Reading Year-Round!

Reading doesn't have to end just because the summer is ending! So many of you--kids, teens, and adults--have been enjoying the Summer Reading Program, getting prizes, and breaking our all-time record for minutes spent reading (over 501,000!). But having fun reading can continue throughout the year for those of all ages.

How do we do that? Here are some of my suggestions:

• Make reading part of your everyday routine.  You don't have to read for a long time--even 10 to 20 minutes at the start of your day or the end of it is good. You work eating, sleeping, exercising into your schedule; work in some reading as well.

• Read what you like.  Don't force yourself to read things you think you should be reading. Read whatever tickles your fancy. Who cares if it's graphic novels, romances, or paranormal teen books. Choose things you look forward to reading.

• Be a reading model.  I'm not talking about posing for photos. If you want your kids to read more, have them see you reading. Kids are notorious for copying adults, and they won't pick up the reading habit if they can't copy it from you.

• Make reading family time.  Whether you have younger kids or older kids, why not set a time once a week when the family comes together for reading? Have one person read aloud to everyone, or have everyone read silently to themselves in the same room. Reading loves company!

• Join or make your own book club.  Discuss a book with a friend over tea. Participate in an online or in-person book club. Small group or large, informal or formal, talking about what you read with others can further your enjoyment of reading.

For me, reading is like breathing. I can't imagine a day going by when I don't read at least a few pages. I don't consider myself a morning person, but each day I get up earlier than I need to have at least 20 minutes for reading with a cup of tea to put myself in a good mood. I often read for a few minutes while I have my lunch. And in the evening, I read for at least a half hour in bed to quiet my brain away from screens before sleeping. I read books that coincide with my mood and current interests. The bottom line--reading makes me feel whole and gives me different things to think about at any time and any season. Hopefully, reading does similar things for you.

Wishing you a wonderful year of reading from the perch.

Library, Sweet Library

Library lovers--do you gravitate to the mother ship when you travel? You know what I'm talking about. You're away on vacation, you're taking in the surroundings, and you're drawn to...the local library. It's a bit of the familiar in an otherwise unfamiliar place. The building may look different, but the smell of books and the sight of friendly, welcoming faces ready to help makes you think of your home library, doesn't it?

I recently visited Forks, Washington (yes, THAT Forks, the one featured in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series)--leave it to a perch librarian to visit a literary place on her time off from work! In my defense, it's difficult to avoid the library in Forks since it's right on the main street going through town along with the Native to Twilight store, the Thriftway, and Bella's truck. Even so, I couldn't help shouting out (and freaking my husband) when I saw the same Summer Reading Program banner outside a library over 400 miles away from my own.

I couldn't help thinking how great it is that readers across the state, even across the country, are in a sense connected through summer reading programs at their libraries. They're all reading, logging minutes, and collecting prizes. They're participating in related activities, enjoying summer reading parties, and having fun! What can be better?

Feel empowered knowing that you are part of a widespread summer reading community! What happens at one library often happens at other libraries. Keep reading, whether you're at home or on the road. And in case you were wondering--I was reading New Moon during a new moon in Forks.

Wishing you good literary travels (physical or mental) from the perch.

The Library Dragons!

They're protectors of the knight. They're celebrities with the kids. They're...The Library Dragons! WooHOO! There are two dragons (and one dinosaur): Duncan and Donut (and Munchkin). They all love books and learning, but they have distinct personalities.

Duncan, the green dragon, is the biggest one, and he thinks he's in charge because of his size. That doesn't make him mean, however. He's actually quite protective of Donut and Munchkin, who are both small. He's really excited that a book, Duncan the Story Dragon, has been written about him and that you can get this book at the library.

Donut, the red dragon, is Duncan's trusty sidekick. Despite being smaller, he thinks he can do anything Duncan can (and he usually succeeds). When Duncan needs a break from his duties at the library, Donut is more than happy to step in. He's excited that Duncan got a book published, but he's hoping to get his own book sometime.

Munchkin, is not a dragon but a blue dinosaur who thinks he's a dragon because he wants to be cool like Duncan and Donut. He's rather shy, so you don't see him as much as you see Duncan and Donut. He likes hanging out in the back of the library where it's more quiet, but sometimes he comes out to see what's happening in the front. Although he prefers being left out of the spotlight, Munchkin is willing to help Duncan and Donut whenever he's needed.

For most of the year you can see Duncan and Donut protecting our knight behind the perch. Sometimes, though, during the summer, Duncan and Donut like taking turns hiding around the library in different spots and seeing if kids can find them. Munchkin spends most of his time in the back reading, but one summer he just might take a turn at playing hide and seek.

Next time you're in the library, don't forget The Library Dragons. Be sure to give a nod to Duncan and Donut and pass on a hello to Munchkin.

Ever bookishly yours from the perch.

(Updated from September 4, 2015.)

Secrets of Libraries and More!

What really goes on in libraries and bookstores? What are the secret lives of librarians and booksellers? Some of the things you hear may be true (yes, most staff members LOVE reading books) and some of it may be false (no, we don't live at the library or bookstore).

I'll share something with you--as a perch librarian, I occasionally like to read books about libraries and bookstores. It's similar to healthcare professionals watching medical dramas to see how outsiders view and depict their profession. I enjoy reading about both real and imagined book-associated locales and the characters that populate them. Here are some selections I particularly enjoyed and found interesting:

• The Bookshop on the Corner (Jenny Colgan)  A British library in the present time re-structures and downsizes, leaving a librarian out of a job. But when life gives you lemons, get a book van and head to Scotland!
• The Midnight Library (Matt Haig)  How would you like going to a special library where you can read books about the different lives you could have lived, the other roads not taken? One person does this and learns a lot about herself. 
• The Giver of Stars (Jojo Moyes)  Based on a true story, a group of dedicated librarians ride horseback to deliver books to families living in remote regions of Appalachia during the Great Depression.
• The Library of Lost and Found (Phaedra Patrick)  A librarian who has let life take over her learns, with the help of her charismatic grandmother, how to take over life and live it to the fullest on her terms.
• The Paris Library (Janet Skeslien Charles)  This is a loose account of the events and courageous staff members of the American Library in Paris during World War II.

All these books are available at the library in either print or audiobook formats; you can also enjoy them as digital books or e-audiobooks through our online resources. 

What are some books about libraries and bookstores that you have liked? Share with us!

Happy summer reading from the perch!

Building a Love of Reading

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither are readers. And who is instrumental in helping children build a love of reading? Parents, grandparents, and other key adults in children's lives.

For babies and toddlers, reading turns into quality time between the child and the adult. On a lap or nestled in the crook of an arm, a child can bond with the adult who is reading the book to him or her, sharing in the same story experience. They learn to regard reading as a fun and positive activity. Furthermore, they learn sounds and develop language through hearing the adult reading.

For older children, adults can still read aloud to them or the children can read aloud to each other for a shared bonding experience and vocabulary building. It's also essential for children to have reading role models. By that I mean seeing adults read. If they see parents and the other adults in their lives reading, they're going to want to read as well. You can even set up a family reading time when everyone comes to read aloud together or silently to themselves in the same room.

Be sure to let children choose what they want to read, no matter their age. We as adults don't like being forced to read something we don't want and neither do children. I think it goes for everyone that if you want to read something, you're going to do it and it will be a pleasure. Children have reading material chosen for them throughout the school year, so let them enjoy reading whatever they want in the summer. Who cares if it's a comic book, manga, or a magazine? The point is they're READING and having FUN!

The Summer Reading Program (which continues at the library through August 31) may involve a lot of prizes that eventually get lost and forgotten, but the true prize--a love of reading--will always be there, and adults can help with that.

Happy summer reading from the perch.

Entering the Comfort Zone (Books)

Following the last post on "comfort viewing," let's go further and talk about "comfort reading" (being a perch librarian, I naturally have to talk about books). Comfort reading shares many similarities with its more pictorial counterpart. It involves a book (or books) you absolutely love that you return to over and over again. You can read the entire book from beginning to end, or you can just re-read your favorite sections. It's a feel-good read that makes you smile, giving you warm and fuzzy feelings.

Comfort reading can be something you read in your childhood or something you read more recently. Maybe it's fantasy taking place in an entirely fictional world. Perhaps it's an action-adventure thriller that makes you feel invincible, one in which evil is punished and good is rewarded. It could also be a book that has characters you like and with which you can relate. Whatever it is, comfort reading is different for everyone.

My comfort reading veers toward fantasy and the paranormal. Like my comfort viewing (Smallville and other takes on Superman), it's escapism that I find entertaining and relaxing. During the pandemic I found myself re-reading books I loved when I was younger, such as The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Lord of the Rings series. I also read (more like devoured) newer series dealing with the paranormal like A Discovery of Witches. Then there were the light, funny books--The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, How to Be a Canadian, and The Library of Lost and Found.

Some psychologists will say that we can get as much life satisfaction from the world of a book as we can from a real life social situation. We've often heard that books are friends we can re-visit any time we want, and that turns out to be true. Indeed, comfort reading provides us with a connection not only to the characters, but to the authors as well. What are some of your comfort reads? Share with us!

Wishing you lots of comfort reading from the perch.

Entering the Comfort Zone (TV)

They're your go-to programs that you like watching over and over again, especially when you need a pick-me-up. You know what I'm talking about--comfort TV. Often, it can be something you watched as a kid, in happy times, or with the people special to you.

Lately for me my comfort TV show has been Smallville (I'm in the middle of watching Season 8, but I'll probably start Season 9 by next week). Full disclosure: I've been a Superman fan since the age of 12 when Christopher Reeve in Superman: The Movie flew onto my radar. After the Superman movies it was Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (it's cheesy 1990s fare, but I still like it) and then Smallville. Why do I find watching Smallville comforting? Simply put, it's fun fantasy and escapism.

Even therapists say that "comfort viewing" is good for our mental health. We relax and re-charge our brains by watching familiar characters and episodes. Furthermore, comfort viewing improves our emotional health and makes us feel more hopeful. It's good to watch an episode or two at the end of the day as long as we treat it as a break. However, if we're not doing necessary things--exercising, eating healthy, taking care of the dog, etc.--that's when comfort TV becomes detrimental.

So go ahead. Watch your favorite episodes of Friends, The Golden Girls, The Brady Bunch, or Dennis the Menace. Smile and have some good laughs. We need them more than ever with all the things going on in the world right now. What's your comfort TV show? Share with us!

Wishing you peace and good comfort viewing from the perch.