Week of April 20, 2026
For the first time in a decade, I don’t have a column deadline. (And I don’t have a word limit either, so watch out!) However, I want to stay in the habit of writing and keeping you informed of what’s happening at the library. So, here goes!
What a week! I know this is just a very busy season. Looking at my calendar, if I can make it until September, we will get a break. I just don’t know if I can make it until September! It is such a blessing to be so busy and we are thankful for every opportunity we’ve been given.
Shout out to our county treasurer for sending us flowers for National Librarian’s Day. One of our board members brought us lunch as well this week and it really makes us feel good to be appreciated.
Just to update you, we did receive some new titles. We updated a section of our paperback romances. Those still seem to trickle in here and there, but we are just glad to have them! Another new read, “Meet Me in Italy” by Brenda Novak will be a great intro to summer reading for grownups. Who wouldn’t love to venture to the Amalfi Coast, even if you were untangling family issues?
Fern Michaels gives us a stand-alone thriller in “The Final Storm.” For our fantasy fans, we received donations of “A Fate Inked in Blood” by Danielle Jensen, “Scavenge the Stars” by Tara Sim, and “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire. PSA, this is NOT a book for children, just some friendly advice. It is in the adult section, and we will watch as we always do, but we wanted YOU to know!
Our watercolor group for Analog Adventures worked on bookmarks this week. We are still getting the feel for these paints and that paper because it is all very different. We had some really cute designs come out of our group!
Wees were one for the books. We had the best day. AND, a dirty diaper, a spilled bottle, two spit-ups, and a nose bleed. Hurray! We rolled with the punches and kept on reading and singing and learning and growing. This is why I keep baby wipes in my desk and we wouldn’t trade it for the world.
We had the opportunity to host an ESL class and share what the library offers to all of our patrons. We hope these ladies will visit, with or without kiddos, and maybe even take advantage of some of our classes.
Later that day, we were invited to participate in a community baby shower. We were able to present just what all the library does in a week and it is a LOT! We hope these new and to-be mamas will bring their Wees to see us on Wednesdays. Reading is such an important skill and we hope to help grow another group of readers.
In between all of that, we’re making copies and sending faxes and checking out all the books! We keep an active hold list and fortunately our readers don’t keep others waiting for the most part. If we don’t have it in-house, we probably have it on Libby. If it’s not on Libby, we may be able to purchase a single-use digital copy. If all else fails, we can interlibrary loan it from another location in Arkansas. So really, the only thing stopping you from reading is, well, you!
And that is me. I’ve been in SUCH a reading slump lately. I’m reading. I’m reading every day. Doing a quick mental count, I have about four titles going and I’m feeling rather “meh.” That’s not to brag, but to say I don’t like any of them.
So is the problem me? Absolutely! And I’m here to tell you it’s okay. The reading life, like all seasons, can be cyclical. There will be an influx of titles you speed through and just can’t get enough. You love all the books. You want all the books. You just love the written word.
Then, there will be crickets…for what seems like forever. Nothing sounds good. You don’t even like your favorite authors anymore. You start and stop and ugh. You want to read, but nothing holds your interest, and you don’t care how the story ends and think the characters are all stupid.
For people who love to read, this is the WORST feeling ever! To compound that feeling I kinda NEED to read for my job. I have to be able to recommend titles to anyone. This means reading outside of my comfort zone and maybe reading titles I don’t really like. It makes being in a reading slump feel so much worse.
So, I’m catching up on podcasts instead. I’m listening to my favorite satellite radio station. I’m sitting on my porch in the late evenings listening to the whippoorwills. And I’m painting. And learning how to hand-bind my own journals. And crocheting. And otherwise being creative, letting my brain relax a bit, and giving myself permission to NOT read for a while. It feels guilty, but pushing it feels worse.
If you’re in a slump, it won’t last. We will both be back to reading and gushing about our new favorite author and the books we think everyone simply MUST read and it will be good. It’s okay to take a break from time to time. True readers never completely give up. If you loved it once, you will love it again. And just think of all the great books that will be waiting on you when you return!
The library business overall is keeping me very, very busy. That is probably one of the reasons I’m not reading. I’m simply too tired to think about anything else, even an alternative world. But, I remind myself this is just a season. It won’t last forever.
In the meantime, I can still talk books and recommend titles and would love the chance to do so. Come see us for a program or a book or just a visit. We’d love to see you!