Swing into the library this August

The summer reading programs have wrapped for the year.  It was an astounding success. The adults turned in Bingo sheets at the end of July and three had blackouts! Kudos to their achievement this summer!

A small recap of the activities that we had this summer: for the adults, we had a writing workshop where published authors discussed their experience, Sherlock Holmes trivia, an e-reader workshop led by our library tech Doreen, and sustainable agriculture led by a Seward County Community College instructor among our regularly scheduled Library and Lunch, Book Chats and Recipe Swaps.  On the teen’s front, we had a cooking session, Zumba, CSI: Liberal, games, movies, and parties.  All those who participated had a great time! Hope you join us next summer and don’t forget to stop by the library in the months to come to attend programs.

On Friday, kiddos came to pick up their certificates and enjoy an ice cream party with all kinds of delicious toppings.  They’re preparing for school.  Casandra, our children’s librarian and Royce, our new library director were out at the New Teacher Fair this past week welcoming new teachers to the area and getting them into the library to sign up for new library cards. In a few weeks, it’s National Library Card Month. It’s the most important card in your wallet!

Remember to stop by for storytimes in the month of August. They are open to children of all ages.  They’re on Mondays and Thursday at 11:15 a.m. and Tuesday evening at 11:15 a.m.  Lapsit for infants under 24 months is on Tuesdays at 11:15 a.m.

Library and Lunch will be held on Tuesday, August 12 at 12 p.m. to discuss “President Me: The America That’s in My Head” by Adam Carolla.  The last few months has seen quite serious novels.  All the members agreed that a comedic book was needed.  Grab your lunch and join in on the conversation. If you haven’t read the book that’s fine, you can still join!

Don’t forget book chat meets every third Thursday of the month.  The group discusses what books they are currently reading and what new books have hit the shelves at the library. This month’s will be on Thursday, August 21 at 6:30 p.m.

On Monday, August 25 at 6:30 p.m., Recipe Swap will take place.  This month’s recipes are baked goods.  Breads, cookies, or baked goods.

For the latest library programming take a peek at the library website or grab a newsletter from the circulation desk.  Stay tuned and connected through our social media pages.  If you have any questions or suggestions about books or programs don’t hesitate to ask.  We hope to see you at the library this summer!

Books To Assist You With Your New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year! There’s a refreshing renewal and commitment individuals make in the new year whether it be personal goals, projects, or habits. The anticipation of the New Year, and new beginnings.
The most popular goals include resolutions to improve health by losing weight, exercising, drinking less, or quitting smoking; improving finances by getting out of debt or saving money; improving career; improving education; improving self by becoming more organized or reducing stress; taking a trip; or volunteering to help others.

I’m a fan of resolutions. I only came up with five quirky fun resolutions this year. As the New Year was about to ring in, someone passed an invisible mike around, questioning what resolutions everyone made. When it was my turn, I forgot my four quirky fun resolutions and only remembered the fun malefic one.
I hope you’ve made a resolution to visit your local library more often this year or perhaps partake in the services we offer! There’s a couple of brand new books that just left my desk to aid you in your resolution whether it be weight loss, financial freedom, or utter organization from clutter.

Weight Watchers New Complete CookbookThe new “Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook” with over 500 delicious recipes is out for the healthy cook’s kitchen. It has the new points plus values that Weight Watchers recently revamped. I have several friends who over the years have been on Weight Watchers and have passed down a marvelous Taco Soup recipe.

365 Thanks yousIf you’d like to exhibit some kindness and gratitude this year check out “365 thank yous: the year a simple act of daily gratitude changed my life” by John Kralik. The author made a resolution to be more thankful for the good people and things in his life by deciding to write a thank you note each day for a year to the people that mattered in his life. So send an impromptu thank you card or postcard to someone in your life.

Suzanne Somers is out with a new book entitled “Sexy Forever: How to Fight Fat After Forty shed the pounds shed the fat”. The book includes a simple three phase weight loss program, recipes, and an exercise program.

Debt free for lifeFor something to listen to in your car, check out “Debt Free for Life” by David Bach. The author of “The Automatic Millionaire” offers an approach to personal finance that teaches you how to pay down your debt and adopt a whole new way of living debt free.

Those are the newest titles. For more check out the first display of the year: New Year’s Resolutions.

For tips on organization, productivity, and time management browse through “Time management from the inside out: the foolproof system for taking control of Your Schedule and Your Life” by Julie Morgenstern, “Getting things done: the art of stress-free productivity” by David Allen, or “The complete home organizer: a guide to functional storage space for all the rooms in your home” by Maxine Ordesky.

For tips relating to a new you browse through “The eat-clean diet: fast fat loss that lasts forever!” by Tosca Reno, “The Mayo Clinic Diet” by the weight-loss experts at Mayo Clinic, “How to quit smoking without gaining weight” by Martin Katahn, or “The new Atkins for a new you” by Stephen Phinney.

For financial tips browse through “The 9 steps to financial freedom” by Suze Orman, “Bank on yourself: the life-changing secret to growing and protecting your finances” by Pamela Yellen, “Generation debt: take control of your money: a how-to guide” by Carmen Wong Ulrich, “Downsized but not defeated: the family guide to living on less” by Hope Stanley Quinn, or “The everything money book” by Richard Mintzer.
I wish you many successes in the goals you have made for this year. As for that fun malefic goal I made as the New Year rang in? It’s part of a greater ‘run a marathon by the age of blah’ resolution for a great cause. So if you see me around town passed out on a sidewalk as I learn to run ten miles this year without, like, stopping, shout out a friendly “Hello!”

As always, for the latest library programming take a peek at the library website or grab a newsletter from the circulation desk. Stay tuned and connected through our social media pages. The full schedules for Library and Lunch and Book and Movie Series will be out soon. Most importantly, I hope to see you at the library this year!