Summer in the Northern hemisphere officially begins on the summer solstice (June 20 this year), when the Earth’s Northern pole has its maximum tilt towards the Sun. From our perspective, this is when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky and the day has the longest period of daylight. Within the Arctic circle, there is continuous daylight on this date. But there is another marker that we use for the passing of the season, as spring comes to an end, and it already here… The Natchitoches Parish Library’s (NPL) Summer Reading Program (SRP)!
The SRP has begun, and adults, teens, and children can now register in person at the library or online at natlib.org to begin reading for rewards. Plus, Raising Cane’s (Natchitoches) has partnered with the NPL to give child participants (the first 250) free kids meals after they have read seven books. Bookmark reading logs can be picked up at the children’s circulation desk.
“Growing up, I always looked forward to the fun of the Summer Reading Program at the library,” says Alan Niette, NPL Community Outreach Coordinator. “Now, on the other side of things, I know that everyone at the NPL is looking forward to offering this service to our community.”
The SRP works to promote reading to adults, teens, and children. And, while everyone gets the mental health benefits from lifelong reading and learning, it is especially important for kids on break from school. There is often a regression in academic proficiency that hinders progress in the following school year, with a recent study by the Northwest Evaluation Association showing, on average, a 20% loss from school-year gains. This “summer slide” puts younger children at most risk as they are at a crucial stage in their development. The SRP engages kids and their interests’ so that their letter knowledge, decoding, and word reading skills continue to develop, rather than stagnate or decline. Each week, the NPL’s Main Branch and Northeast Branch in Campti will offer performances for children. For a full schedule, visit natlib.org or follow the NPL on social media. Weekly programs for teens and adults will be offered as well.
The theme this year is “Tails and Tales” and participants can read to earn six prizes and extra entries for grand prize drawings.
New and On Order
Would you like to share your writing with others? Have a poem, story, review, or an excerpt that you have selected from your writings?
Please contact Alan Niette, NPL Community Outreach Coordinator, at alan@natlib.org. We will gladly share your tales with our readers!
"What's Up" This Month?
Joey Matheson
THE GREAT GEO-MAGNETIC STORM OF MAY 1921!
I thought I would start out this month’s article with this lead. The reason being, my article’s information is directly inspired by a post on spaceweather.com. So, my part here is to encourage you to check out their article from May 15, 2021, the 100 year anniversary of the titular event.
My articles in the past have dealt with damage caused by solar wind storms or CME'S Coronal Mass Ejections that affect the earth. Not only did we have a direct-hit event on May 15, 1921, but also the Carrington Event of 1859. Both were very devastating in the strength of their concentrated energy.
I’m hoping you, the reader, will look up this very interesting time in our history and how much worse it could be for the modern world, especially in regards to our reliance on GPS, which goes much deeper than one might think.
So, what is my point? The more sophisticated we become, technology-wise, the more vulnerable we make ourselves to things beyond our control.
-Joey
Digital Hoopla Picks From the Library
Audiobook: Red Sky Over Hawaii (2020).
By Sara Ackerman, read by Jennifer Robideau.
Inspired by real places and events of WWII, Red Sky over Hawaii immerses the listener in a time of American history full of suspicion and peril in this lush and poignant tale about the indisputable power of doing the right thing against all odds.
The attack on Pearl Harbor changes everything for Lana Hitchcock. Arriving home on the Big Island too late to reconcile with her estranged father, she is left alone to untangle the clues of his legacy, which lead to a secret property tucked away in the remote rain forest of Kilauea volcano. When the government starts taking away her neighbors as suspected sympathizers, Lana shelters two young German girls, a Japanese fisherman and his son. As tensions escalate, they are forced into hiding - only to discover the hideaway house is not what they expected.
When a detainment camp is established nearby, Lana struggles to keep the secrets of those in her care. Trust could have dangerous consequences. As their lives weave together, Lana begins to understand the true meaning of family and how the bonds of love carry us through the worst times.
Movie: Another Round (2020, NR).
Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang.
Four friends, all teachers at various stages of middle age, are stuck in a rut. Unable to share their passions either at school or at home, they embark on an audacious experiment from an obscure philosopher: to see if a constant level of alcohol in their blood will help them find greater freedom and happiness.
eBook: Giovanni's Ring (2021).
By Giovanni Rocco, with Douglas Schofield.
Giovanni's Ring is the story of Giovanni Rocco, a New Jersey police officer, known undercover as "Giovanni Gatto," who was the mysterious agent at the epicenter of Operation Charlie Horse, a federal undercover operation that ultimately brought down ten members and associates of New Jersey's DeCavalcante Mafia family, the criminal organization known as "the real Sopranos."
Giovanni spent nearly three years working his way into the DeCavalcante hierarchy. That lethal assignment brought the undercover operation to an end in March 2015, and the resulting string of high-profile arrests eviscerated the criminal organization.
Giovanni's Ring is not simply a chronicle of Giovanni Rocco's adventures in the murky and dangerous Mafia world he inhabited, but also a fascinating window into the psychological struggles that such a life inevitably entails.
From the Stacks: Featured Cookbook
613 STE 2021—Vibrant, by Dr. Stacie Stephenson.
Stop thinking of your own well-being as something that's beyond your control.
Today's view of wellness is far too often fragmented, focusing on specific symptoms rather than the whole person. In Vibrant, Dr. Stacie Stephenson introduces readers to a new and empowering way of looking at health. A recognized leader in functional and integrative medicine, Stephenson has helped thousands by focusing not on treating disease, but on creating health - by giving individuals the knowledge, confidence, and inspiration they need to do so for themselves.
By the end of this life-changing book, readers will have the tools to transform their energy, weight, fitness, and general wellness, tackling everything from enhancing sleep quality to building an iron-clad immune system. Beginning with basics such as the truth about the best diet, the critical role of exercise in vitality and longevity, and the importance of human connection, Vibrant also dives deeper to give a holistic picture of health and how to achieve it. With helpful breakdowns on supplements, detoxification, and how to think about disease, this is much more than just another wellness book.
It's also packed with practical, useful features, including:
Self-assessment tools to aid you in listening to your body
A foolproof two-week meal plan
40 delicious, healthful chef-created recipes
30 days of baby steps to start building the habit of health
With Stephenson's candid and conversational voice, Vibrant is like having a friend who also happens to be a leading health authority take you under her wing. Along with practical advice, she shares powerful insights that will change the way you think about everything, from exercise to relationships, and sends readers off with an inspirational chapter on how health has a ripple effect that can change your family, your community, and help to create a more vibrant world.
With a step-by-step program for making foundational lifestyle shifts, Vibrant shows you how to reclaim your health and energy, reverse aging, and glow-not just on the outside, but from deep within yourself.
Quinoa Breakfast Bowl With Sauteed Apples (pg. 278)
Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups apples, sliced
1 tsp cinnamon
4 cups cooked organic quinoa of choice
1 cup organic unsweetened oat milk
4 Tbsp walnuts, chopped
4 Tbsp raisins or chopped dried apricots
Honey for drizzle (optional)
Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a medium soup pot or saucepan over medium heat.
Add the apples and sauté until semi-soft, about 5 minutes.
Add cinnamon and stir until it evenly coats the apples.
Stir in the cooked quinoa and oat milk at the same time. Add more oat milk if you like a thinner consistency.
Divide the quinoa mixture between 4 bowls.
Drizzle each bowl with honey, if using.
Do you have a recipe you would like to share with our readers? Email alan@natlib.org your: name, phone number, recipe title, ingredients, and instructions and it may be featured in a future issue! Be sure to include all requested information. You may include pictures.
