In 2008, I Resolve To. . .Read More Books, and write more blogs! I apologize for the infrequency of my blog posts lately. Rather than bore you with all the things that have been going on in my life, I'll plunge right in on this one.
Janet Porte, editor of the Friends of the Franklin Public Library newsletter, asked me if I could find time to write a column for the January issue. Her deadline was today. Now that I've met that deadline, I'm going to make that column do double duty and post it here on my blog. Those of you who get the library newsletter can always say, "I saw it at the Franklin Now website first!"
Happy New Year! Before Christmas, I stopped at the Franklin Public Library to check out "what's new" on the shelves. In case you haven't already discovered the "new books" area, make a resolution to do so in 2008.
Browsing through the non-fiction shelves, a number of titles caught my eye. When the holiday hubbub is over, I plan to settle down in one of those comfortable chairs near the fireplace to do some reading. (For those of us planning to weather the Wisconsin winter right here at home in Franklin, there's nothing like warming up to a good book.)
These are some of the 2007 titles that appeal to me; there's a wide selection of others to interest you. And soon there will be even newer ones with a 2008 publication date.
Silence of the Songbirds: How We Are Losing the World's Songbirds and What We Can Do to Save Them, by biologist Bridget Stutchbury, published by Walker and Co., New York.
The summary on the bookjacket reads: "Following migratory birds on their six-thousand-mile journey from the tropics to North America, renowned biologist Bridget Stutchbury leads us on an ecological field trip to explore firsthand the lives of songbirds and the major threats they face. Although some of the threats must be addressed through local and international policy initiatives, there are several things each one of us can do to help save birds, such as buying paper and wood products from sustainable forests, buying shade coffee, avoiding pesticides in our food and on our lawns and gardens, keeping our cats indoors (domestic cats are responsible for a surprising number of bird deaths), and much more. As Silence of the Songbirds shows, we ultimately protect ourselves and our children by taking steps to save songbirds and the environment."
Chasing Kangaroos: A Continent, a Scientist, and a Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Creatures, by Tim Flannery, published by Grove Press, New York (the first American edition). This book appeals to me, not just because I like animals and the thought of these marvelous creatures hopping around in their natural habitat. . .but also since it's the closest I'll get to Australia this winter.
Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder, by David Weinberger, published by Time Books, Henry Holt and Company. For people trying to create order in their lives, this book will make you wonder if there's any use trying. "Human beings are information omnivores: we are constantly collecting, labeling, and organizing data. But today, the shift from the physical to the digital is ripping, burning, and mixing our lives apart. In the past, everything had its one place - the physical world demanded it - but now everything has its places: multiple categories, multiple shelves. Suddenly, everything is miscellaneous" (quoted from the inside book jacket).
Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves by Sharon Begley, published by Ballantine Books. Anyone who has seriously tried adhering to New Year's Resolutions in the past, without success, might be interested in a scientific approach.
Several other books that might interest the New Year's Resolution makers:
Total yoga: a step-by-step guide to yoga at home for everybody by Tara Fraser, published by Duncan Baird, London.
Fitness Made Simple: The Power to Change Your Body, the Power to Change Your Life, by John Basedow with Tom McGrath, published by McGraw-Hill. This book is the newest of the new that I found, bearing a 2008 copyright date.
Golf RX: A 15-Minute-a-Day Core Program for More Yards and Less Pain, by Vijay Vad, M.D. with Dave Allen, published by Gotham Books, New York. Even if you won't be swinging those clubs this winter, the exercises in this book will help strengthen the core abdominal muscles and work out other areas of the body that will help golfers and non-golfers alike.
When we're done with our physical makeovers, we can turn our attention to our homes with
52 Weekend Makeovers: Easy Projects to Transform Your Home Inside and Out, published by Taunton Press, Newtown, CT.
For those of us needing a little humor in our lives, here's one with a really long title: Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework, First You Have To Do It: Life Lessons from a Wise Old Dog to a Young Boy, by John O'Hurley, published by Hudson Street Press, New York.
And here's a short quiz: What do you think a book entitled God Machine is about? Answer:
Helicopters! The full title is: The God Machine : From Boomerangs to Black Hawks, the Story of the Helicopter, by James R. Chiles and published by Bantam Books.
I hope that 2007 was a good year for you, and I hope you aren't facing 2008 with bills incurred over the holidays. But if you are, there's another book published in 2007 that might help you out. Help! I Can't Pay My Bills: Surviving a Financial Crisis, by Sally Herigstad, published by St. Martin's Press, New York.
And that's another thing I like about libraries: I can do all the "shopping" I like and one swipe of my library card lets me take it home, NO COST!
One more piece of "news" I want to share with you in this New Year. Franklin Public Library now has a growing collection of digital audio books. Each "book" is about 2 by 3 ΒΌ inches and requires one AAA battery and earbuds. You can easily slip it into your pocket and listen wherever you choose. For this new library adventure, I chose Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Born almost 200 years ago, Thoreau sought refuge from the world in a cabin on Walden Pond, Massachusetts. What ever would he think if he could see me "connecting" to his thoughts with the modern technology of 2008!
