For those of you are looking to organize and declutter this year, a follow-up to the international best-seller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing will be released tomorrow. Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondo is an illustrated guide to her KonMari Method that will have you folding and rolling all your clothes in a most efficient and “joyful” manner.

by Barbara Loewengart

Do any of your New Year resolutions include reading more? If so, think about joining our Afternoon Book Discussion held every third Monday of the month at 1:30 PM or our evening Book Discussion held every second Wednesday evening of the month at 7:00 PM. For the overly ambitious you can try to make both! Our book discussion groups are ongoing programs so you may join in at any time – new members are most welcome. This month the afternoon group is reading House Girl by Tara Conklin and the evening group is reading Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Try something new this year and join in! For more information, email Reference Librarian Barbara Loewengart at [email protected] or call 610-666-6640 ext. 25.

For those of you who are eagerly looking forward to the return of Downton Abbey this Sunday evening, you may be interested in the newly released biography Maggie Smith by Michael Coveney.  Although we know and love the character Lady Violet, with her sharp and humorous tongue, Maggie Smith has played many roles in film, stage and television that have earned her two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, and several Emmys.   “I don’t like myself very much,” she once admitted. “I’d much rather be someone else.” Coveney offers us a full picture of this extremely talented lady.

Emma, by Jane Austen, was published 200 years ago today.  It’s worth noting because it reads as almost a modern tale. Set in the English countryside, Emma is filled with humor, misunderstandings and romance.   The tone is set from the opening lines as Austen begins the book with “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to united some of the best blessings of existence, and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her. . . ”   It’s always satisfying to escape into the words of Jane Austen.

A short essay written in the 1950s by Harper Lee captures the beauty and spirit of the season.  It highlights how important it is for each of us to care and encourage one another.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/12/harper-lee-my-christmas-in-new-york

With the holidays in full swing it’s always nice to take a few moments for yourself and sneak in a book or two that celebrates the season.  Two recently published books, The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury and The Mistletoe Inn by Richard Paul Evans, might fill that need.  Soon to be a Hallmark Channel movie event, The Bridge, is a heartwarming story of two couples who find love in a bookstore and experience the sort of miracle that can only happen at Christmastime.  The Mistletoe Inn brings Kimberly Rossi, with a wish to become a published author, to a nine-day writing retreat in Vermont where she learns truths about herself and another aspiring author.

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild, has a new book out this week – Brave Enough.  This slim volume contains encouraging quotes and thoughts from her writings.  It would make a nice gift too.

Most of us can count on a lot of cooking and eating during the approaching holiday season.  The season is a great opportunity to cook our favorite dishes but also a chance to try new recipes.  Lucky for us there are some terrific cookbooks that have just been recently published.  Let the books below inspire you to cook something out of your comfort zone.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime: Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-Minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper! by Ree Drummond

Happy Cooking: Make Every Meal Count … Without Stressing Out by Giada De Laurentiis

Everyday Super Food by Jamie Oliver

Simply Nigella: Feel Good Food by Nigella Lawson

My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life by Ruth Reichl