Peace and Quiet

I enjoyed some quiet time weeding the library flower beds this week, and my mind started wandering.  I began to mentally list some of my favorites: favorite cookbooks, soundtracks, textbooks, mystery novels, songs by female artists, whodunit movies, juvenile fiction books, movies based on books, and so on.  I can confidently say I have a singular nonfiction favorite; "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain.  If you're interested in why this book is important to me, feel free to reach out and I'd be glad to discuss.  However, I share it in this blog for a different reason; to inspire you to create your own lists, to find your next 'favorite', and grow.  And if you're curious, feel free to browse my profile to see my lists of favorites; just know that they are likely to change frequently!  What are your favorite books, music and movies?  I'd love to know.

This week I started reading "The Whalebone Theatre" by Joanna Quinn, based on a recommendation of a friend.  It is Joanna's first novel, it is set in England, and spans several decades including WWII.  The table of contents reads like a theater playbill, and it opens with a quote from Shakespeare's "The Tempest".  Here is the opening paragraph: "Cristabel picks up the stick.  It fits well in her hand.  She is in the garden, waiting with the rest of the household for her father to return with her new mother.  Uniformed servants blow on cold fingers.  Rooks caw half-heartedly from the trees surrounding the house.  It is the last day of December, the dregs of the year.  The afternoon is fading and the lawn a quagmire of mud and old snow, which three-year-old Cristabel stamps across in her lace-up leather boots, holding the stick like a sword, a miniature sentry in a brass-buttoned winter coat."  We have this novel in both regular print and large-type at the library.  It's currently got a 4.05/5 rating on Goodreads; consider giving it a try for your next fiction read!

Fairgrounds and Connections

 

I spent an hour last week at the Benton County Fair promoting our library services and handing out sweets. It was refreshing to step outside of our four walls and connect with members of our community that may not currently utilize our services. Of course it was wonderful to see lots of familiar faces too! Several kids lit up when they saw me, but that might have been because of the lollipops!

I am reading 'Atlas of the Heart' by Brene Brown. With this book, the author unpacks emotions beyond 'happy, sad, and angry', and dives into the complexities of curiosity, comparison, joy, hopelessness, defensiveness, dehumanization and many others. She finishes the book by challenging her readers to engage in more meaningful connections, offering practical real-life examples and techniques. I recommend this book for anyone looking to deepen their relationships with others, and to gain a better understanding of their own emotions.

This week in our weekly journaling class, I read aloud excerpts from Natalie Goldberg's classic "Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within". We then spent 2 15-minute sessions quietly journaling. We shared our thoughts, and things that inspire us, and we're always grateful for the time spent in our writing. Join us!