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Health & Fitness

Book Reviews and Library News

From a library Friend: joining the summer reading club, sharing a favorite book.

Summer time and soaring temps in my household means embracing a slower lifestyle and this includes reading for the pure pleasure of it, sometimes on our deck in the canyon, sometimes whiling away the hours by a friend's pool. For ideas on what to read, our gem of a library has three summer reading clubs: one for children, teens and adults. I was delighted to find out that the adult reading club has a fun theme this year called 'Novel Destinations' combining the enjoyment of reading novels with travel (my chosen field) and destinations in particular. Not that one has to follow this theme to sign up for the reading club - you can choose nonfiction, a classic, a current best seller or whatever takes your fancy. There are prize drawings at the end of each week in the reading clubs, (if you need an incentive to read!), so just give the Library a call for details and ask about this program. The 's telephone number is 626 355 7186.

Some of my friends are more 'techie' than me and are reading electronically on their laptops, Kindles or audiobooks. The Sierra Madre Library loans out audiobooks, downloadable 'e' books and Playaways (a digital portable book). For a small town library, this is really impressive! I phoned a much larger library recently and asked if they had Playaways and was told no. (our Library will even provide the earbuds for your Playaway for a couple of dollars if you need them.)

Frequently I like to ask my friends what they are reading. Their recommendations, along with the help of our friendly Librarians, helps keep my 'to read' list growing like a weed toward the sun. There is also a tower of books kept by my bedside, much to the consternation of my husband, which keeps growing as well. To keep track of books read and to read, I keep a log on www.goodreads.com –an excellent website for booklovers.

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A few years ago, after a particularly heavy reading spell in which my husband called himself a 'book widower', I was asked by the Friends of the Sierra Madre Library if I would write book reviews for their newsletter. Nothing pleased me more for I used this request as an opportunity to read even more books.
Sometimes I asked our Librarians what types of books were checked out frequently - the answer, surprise, surprise: Cookbooks! Mysteries circulate extremely well, they informed me, and memoirs and travel books are popular with patrons too.

No matter which books you choose to read, I hope you have a great summer and tell me: what are you reading?

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Here's one of my picks for the season - Enjoy!

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Getting the Pretty Back by Molly Ringwald

What better way to start the summer than by reading a refreshing, uplifting, FUN book from a favorite (and some would say adorable), Pretty in Pink actress? Gentlemen: before you dismiss this read as ‘chick lit’, perhaps taking a peek inside a book like this might go along way into understanding us a bit better- couldn’t hurt!

Molly’s book is all about the importance of valuing family ties and honouring friendships. She has fun with fashion, includes scrumptious recipes, valuable entertaining and travel tips, and the theme underpinning it all: getting the pretty back into our lives. Written with wise, witty words on serious subjects like relationships and mothering, yet her tone is down to earth, funny and very relatable. The pages are adorned with whimsical illustrations that burst with colour; thought provoking quotes and poems adding to the enjoyment here. I found that reading this was like chatting with a good friend: one who would encourage and inspire me to take better care of myself physically and emotionally. Perhaps you will find this as well. Additionally, you may find yourself reminiscing about your younger, energetic, spontaneous self, since Molly’s advice helps us to realize that with some thought and effort, yesterday’s pretty girl is not too far away from the woman we are today.

- Catherine Addé, Sierra Madre Library Trustee

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