by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian
Now that it’s January, the adult winter reading program is
underway at the library. This year’s
theme in Pioneerland and Plum Creek Library Systems is “Reading is Snow Much
Fun.”
The adult winter reading program works a lot like the summer
reading program for kids. You sign up at the library and you get a book bag and
a bookmark. This year’s bags are tan and
black, good for those who prefer subdued colors instead of the brightly colored
bags we’ve had in recent years.
You’ll also get a punch card and some book review
forms. When you read a book between
January 2 and March 31, you fill out a brief book review form, saying what you
thought of the book. When you bring a
completed form to the library, we’ll mark your punch card. Once you fill the card with six books, you
can choose a prize.
This year’s prize choices include playing cards in a
carrying case, a can holder, a large chocolate bar, a flash drive, a notepad set,
and, of course, a mug. Some people
collect winter reading mugs! All of
these are available while supplies last, so the sooner you read six books, the
more choices you’ll have.
Those who complete the program will also be entered into a
drawing for gift certificates for local businesses, sponsored by the Friends of
the Litchfield Library.
What can you read for the reading program? Anything you want. It can be fiction or nonfiction. It can be new or old. It can be an e-book, a print book, or an
audiobook. It can be a kids’ book; many
adults read YA books these days. You
don’t even have to check it out from the library, although most people do. If you got a book for Christmas, go ahead and
read that!
We usually see many reviews coming in for books by
bestselling authors. So what’s popular
right now? One book that’s developing a
hold list at the library is Dark in Death by J.D. Robb. This latest “In Death” novel comes out at the
end of the month.
Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz has library
patrons lining up to get it when it comes out this week. This thriller is a sequel to When All the
Girls Have Gone. Krentz also writes
under the pen names Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle.
Unbound by Stuart Woods also has had fans waiting for it
to come out this week. This is the 44th
book in the Stone Barrington thriller series.
Danielle Steel’s Past Perfect came out about a month ago,
and it’s remaining popular. This domestic
novel is about a family moving into a mansion and discovering it’s haunted by
the family who lived there a century ago – and that they can share the house
and become friends. It’s a very
different take on a ghost story!
Whatever you choose to read, the adult winter reading
program can be a way to set a reading goal during the cold months and to be
rewarded with a small prize for meeting it. As George R.R. Martin said, “A
reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives
only one.”
