Altamont Library Notes for Wednesday, May 19, 2021
A year ago, when the initial stages of pandemic panic were in full swing, when I was stuck at home and had more time on my hands than I knew what to do with, I tried to catch up on books that I’d been meaning to read for a long time. There was just one problem: I couldn’t do it.
Something about the anxiety of the moment made it impossible for me to concentrate and focus on anything longer than a magazine article. After a while, as days stretched into weeks and then months, my reading slump began to really eat away at me.
As I’ve spoken to people about my inability to read at any meaningful length, I’ve found that I was not alone in my slump, and that, in fact, it was a fairly common phenomenon. Maybe it happened to you, or maybe your reading slump is still going. If so, I’m happy to share something that helped break me out of mine.
What reignited my love of reading was listening to audiobooks. Specifically, downloadable audiobooks with great narrators whose performance elevates already great books to an even higher level.
While I was stuck puttering around my house, I would listen to them as I would do chores. I’ve really enjoyed the actor Edward Hermann’s readings of David McCullough’s history books, such as “The Great Bridge” and “The Johnstown Flood,” and author Bill Bryson’s reading of his own very books such as “At Home and Shakespeare: The World as Stage.”
A recent favorite listening experience of mine has been Ann Patchett’s wonderful novel “The Dutch House” as read by Tom Hanks. All of those books and tens of thousands of others are available for free through the smartphone apps Hoopla and Libby. All you need is a library card to get started, and let us know if you need help in getting set up.
Don’t let anyone tell you that one way of consuming a book is better than any other way. Any way you read is the best way to read, and audiobooks are a fantastic way of sparking anew your love of books. Happy listening!
Story time
in the park
After a long time away, we are very happy to tell you that story time is coming back!
Beginning on Tuesday, May 18, we will be resuming our weekly Tuesday story times. Please gather your young ones and join Miss Ann for some super fun stories, songs, and activities. In order to keep things safe and socially distant, we’re going to be spreading out on the lawn in our summer home, Orsini Park!
If you’ve never visited us before, Orsini Park shares a parking lot with the library, so it’s easy to find. In the event of rain, story time will have to be canceled for the week unfortunately, so be sure to check our Facebook page for updates.
Please bring a blanket and/or a lawn chair to sit on, and everyone will have to stay on their blanket during the program. Everyone over the age of 2 will be asked to wear a mask throughout the program as well. Finally, we are going to ask all participants to register with us in advance by calling us at 518-861-7239 or emailing us at staff@altamontfreelibrary.org.
We can’t wait to see how much some of our old young friends have grown in the past 14 months, and we also can’t wait to make some new young friends. We’ll see you in the park!