Holiday Cheer!

As we roll along through the hectic Christmas season, with shopping, cooking and preparing for visiting family and friends, it is important to remember to occasionally pause and recharge.  Regardless of religious alignment or political persuasion, it is easy to find some cheer and joy this time of year.  For example, I spent part of Monday evening walking around the neighborhood with a baker's dozen of cub scouts and their adult partners looking at Christmas decorations and generally having a good (but cold) time.  This activity cost nothing, was relaxing, and helped clear the mental clutter of the day.  Plus a simple mug of cocoa afterward erased the chill.

Likewise, Monday I received several books I had placed on hold here at the library.  Wowbrary, my favorite "what's new" tool rarely fails me.  It's a weekly email newsletter that provides links to the library's catalog for all the new acquisitions from the previous week.  It's like an insider's guide to all the cool new stuff HPL has added.  If you participate, you can get your name near the head of the line and read / listen / watch the new stuff first!

My point though, was that I took those books home and as a break from holiday preparations, spent an hour reading.  Cost me nothing (go public libraries!), I enjoyed the relaxation and learning, and helped me reset my priorities and slow down.

Which brings me to my final thought.  If you are still working on holiday buying, the public library can even help you with that.  We have been studying ebook readers here quite intensively and I can safely say that if you have the cash, the Sony Touch is a good choice.  I haven't played with the Nook Color yet, but if it is like the B&W Nook, it would be a good one as well with the bonus that color allows for children's books and illustration-heavy (like graphic novels) books.  If you are not in the financial position to buy just yet, or you haven't studied it thoroughly enough, come by and our staff can provide you with guidance.  The bottom line for me is that I want people to read.  I don't care the format, I don't care about the content.  I firmly believe that reading only expands our experience and knowledge and increases our collective curiosity, creativity and ultimately our productivity.