Linda the Librarian

In Dreams Forgotten by Tracie Peterson The last two weeks have leant themselves to fun, relaxing reads.  It's been gray and snowy here, not great weather for deep thought and wrestling with big ideas.  So I read book two in the breezy Golden Gate Secrets trilogy by Tracie Peterson. After the deaths of her parents, Judith Gladstone travels to San Francisco with the hope of finding her aunt and possibly other family members as well.  Friend and lawyer Caleb Coulter does everything he can to assist her in the search.  What will she find?  Who will she find?  Will she find love in the process?  I won't tell you because that would spoil all of your fun!   If you're looking for a pleasant way to spend a weekend or several evenings with hot cups of tea I can recommend this book to you.  The plot is predictable, but enjoyable.  I felt relaxed and happy at the conclusion of this book.   Until next time...

My TBR pile for the next few weeks.  What's waiting to be read at your house?

Pinfluence by Beth Hayden The title of the book really is the book's purpose statement.  Ms. Hayden is writing to help people know how to use Pinterest to promote and grow their businesses.  The book is older (it was published in 2012), so some of the information is dated (e.g. there is no more "like" option).  However, I still found this a worthwhile read.  I didn't read the book cover to cover, I skimmed a lot of it and deeply read the sections that were applicable to my use of Pinterest in a nonprofit setting. I thought it was clear and very readable.  She packed the book with real life examples from businesses - some businesses you would recognize.  It was practical and many of the strategies could be immediately applied.  Pinfluence made me rethink some of how we use our Pinterest account in the library setting.  There will be changes to our Pinterest account in the near future, I think!   If you are a business owner...

The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis We watched the 2005 version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe while our girls were home for Christmas.  I realized once again how much I love all things Narnia so I decided to read (actually listen to) the stories once again.  I'm listening to them in Narnian chronological order rather than in the order of publication. The Magician's Nephew is the story of Digory and his friend Polly who are tricked by Digory's Uncle Andrew into taking a trip to other worlds.  They meet  evil Queen Jadis from the rapidly dying world of Charn.  When they realize just how evil she is they try to leave Charn without her, but end up bringing her back to our world.  They try to lose her again, but accidentally take her to Narnia at the time when Aslan is first creating Narnia.  Aslan tells the children that Jadis will be kept in check for a time, but then she will do harm to Narnia. I love C. S. Lewis.  I lov...

This weekend provided a very natural and good excuse to stay indoors with a good book...or two!  It was snowy, windy, and bitterly cold, so my crazy little dog and I curled up with a blanket and some fun reading.  In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson is the first book in a trilogy called Golden Gates Secrets.  Camri Coulter travels from Chicago to San Francisco in 1905 to find her brother Caleb from whom they haven't heard a word in about three months.  Along the way she meets two other young ladies also on a search for people and answers of their own.  Is Caleb still alive?  Will Camri find him?  Will she find love in San Francisco?  There's only one way to find out.  You need to read the book!  This was a light, breezy read that was a pleasant way to spend my time indoors with cups of tea and hours of classical or light jazz music (variety is the spice of life!). The Inheritance by Louisa May Alcott is the first novel she wrote ...

More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell One of the great things about having daughters in university is that they will sometimes bring home textbooks that interest me.  One of my daughters took a class about the life of Christ and this was one of her textbooks.  I've read the older version before, but this one is updated and co-authored by the father and son team.  I'm not going to add my words, I'm just going to share one story from the book that I especially loved and encourage you to read the book for yourself.  Whether you have questions about who Jesus Christ is or you know Him, but want to know Him better this book is for you. At this point many people ask the natural question, "Why couldn't God just forgive without requiring payment?"...Wherever there is forgiveness, there is payment.  For example, let's say my daughter breaks a lamp in my home.  I'm a loving and forgiving father, so I hug her and say, "Don...

It seems you can't watch television without seeing an advertisement for medication to treat some form of depression or anxiety.  Is all of that medication necessary?  Can we do something to alleviate the problem or heal ourselves?  This book definitely gives direction for those seeking an alternative way to care for anxiety and fluctuating moods.  Each chapter deals with a different aspect of our health as it relates to food (sugar and blood sugar swings, caffeine, alcohol,  nicotine, gluten and other food sensitivities, digestion, and taking supplements).  Really what a lot of this boils down to is paying attention to our bodies when we eat and noting how food makes us feel (both physically and emotionally).  Ms. Scott encourages food journaling to track what was eaten and what our reaction was to the food.  She also shares real life stories of  her patients that relate to the topic in each chapter.  I don't believe that we shou...