The Next Obsession

Little Free Library. That is my next obsession!! I must figure out a way to put one in my yard!

Don't know what a Little Free Library is? It's a movement founded by a guy in Wisconsin in 2009. He built a little one-room school house to hold books in honor of his mother who had passed away. She was a school teacher. He wanted to promote reading and improve neighborhood spirit. So he put it in his yard and invited people to take a book, leave a book. You should Google it! Here's a photo of one I swiped from the web:



If you Google images of little free libraries, you'll discover that they come in all different shapes and sizes! I'd love to see a few sprout up around town. Having worked in one of the elementary schools, I know that there are a LOT of kids in this town who have never been downtown to the public library. Wouldn't it be cool if a little library popped up right in their own neighborhood? Or in the park they go to? (Hint to the city. And Webster County DNR!!)

Also, I have plenty of books to get a few of these libraries up and running! We still have a plethora of children's books from our kids. I am getting free books/advance reader copies of new releases of adult fiction and non-fiction on occasion. I have plenty of tomes I've picked up at library book sales. Just saying . . .

It would be so great to share the books!!!

Fun, Light Reading

Ok, I'm totally hooked on Alexander McCall Smith's series of books that began with The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.

The books are delightful! They're under 200 pages which means you can read them in a day (or two). The characters are engaging. The way Mma solves the mysteries, ingenious!

I have read the first three this past week or so. I'm saving the fourth for tomorrow as I have some family related stuff that means I'll be doing some waiting for several hours.

I've discovered that between my local library and the Ames Public Library (for which I also have a membership card) I can download these books as free library loans to my Nook. How fun/cool is that?!

Happy Reading!

What I've Been Reading

Hello everyone! We had a quick trip up to the Twin Cities this weekend to spend time with DH's family. His brother's family from Texas is there visiting their family, so we made time to have the sibs gather at his sister's home. What a treat! Of course, I got home feeling like I had not had enough time with my dear SIL, Ann. Ah well....we'll just have to go back again, right?

I've been doing quite a bit of reading this summer. (It helps that it's much too hot for me to spend time outdoors doing things like letterboxing or geocaching!)

I am loving my Nook Color! Especially since I discovered how easy it is to borrow books on it from the library. I don't even have to leave the house. (That's a WIN/WIN on these days with the heat index over 100*F!)

Some of what I've read I've done for book club. Others have just been of my own choosing. I read "The Things We Do For Love" by Kristen Hannah. Then I checked out "The Bone Collector" by Jeffery Deaver from the library on my Nook. That was a very dramatic, and slightly gory read! (I believe they made it into a movie. Perhaps I'll have to see about getting it to compare to the book.) If there are any sequels to this novel, I would definitely read them!

Another book I read was "The Book of Lost Things" by John Connolly. I admit I was disappointed by this one. It was VERY predictable and turned out exactly as I thought it would from the beginning.

The book I just finished over the weekend is "My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey" by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.

I saw Dr. Taylor speak on a TED talk and knew I wanted to read the book which would expand what I heard there. WOW! What an amazing story! At age 37, she had rare AVM type stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. She remained aware of what was happening to her throughout the stroke and shares the experience. Her right hemisphere helped her to experience a spiritual connection to the universe which many people, myself included, might envy. The end of her book talks about getting back to that place of connection following her amazing recovery from the stroke. She talks about ways that each of us, without having a stroke, can engage that part of our brains that is open to the larger picture/greater good.

I found this book very inspiring. I think I will even make it my choice for my other book club which meets again in the fall!