Are you already contemplating resolutions for next year? I’m just wrapping my head around the close of this decade, and with that, considering what I might try to change for the 2020s. If, like me, you are not quite prepared to commit, why not prepare yourself by reading books about your anticipated resolutions? What more pleasant exercise (no pun intended) than spending the remainder of the year reading about the experiences of others as a way to make your own path that much clearer?
If you’re anticipating a new exercise regimen, try “Runner’s World, the Runner’s Body: How the Latest Exercise Science Can Help You Run Stronger, Longer, and Faster,” or, perhaps “The Outdoor Adventurer’s Guide to Forest Bathing” is more your speed. For reflections on individual running journeys, check out Haruki Murakami’s “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” or Pete Sagal’s “The Incomplete Book of Running.”
How about cultivating a new skill like cooking? There are many places to begin, like Cal Peternell’s “Twelve Recipes,” a cookbook and manual for basic techniques and recipes. Carla Lalli Music’s”Where Cooking Begins: Uncomplicated Recipes to Make You A Great Cook” is another good place to start. If you’re already a seasoned chef and want to develop your skills, check out the newest additions to the library’s cookbook collection.
If you need inspiration to travel the world (while spending time lounging under a blanket on your couch), check out wonderful travel writing like Anthony Bourdain’s “A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal” or Lauren Elkin’s “Flâneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London.” For a little humor, try Bill Bryson’s “In A Sunburned Country“; or if a solitary tale is more your style, try “Wild by Nature: From Siberia to Australia, Three Years Alone in the Wilderness on Foot” by Sarah Marquis.
Whatever changes you’re considering, the library’s bookshelves are filled with inspiration. Feel free to ask us for suggestions!
Photo by Tim Zänkert on Unsplash