Are you ready to make 2024 your best year? The new year can bring a level of optimism, excitement, and stress to some. Setting unrealistic New Year’s resolutions can be exhausting, so keep your expectations realistic. No matter if you are looking to improve your mental, spiritual, and physical health, you can visit us in person or online. To accomplish your goals for 2024, you have to adopt a clear mindset, so you can achieve the right philosophies and produce the right results.
Disruptive Thinking by Bishop T.D. Jakes offers guidance in having a strategy, spiritual guidance, and plan for the new year. If you are interested in improving your leadership and interpersonal skills, consider author John C. Maxwell to help you improve these talents.
Are you ready to burn off a few extra holiday pounds from all of those delicious meals and desserts? You can find great suggestions in our health collection, which focuses on fitness, nutrition, and many forms of exercise such as weight lifting, cycling, walking, and running. The late great Suzanne Somers’ books and videos may inspire you to get your body into great shape. Nutrition plays a major role in weight loss and management. Author Dr. Ian Smith focuses on nutrition and meal plans, and offers advice for an individual to burn fat and make lifestyle changes.
Brandon is a Customer Service Specialist at HCLS Central Branch who loves reading, football, and taking nice long walks around his neighborhood.
Thank you! 2023 was Chapter Chats’ best year yet, with more than 25,000 views – not exactly Taylor Swift numbers, but we have still plenty of anti-heroes for you to root for (Booth by Karen Joy Fowler, for one).
We shared a wide variety of reviews and library news with you, including an entire week for National Library Week in April. The blog spent the year promoting all the library has to offer.
Here are some of the most-viewed posts of the year for classes and events:
Readers responded enthusiastically all year long to the wonderful reviews our writers have shared. Since we know you enjoy reading about their book, movie, television, music, and video game recommendations, here are the top three favorites from our exceptionally knowledgeable and talented blog writers from the HCLS staff. Or, in some cases, perhaps a top four… it’s so hard to choose for these year-end retrospectives!
Cherise T., Central Branch
Barbie – Pitch-perfect, entertaining take on life as a woman, how it is, and how we wish it would be.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese – Multigenerational novel set in Karala, India, spanning over 70 years of a family cursed with deaths by water.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett – Sharing endless hours together due to pandemic restrictions, two daughters learn more of their mother’s origin story in which Our Town plays a major role.
Wellness by Nathan Hill – What is the arc of a marriage when viewed through the lens of a photographer and a specialist in placebo psychology?
So Much (for) Stardust by Fall Out Boy – The boys are back with a triumphant return to guitar-based music, masterfully incorporating a range of influences while sounding utterly, uniquely Fall Out Boy. Standout tracks include the hard-hitting opener “Love From The Other Side,” the sweepingly cinematic title track, and the disco-inspired “What a Time To Be Alive.”
Unreal Unearth by Hozier – The newest album from the beloved Irish singer-songwriter delivers much of what fans expect – poetic lyrics delivered in soulful baritone – wrapped up in crisp, new production. Standout tracks include the irresistibly funky “De Selby (Part 2)” and the lead single “Eat Your Young” with its scathing social commentary and catchy hook.
Rush! by Måneskin – In their first record featuring mainly English-language songs, these Italian rockers showcase a keen pop sensibility along with plenty of guitar shredding and raw vocals. Standout tracks include the mournful power ballad “THE LONELIEST” and the cheeky, energetic “MAMMAMIA.”
Sahana C., Savage Branch
Joan by Katherine J. Chen – Chen paints a really compelling picture of what Joan of Arc may have been: a strong girl, working within the confines of her environment to become the face of something so much greater than herself.
Haven by Emma Donoghue – A great contemplative read of ancient Irish history; a perspective that was new to me, and yet so familiar, with ties to the present.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesby Suzanne Collins – This was a re-read for me, and I liked it better this time around, as I accompanied it with a re-read and rewatch of the whole Hunger Games books/movies, thanks to the recent release of the Ballad movie!
Wolfsong by TJ Klune – There was so much emotion, lycanthropy lore, and action at times that you’d almost think TJ Klune was a werewolf himself and had written this as an autobiography. I went on to the next book right after I finished Wolfsong!
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – The Spider-Verse movies have been so much fun! They’re funny, campy, and also dramatic in their own way. I cannot wait for part 2!
Star Trek Picard Season 3 – This was the send-off that the crew of the USS Enterprise deserved all along, an utter chef’s kiss and a true love letter to the fans. Action packed, emotional, and fun, this season is a fan favorite and worth every single re-watch.
Ian L., East Columbia Branch
One Piece (Anime, manga, and live action adaptation) – Pirates, Adventure, Freedom; if the endless dream guides your restless spirit, do yourself a favor and fall in love with One Piece.
Asteroid City – A star-studded cast, eccentrically written characters, and beautiful sets; a Wes Anderson medley on isolation in times of uncertainty.
Book of Hours (video game) – Restore a crumbling occult library as a Librarian whose work can literally define history.
Anne of Green Gables – I can’t keep count of how many times I’ve read about the escapades of literature’s favorite redhead. But every time I do, I’m delighted to reconnect with a “kindred spirit”.
The Empress (Netflix) – Based on the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, this binge-worthy historical drama is full of juicy plots and costume eye candy that will leave you anxiously awaiting the arrival of season two.
Barbie – Seeing my favorite childhood toy on the big screen tugged at my heartstrings and made me proud to discover that there is something deeper underneath her pretty perfection.
Julia M., Glenwood Branch
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang – Yellowface is the book I couldn’t stop thinking about this year, no matter how many months pass by after I finished reading it.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson – Tress is a fantasy that hearkens after The Princess Bride and left me wanting to become a better, kinder person.
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose – Out of all the great dragon books that came out this year, this is the one whose sequel I’m most looking forward to!
Eric L., Elkridge Branch
Blue Rev by Alvvays – It came out in late 2022 and HCLS will have copies soon. This is the band’s third record, and they seem to have “broke” this year. You can borrow their previous two albums from HCLS. This record is more mature, lyrically and musically better.
Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Solnit – The book deftly captures how his experiences and writings worked up to his magnum opus which he finished right before his death at 46 years of age. Solnit addresses his optimism and his love of nature, as well as his foibles.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (see my entire post here) is a great book, about America, greed, the impact of technology on humans, and the need for a social safety net. It is long, sad, and beautifully written; not a political book that aims to point fingers, but really a moral one.
Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How it Changes Us by Brian Klaas is probably related to both aforementioned books. Written in an entertaining journalistic style, it’s packed with interesting anecdotes and interviews, with examples of power wielded for the good of all as well as power that is abused. Klaas also suggests what we can do to improve the use of power in society.
Angie E., Central Branch
Holly by Stephen King – His best book in ages, but I will never see liver the same way again.
The Lunar Housewife by Caroline Woods – This pleased both my sci-fi and feminist sides.
The Survivalists by Kashana Cauley – This brilliant and funny novel stayed with me for a long time after I finished it.
Julie F., Miller Branch
Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan – Beautiful, haunting, brilliant. A look at two generations of a mixed-race Irish family and the loves and losses that bind them together and keep them moving forward.
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes – Haynes gives voice to the voiceless women of the classic Greek plays and epics. She demonstrates how war never changes across the centuries, but it profoundly changes those it impacts, and never for the better.
Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear – Great start to a crime fiction trilogy; for fans of Tana French and Susie Steiner. You’ll love Detective Constable Cat Kinsella, with her messy, complicated family life, sense of verve, and sarcastic, wisecracking humor.
Kristen B., Administrative Branch
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (e-book and e-audiobook) – Feel-good found family and a ton of fun!
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (as an audiobook on CD or an e-audiobook) – Changes your perspective on the world and our place in it. The author reads it, which makes it even better.
Witch King by Martha Wells – High fantasy, told upside down and backwards so you’re never quite sure what’s going on but wonderfully entertaining. She is the author of the highly popular Murderbot books, but this one is completely its own thing.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading these writers as much as we’ve loved editing and sharing their terrific blog posts throughout 2023. Check out their favorites and let us know which you enjoy; visit any branch to get more suggestions and recommendations from our stellar team. Happy holidays and here’s to a 2024 full of great books and multimedia from the HCLS collection!
The last two years have been a bit of a…(Fill in the blank with whatever you’d like here). Personally, I’ve spent the last two weeks at home since my spouse and kids have all had very mild cases of COVID, thankfully! That said, I like a new beginning, and I’ve always liked the idea of a new year as a new start, even if the calendar year is all a human construct. Over the years around this time, I’ve read the articles about new year’s resolutions. Normally the crux of these pieces is how and why they fail, recipes for how to set “achievable” goals, and the like. Frankly, I find all these articles pessimistic. I won’t allow anyone to convince me it’s not a constructive endeavor to try to improve something about one’s life. Moreover, I’m certainly going to dismiss the platitudes espoused in certain George Lucas films about “do, or do not, there is no try.” (It is good film by the way, and you can borrow it from us. Although I’d argue that the best scenes involve the raw guttural noises and acting of Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca.).
At any rate, trying is really important in my opinion! For example, let’s say you want to exercise more and get in great “shape” (a common new year’s resolution). I think if you start walking around your neighborhood, and don’t end up on the cover of some fitness magazine, that’s an improvement over sitting on your couch streaming the latest TV series for hours, and you’re exercising. A secondary benefit is that you might meet some of your neighbors. It could happen.
Here’s my list of things I’d like to do in 2022:
Get back to the gym (it’s been a tough two years for that).
Make the time to visit some out-of-state friends.
Hike more than my usual trails.
Ride my bike more (I feel as though I slacked this year).
Drink less wine (we’ll see).
Be calmer.
Judge less.
Read more, and diversify my title selections more.
Some of these are goals that come up year after year. Perhaps I won’t achieve these things, but I’m not about to hear that there is “no try.”
The future and the New Year bring to mind the combination of optimism and pessimism expressed by Nick, the narrator ofThe Great Gatsby, at the very end. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing of conflicted feelings of pity for and admiration of Jay Gatsby’s optimism is poetic, in my opinion:
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter-tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms out further…and one fine morning-” (180).
And although the book ends disastrously,The Great Gatsby‘s commentary on the American dream has always resonated with me. I think it’s the complicated nature of the belief that anything is possible, and America in general. So maybe if you’ve not read The Great Gatsby, or it’s been a bit, try it out, it’s great.
There have been many, but the fairly recent film adaptations are also great. I’m a fan of both the Robert Redford 1974 and the 2013 Leonardo DiCaprio adaptations. The latter we own, the former you can request via Interlibrary Loan.
If you’ve read it, or you’re just not into Gatsby, we have some other recommended titles for you this month. Also, please consider the HCLS Winter Reading Challenge, now through February 28 – pick your own books or use our challenges to inspire your Winter Reading!
Lastly, come see us in the branches and speak with us about the books we like in January.
Happy New Year!
Eric is a DIY Instructor and Research Specialist at the Elkridge branch. He enjoys reading, films, music, doing nearly anything outside, and people.
Thanks for reading Chapter Chats through another year of pandemic and uncertainty. We now have more than 180 followers, who have viewed posts almost 40,000 times (maybe we’ll be influencers soon?). The library went through some big changes, from contactless pickup to having all six branches fully open again. We talked about all sorts of things on the blog, from democracy to Paddington Bear, from National Library Week to National Geographic. Hopefully, you found something to suit you.
These blog posts were some of the most popular during the past year; make sure you didn’t miss out:
CHAPTER CHATS 