Halloween--It's for Adults, Too!

Why can't adults have fun? I mean REALLY have fun? The kind of fun like you had when you were a kid, when you didn't feel silly about dressing up, pretending to be someone or something else, and playing make-believe? Think way, way back. Can you remember what that felt like?

Too many of us take life too seriously and have forgotten how to play. Or we think we can't afford the time to play because there are more important things to do, like doing taxes, making dental appointments, or following news on the election (that last one is the best, isn't it?). Playing for adults, however, is not only fun, it's good for our mental and physical health. It helps us to relax our minds and bodies, de-stress, laugh, move, and more.

Let's face it. Halloween gives us adults an excuse to put on a costume, have fun, and act goofy (something my co-workers will say I do often enough). We can be a Jedi knight, a princess, a superhero, an alien, or anyone else, real or imagined. We can even be something strange like a Rubik's Cube, puffy cotton candy with a paper stick sitting on our head, or a washing machine. You can be whatever you can imagine! And don't be afraid to act out the new persona you've taken--just do it. Halloween is for everyone--kids and adults.

If there's one thing I've learned from the kids in the library storytimes that I lead, don't worry about how you look or if you're doing things right. Just get out there, let yourself go, and have fun in the moment!

What do you want to be for Halloween this year? Share with us!

Wishing everyone loads of fun this spooky season from the perch.

Libraries--In the Fight Against Loneliness

I recently read and absolutely loved The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, a gem of a first book by Anna Johnston. It's a story about Fred, an 82-year old man about to be evicted from his apartment for not making rent over several months. He's been short on cash since paying for cancer treatment for his wife, who died ten years earlier. Not only is Fred a widower, he's an only child with no children, family, or friends (they either died or moved away). Loneliness consumes his life until some strange and comic turn of events enable him to trade places with his doppelganger living in a nursing home, where he's surrounded by kind, caring people. I'm not going to give away the story, but trust me when I say this is a sad, funny, surprising, page-turning, feel-good book. I laughed and cried at different points for Fred and the other characters.

Besides being so good that I savored each page, why am I bringing this book to your attention? Because it addresses an epidemic currently in the U.S. (and in many part of the world)--loneliness. It's ironic that at a time during which we're so connected through technology, a number of us--from kids to the elderly--are lonely. A text or a video chat just doesn't replace real, in-person interaction and communication. I was stunned to learn that the Surgeon General claims that loneliness is as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes or drinking 6 alcoholic drinks a day! Seriously! Loneliness can also raise the risks of obesity, high blood pressure, anxiety, Alzheimer's, heart disease, and other ailments.

So, what can help counter this epidemic? Libraries. 

Think about it. Where else but the library can you go to talk with real people, participate in programs, and socialize without paying? As a perch librarian manning the reference/circulation desk, it may be part of my job to be professional and polite, but many perch librarians like myself truly enjoy talking with patrons and getting to know them. I can tell you from experience that a number of people, young and old, come up to me just to chat about whatever is on their minds. Often, I get the impression that they enjoy having real face-to-face connection; for some, it may be the only real connection they'll have all day or possibly all week. And if I and my co-workers can brighten people's days and make them feel less lonely in addition to helping them with their information needs, then that's good. We're happy to fight the battle with loneliness one person at a time.

Wishing you meaningful connections with others from the perch.

Books That Feel Like Fall

With the weather getting cooler and the autumnal equinox in sight, I set out on a quest to discover books that feel fall-like. I found lists of books on a number of websites claiming various titles to be good reads for fall, but some of the selections didn't encompass the sense of the season to me. So, I turned to my colleagues in the library to see which books feel like fall to them:

• Anna--House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (Libby/Overdrive) This supernatural young adult novel focuses on three sisters who disappear from their home in Scotland. They reappear some time later with no memory of what occurred and strange things start to happen. Anna likes the book's spooky aspects, which makes her think of fall.
• Calise--Ten Apples Up On Top! by Theo LeSieg (JE LES) This is a cute counting book for children about a lion, a tiger, and a dog seeing how many apples they can balance on their heads while performing a range of activities. Calise says this book feels fall-like to her because it brings thoughts of apple picking to her mind.
• Eileen--A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (F HAR) To me, this book presents many aspects of fall. Set in September around the pagan festival of Mabon (the autumnal equinox), a tea-drinking scholar-witch studying in Oxford University's Bodleian Library finds a strange manuscript sought by other witches, vampires, and daemons.
• Emma--Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel (ER LOB) The well-loved children's book series about Frog and Toad going on their different adventures while sporting sweaters and jackets speaks fall to Emma.
• Lisa--Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (J FIC EHL) Lisa's pick for a fall feel is a classic children's story. She believes that this picture book, which shows a man made of colorful leaves blowing in the wind, is imaginative and expresses the beauty of fall.
• Victor--Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto (Hoopla audiobook) Coming from Texas, fall feels a little different to Victor, whose family enjoys eating tamales during the season. In this children's book, a young girl helps make tamales but notices that her mother's ring is missing. Did it slip off her finger and into one of the tamales that was cooked?

I thank my colleagues for their contributions to this post, and now I turn to you, dear readers--which books feel like fall to you? Share with us!

Wishing you a wonderful fall season filled with cozy reads and warm drinks from the perch.

College is Not the Only Option

With the start of a new school year comes a newly published book--Rethinking College: A Guide to Thriving Without a Degree by Karin Klein. I recently read this and highly recommend it for parents of soon-to-be high school graduates and airmen considering their future lives after the military.

With the ridiculously high cost of college these days, the daunting prospect of going into debt, and the possibility of getting a low-paying job outside one's field, it's essential to know that there are other options besides college. Klein's book provides alternatives to 4-year colleges, including various work experiences, apprenticeships, and creative self-employment, among others. Additionally, a number of quizzes are offered to help determine one's interests and strengths as well as desired work-life balance.

So many high schools push kids to take the college track (often because the percentage of graduates planning to attend college determines the reputation of the schools). However, they fail to help those students who don't want or are unable to go to college; they offer few alternatives besides vocational schools or the military. Klein shows that people can be well-educated, have successful careers, and enjoy fulfilling lives without a college degree (similarly, she also discusses how a number of people with advanced graduate degrees are underemployed, dissatisfied with their work, and lack job security).

The world today is different than it was decades ago when a bachelors degree meant more. Since the pandemic, skills are becoming more sought by employers than a college degree. Although college is still a noble pursuit (and is required for certain fields, such as medicine), this book provides invaluable information for students and their families to consider in making one of the largest financial and timewise investments they will ever make.

Wishing everyone a good school year from the perch.

Be a Reading Model

In the last post, I talked about the importance of reading to your children from infancy in order to help make them readers. There is another key factor in helping your children to become readers--modeling. And no, I'm not talking about strutting around the house in the latest outfit you bought on Amazon.

Monkey see, monkey do. Kids are nothing if not impressionable, and the adults around them serve as models to imitate. When they see an adult doing something, they want to do it, too. If an adult is cooking, they will want to cook. If an adult is building something, they will want to build. Similarly, if kids see an adult reading, they will want to read.

If your kids don't see you reading, the concept of reading and books will be foreign to them. It's difficult to get them to do something if they don't see you doing it first. As they get older, your kids may even make the argument, "Why should I have to read if you don't have to read?" That's a legitimate question, in my humble opinion.

Reading should not be a chore for anyone, young or old. I know we're all busy and tired these days, but let's try to set aside 20-30 minutes each evening for leisure reading. It can be a thriller, a romance, a cookbook, a how-to book, a newspaper, even a graphic novel (hey, it's still reading). Just read and let your kids see you reading. And don't forget to read to or with your kids, especially when they're very young. When your kids are older, talk with each other about what books you're reading. It will give you a subject for conversation as well as an opportunity to bond and know each other better.

Wishing you many good family reading moments from the perch.

Get Them While They're Young

A number of you know I lead Storytime on Wednesdays at 10:30, but more recently I've also been reading books on Friday mornings at the Child Development Center. My experiences there with the preschoolers have been nothing less than eye-opening, to say the least.

Each week I read to a different classroom, and it never fails to amaze me how eager the kids are for books and listening to stories. They're so excited and aren't afraid to comment about the characters or the pictures they see on the pages. Sometimes, by popular demand, I need to read a book more than once. Other times, several children rush to give me books they enjoy from a classroom shelf so I can read them aloud.

I taught high school English 20 years ago, and I honestly don't remember my students being half as excited about reading as the preschoolers at the CDC. More often than not, trying to get the teens to participate in class discussions was as easy as pulling teeth, no matter how I tried to get them involved or interested. Even though I made Friday a day to read any book for pleasure in class (in my time, it was called SSR or "Sustained Silent Reading"), some students agonized over reading. And bringing some reluctant readers to the school library to help them choose books about things they liked didn't always make a difference.

Thinking about my high school students from years ago and seeing the CDC kids' enthusiasm for reading today has made me realize, more than before, that if you want your children to be readers, you need to start reading to them and with them from infancy. Yes, infancy. Reading board books to babies and progressing to picture books as they grow help kids develop a love for books and reading in addition to developing their thinking, analytical skills, and imagination. It sets them up to succeed in school and beyond. Spark their interest in reading while they're very young; that spark will transform into a raging fire as they get older.

What are some of your favorite childhood books? Share with us!

Looking forward to sharing more reading journeys from the perch.

Learning from Lula

I recently read Kirsten Miller's Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books, a book I thoroughly enjoyed. It's a light read that deals with the serious subject of banning books, something that's happening more often in more places.

The book is set in a small Georgia town where everybody knows everybody, history goes deep, and gossip goes even deeper. Lula Dean, bless her heart, creates the Concerned Parents Committee that aims to rid the school and public libraries of "pornographic" books in order to protect the town's children. She then puts up a little library, in front of her house, filled with conservative books that made her the person she is today. What Lula doesn't know is that the daughter of her high school archrival replaces all her books with banned books, putting false dust covers on them.

It's funny to read about the readers' surprise when they find different books in the covers, but it's inspiring to see how the books change their perspectives and their lives. Books are powerful in helping people learn--about history and each other. Sometimes, the lessons are difficult and unpleasant, but they're necessary for moving forward to a better future and to avoid being mired in the mistakes of the past.

Kirsten Miller does a great job presenting the issues surrounding book banning in a fun, interesting, and non-preaching way. Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books is a real page turner filled with the unexpected. It's sure to stay with you for a while.

Have you read Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books? What are your thoughts on it? Share with us!

Ever yours truly from the perch.