Favorite Reading Days

Do you have a favorite day for reading? Maybe it's the day of the week? A rainy day? A sunny day? A fall, winter, spring, or summer day?

In the fall, I love reading on rainy days. There's no better feeling than snuggling into the sofa with a good book, savoring a good cup of tea, and listening to the rain beating against the window. If the wind is howling, even better. Sometimes, I may swap out my tea with spiced cider to go along with my read.

Winter is great for reading indoors during those snowy days and cold nights. I like wrapping myself in a throw blanket in front of the fireplace, staying warm and cozy with a book, and having a cup of tea (or a hot chocolate) as the snow is falling. Many of my winter evenings are spent in bed reading my Kindle on dark mode.

Like fall, spring with its rain is ideal for reading. I while away a number of spring mornings at my kitchen table with a book and (you guessed it) a cup of tea, looking out the window periodically at the leaves sprouting on the trees. As the season progresses, I'll open the sliding door onto my back porch to let in some fresh air as I read.

Summer is the time of year when I take my reading outdoors. I'm often on my back porch in the shade with a book and my feet up on an opposite chair. If it's exceptionally hot, I'll sip on an iced tea as I read. On really lazy summer weekends, I'll read outside in a hammock and enjoy the warm, gentle breezes along with my book.

I suppose for me, no matter the season, every day is a good day for reading, especially when it's accompanied by a good cup of tea or other agreeable beverage. What about you? Tell us about your favorite day(s) for reading!

Wishing you numerous days of good reading from the perch.

Strike Up the Banned

Banned Books Week (September 18-24) is here, the week libraries around the U.S. bring attention to books that have been banned or challenged. Occasionally we hear on the news about communities displeased that their local library houses certain books that may address subjects such as religion, sexuality, profanity, violence, or other hot button topics. Some people even go as far as asking that books they deem offensive be removed or "banned" from the library so no one can obtain them.

There is a saying that every good library has something to offend everyone (including librarians). As a reader, I may not like or agree with the perspectives presented in every book in the library, but as a librarian, it is my job to help library patrons find the books or information they are seeking. It is not my place to judge what you are looking for or to keep information from you.

The U.S. is built on the key principle of freedom. That includes the freedom to access information and read whatever you like. You also have the freedom NOT to read something you don't like. When we go down the dangerous road of banning books from libraries, we enter the realm of censorship, which is a restriction of freedom. Sadly, there are libraries in other parts of the world that do censor information because of national laws and politics.

We have reason to be grateful for living in a nation where libraries are free to offer all kinds of information and lend books to everyone. We don't need to fear torture or imprisonment for reading something. What we do need to fear is any threat to our freedom of accessing reading materials. A free and healthy society is one in which its people are respectful and tolerant of various views expressed in literature, even though some of those views may be contrary to their own.

Helpfully and respectfully yours from the perch.