A jumble of books surrounds me on my bed as I approach Week 10 of hunkering down. Their titles either express a curious range of interests or reveal my grasping at distraction—more likely a combo of both. There’s even an adult coloring book for book lovers, and I’m not usually a coloring book type.
Like many, I fluctuate between seizing extra reading time during the pandemic and restlessly feeling like I should be doing something else. Something, gasp, more productive. These are different kinds of days, and they call for different kinds of reading routines. Maybe few activities are more helpful now than relying on books to take us to other times and places, to connect us with people on the page when we can’t visit in person.
Time passes quickly when I settle in with a novel a friend recommended months ago or a home decorating book I ordered on a whim. Here are ways to use books to get you through tight budgets or unsettled schedules:
Take advantage of free online library resources
With finances lean and lots of people out of work, library online services are a fantastic bonus for adults and children. You can apply for an e-card or renew your library card online. If you haven’t looked at library websites, you may be shocked to see the breadth of e-books and audiobooks, movies and even online courses on myriad topics available for free. Wander around these sites a bit. I can almost guarantee you’ll find something that sparks your interest. Whether you’re in Caddo or Bossier, DeSoto or Webster or parts beyond, check out your local library website.
Curbside pickup being reintroduced
Caddo and Bossier libraries and Barnes and Noble in Shreveport are working on curbside pickup details for books you place on hold or order via their websites. Check online or with your local branch or the store for details, which are subject to change and require a little planning for book choices.
More: Bossier libraries prepare for reopening of branches
Read about activities you miss
Baseball is one of my favorite summertime activities, and we root for the St. Louis Cardinals in our house. Having already re-watched a handful of classic games, I’m reading a memoir about the family of my favorite player, catcher Yadier Molina. “Molina,” by Bengie Molina with Joan Ryan, is “the story of the father who raised an unlikely baseball dynasty.” It might not be quite the same as sitting in the bleachers with the sun on my face and nachos in my lap, but it helps fill the baseball void.
Enrich your reading
The week before #StayAtHome orders were issued, I picked up two older novels at our church library, each with biblical themes, each highly recommended through the years: “Peace Like A River” by Leif Enger, about a father raising his three children in 1960s Minnesota and what happens when one of the sons is arrested for murder; and “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson, which, among other things, tells how history lives through generations. Both seem just the thing for this unprecedented time.
Depend on friends’ recommendations
The book I’m finishing right now, “City of Girls” by Elizabeth Gilbert, was recommended to me several times by a Benton friend, and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up otherwise. But I waited my turn on the hold list at the library for an e-copy and am glad I did. I enjoyed the unique world it introduced and found the characters fascinating. Told from the perspective of an older woman looking back on her wild life in the New York City theater world during the 1940s, it explores themes of female sexuality and promiscuity, as well as true love. And, yes, it’s written by the author of the nonfiction megahit “Eat, Pray, Love.”
More: Library holds resume at Shreve Memorial
“Meet” with your book club online
One of the effects of Covid-19 on my life has been visiting with several book clubs via Zoom to discuss my most recent book, “Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children’s Home Society.” It works quite well. I have enjoyed engaging with readers and watching each of us adapt to this technology. You might try it—even if you think you’re too old to learn a new approach. You’re not. If you’re leery of Zoom or not in a book club, FaceTime or Skype a friend to talk about books and encourage each other.
Celebrate award-winning writing available from area authors
How wonderful to scroll through the list of this year’s Pulitzer Prize winners and see former Shreveporter Jericho Brown’s award for poetry for his latest collection, “The Tradition.”
What happy news! For more about this superb writer with local ties, see: https://ift.tt/2RfoUgY.
Do what works for you
Truth: We each have to find what is best for us during this season. For some, that is catching up on a Netflix series or baking bread. For others, that is tackling household projects or finally reading the Russian classics. For me, it’s identifying novels I can’t wait to dig into. (One I enjoyed last week was “The Authenticity Project” by Clare Pooley, about a green notebook that brings together six strangers both young and old and leads to unexpected friendship and love.)
Seek books that remind you how much fun it is to escape into stories. I’d love to hear what you’re reading. Email me: judy@judychristie.com.
Book columnist Judy Christie is the author of 18 books, including the award-winning nonfiction: “Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children’s Home Society.” To sign up for her e-newsletter: www.judychristie.com. Follow her on Facebook at JudyChristie/Author.
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