Don’t let the kids have all the Halloween fun! Try out our Haunted House Virtual Escape Room, and see if you can get out alive. Those who succeed will be entered into a draw for a chance to win a gift certificate from a local business. This self-directed activity is intended for adults and will run from October 18th – 31st.

Click HERE to begin!

Afterwards, check out these haunted house reads that are sure to scare you this Halloween!

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting”; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers–and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

Hell House by Richard Matheson

For over twenty years, Belasco House has stood empty. Regarded as the Mt. Everest of haunted houses, its shadowed walls have witnessed scenes of unimaginable horror and depravity. All previous attempts to probe its mysteries have ended in murder, suicide, or insanity. But now, a new investigation has been launched, bringing four strangers to Belasco House in search of the ultimate secrets of life and death. A wealthy publisher, brooding over his impending death, has paid a physicist and two mediums to establish the facts of life after death once and for all. For one night, they will investigate the Belasco House and learn exactly why the townfolks refer to it as the Hell House.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

In a dusty post-war summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to see a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the once grand house is now in decline, its masonry crumbling, its garden choked with weeds. All around, the world is changing, and the family is struggling to adjust to a society with new values and rules.

Roddie Ayres, who returned from World War II physically and emotionally wounded, is desperate to keep the house and what remains of the estate together for the sake of his mother and his sister, Caroline. Mrs. Ayres is doing her best to hold on to the gracious habits of a gentler era and Caroline seems cheerfully prepared to continue doing the work a team of servants once handled, even if it means having little chance for a life of her own beyond Hundreds.

But as Dr. Faraday becomes increasingly entwined in the Ayreses’ lives, signs of a more disturbing nature start to emerge, both within the family and in Hundreds Hall itself. And Faraday begins to wonder if they are all threatened by something more sinister than a dying way of life, something that could subsume them completely.

Home Before Dark by Sager Riley

What was it like? Living in that house.

Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity–and skepticism.

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to   Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself–a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

In a quest for a simpler life, Helen and Nate abandon the comforts of suburbia and their teaching jobs to take up residence on forty-four acres of rural land where they will begin the ultimate, aspirational do-it-yourself project: building the house of their dreams. When they discover that this charming property has a dark and violent past, Helen, a former history teacher, becomes consumed by the legend of Hattie Breckenridge, a woman who lived and died there a century ago. As Helen starts carefully sourcing decorative building materials for her home–wooden beams, mantles, historic bricks–she starts to unearth, and literally conjure, the tragic lives of Hattie’s descendants, three generations of “Breckenridge women,” each of whom died amidst suspicion, and who seem to still be seeking something precious and elusive in the present day

In June, the federal government announced the creation of a new statutory holiday known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to be observed on September 30 each year. This day fulfills the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call-to-Action #80 which states:

“We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”   

On this day of remembrance, reflection, action and learning, here are a few titles to borrow from the Library that explore the history and legacy of residential schools:

Call Me Indian: From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL’s First Treaty Indigenous Player

by Fred Sasakamoose

Fred Sasakamoose, torn from his home at the age of seven, endured the horrors of residential school for a decade before becoming one of 120 players in the most elite hockey league in the world. He has been heralded as the first Indigenous player with Treaty status in the NHL, making his official debut as a 1954 Chicago Black Hawks player on Hockey Night in Canada and teaching Foster Hewitt how to pronounce his name. Sasakamoose played against such legends as Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, and Maurice Richard. After twelve games, he returned home.

When people tell Sasakamoose’s story, this is usually where they end it. They say he left the NHL to return to the family and culture that the Canadian government had ripped away from him. That returning to his family and home was more important to him than an NHL career. But there was much more to his decision than that. Understanding Sasakamoose’s choice means acknowledging the dislocation and treatment of generations of Indigenous peoples. It means considering how a man who spent his childhood as a ward of the government would hear those supposedly golden words- “You are Black Hawks property.”

Sasakamoose’s story was far from over once his NHL days concluded. He continued to play for another decade in leagues around Western Canada. He became a band councillor, served as Chief, and established athletic programs for kids. He paved a way for youth to find solace and meaning in sports for generations to come. Yet, threaded through these impressive accomplishments were periods of heartbreak and unimaginable tragedy–as well moments of passion and great joy.

This isn’t just a hockey story; Sasakamoose’s groundbreaking memoir sheds piercing light on Canadian history and Indigenous politics, and follows this extraordinary man’s journey to reclaim pride in an identity and a heritage that had previously been used against him.

Residential Schools: With Words and Images of Survivors

by Larry Oshiniko Loyie

Residential Schools, With the Words and Images of Survivors, honours the survivors, the former students, who attended residential schools. Designed for the general reader this accessible, 112-page history offers a first-person perspective of the residential school system in Canada, as it shares the memories of more than 70 survivors from across Canada as well as 125 archival and contemporary images (65 black & white photographs, 51 colour, some never before published). This essential volume written by award-winning author Larry Loyie, 1933-2016 (Cree), a survivor of St. Bernard Mission residential school in Grouard, AB, and co-authored by Constance Brissenden and Wayne K. Spear (Mohawk), reflects the ongoing commitment of this team to express the truths about residential school experiences and to honour the survivors whose voices are shared in this book. Along with the voices, readers will be engaged by the evocative, archival photographs provided by the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre with the assistance of curator Krista McCracken.

Genocidal Love: A Life After Residential School

by Bevann Fox

Presenting herself as “Myrtle,” residential school survivor and Indigenous television personality Bevann Fox explores essential questions by recounting her life through fiction. She shares memories of an early childhood filled with love with her grandparents–until she is sent to residential school at the age of seven. Her horrific experiences of abuse there left her without a voice, timid and nervous, never sure, never trusting, affecting her romantic relationships and family bonds for years to come.

This is the story of Myrtle battling to recover her voice. Genocidal Love is a powerful confirmation of the long-lasting consequences of residential school violence –and a moving story of finding a path towards healing.

Surviving Canada: Indigenous Peoples Celebrate 150 Years of Betrayal

Finding My Talk: How Fourteen Native Women Reclaimed their Lives after Residential School

by Agnes Grant

In Finding My Talk, fourteen aboriginal women who attended residential schools, or were affected by them, reflect on their experiences. They describe their years in residential schools across Canada and how they overcame tremendous obstacles to become strong and independent members of aboriginal cultures and valuable members of Canadian society.

The Education of Augie Merasty: A Residential School Memoir

by Joseph Auguste Merasty

For additional information and resources, please visit our dedicated webpage on Truth and Reconciliation.

Are you looking for a fun and humorous read that’s guaranteed to crack you up? We’ve got you covered! Here are some new and forthcoming comedy releases that are sure to lift your spirits.

Yearbook by Seth Rogen

A collection of funny personal essays from one of the writers of Superbad and Pineapple Express and one of the producers of The Disaster Artist, Neighbors, and The Boys. 

“Yearbook is a collection of true stories that I desperately hope are just funny at worst, and life-changingly amazing at best. (I understand that it’s likely the former, which is a fancy “book” way of saying “the first one.”)

I talk about my grandparents, doing stand-up comedy as a teenager, bar mitzvahs, and Jewish summer camp, and tell way more stories about doing drugs than my mother would like. I also talk about some of my adventures in Los Angeles, and surely say things about other famous people that will create a wildly awkward conversation for me at a party one day.

I hope you enjoy the book should you buy it, and if you don’t enjoy it, I’m sorry. If you ever see me on the street and explain the situation, I’ll do my best to make it up to you.” – Seth Rogen

You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar

Now a writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers and host of The Amber Ruffin Show, Amber Ruffin lives in New York, where she is no one’s First Black Friend and everyone is, as she puts it, “stark raving normal.” But Amber’s sister Lacey? She’s still living in their home state of Nebraska, and trust us, you’ll never believe what happened to Lacey.

From racist donut shops to strangers putting their whole hand in her hair, from being mistaken for a prostitute to being mistaken for Harriet Tubman, Lacey is a lightning rod for hilariously ridiculous yet all-too-real anecdotes. She’s the perfect mix of polite, beautiful, petite, and Black that apparently makes people think “I can say whatever I want to this woman.” And now, Amber and Lacey share these entertainingly horrifying stories through their laugh-out-loud sisterly banter. Painfully relatable or shockingly eye-opening (depending on how often you have personally been followed by security at department stores), this book tackles modern-day racism with the perfect balance of levity and gravity.

The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

Without rules, these fake fiances might accidentally fall for each other in this romantic comedy.

Ever the obedient daughter, Daisy Patel always follows the rules, but the one thing she can’t give her family is the marriage they expect. With few options left to her, and desperate to escape a parade of unwanted suitors, she asks her childhood crush to be her decoy fiance. When Liam learns that his inheritance is contingent on being married, he realises Daisy has the perfect solution to his problem. Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimise their fake relationship. Too late, they realise that very little is convenient about their arrangement. History and chemistry aren’t about to follow the rules of this engagement. 

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Furiously Happy and Let’s Pretend This Never Happened comes a deeply relatable book filled with humor and honesty about depression and anxiety.

As Jenny Lawson’s hundreds of thousands of fans know, she suffers from depression. In Broken, Jenny brings readers along on her mental and physical health journey, offering heartbreaking and hilarious anecdotes along the way.

With people experiencing anxiety and depression now more than ever, Jenny humanizes what we all face in an all-too-real way, reassuring us that we’re not alone and making us laugh while doing it. From the business ideas that she wants to pitch to Shark Tan k to the reason why Jenny can never go back to the post office,Broken leaves nothing to the imagination in the most satisfying way. And of course, Jenny’s long-suffering husband Victor–the Ricky to Jenny’s Lucille Ball–is present throughout.

A treat for Jenny Lawson’s already existing fans, and destined to convert new ones,Broken is a beacon of hope and a wellspring of laughter when we all need it most.

Sometimes, it will only take a few words on a page, carefully chosen and arranged for their meaning, rhythm and sound, to evoke the biggest emotions. If you love poetry, you don’t want to miss these poignant new releases; and for those of you who have never picked up the genre, it’s never too late to escape in some lyrical verse.

The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman

On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Taking the stage after the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, Gorman captivated the nation and brought hope to viewers around the globe. Including an enduring foreword by Oprah Winfrey, this celebrates the promise of America and affirms the power of poetry.

Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans

A literary coming-of-age poetry collection, an ode to the places we call home, and a piercingly intimate deconstruction of daughterhood, Black Girl, Call Home is a love letter to the wandering black girl and a vital companion to any woman on a journey to find truth, belonging, and healing.

The Renunciations by Donika Kelly

The Renunciations is a book of resilience, survival, and the journey to radically shift one’s sense of self in the face of trauma. Moving between a childhood marked by love and abuse and the breaking marriage of that adult child, Donika Kelly charts memory and the body as landscapes to be traversed and tended. These poems construct life rafts and sanctuaries even in their most devastating confrontations with what a person can bear, with how families harm themselves. With the companionship of “the oracle”–an observer of memory who knows how each close call with oblivion ends–the act of remembrance becomes curative, and personal mythologies give way to a future defined less by wounds than by possibility.

While the Earth Sleeps We Travel by Ahmed M. Badr

Beginning in 2018, Ahmed M. Badr–an Iraqi-American poet and former refugee–traveled to Greece, Trinidad & Tobago, and Syracuse, New York, holding storytelling workshops with hundreds of displaced youth: those living in and outside of camps, as well as those adjusting to life after resettlement.

Combining Badr’s own poetry with the personal narratives and creative contributions of dozens of young refugees, While the Earth Sleeps We Travel seeks to center and amplify the often unheard perspectives of those navigating through and beyond the complexities of displacement. The result is a diverse and moving collection–a meditation on the concept of “home” and a testament to the power of storytelling.

The Glass Constellation by Arthur Sze

National Book Award winner Arthur Sze is a master poet, and The Glass Constellation is a triumph spanning five decades, including ten poetry collections and twenty-six new poems. Sze began his career writing compressed, lyrical poems influenced by classical Chinese poetry; he later made a leap into powerful polysemous sequences, honing a distinct stylistic signature that harnesses luminous particulars, and is sharply focused, emotionally resonant, and structurally complex. Fusing elements of Chinese, Japanese, Native American, and various Western experimental traditions—employing startling juxtapositions that are always on target, deeply informed by concern for our endangered planet and troubled species—Arthur Sze presents experience in all its multiplicities, in singular book after book. This collection is an invitation to immerse in a visionary body of work, mapping the evolution of one of our finest American poets.

I am the Rage by Martina McGowen

I am the Rage is not just a poetry book. It is a call-to-action.

This evocative collection of thirty poems puts readers in the position of feeling, reflecting, and empathizing with what it means to be Black in America today. Dr. Martina McGowan, a doctor and grandmother who has been a victim of and an advocate against social, racial, and sexual injustices, uses powerful free verse poetry to express the range of emotions, thoughts, and grief she had following the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests, and the ongoing attacks against the Black community.

For those who are moved by the poetry of Amanda Gorman and Maya Angelou, Dr. McGowan’s poems are a glimpse into the Black experience and will stay with you long after you’ve read them.

I love reading an uplifting story that lets me tune out. A feel-good story laced with humour and memorable characters; and where everything ends well despite the challenges along the way. For those, like me, who could use a break from reality, here are a few heartwarming, cozy and uplifting books to snuggle up with.

It’s Not Downhill from Here by Terry McMillan

Loretha Curry’s life is full. A little crowded sometimes, but full indeed. On the eve of her sixty-eighth birthday, she has a booming beauty supply empire, a gaggle of lifelong friends, and a husband who’s still got moves that surprise. True, she’s carrying a few more pounds than she should be, but she’s not one of those women who thinks her best days are behind her, and she’s determined to prove her mother, her twin sister, and everyone else with that outdated view of aging wrong–it’s not all downhill from here.

But when an unexpected loss turns her world upside down, Loretha will have to summon all her strength, resourcefulness, and determination to keep on thriving, pursue joy, heal old wounds, and chart new paths. With a little help from her friends, of course.

Farm to Trouble by Amanda Flower

Shiloh Bellamy cashed in her big city job and 401K to return home to Michigan to save the family farm, but turning Bellamy Farms into a sustainable, organic operation is no small feat. Especially when her new investor is found dead at the farmers market not long after the contract is signed, a contract that the whole town knows her father was wholeheartedly against. Now, Shiloh must clear her family’s name and track down the real killer before her farm dreams wilt before her very eyes. But with her father trying to stop any progress on his land, her cousin belittling her every effort, and the whole town believing her family at fault, Shiloh has to carry the investigation on her shoulders or risk all her dreams drying up before they begin.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret. Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages. When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days. But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn. An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place-and realizing that family is yours.

A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abbey Collette 

Recent MBA grad Bronwyn Crewse has just taken over her family’s ice cream shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Wyn is renovating Crewse Creamery to restore its former glory, and filling the menu with delicious, homemade ice cream flavours. But unexpected construction delays mean she misses the summer season, and the shop has a literal cold opening. That evening, Wyn finds a body in the snow, and it turns out the dead man was a grifter with an old feud with the Crewse family. Soon, Wyn’s father is implicated in his death. Will she catch the ice cold killer before she has a meltdown?

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

69-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just as he did when his wife, Miriam, was alive. He dresses in the same gray slacks and mustard sweater-vest, waters his fern and heads out to his garden. But on the one-year anniversary of Miriam’s death, something changes. Sorting through Miriam’s possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he’s never seen before. What follows is a surprising and unforgettable odyssey that takes Arthur on an epic quest to find out the truth about his wife’s secret life before they met.

Written by Melissa Mason

Something I find interesting when looking at our new books is seeing the trends that have overtaken certain genres in regards to book covers. It seems that once in a while, a specific style of cover becomes so prevalent in a genre, that it becomes difficult to even tell the books apart. I already have a hard enough time remembering which books I’ve read without them all looking the same! While these trends can draw me to a book, I’ve also found that I will sometimes prematurely judge a book because it looks like one I have read before and didn’t enjoy. The covers can even give us a perception of a book’s quality- if the cover is too generic, we may assume it isn’t a well written novel. Here are some of the trends I’ve noticed in the past few years.

The thriller/suspense genre has become huge in the past few years. Only showing the chest and chin of a woman on the cover is a trend that began when they really started churning out thrillers to meet the demand of the public. Thanks to “Girl on the Train”, we also began to see a lot of titles including the words “woman” or “girl” like “Woman in the Window” or “The Girl Before”.

Though these two covers are particularly similar, most contemporary romances have adopted the same aesthetic. Bright colours and cartoonish figures are the norm for romances. I’m personally a fan of this style. If a cover is bright and cutesy, I am in!

A lot of literary fiction is now favouring bold colours and abstract patterns.

Young adult fantasies are shying away from full illustrations and are now moving towards illustrations that frame the title.

These last two aren’t necessarily a trend, but both books came out this year and are even from different publishers. It’s amazing how similar they are to each other!

Take a look at the covers of the genres you read…do you see any trends?

The 63rd GRAMMY Awards aired this past Sunday, recognizing the best recordings released between Sept. 1, 2019, and Aug. 31, 2020. Considered the music community’s highest honour, and its only peer-based award, check out and listen to some of the winners of the night.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Folklore by Taylor Swift

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM

Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa

BEST NEW ARTIST

Megan Thee Stallion

BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM

American Standard by James Taylor

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

Wildcard by Miranda Lambert

BEST RAP ALBUM

King’s Disease by Nas

Best R&B ALBUM

Bigger Love by John Legend

BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM

Trilogy 2 by Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade

BEST MUSICAL THEATRE ALBUM

Jagged Little Pill by Original Broadway Cast

BEST GLOBAL ALBUM

Twice As Tall by Burna Boy

BEST FOLK ALBUM

All The Good Times by Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM

Home by Billy Strings

BEST AMERICANA ALBUM

World On The Ground by Sarah Jarosz

BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA

Joker by Hildur Guðnadóttir

Hoopla is a great online resource for tons of music, new and old, and all free with your CPL library card.  Check out their music collection to stay in tune with your favourite songs and artists.

With the recent success of Netflix’s Bridgerton, based on the book series by Julia Quinn, it’s hard to overlook how entertaining literary adaptations can be. When done right, watching your favourite books come alive on screen can be a worthwhile experience. Here are some written works that are becoming movies and TV shows in 2021:

Dune by Frank Herbert

Release date: October 2021 (HBO Max and theatres)

Frank Herbert’s epic science-fiction masterpiece set in the far future amidst a sprawling feudal interstellar society, tells the story of Paul Atreides as he and his family accept control of the desert planet Arrakis. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism, and politics, Dune is a powerful, fantastical tale that takes an unprecedented look into our universe.

Nomadland by Jessica Bruder

Release date: February 2021 (Hulu)

Author Jessica Bruder, who teaches at the Columbia School of Journalism, spent several years traveling with older Americans who have become itinerant workers in order to make ends meet. In Nomadland, she describes how they assume a “wheel estate” (instead of “real estate”) existence as they travel from one seasonal job to the next, exchanging information on safe camping sites and enjoying the camaraderie of the road. Bruder vividly and sympathetically characterizes these “workampers” as she critiques the financial systems that have led them to adopt this solution.

Without Remorse by Tom Clancy

Release date: February 2021 (Prime Video)

John Kelly, former Navy SEAL and Vietnam veteran, befriends a young woman with a checkered past. When her past reaches out to her in a horrifying way, he vows revenge. But the Pentagon also has plans for John Kelly.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Release date: TBA 2021 (Prime Video)

After Cora, a pre-Civil War Georgia slave, escapes with another slave, Caesar, they seek the help of the Underground Railroad as they flee from state to state and try to evade a slave catcher, Ridgeway, who is determined to return them to the South.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty  

Release date: TBA 2021 (Hulu)

Gathering at a remote health resort for a 10-day fitness program, nine strangers and their enigmatic host become subjects of interest to a broken-hearted novelist who develops uncomfortable doubts about the resort’s real agenda.

Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

Release date: TBA 2021 (Netflix)

Desperate to clear the name of her loving and charismatic public figure husband in the wake of scandalous accusations, Sophie clashes with a determined prosecution lawyer, Kate, who resolves to uncover the truth and bring Sophie’s husband to justice.

Cherry by Nico Walker

Release date: March 2021 (Apple TV+)

Rashly marrying his college girlfriend to keep their relationship active during his tour of duty, a college dropout turned army soldier is overwhelmed by the realities of war, PTSD and opioid addiction before forging a desperate plan.

Descriptions provided by Novelist Plus

Written by Laura Foti

Haaaaaaapy New Year…followed with….and “buckle up folks”.  Okay fine, is this exactly how we envisioned 2021 beginning?  Perhaps not.  Let’s face it, maybe this New Year isn’t off to your average start, but perhaps this year you’ve decided to  do away with the whole “New Year, New Me” age old mantra. If your New Year’s resolution seems somewhat futile – it’s all about the silver lining people (these are facts by the way, stats show only 8% of people keep their resolution….this gives us the opportunity to be 92% of the happier people who do away with the pressure!)

In all seriousness though, there is something to be said for a clean slate, and January 1^st allows for that.  However, given our reality right now, I decided to give some focus to a few topics I’d like to share that aren’t your typical resolutions.  You know the ones I’m talking about…”lose that dreadful quarantine 15 you’ve gained”, “get organized” and of course “finally use that crock pot that’s been collecting dust in your cold cellar for ten years”.

I came across a couple of titles in our library collection that could be life challenging in a lot more ways than fitting into your prom dress from 1987.

If there is one thing this pandemic is testing us on as a collective, it’s certainly a lesson in patience.  Perhaps not only is “patience a virtue” but one could argue, so is the art of slowing down.  For this reason, the book “The Things You Can Only See When You Slow Down” by Haemin Sunim caught my eye.  Although some of us may be working less, going to school less, going out less, this book challenges us to question whether or not we’re taking this slower period in our lives as an opportunity to pay more attention to our surroundings, to focus on the more important things that sometimes the hustle and bustle of “normal” life can cause us to overlook important things.  The beauty of this read is that ringing true to the lesson of simplicity you can literally open it up to any given page and catch a glimpse of a quote, or a thought-provoking question you can ask yourself.   These are small anecdotes that can change your day in a huge way.  One that stood out to me in particular was “An ordinary person mainly notices particular things he likes or dislikes.  A wise person notices both the whole and particulars”.  This is a super cute read and nice to just have on your coffee table or bed side table for a quick pick me up or an “aha” moment.

I know that during a time where what we can and cannot do seems more and more limited as the days go on, thinking about having less in our lives seems a bit of a paradox right now.   I do question that maybe the New Year is a time to question our wants vs. our needs?  A good read for really thinking hard about what we place importance on and our reliance on the tangible and material world around us, is “The Year of Less” written by a Canadian author Cait Flanders.  In her late 20s Cait decided to chronicle a whole year of her life, each month broken down into chapters during which she only bought consumables:  groceries, toiletries and gas for her car.  Facing many challenges and realizations about herself and her dependencies along the way, perhaps the most fascinating part of her journey was the insight she attained and her realization that what matters most in life are the things you cannot see with the naked eye. Happiness and peace are both things that cannot be purchased.   This is a great read to finally take control of your finances for the year ahead but more importantly very uplifting read to gain some clarity and awareness on the truly important things you want to focus on for 2021.

Regardless of changing times and changing years, one thing remains unswerving throughout the years and that’s the beauty and life lessons a good book can provide.  On that note, happy reading and happy New Year everyone from all of us at CPL!