Living in a State of "Winter Denial?" Check Out a Book From JCPL!

Bundled up in my warmest winter gear, I resemble an Eskimo, and probably will until about early May. Some other folks, however, seem to be in denial that the winter season has actually arrived. Dressed in shorts, T-shirts and even tank tops, I see them out and about; not even flinching in the winter cold. Maybe these brave people are part of the Polar Bear Club; you know the ones; they take an annual dip in Lake Michigan, no matter what the temperature is outside. You've heard of "The Bucket List;" that list of things that you want to do sometime in this lifetime before bidding it farewell. Well, I can tell you one thing that will NOT be on my bucket list, and that's wearing shorts, a tank top, or any other obviously summer clothing in 20 degree or colder weather, as well as taking a dip in Lake Michigan anytime before the official swimming season begins. Some things that may be on my Bucket List, however, include good reading material; and here are some great non-fiction title to add to that list!

Job searching techniques are what "200 Best Jobs Through Apprenticeships" by Michael Farr is all about. This book offers a route to job seekers for career entry that allows you to earn a paycheck while participating in worksite training and classroom learning, and includes more than 60 best jobs, along with detailed, commonsense advice for the best job-searching results.

Every day interactions that we have with our children are part of the learning process for them. In "Mind in the Making" by Ellen Galinsky, the author identifies seven life skills that help children to reach their full potential for learning. Each chapter is devoted to explaining a life skill that will help parents and their children to tap into and grasp different kinds of knowledge that will foster and promote self-motivation, providing a valuable place to start in the learning process.

Slice of life essays make for hilarious reading in "How Did You Get This Number" by Sloane Crosley. This collection offers a humorous and witty glimpse into everyday situations that, paragraph for paragraph and chapter for chapter, will make the reader laugh out loud and experience Crosley's adventures from a fresh and funny perspective.

It's the New Year, and lots of folks have made resolutions to eat healthier and get in shape. "Change Your Brain, Change Your Body" by Daniel G. Amen is a user-friendly book that offers a blueprint for changing your way of thinking, therefore, changing the state of your body. The key to having the body that you want is first having a healthy brain, and that fact is based on medical research as well as two decades of clinical research done by Dr. Amen and his associates. Fifteen practical and easy to implement solutions that include nutrition, positive thinking, and natural supplements, will help you to reach your ideal weight, smoothe your skin, sharpen your memory and avoid depression, among other things that offer a powerful argument in favor of the mind-body connection.

Create the colorful, all season, flower garden that you've always wanted with "The Ever Blooming Flower Garden: A Blueprint for Continuous Color" by Lee Schneller. This easy to use manual consists of a five step system that includes a flower catalog, plant planning chart, easy care options and straightforward, no nonsense growing information, as well as color photographs of each specimen and the month of the season that it will produce the most vivid color.

Living in a state of denial about the chill in the air may be the way to go for some folks; I, however, live in the state of Indiana, where the fashion forecast for the next couple of months calls for nothing without sleeves or warm, thick winter gear. If you want to "think spring," go to your local branch of JCPL, where you can mentally sow the garden of your dreams by checking out books that will plant the seed of spring in your mind, keeping you cozy till it arrives, once and for all!