@ Your Library
I am hopeful that the library parking lot will be redone by the time this column is published, but we’ll see. If not, please continue to park along 3rd and 4th St and enter via the courtyard doors. If you need handicap access, you will need to call us at 218-283-8051 and we will bring materials to you, or otherwise figure out how to assist you.
Tomorrow, Saturday, September 20 from 11 – 1 is the Great North Star Read Together. We will have read-alouds at 11 and noon for about 20 minutes, but everyone is welcome to come and spend time reading together at the library. There will be people reading together all over the state to celebrate libraries and reading.
This month has been so busy, it has been hard to find time to read. But I always read for 10 – 20 minutes in bed before sleeping. I sleep much better on the nights that I read before turning out the light. And it is amazing how many books can be read even if you are only reading those 10 – 20 minutes. Reading isn’t a race, regularity is more important than speed. Reading just 10 pages a day will allow you to read a 300-page novel every month.
And don’t limit yourself to just novels, read to learn something new, read about past events, read magazines and read books with your children. You can also listen to audiobooks and gain many of the same advantages as reading the book yourself. When you listen to an audiobook your brain thinks you are reading it, so grab an audiobook to enjoy while cleaning house, doing dishes, walking the dog or driving to work. Even a ten-minute commute spent listening to an audiobook will allow you to finish many books in four-six weeks.
There continue to be lots of World War II stories being published. A title that I just heard recommended was published in 2018, but we have a copy at our library that I hadn’t read (shocking, I know). The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker is about a Franciscan friar who after losing his teaching job when the Nazis take over moves to a small hamlet and marries a widow to help raise her three children. But war is merciless and they are forced to flee and make impossible decisions.
I love looking at our return cart and seeing what the community has been reading. As I wrote this the cart was full of familiar authors like John Sandford, Debbie Macomber, Kathy Reichs, Jeffrey Archer, Heather Graham, Elizabeth Strout, Greg Iles, Anne Perry and Maeve Binchy. These are all authors who have significant backlists and many readers in the community enjoy them. If you are looking for an author to start with, any of these might be of interest. Other authors with quite a few titles and popular with local readers include Danielle Steel, William Kent Krueger, Louise Penny, David Baldacci, Linwood Barclay and Diana Gabaldon.