@ Your Library
I hope your December is delightful and full of wonderful events with friends and family. I also hope you have found time to relax and just enjoy the moment you are in. Being healthy means finding balance, so spend time reading even just a few minutes each day. As little as five minutes a day can boost your mood. Stop by the library and borrow a magazine or book of short stories which can be wonderful ways to read just a little bit each day.
We still have physical copies of over 40 different magazines including Canada’s History (formerly The Beaver), Country Living, Harper’s Magazine, Maclean’s, Minnesota Monthly, Northern Gardener, Popular Mechanics and Smithsonian. All of these have articles that could be read in as little as five minutes. You can also find lots of digital magazines on Libby. Subscribe to a magazine and get notified whenever a new issue is released. Check them out, there are hundreds of options available.
We also have lots of collections of short stories which can be a great way to discover new authors or read authors as they explore new genres or topics. Our newest collection of short stories is Highway Thirteen by Fiona McFarlane. If you enjoy stories set in Minnesota try The St. Paul Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald for a classic view of the city.
If you enjoy mysteries there are several collections of stories including Marple: Twelve New Mysteries by twelve contemporary authors who love Agatha Christie or again for Minnesota flavor try The Silence of the Loons and Resort to Murder two collections of mysteries by Minnesota’s Premier crime writers.
For holiday flavor try Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler, A Fantastic Holiday Season edited by Kevin J Anderson or Once Upon a Dickens Christmas by Michelle Griep. And stop in to see us for these and many other suggestions. I often recommend story collections to anyone looking for something new or different as you don’t have to make the same commitment as an entire novel. I also recommend essay collections if you are looking for some real life reading. Try David Sedaris, his newest being Happy-Go-Lucky, Delia Ephron’s Sister, Mother, Husband, Dog, etc or Lisa Scottoline’s Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat or for outdoor content by the just released The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Or the always funny Patrick McManus.
I want to end today by reminding everyone that we don’t care what you read, just read. Reading is important to keep the brain active, to build empathy, to entertain and to learn new things. Read whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want. If you’d like suggestions, we are available to make recommendations, provide suggestions, request specific titles and so much more. The International Falls Public Library is your community library and we want to meet your reading needs all year long. Let us know what you want and need from your library.