came up with something that can't come from any store--the handmade gift (ta-da!).  My husband photographs landscapes and I knit and crochet, so the people who want nothing will get some artwork for the walls and woolly hats to wear.

I'm sure everyone has a hobby, interest, or particular talent.  Maybe it's baking, crafting, woodworking, sewing, leatherworking, or something else.  Think about what you can do and turn it into a gift that comes from the heart.  If you need some help, come to the library and check out our DIY books.  You'll save some frustration.  And if people don't appreciate the handmade gifts this year, then I'll present the Jar of Nothing to them next year.

Wishing you a stress-free, happy season of giving from the perch.

Practice Thankfulness

I've talked about having an Attitude of Gratitude in the past, but with Thanksgiving coming up, I thought it might be good to revisit the subject.  It seems like a lot of people feel down about the state of the world these days and tend to focus more on the negative than on the positive.  I'd like to think of the glass being half full, so here's a list of things for which we all can be thankful:

• Weekends--Those 2 days a week to rest, recharge, have fun, do something, do nothing are just magical, aren't they?
• Fresh Air--It smells good, fills up our lungs, and we wouldn't be around without it.
• Learning from Mistakes--Nobody's perfect, so isn't it great our mistakes can be our best teachers?
• Laughter--Sometimes you just can't take life too seriously and need to laugh it up.
• Sunshine--Those warm rays sure make the day bright and cheery.
• Time--It's a gift to be used well.
• Rainbows--Those pretty colors in the sky don't happen often, but they sure are pretty!
• Waking Up--If you woke up this morning, be happy--it's another day you're here!
• Your Mind--It's a rather remarkable instrument; just look at all the different things you can do!
• Music--Doesn't listening to your favorite tunes put a spring in your step?
• Libraries and Books--Come on, you know I had to include them! The gateways to so many things!

Personally, I'm also thankful for my family (even though they drive me crazy sometimes), my good health (so far), and working in a library (5 days a week).  What are some of the things you feel thankful about?

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving from the perch.

 

Stop Book Abuse!

What I love about library books is that they're everybody's books.  You can check them out, I can check them out, he can check them out, she can check them out, etc.  Damaging a library book is like damaging your own personal property, so why do people do it?

Recently, a test prep book was returned to the library with all the answers marked in it.  In addition to seeing the answers the patron selected, I also saw which answers the patron got wrong because there were lines through the numbers with mistakes.  Allow me to say that your neighborhood perch librarian was none too thrilled erasing page after page of pencil marks in that book.

You'd be surprised by the condition in which a number of books and other library items get returned to us.  They've had marks made by various writing utensils, Post-its stuck to pages, water damage, coffee stains, and brown sticky stuff I don't even want to know about.  The library has become ick and germ central, but there's something we can all do to help.

When you check any item out of the library, treat it with respect.  Don't write anywhere in or on it.  Don't rest your drink on it.  Don't take it with you into the bathtub, the pool, the lake, the ocean, or anywhere else that's wet.  For the time it's checked out to you, that library item is yours--take good care of it.

Sending you good karma from the perch.

Not So Sleepy Hollow

Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" may be just a story to many people, but to those from New York's Hudson Valley, such as myself, it's more than just a ghost tale.  It's based on local facts and is part of the area's folklore.  It's also a part of the area's growing tourist industry.

Full disclosure: I was born in Sleepy Hollow, although at that time it was called North Tarrytown.  After the largest employer, the General Motors plant, closed down in the mid-1990s, the village reverted to its original name of Sleepy Hollow to capitalize on it's folklore and history.

Revisiting Sleepy Hollow recently, it was interesting to see how the village has turned into a bustling tourist destination revolving around Irving's famous tale.  There was always the Old Dutch Church, which figures into the story, and the adjacent cemetery containing the remains of the "Headless Horseman," a Hessian soldier decapitated during the American Revolution.  Nowadays, among other things, there's a master storyteller recounting Irving's "Legend," nighttime tours of the cemetery by lantern light, and the Horseman's Hollow, where actors portray "the undead, the evil, and the insane."

The village of Sleepy Hollow does a great job in keeping Irving's story alive and well.  Older and younger generations can learn and be entertained by the American literary classic, walking the paths and seeing the sights that Irving wrote about.  If you ever have the chance to visit New York City, it's worth taking the Metro North train from Grand Central Station to visit Sleepy Hollow.  Just don't lose your head while there.

Wishing you haunted readings from the perch.

Celebrate Banned Books!

In honor of Banned Books Week, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of the books which have been banned in different countries or challenged by schools, churches, and individuals.  The reasons why they have been banned or challenged may surprise you.  Have you read and liked any of these titles?

• The American Heritage Dictionary--Objectionable entries, in particular slang terms. 
• As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner--Questions the existence of God.
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley--Anti-religion, against the traditional family, strong language, and pornographic.
• The Call of the Wild by Jack London--Too radical.
• Charlotte's Web by E. B. White--Depiction of talking animals is sacrilegious. 
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker--Rape, racism, violence against women, and sex.
• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank--Sexually explicit passages.
• The Giver by Lois Lowry--Violence, sexually explicit, and euthanasia.
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck--Promotes Communist values.
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald--Language and sexual references.
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling--Witchcraft.
• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov--Obscene content.
• The Lorax by Dr. Seuss--Political commentary and propaganda.
• Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare--Same-sex romance.
• Ulysses by James Joyce--Obscene language and sexual content.
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak--Supernatural themes.

In the United States, public libraries are open to all people.  Any person is free to check out any book, no questions asked. 

Defending truth, justice, and the freedom to read from the perch.

The End of Summer Reading

Alas, the summer's almost done,
Along with time spent in the sun,
Summer reading will be ending,
Since the school year now is pending.

But there is no need to fear,
Because the books will still be here.
Fiction, history, mystery, too,
There's no reason to be blue!

Halloween is coming soon,
So, start singing a happy tune!
Not-so-scary with lots of treats,
Follow Twitter for all our tweets.

A teen escape room is pretty awesome,
Besides our year-round Library 'Possum.
He picks a new book every week
To make sure your reading's never bleak.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall,
There's always something to do for all.
Let's jump up and give a cheer,
The Library is here all year!

Wishing you year-round good reads from the perch.

Libraries--The Positive Place

Does it seem like people focus too much on the negative these days?  That there aren't enough people who practice common courtesy?  People who say "please" and "thank you" in addition to showing some understanding and compassion toward others?

One place where people still practice a little kindness is the library.  Sure, the library is where you can get information, check out items, and participate in programs, but furthermore, it's where you can expect to find friendly faces and people genuinely interested in helping you.

Although many of us working in the library love books and reading, we also love interacting with people.  It's great to see our regulars and ask how they're doing.  Likewise, it's wonderful to welcome newcomers, people who may be new to the library or to the area, and get to know them.

The library is a positive place filled with energy and hospitality.  There are real people here with real feelings, because aside from promoting reading, the library promotes kindness, courtesy, and understanding.

Want to experience or practice some kindness yourself?  Why not stop by the library?  We'll be happy to see you.  And you can always check out a book or something while you're here.

Positively yours from the perch.

Cool Reads for Hot Days

Summer may have been here officially for a month, but the high temperatures have just recently caught up.  Is it getting too hot outside for your taste?  Do you need to cool down?  Well, here are some reads set in the midst of winter or in cold locales that are sure to bring you some relief.

Adult

• Blood on Snow--Jo Nesbo
• Frankenstein--Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
• The Snow Child--Eowyn Ivey
• Snow Falling on Cedars--David Guterson
• Winter Garden--Kristin Hannah

Teen

• Ashen Winter--Mike Mullin
• Shiver--Maggie Stiefvater
• Towering--Alex Flinn
• Winter--Marissa Meyer
• Wintersong--S. Jae-Jones

Children

• Lemonade in Winter--Emily Jenkins
• The Long Winter--Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Owl Moon--Jane Yolen
• Poppleton in Winter--Cynthia Rylant
• The Snowy Day--Ezra Jack Keats

If you're a snow bunny melting in the Inland Northwest heat, don't worry.  The cooler days of September aren't far off along with 8 months of lower temps.

Wishing you cool breezes and summer fun from the perch.

Do a Good Turn--Please Return

Remember those stickers on VHS tapes that you rented from the video store in the '80s?  The ones that said, "Be kind. Please rewind."?  Many times I brought home a video only to have my gratification delayed because the last person who had the tape didn't rewind it to the beginning.  Nowadays, we may no longer have to wait until a tape rewinds in order to watch a movie, but in the library, we still have to wait for overdue items to be returned before others can enjoy them.

It recently occurred to me that it's been over 6 years since I last wrote about overdue library items, so I figured now is as good a time as any to revisit the subject.

I'm sure we've all been there--we want to check out a book or other item, but when we go to the library we find that someone already checked it out.  That's to be expected sometimes, especially with newer and popular items.  We occasionally have to wait until the person who has the item returns it.  However, when the person who has it doesn't return it until 3 months or even 3 years later, so many people are missing out on using and enjoying the item.

The whole purpose of a library is so people can borrow items without having to purchase them.  It's not about hording items all to yourself and keeping them away from others.  Libraries are in the business of being kind to our patrons, and we also depend on our patrons being kind to each other by taking care of items and returning them by their due dates.

Please keep in mind that the library is for all of us to enjoy.  Pay attention to the due dates on items and bring them back on time--we all appreciate it!

Considerately yours from the perch.

Don't Forget Dad!

This time of year, there are elementary and middle school promotion ceremonies, high school and college graduations.  You know what that means...Father's Day is looming on the horizon!  That's right.  This Sunday, the 17th day of June in the year 2018.  We remembered mom in May, so we can't forget about dad in June.

Just as with mom, you probably want to start with a card.  And wouldn't a homemade card made by you with tender loving care help make dad's day?  Check out DIY Projects or The Spruce Crafts for different ideas on cards that are both creative and easy to make.

Flowers may be the way to mom's heart, but food is definitely the way to dad's.  Is he into nuts and chips?  How about barbecues and sodas?  Or does he like coffees and wines?  Country Living and Community Table have some good food ideas for dad that you can buy or cook yourself.

Naturally, you can always opt for a more classic gift for Father's Day.  See the suggestions of AskMen and Money Crashers for gift ideas dad will appreciate.  Younger kids can make some special gifts for dad with the help of Good Housekeeping or Dodo Burd.

Keep in mind that although gifts are great, the best thing you can give your dad is YOU.  Spend some time with him doing something fun you both enjoy.

Wishing everyone a Happy Father's Day from the perch.

Summer at the Library

That joyous time of year is here,
Filled with laughter, fun, and cheer.
School is out and kids are home,
Dreaming of a place to roam.

Where, oh where can they all flee?
I know, I know, the Library!
There's books and games and movies--wow!
Don't you want to be here now?

Summer reading's always a blast,
No reason at all to feel downcast.
The more you read, the more you yearn
For prizes galore that you can earn.

Parties, programs, storytimes, too,
So many wonderful things to do!
You think that you may pay a fee,
But happily the things are free!

Get out of the heat and come inside
Where you'll be cool and starry-eyed.
Because when all is said and done,
The Library's the place for fun!

Wishing you happy summer reading from the perch.

Don't Forget Mom!

The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and the bees are buzzing.  May is here, and that means Mother's Day is just around the corner (this Sunday, May 13th, to be exact).  You want to show mom that you care, but maybe you're a little strapped for cash or perhaps you want to make something from the heart?  Not to worry.  Your friendly, neighborhood perch librarian is here to give you ideas for gifts your mom will love!

First things first.  No Mother's Day is complete without a card.  You can always count on Hallmark or American Greetings, but why not make mom a homemade card?  You can draw, paint, use torn bits of paper to make a pretty picture.  For other ideas, check out DIY Projects or Better Homes and Gardens.

Does your mom have a sweet tooth?  Why not bake her a cake?  You can keep it simple or make something more elaborate if you have a talent in the kitchen.  Take a look at some great recipes Country Living or Delish have to offer.  If your culinary technique is lacking, bake some easy cupcakes or muffins and get the kids to help.

Of course, you can make a more traditional gift for Mother's Day.  Take a look at Good Housekeeping or HGTV for different things you can do.  For younger kids, the Happy Hooligans and BuzzFeed have some great projects to make.

Whatever you make or do, remember it's the thought that counts!  Your mom will love what you give her because it's from the most important person around--YOU!

Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day from the perch.

Shaking Off Winter

Hello, Sunshine!  After so many weeks of gray, damp, chilly days, you finally made your way to the Inland Northwest.  Thanks to you, it's starting to look and feel like spring around here.  The forsythias are blooming, the trees are budding, and it's warm enough to take a leisurely walk outside.  At long last, it's time to emerge from hibernation and shake off winter.  But how should we do that?  Here are some ideas:

• Let's first start by going outside.  You've been cooped up inside all winter long, so now's the time to get out and enjoy nature again.  Take a walk around your neighborhood or the park, breathe in that fresh air, and enjoy those blue skies.  I don't know about you, but it sure does my spirit good.

• Get out and get moving.  That bike hasn't been ridden since at least the fall.  Time to dust it off, hop on, and start peddling.  The destination doesn't matter; it's the journey that counts.  Take a ride by yourself or with a friend.  The important thing is to just go.

• Get down and dirty, and by that I'm talking about gardening.  Kneel down on the ground and get your hands in the potting soil.  Start planting those annuals and perennials.  Not only does gardening add to the curb appeal of your house, it also gives you some good exercise in the fresh air.

• What would spring be without a little spring cleaning?  Get out the cleaning materials and get to it.  Dust the furniture and mop those floors (don't forget all those dust bunnies under the bed!).  Your house will look neat and you'll breathe and feel a lot better.

• And of course, read something uplifting.  There are plenty of fresh new books on our shelves this spring.  Why not come to the library, check them out, and spend some time with them on your favorite bench or at an outdoor cafe.  They're just waiting for a spring fling with you!

What ideas do you have for shaking off winter?  Share them with us!

Sending happy spring wishes to you from the perch.

Without Libraries

In honor of  National Library Week, I could be cliché and talk about all the good things libraries do.  But I won't.  Instead, I'm going to talk about all the things you would have to do if libraries didn't exist.

Without libraries, you would have to buy books from a bookstore. That would average about $8-16 a paperback and $16-25 a hardcover.  If you're buying a specialty book, you can even pay close to $100 a book or even more.

Without libraries, you would have to buy or rent DVDs from a store.  You could also pay $50-100 or more to watch movies on Cable or a satellite service.

Without libraries, you would have to pay to attend classes to learn things like knitting or crocheting.  You wouldn't have fun and informative programs to attend for free, and you wouldn't have interesting book talks in which to take part.

Without libraries, you would have a difficult time finding someone to proctor your test free of charge for the college class you're taking.  If your kids need someone to proctor a test outside of school, they would have a difficult time as well.

Without libraries, your kids would hang out after school on the street and possibly do things they shouldn't be doing.  They wouldn't have a safe, welcoming place to be.  Not to mention they wouldn't have a place where they could get homework help for free.

Without libraries, you would need your own computer to find things on the Internet.  That means buying your own computer, paying for the Internet, and doing your own computer maintenance.  And if you need to print, that involves buying your own printer and toner.

I could go on, but hopefully, you get the point.  Without libraries, you would be paying a lot of money for different things that you want or need to do.  Libraries provide a lot of goods and services that many take for granted but would sorely miss.  Show your library some love today.

Wishing you a Happy National Library Week from the perch. 

Stephen Hawking--Life Lived to the Fullest

A great mind passed away last week.  Physicist, cosmologist, and author Stephen Hawking died on March 14 at the age of 76.

I confess that I'm not scientifically minded, and I haven't paid close attention to Hawking's theories, which I understand are--for lack of better phrasing--out of this world.  I'm not going to discuss his achievements as there are others who can do a much better job than me.  What I would like to talk about is my admiration for a person who has lived his life as fully as possible despite his physical limitations.

At the age of 21, Hawking was diagnosed with an early onset, slow-progressing form of ALS, and his doctors gave him two years to live.  As anyone can understand, Hawking was initially depressed by his diagnosis and his deteriorating motor skills and speech.  However, with the encouragement of his doctoral advisor, he continued his work and did so for the next fifty-five years.

It would have been so easy for Hawking to give up, to stop working and succumb to his condition, but he didn't.  As the years progressed, so did his ALS.  He lost his ability to speak and all movement, but not his mind.  Thanks to technology and various people helping him, Hawking was able to communicate and write using a raise of his eyebrows, a computer, and a voice synthesizer.  He wrote books and gave lectures...all from his wheelchair.  He traveled, received awards, and even went on a zero-gravity flight in the hope of preparing for a space trip.

Stephen Hawking may not have been able to do the simplest things most of us take for granted, like walking or talking, but he didn't let his condition stop him from doing what he wanted to do.  I admire him for making the most of life, having a sense of humor, and taking things in stride.  Hawking is a role model, inspiring us to pursue our interests and not allow anything to deter us from them.

Ever humbly yours from the perch.

Carnegie Libraries

Libraries.  We take for granted that most towns, large or small, have them.  You want a book, a DVD, CD, or whatever, you go to the local library and get it--for free.  There's no cost for using the library and borrowing items.  Kids can get materials to help with homework, adults can find resources to help get jobs, and everyone can find something to enjoy in his or her free time.  Yes, libraries are great for both work and play.

Did you know, however, that just over a hundred years ago, libraries weren't free?  And not all towns had them?  If a town was fortunate enough to have a library, it often shared space with the city hall or even a jail.  Not exactly the kind of place you'd want to take the kids, was it?  Additionally, you'd often have to pay a subscription in order to use it.

Industrialist and Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, a poor boy from Scotland who worked in a Pittsburgh textile mill and later expanded the American steel industry, was self-taught and knew the value of libraries.  Unable to afford the $2 subscription, he was only able to use the local library at the age of 17 when a newspaper published a letter he wrote to the library administrator asking for library privileges.

When he had acquired his fortune, Carnegie made it his mission to build public libraries across the U.S.  Close to 1,700 libraries were built from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.  They were free and open to everyone regardless of gender, age, and race.  Although some Carnegie libraries have been torn down or are no longer used as libraries, many continue to serve in their original purpose today.

To read more about Andrew Carnegie and the Carnegie libraries, check out the following articles:

• Library Benefactor Andrew Carnegie
• How Andrew Carnegie Turned His Fortune Into a Library Legacy

Sincerely yours from the perch.

We Need More Uplifting Reads

Warning: I'm about to get on my soapbox.

For quite some time, I've been trying to find some uplifting reads for adults, and you know what?  They're really hard to find.  Alright, I know that conflict makes good stories and that stories normally end when the conflict is resolved.  However, with all the conflict we have in real life, don't we need--no, deserve--some books to make us feel the world can be a better place?

Let's take a lesson from the movies.  During the Great Depression, when people were going through tough times, did Hollywood produce movies that were full of doom and gloom?  Not really.  They made movies that were cheerful and had happy endings.  It was the age of Charlie Chaplin and Shirley Temple.  It was a time of glamorous dreams in which Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced gracefully across the screen and Judy Garland sang of a place over the rainbow.  Movies were escapism, a break from the bleak everyday and intended to raise spirits.

Why can't we have books nowadays that are more escapist?  Books that are about people helping and being there for others.  Books that demonstrate understanding and compassion.  The characters should be allowed happiness or at least contentment, and they can have a good ending despite having a few bumps along the way.  Why can't we have more books like Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove or Richard Paul Evans' The Walk series?  Sure, the characters in these books start out in rough shape, but they have people around them who care and help them get to a better state.

It's sad that today a new genre--school violence--is growing amid the increasing number of school shootings and other types of threats in the world.  If you ask me, I think now more ever we need books that emphasize the positive over the negative, joy over despair, humanity over monstrosity.  We need books to lift us up and to inspire hope.

Yours ever optimistically from the perch.

Happy (Anti) Valentine's Day!

Chocolates, roses, cards.  Romance books, romance movies, romance whatever.  Yup, Valentine's Day has come again.  Depending on how you're feeling in your relationship or lack thereof, you're either loving or hating Cupid's holiday.

In the past, I've written about library items to help all the lovebirds out there, but what about all the lonelyhearts?  Well, this post is written for all of you down on love.  If you're looking for something that won't have you gagging on lovey-dovey couples that can't stop smooching, here are some books and movies that might appeal to you:

Books

• 1984 (George Orwell)  You don't need an enemy when you have a partner who betrays you when imprisoned and begs for you to be tortured instead of them. Very romantic.
• Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)  Love?  What's love?  In this futuristic society, there's no love, sex is recreational, babies are grown inside bottles, and everybody takes happy drugs.
• The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)  Guy loves woman, woman marries someone else for money, guy gets rich and buys big house to lure woman away, and it's ends bad.  Really bad.

Movies

• Fatal Attraction  Don't cheat because the person you cheat with may be seriously psycho.  Poor bunny.
• Revolutionary Road  Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are definitely not feeling the love in this movie.  They're not crazy about each other and they both hate their lives.
• The War of the Roses  What can be more anti-romantic than a couple divorcing?  Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas fight to the end.  The very bitter end. 

To all you lonelyhearts out there, know that you're not alone.  Take comfort that Valentine's Day is almost over and you have 364 days to make the next one hopefully better.

Sending you good, positive vibes this Valentine's Day from the perch.

New Year's Resolutions for Book Nerds

We're about two weeks into the New Year.  Perhaps you've made some resolutions?  Maybe you're doing a good job keeping up with those resolutions, or have you already abandoned them?  Whether or not you're doing well on those promises you made to yourself, I'm not one to judge.  In the spirit of the New Year and resolutions, however, I thought it might be fun to share with you Barnes and Noble's list of New Year's Resolutions for Book Nerds (I especially like numbers 1, 5, and 19):

1. I will stop losing bookmarks.
2. I will keep my “all-nighters to read a book from cover to cover” down to once a week.
3. I will do things other than read on weekends. Things like interact with other humans, eat things other than cereal, absorb sunlight, and appreciate trees.
4. I will give people who don’t read a chance. Maybe.
5. I will conquer the 100 greatest novels of all time.
6. I will choose a literary prize and read every book that has ever won that prize.
7. I will be faithful to one book club, instead of joining five different ones and just reading whatever I want.
8. I will shed 20 pounds from my bookshelves so they’re not straining under a potentially hazardous amount of weight.
9. I will exercise more by walking around the bookstore five times before making my purchases.
10. Before passing judgment on a genre of books, I will read three books in that genre first.
11. I will read a book in another language, even if it’s The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss.
12. I will organize my book collection in a way that other sentient beings can understand.
13. I will diligently record every book I read this year and my thoughts on them.
14. I will stop being late to things because I got distracted by a book.
15. In fact, I will show up extra early to everything so I have time to read while waiting.
16. I will stop judging people who see the movie before reading the book.
17. I will stop recommending books with ultimatums like, “If you don’t love this book, we can’t be friends!”
18. I will finally finish that one book I’ve tried to start four times already.
19. I will keep one book on my nightstand instead of a tower of precariously piled hardcovers that could topple at any minute and crush me in my sleep.
20. When my significant other reads a book I love, I will not sit and stare at them while they read. Nor will I keep asking, “Are you at (my favorite part) yet?”

Don't forget--the library has plenty of materials for your enlightenment and entertainment...and they're all FREE!  And stop by the perch if you have any questions or just want to say hi to your friendly, neighborhood perch librarian.

Wishing you a good start to the year from the perch.