Yes, I know you were anticipating golden summer days lounging in the backyard and at the beach, or hiking through the parks and forests. What you got instead was dreary wet weather and chilly nighttime temperatures that have dragged on through the month of June. However, the dampness and wind need not curtail your enjoyment of the natural world. At Heights Libraries, we can connect you with great books and programs that feed your relationship with the wild. Prizes are involved.
You can fill out an entry blank for each book you read (or listen to). Drop the entries off at any of our four branches. Oh, and those prizes? You’ll be eligible for weekly prizes, as well as one of four grand prizes: a Fitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate and Fitness Tracker, a Kindle Fire HD 8 tablet, a BigBlue 3 USB Ports Foldable Waterproof Solar Charger, or a Roku Premiere Streaming Media Player.
Books can be any type, any topic, and any genre, but if your tastes incline to The Great Outdoors, here are some ideas to get you started:
Our Original Voices Book Club (which takes place at 7:30 pm at the Lee Road Branch on the 2nd Wednesday each month) is featuring Walden by Henry David Thoreau at our July 10th discussion, and The World Without Us by Alan Weisman on August 14th. Reading each book will earn you an entry blank, and you’ll get an extra one for attending the book discussion.
For the days that you can get out into the woods, try Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Qing Li, or any of author Richard Louv’s thoughtful contributions; Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-deficit Disorder; The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-deficit Disorder; or Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-rich Life.
Looking for a great beach read? Try The Overstory by Richard Powers if you like big, sprawling novels that engage your attention. Prefer something small but full of meditative depth? Pick up one of Joy Harjo’s poetry collections (How We Became Human or Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings). Just named as the nation’s new Poet Laureate (the first Native American to be appointed to that role), her work is rich with allusions to the natural world.
And, if those dreary rainy days continue, join us for nature-based programs at our branches – https://heightslibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Check-Us-Out-CUO-2019-Q2.pdf – look for the small “sun” icon.
Whether you’re inside or outside this summer, Heights Libraries can help you celebrate The Great Outdoors.
I would like to be part of a book club.