Making Friends

How do adults make friends? That's a simple question with a difficult answer.

When we were kids, making new friends seemed to be a lot easier. "You wanna be my friend?" "You wanna play?" And that was all it took. As adults, however, making friends seems more complicated.

We spend a lot of our waking hours at work. With our few precious hours remaining, we may go home to care for children and other family members, or we may stay home to rest or do household chores. These scenarios are not the most conducive to meeting others and building friendships.

So, how do we make friends as adults? If we're lucky, we may perhaps make friends through our jobs, should they happen to be in-person. We might make friends through similar interests or life circumstances. Religious houses of worship, social groups (i.e., walkers' club, knitting club, book club), and children's playdates are some ways to meet other adults. Volunteering, sports clubs, and classes also present opportunities. Nowadays, there are clubs of various interests even on the internet, but as with anything online, do proceed with caution and don't share anything too personal.

Of course, libraries are great places to make friends as well. Storytime is perfect for kids and parents to meet others. So are programs, which can focus on anything from Legos to crafts. Programs often cater to kids, teens, or adults; some are for entire families. I realize I'm tooting our own horn, but libraries today, in addition to providing materials and information, truly serve as a kind of community center where people can gather together and build friendships.

What kind of programs would you like to see in our library to meet others? Share with us!

Inviting you to the library and wishing you new friendships from the perch.

A Thought On Libraries

"Without libraries, what do we have? We have no past and no future." 

Ray Bradbury (1920-2012)

American Author and Screenwriter

Under the Covers

You can't judge a book by its cover, so they say, but let's face it--we do it all the time. Why else would book publishers spend so much time and money on the "look" of a book? Catchy titles undoubtedly help as well, but the covers--their pictures, graphics, colors, mood--either get us to pick up the book and read the inside flap or not. They're the first impression potential readers get.

Let's take the covers of Romance books (I apologize in advance to fans of this genre). As soon as you read those words, I'm sure you had an instant picture in your mind. Handsome, shirtless guys holding beautiful women with heaving bosoms showing a little leg. Am I right? Sometimes, the guy might be wearing a kilt...bingo!--it must take place in Scotland or involve a Scottish man at the very least. Period dress? Period Romance. Modern dress? Modern Romance. You have a sense of these books already and I haven't even mentioned titles.

Cartoony covers tend to indicate lighter, feel good books. Photos on covers? More serious novels or non-fiction. Painted or airbrushed covers? Historical fiction. Lately, my pet peeve regarding book covers is World War II historical fiction. They tend to show the back of a woman in a 1940s hairdo and dress gazing at war planes in the distance. I realize the publishers want to create an ominous mood and imply war through planes against grey skies, but personally, I'm getting tired of seeing the same picture, slightly tweaked, on different covers. 

Although book covers may pique your interest, it's ultimately what's under the covers--the text itself--that really makes the book. However, don't underestimate the marketing pull of a well designed book cover. You may have an exciting page-turner on the shelf within reach, but if the cover doesn't attract your attention, you're not going to grab it.

What are some book covers you find particularly interesting? Share with us!

Wishing you good spring reads from the perch.

Silent Book Clubs--Happy Hour for Introverts

Are you an introvert? Do you like books? Do you like to read books of your own choosing? On your own schedule? Then a silent book club may be the book club for you!

What the heck is a silent book club? Simply put, it's a book club in which people gather together (usually for an hour) to read on their own in silence. You B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Book...or Kindle or audiobook with earbuds), arrive early for provided beverages and munchies, find a seat, and start reading with the sounding of a bell. When the bell is rung again to mark the hour's end, socializing with your fellow book club members is optional. You can talk with others about your book, continue reading, or just leave.

I haven't heard of silent book clubs until recently, but apparently they've been around for over a decade and can be found around the world. They started in 2012 when two friends in San Francisco enjoyed reading but disliked traditional book clubs that felt like classes with assigned books. The emphasis of silent book clubs are on reading, and there's no pressure to read the same book in advance of the event. There's also no pressure to participate in conversation, no stress of trying to think of something witty to say.

Some of you may be wondering what's the sense of getting together with others just to read quietly and have snacks. Well, there's something to be said about companionable silence. Readers who are introverts are not necessarily hermits and may want to be among others like themselves. As C.S. Lewis once wrote, "We read to know we are not alone." 

Have you been in a silent book club? Would you like to be in one? Share with us!

Wishing you a happy hour (or more) reading from the perch.

Date Your Book

Reading a book can be like dating. 

Occasionally, it's love at first page and you're feeling an instant connection. You want to get to know the characters better and spend more time in the world the author has created. Although you may be busy, you WILL make the time to be with this new love of yours, whether it's a quickie during a work break, dinner, or under the bed covers. Any time spent apart is pure agony; you can't help thinking about your book and what the characters may be doing without you.

Hopefully it's rare, but you may not feel a spark from the first page. Maybe even from the first chapter. You might need to give a little time for your connection to the book to fully develop, so you begin with a mild interest, optimistic that some event in the story may create a spark that fans into a raging bonfire...or at least a flame. But if that spark never ignites, it may be time to move on.

Yes, you understood me correctly--if a book isn't grabbing your attention, it's time to ditch the book and find another that will. "But Perch Librarian," you may say, "I've invested 71 pages and 3 hours into this book, so surely I should power through, even to the bitter end?" To which I will reply, "Dear Patron, why force yourself to stay in an unhappy, difficult relationship with this book? You're a good reader and this is a good book, but you're just not meant to be together. Life is short and there are plenty of books out there--read the books that make you smile and give you the tinglies."

I will be honest with you, my dear readers. When I was younger, I stuck with some books not because I necessarily liked them, but because I didn't want to be a quitter. In more recent times, however, I've ended relationships with books that haven't satisfied me. Divorcing a book can truly be the best thing for your happiness and peace of mind. I am here to tell you that it's OKAY to stop reading a book that doesn't bring you joy and to find one that does...WITHOUT GUILT! I believe in you--YOU CAN DO IT! Reading is an activity you should enjoy; don't make it a chore.

Always wishing you love at first page from the perch.

Polar Bears and Polar Night

I wrote about armchair travel in the past, and I'd like to tell you about my latest armchair trip to a place near the North Pole (and no, it's not Santa's workshop). The book I recently read is Life on Svalbard by Cecilia Blomdahl, a New York Times bestseller by a Swedish YouTuber who has been living for the past 10 years in Longyearbyen, Svalbard's largest town with roughly 2,600 people.

Where the heck is Svalbard, you may ask? Svalbard is a group of islands in the Arctic Circle that belong to Norway. It's a place of extremes. At the moment, they are experiencing what is called polar night, which is when the sun doesn't rise at all for several months in the winter due to the tilt of the earth on its axis. In contrast, they will have 24 hours of sunlight for several months straight in the summer, a phenomenon known as polar day. 

I learned of the book through a CNN article, and I found the thought of people living somewhere like Svalbard fascinating. Blomdahl takes us through a year living in her cabin just outside of Longyearbyen with her Norwegian partner, Christoffer, and her dog, Grim. She writes about her cabin, going to town, seeing the northern lights, boating in the summer, and traveling hours by snowmobile to an off-the-grid vacation cabin, all accompanied by her stunning photos. 

I have to admit I've even started watching Blomdahl's YouTube channel. Cecilia comes across as bubbly and positive, like a good friend chatting with you. It's so interesting to watch her take us to the only supermarket in Longyearbyen, restaurants in town, walks during polar night with Grim, and around her cabin and deck on the water. And let's not forget about polar bears--there are plenty of them on Svalbard, and everyone who goes outside town needs to carry a rifle for protection in the event of facing one of these Arctic giants.

Find the book on Overdrive/Libby (ask us about FREE access), and unless you have a Kindle Colorsoft, be sure to download the app on your phone, tablet, or computer in order to enjoy Blomdahl's photos in all their glorious colors.

Wishing you good armchair travels from the perch.

Presidential Libraries

No doubt you've heard that President Jimmy Carter lay in repose at The Carter Presidential Center, which consists of a museum and library dedicated to the former president's time in office. It was not the first time that a president or a first lady lay in repose at a presidential library before burial. This got me thinking about American presidential libraries--their number and how they began, among other things.

Apparently, presidential libraries are a 20th century phenomenon and there are currently fifteen of them, two of which are completely digital at the moment (Obama and Trump). Franklin D. Roosevelt. was the first president to have a presidential library; he developed and built it, opening it to the public in 1941. Roosevelt was also the first president to donate his professional and personal papers to the federal government, and his presidential library was the only one to be used by a sitting president.

The Presidential Libraries Act in 1955 encouraged but didn't require presidents to donate materials from their administrations, but the Presidential Records Act of 1978 declared that all presidential records are owned by the public. The libraries are operated by the Office of Presidential Libraries, which falls under the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). There is a presidential library for every president since Herbert Hoover, and each library is located in a president's home state (Texas has three). A number of presidents and first ladies are even buried on the grounds of their presidential libraries.

Although it's possible to visit a presidential library, some have virtual tours. Additionally, many presidential documents and photos can be accessed through the internet. For instance, you can see photos of Jackie Kennedy's dresses and find information on when and where she wore them, or you can read the public papers of Ronald Reagan.

I'm probably a bit biased as a librarian, but presidential libraries make it easier for future generations to learn about past presidents and understand their administrations.

As always, sending you best wishes from the perch.