Jan's Column 2025

The countdown for Harry Potter Birthday Party continues apace. As of this publication date (7/25), it is a mere 5 days until the party. We are running around taking care of all the details to make this a memorable event for all of you party-goers. Remember to come in costume, if you wish!  Next week is the final Concert on Market Street.  At 6:30 p.m. the Soggy Prairie Band will be performing and I quote from their website “Soggy Prairie has the five-piece instrumentation of a traditional bluegrass band, but they don’t call them traditional. With a mix of bluegrass standards, modern takes on country and Americana, and original music, Soggy Prairie puts on a show that demonstrates the versatility and broad appeal of string music.” Once we have passed the Harry Party Birthday Party, can the end of the Summer Reading Program be far behind, I hear you ask. My answer is “You are correct.” The Summer Reading Program ends on August 16th. There is still plenty of time to read, earn dragon dollars, and spend those dragon dollars in our store. AS of July 18th, the community challenge of reading 27, 500 titles is well within reach. 21, 083 books have been read to date. If the community challenge is met by August 16th, the library will throw an end-of-summer-reading-program party at the library on August 27th.  There are lots of new books to help you keep reading and help you help us meet that community goal. Below are some of the new book titles which recently arrived at the library. Keep reading! Enjoy!

In case you are counting the days until our annual Harry Potter Birthday Party? If you are doing a countdown, then, as of this date, July 18th, there are 12 – count them—twelve days until July 31st – which we all know is Harry Potter’s birthday.  We have already rolled past the 25th anniversary of the release of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” in the U.S. The book was released on July 8th, 2000 and this was the first time that the Harry Potter books were released simultaneously in the United Kingdom and the United States. This is also the book where things start getting darker.  Be sure to stop by between 10 and noon on the 31st, and partake of the frivolity! There will be refreshments. There will be a slug eating contest (no actual slugs will be harmed!). There will be a costume contest. 

The Concerts on Market Street continue for the next two Tuesdays evenings at 6:30 – on the 22nd, Gin, Chocolate, and Bottle Rockets will be performing and on the 29th the Soggy Prairie Band will be playing. Both of these concerts will help you fill up your time while you are waiting for the Harry Potter Birthday Party on July 31st (from 10-Noon). Or, you could read some of the books listed below.
Enjoy!

As of today, July 11th, it is a mere 20 days until the library’s annual Harry Potter Birthday Party.  The library has been hosting a birthday party for Harry for 23 years. The natal felicitations began during that hiatus between the “Goblet of Fire” and “The Order of the Phoenix”. For fans, the three years between the publication of those two titles was agony. It seemed like a party to celebrate the first four books (which had been published annually before this break) would help keep everyone’s spirits up, so the library hosted one. The first years of the Harry Potter Birthday Party (or was it called a “Bash” for a while – very British, don’t you know?) took place in the basement of the library with some of the lights off to provide atmosphere. There was indoor quidditch, potions, wizarding level tests, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, wand making, a birthday cake, a costume contest, and Hagrid walking around. Over the years attendance kept going up. The pandemic pushed us outside – where we have remained since it provides so many more venues and more space for the ever-increasing attendance. We still have many of those features. It is fun for the whole family. Please plan to attend. The answer to the perennial question, “So when is the Harry Potter Birthday Party?”, is, as always, “On his birthday! July 31st. No need to bring a birthday present, just yourself. While you are counting the days, minutes, and seconds, until the party, you will find some of the book titles which recently arrived at the library. Check them out and read while you are waiting. Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July! Here in DeForest at celebration begins on July 3rd with bands, pony rides, and fireworks. The celebration continues on to the actual 4th of July with a parade, more bands, food, crafts, bingo, etc. The library shall have been in the parade again this year. Library staff has been casting out collective minds back, trying to remember the first time we had a “float” in the parade. I know for sure we were in the 1991 parade where we unexpectedly (because we didn’t even know there was a contest) won a prize for our entry. It was two 4-foot inflatable dinosaurs dressed up as Uncle Sam-asaurus and Betsy Ross-asaurus.  1991 was my third year as library director here, so it is possible that was our first time participating. And we have flung candy to the crowds each and every year. In the wee hours of the night sometimes I wonder how many pounds of candy we have distributed. And guess what, I don’t have the entire date run, but I do know how many pounds of candy we have started the parade with starting in 2009 (I had to keep track because we would run out – due to the size of the crowds—before the end of the parade and I wanted to buy more the next year so we had enough. Unfortunately, the crowd size kept increasing and we continue to run out.). Since 2009 we have tossed an amazing 3,445 pounds. I hope you enjoy a safe and happy 4th of July, that you enjoyed the parade, and that you managed to snag a piece of candy as the library staff passed by. If you’re looking for soon new books to read in the shade or on the beach or in your airconditioned environs, below are some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!
 

A week from today is the Fourth of July. While this holiday does not fall precisely at the midpoint between the other two major summer holidays – Memorial Day and Labor Day – it is a good reminder that we are rapidly approaching the actual midpoint, which, if the math I am doing in my head even as I type is correct, would be on July 14th (also known in some quarters, and some countries, as Bastille Day). There are 98 days between Memorial Day this year (May 26th) and Labor Day (September 1st). There are 39 days between Memorial Day and the 4th of July. There are 59 days between the 4th of July and Labor Day. My math thinks that adding 10 days to July 4th will get us 49 days further from Memorial Day and adding those 10 days will get us 10 days closer to Labor Day. And violà, that brings us to the midpoint between those two bracketing holidays of summer which is Bastille Day.  All of which is a long way of saying, with the 4th of July coming up next week, those of you who are participating in the Summer Reading Program should keep in mind how quickly the lazy days of summer are flitting away.  And do remember that the end of Summer Reading is August 16th – not Labor Day. This means the halfway point between Memorial Day and the end of Summer Reading is 41 days, which, I believe would be July 6th (which has nothing much associated with it other than John Lennon and Paul McCartney purportedly met for the first time at a church event and it’s National Fried Chicken Day). Read. Record what you’ve read. Help meet the community challenges. Be part of the Summer Reading Program. Try some of the more recent books added to our collection listed below.
Enjoy!

Today, Friday, June 20th at 9:42 p.m. the Summer Solstice occurs. This astronomical event is the longest day in the year and occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5 degrees North. For those of you who are optimists: “Yay! It’s the longest day of the year and there are long days and warmer temperatures ahead.” For those of you who subscribe to the Eeyore worldview: “It’s all downhill from here. The bright day is done and we are headed for the dark.” The summer solstice is also the eve of the Village of DeForest Make Music Day on June 21st. The Village of DeForest will celebrate Make Music Day on June 21st, 2025. Every type of musician is encouraged and invited to share their love of music with friends, neighbors, and the community. At the library, we will be celebrating in two ways. At 10 a.m., Solstice Brass (how appropriate is that name for this time of year?!), an ensemble of Madison-are horn players will be playing music from the library mezzanine. They will be performing music ranging from traditional to jazz (since they are here most Yuletides they have promised not to perform any thing Christmas-y). The acoustics are great as is the musicianship. Be sure to stop by to get an earful while you browse our collection. There will also be free RPG and music themed models at the 3-D Printed Miniatures event. This takes place from 1 p.m. to 3p.m. Below you will find some of the new titles which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

If the Summer Reading Program has officially started, can the meteorological start of summer be far behind? I think to answer to that is we must begin by defining our terms.  Does summer mean highs in the upper 80s with enough humidity to be noticeable? Then I think you are going to have to wait a bit longer for that kind of weather (at least according to my favorite weather app). Does it mean mild days with highs barely reaching into the 80s with little humidity and gently wafting breezes? Then I think that’s what we will be experiencing for at least the 10-day forecast (once again, according to my favorite weather app --Weather Kitty). While we are waiting for the heat and humidity and, frankly the first day of astronomical summer to arrive which is only a week from today on Friday, June 20th at 9:42 p.m. there are programs to attend at the library – check out our website at deforestlibrary.org. The Concerts at the Rocks begin on June 17th with Elmore Lawson getting everyone moving and grooving with percussion instruments of all kinds. There at craft programs in the Workshop. There is Qigong 3 times a week for adults. There are book clubs for all ages. The Summer Reading Program isn’t just about reading books. It’s about attending programs too! But it is about reading books. Below you will find some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

We are only four days from the kickoff for the Summer Reading Program. Gee Funny Farm will be returning with many of their furry friends to help launch the Reading Program. Abish, the two-toed sloth, will be back again this year. Abish will be with the other animals at “The Rocks” – across the street from the Library Street entrance.  Abish will be there if the weather is warm enough. Last year the outdoor temperature was too cool for her so her climbing tree was set up in the children’s room – possibly with space heaters. Sloths do live in tropical rainforests so temperatures below 75 degrees seem like arctic temperatures would seem to us. Details of the long-awaited Summer Reading Program are available on our website, but I will give you a high-level overview. Sign up for the Summer Reading Program on our Beanstack App and add the number and /or title of the books you read during the program (June 10th – August 16th) into the app. You earn “Dragon Dollars” which can be redeemed in our store or donated to my designated charities (I will convert those “Dragon Dollars” into U.S. dollars and make a donation to said charity). You can also earn tickets by writing reviews, answering trivia questions, attending events, and completing certain challenges. These tickets can be entered into various drawings. There are lots of incentives to get you reading and keep you reading. Below you will find another reason to read – the new books which recently arrived at the library. Read on! Enjoy!

We have made it past the first almost-official holiday of summer.  After an initial burst of summer-like weather (Remember that day a couple of weeks ago that made it to 87-degrees with humidity?) the weather has turned down right chilly. During that heat wave, I called to have the pre-season tune-up done on my air conditioner. It was scheduled for the week of the 19th and had to be rescheduled because it was too cold to do the tests.  That chilliness has persisted making those warm, sunny days of late May and early June seem like impossible dreams.  As of this publication date, we are still 11 days away from the kick off of our Summer Reading Program on June 10th. It is still 21 days until the summer solstice occurs on June 20th (at 9:42 p.m.). It is still 35 days until July 4th.  Surely, by one of these dates the temperatures will have warmed up. In the meantime, the rain and the cold, and the gloom are perfect weather for reading.  Below are some of the new titles which recently arrived at the library. Stay warm! Enjoy!

The spring book titles just keep showing up at our door. They are almost as thick as dandelions on the medians on I90/94.  Soon, the titles from the publisher’s spring book lists will start to be replaced by the summer “beach” reads. “And what,” I hear you ask, “is a beach read. Please define your terms!” Thanks for asking. I shall do just that. AI says that a beach read is “a book that is considered ideal for reading during a vacation, especially at the beach. It is engaging, entertaining, easy to read, and offers a sense of escape or relaxation”. According to an article by the Los Angeles Public Library the term first appeared around 1990, but the idea of summer reading was purportedly an invention of the publishing industry in the 19th century which sprung up in response to the creation of  idea of the summer vacation. Apparently the construction of railroads and grand hotels during the late 1800s made summer vacations more accessible to the middle classes. For those newly-vacationing (mostly) women, these summer reads told you how to enjoy your summer vacation. Picnics, fireworks, dances, dressing up, boat rides, carriage rides, and romance were common plot points. Summer was seen as a time to read to escape, not a time to read for enrichment or education. If you care to read for more information on this topic Donna Harrington-Lueker has written “Books for Idle Hours: Nineteenth-Century Publishing and the Rise of Summer Reading”. Below are some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. You can decide whether or not they are Beach Reads. Enjoy!

Temperatures are rising. The trees are almost completely leafed out. Ornamental flowering trees and shrubs are solid masses of pinks, fuchsias, whites, and purples. In places the ground is littered with petals. tulips, daffodils, jonquils, and hyacinth are busting out of the ground and adding their bursts of colors to the palette of spring. These various hues color our world with the promise of new life and with hope. And speaking of coloring our world, the theme of the Summer Reading Program this year is "Color our World" (notice the nifty segue?).The Summer Reading Program is a mere 600 hours away ( 25 days). There is still plenty of time to tune-up your eyes and get your reading speed up.  The number of books read by individuals and as a group wins prizes for participants. Don't delay. Start training today. Below are some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

For those of you who are counting the days until the Summer Reading Program starts – you know who you are, and surprisingly, we know who are too—we now have confirmed bookings for the Concert on Market Street series.  Kicking off the series, as is our fine tradition, is Bucky Badger and members of the Badger Band on July 8th at 6:30 p.m. On July 15th, Back2 Back, will be performing starting at 5:30 p.m. The 22nd of July features Gin, Chocolate & Bottle Rockets, and the series wraps up with Soggy Prairie.  The Kick off Concert at the Rocks series begins on June 10th (which—as you all know—is the start of the Summer Reading Program which, as you also all know, is a mere 32 days away). Gee Funny Farm will start the series off with all sorts of animals for you to meet and interact with including Abish the sloth, possibly a miniature donkey or horse, or sheep or goat. You’ll have to come to the kickoff at 1 p.m. on June 10th for find out.  On June 17th, Elmore Lawson, will be performing his interactive, percussive show. On the 24th, Miller and Mike will be in concert. David Landau will be wrapping up the Concerts at the Rock on July 1st. All of these concerts are at 1p.m. Summer will soon be upon us so start reading to get into shape to help the community met the challenge goals set for the this years, “Color Our World” Summer Reading Program. Below are some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

The spring list of books is popping up at the library nearly as quickly as those pesky (but some say delicious) dandelions appear in your lawn. A little rain, lots of sunshine, warming soil temperatures, a voilá, a yard full of beautiful yellow flowers. As George Washington Carver often said, “A weed is a flower growing in the wrong place.” Some of the books which recently arrived may qualify as weeds to your way of thinking. Some might be flowers. Rest assured though, as with dandelions and other beautiful flowers appearing as if by magic now that spring has finally decided to put in an appearance, next week there will be a new crop of books.  

For those of you with inquiring minds about when the Summer Reading Program kicks off, it starts on June 10th with a Kickoff Event at 1 p.m.  For those of you who want to know how much time you have to get into your peak reading shape (whatever that means) you have 5 weeks and 4 days, or 39 days, or 936 hours, and I will quit right here.  There is still lots of time to up your reading fitness level (whatever that means).  Below are some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

April showers of the gently type, of the down-pouring type, of the thunder storming type, and even of the hailing type, have pelted the area over the week. We all know what they say about April showers – that they bring May flowers. The April flowers are doing their best to put in an appearance before those flamboyant May flowers flood the senses with color and fragrance. For now the April flowers are tentatively poking their wee heads up and showing off their pretty stalks of purple and pink flowers. Crocus and pasqueflowers have been blooming for the past couple of weeks and have lately been joined by daffodils and some tulips are certainly out there trying. These remarkably hardy early bloomers have recently been joined by the trees which are leafing out rapidly. Their silhouettes are becoming lacier almost by the minute. Maple trees first dropped their blossoms and are not dropping their seeds. May is only a week away which, among other things, means that the serious countdown to the start of the Summer Reading Program can begin.  Once the countdown begins, it will be time enough to get back in to your competitive reading mode. Until then there are plenty of new titles, some of which are listed below, to help you stay in shape for when the Summer Reading Program starts.
Enjoy! 

This past weekend, as well as being the lefse maker at the library's Open House on Saturday, I was also a participant in the Annual Midwest (Sandhill) Crane Count earlier in the day (5:30-7:30 a.m.). I have been doing the Crane Count since 1994 and not missed a year. I have mostly counted the same sites in Columbia County since I started. Now I am counting closer to the Dane County / Columbia County line. This year I probably saw and/or heard about a dozen cranes. It was a clear morning and the sunrise was spectacular. A red ball rising through a stand of pines after turning the eastern sky pastel oranges and yellows and pinks. The killdeer and red-winged black birds were everywhere and letting everyone know this was their territory. There were a couple of hundred Canadian geese on the site's pond, and a couple of swans. Ducks were quacking and flying here and there. Even with all the avian activity it was very quiet without much vehicular traffic. It was just Mother Nature putting on a bit of show. The Crane Count is citizen science at its best. You can be a counter too-- next year. In the meantime, there are a number of new books, listed below, that you might consider reading. Enjoy!

Today – if you are reading this on Friday, April 11th, is the eve of a great library event. Tomorrow our annual National Library Week Open House takes place between 10 a.m. and Noon. Saturday, April 12th is the last day of National Library Week and our celebration of all things library.  The open house will feature displays and demonstrations of many of the items you can check out from your public library. The Friends of the DeForest Area Public Library will be holding a mini-book sale. There will be treats – some showing the marvelous cakes that can be made from the library’s cake pan collection (which you can check out) while also demonstrating the Wilton Master Cake Decorating Tip set (which you can check out). There will be egg-dyeing (you must bring your own eggs --up to one dozen hard boiled eggs each. Someone may be attempting to reconnect with their Norwegian roots after more than a few decades by making lefse using the library’s lefse making kit (which you can check out). You can get a “passport” and visit all the various areas and demonstration stations around the library. Getting your passport stamp at all the locations lets you put your name into a drawing for some fabulous prizes. It’s sure to be a fun time. Be sure to stop by! Before, after, or during the Open House, you might want to check out some of the new titles, listed below, which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

They say April showers bring May flowers; however, so far this month (admittedly we are only 4 days into the month) those showers have little to show for their efforts. Perhaps it is because some of those showers have come in a more solid form of precipitation. The trees are definitely getting lacier in profile as their leaves and flowers are getting set to burst forth. The sun is definitely getting stronger and the dawn chorus is definitely starting earlier (a cardinal in my neighborhood is starting to sing while it is still dark our), is louder, and has more voices. We have rolled past a number of days of note including the start of Daylight Savings Time, St. Patrick’s Day, the Vernal Equinox, and April Fool’s Day which also happens (this year) to be Election Day. “With so many things in our rear view mirror, what possibly can lay ahead?”, I hear you ask.  National Library Week is my reply. The week of April 6th through is just around the corner. We are celebrating with a “Spirit Week” in which you and yours as well as library staff are asked to show their library spirt by dressing to meet the day’s theme as follows: Monday, April 7: Hat Day; Tuesday, April 8: Cozy Day (your favorite cozy mystery title or character or, in a pinch, you could wear a tea cozy): Wednesday, April 9: Book Day (dress as your favorite book or book character); Thursday, April 10: Favorite Color Day; Friday, April 11: Mismatch Day; Saturday, April 12: DAPL (wear your library gear or anything tangentially related to your library) Day. This is supposed to be fun, so don’t over think it and be sure to attend our National Library Week Open House on Saturday, April 12th from 10a.m. to noon. Below are some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

Here we are at the end of March,which certainly came in like a blustery lion. And here I am on vacation. I am sitting in a hotel room about to drive up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. While I am waiting for my buddy to get ready, and since I am conscientious and dutiful by nature, I thought I would take this time to write a column. My road trip started on the day the blizzard struck most of the middle section of the country. We drove through a hail storm outside of Dodgeville. The road was covered with hail deep enough to look like snow. There were cars in the ditch. The trip was supposed to take us to Kearney, Nebraska to see cranes and then on to the South West. That didn’t happen. We headed south at Des Moines and had to stop in Topeka, KS because the interstate was closed, due to the blizzard in Saliana, KS. Since then the weather has been sunny, windy, and warm. Driving to Taos, New Mexico there were mule deer strolling through the town we stopped at for gas. Their appearance was followed shortly by the bookmobile. There were signs for public libraries in most of the little towns we traveled through. I have an innate sense of where libraries are located in any community and I can’t seem to escape public libraries even on vacation. Kansas roads were great. Oklahoma roads not. New Mexico road were good but the scenery got extremely boring until we got to Georgia O’Keefe area where the rock formations are as stunning as her paintings. Went to Abiquiu (where one of the elementary schools has a dragon that looks a bit like ours as a mascot), Plaza Blanca, and Ghost Ranch. Then on to Albuquerque and straight through Arizona to Williams, AZ from whence I am writing. I am enjoying the sun and warm weather. Below you will find some books to perhaps warm your hearts and minds. Enjoy!

The Winter Reading Program ended on March 1st and the last day for spending Dragon Dollars in our store was March 9th, so this year’s Winter Reading Program is truly and finally at the end. And as I promised (or would that be threatened) I shall now regale you with the amazing numbers this year’s participants have racked up. 64 of our youngest readers, the Chipmunks, read an astonishing 9,173 books. That’s over 143 books per child.  The 42 chapter book readers, also known as “the Racoons”, read 1,950 books which is over 46 books per reader. The 15 teen readers, a.k.a. “the Porcupines” read 495 books or 33 books each. Our 59 adult readers, the Moose, read 1,186 books which works out to about 20 books each. 19 “Flying Squirrels”, also know and the library staff read 699 books which is almost 37 books apiece (no wonder my eyes are tired!). All those reading program participants earned 1,200 Dragon Dollars which they very generously donated to these following charities: Blessings in a Backpack, Norski Nibbles, Mission Nutrition, the Dane County Humane Society, and the library’s endowment fund. I shall be writing my personal checks to each of those charities for the amount of Dragon Dollars donated in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, a friendly reminder that the Summer Reading Program kicks off on June 10th. Don’t lose your reading momentum by taking a break. Below are some of the new titles which recently arrived at the library. Check them out. Keep reading. Enjoy!

Today, March 14th, has many celebratory days associated with it. It is National Learn About Butterflies Day (and I bet the library has some books so you can learn all about butterflies (and moths)). It is National Children’s Craft Day – once again, the library is a wonderful place for youngsters to practice crafts in our story times, in Studio 203, or in the workshop). It is National Write Down Your Story Day – (I’m sounding like a broken record here, but the library is the perfect place to read stories that others have already written down, or to join the Memoir Writers who meet the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at 1 p.m. to share what they’ve written down with others in the group). And, probably most importantly, it is National PI Day. Each year the library’s shark, Larry, wraps himself in a hand-written (fin-written) scroll of PI to at least the first 100 digits. Larry also demands that the library hands out PI cookies to those who can recite the first 10 digits of PI (3.1415926535). Make sure to stop by the circulation desk on Friday, the 14th, and say those digits. You will be rewarded with a PI cookie which I’m sure you’ll enjoy! In the meantime, there are a number of new books listed below that you may also enjoy!

A week and a day is all the time that is left for you to read books and log books and activities before the Winter Reading Program comes to an end. You can still earn Dragon Dollars and spend them in our store or donate them to one of our designated charities. In the meantime, here are the latest statistics from our Winter Reading Program. 180 active readers have read an astonishing 10,141 books.

Our youngest readers (the Chipmunks) who read picture books and board books have made it through 7,146 books. The Raccoons, also known as chapter book readers, have done an amazing job and read 1.425 books. The 46 adults in the Moose category have read 621 books, and the 17 members of the library staff have managed to read 528 books. I know some of you readers wait until the very end of the reading program to log your books, so I’m expecting the total number of books read to shoot up by March 1st. I’m thinking that 11,000 books should be an easy goal to reach if every one reads and logs what they’ve read. The arctic blast at the beginning of the week provided a great incentive to stay inside and read.  There are 8 days left to read, so dig in!  Below you will find some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day!  As we all know, this observance originated as a feast day for a couple of Saint Valentines who were martyred for their faith. Through folk tradition over the years celebrating this day has become a significant cultural and commercial celebration of romance all over the world. I hope your sweetie brought you chocolate, flowers, a card, took you out to dinner, or even wrote you a poem.

If your Valentine Day celebration leaves you feeling energized, Gee Funny Farm is bringing some woodland creatures to the library on Saturday morning to help the library celebrate the Winter Reading Program – Winter Woodland Reading Adventure.  Learn about the winter behaviors and adaptations of porcupines, snakes, skunks, rabbits, hedgehogs, and red foxes—and then meet some of them in person. Plan on attending!

We are approaching the end of the Winter Reading Program on March 1st. There is still time to read and record books, earn Dragon Dollars and spend them in our store or donate them to designated charities. Each day that gets us closer to the end of the Winter Reading Program also gets us closer to the start of spring. In fact, I saw a couple of robins hanging out in a tree in the front yard that was covered with berries (possibly fermented). They were having a wonderful time. Two robins do not a spring make, but we are edging closer all the time. Below you will find some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

As of this publication date, Friday, the 7th, there are 3 weeks and 1 day until the Winter Reading Program ends on March 1st.As of this writing, the 172 active Winter Reading Program participants have read 7,227 books and logged 1,433 activities.  The category which has read the most, is of course the Chipmunks (Picture Book Readers). 58 of which have read an almost unbelievable 5,035 books. The 41 Raccoons (Chapter Book Readers) have read an incredible 1,141. Our 14 Teen readers, also known as Porcupines, have read an impressive 271 books, while the 43 Adults, a.k.a, Moose, read a respectable 436 books while 16 library staff members have read 341 books. There is still plenty of time to read books and to record the titles if you haven’t already done so. I, for one, have a list of books I have yet to record, and “Yikes”, I have been told by reliable sources that I have not even registered yet.

If you still need to register so you can record the many, many books you have read since the end of last year go here: https://deforestlibrary.beanstack.org/ .  Remember you can read to earn Dragon Dollars which can be redeemed in our store or donated to one of these charities: Blessings in a Backpack, Dane County Humane Society, the DeForest Area Public Library Endowment, Mission Nutrition, and/or Norski Nibbles.  I will take those Dragon Dollars, total them up, and will personally make a donation to the each of those organizations in the amount of Dragon Dollars donated.  While there’s still plenty of time to read, below you might find some of the new titles which recently arrived at the library tempting you to read more. Enjoy!

So how did it get to be the end of January already? How are we already a twelfth of the way through 2025? How can we already be a month and a day from the end of the Winter Reading Program? How can we have had wind chills a week ago (as of this writing, not of the publication date) that schools were closed and have high temperatures approaching 50 degrees this week? Will there be an early spring or will this strange winter linger on? Most of these and other burning questions will not, I repeat, will not be answered below. I will however remind you that one of the library’s many celebrity mascots will be making his annual prediction on February 2nd at or around sunrise. I am of course talking about Booky, our prognosticating badger. On Ground Hogs Day, every year for a couple of decades now, our badger takes on the likes of Jimmy the Sun Prairie Ground Hog and Punxsutawney
Phil. Booky, as you probably recall, has a perfect record for Ground Hog Day predictions. While badgers and ground hogs are both, squat, short-legged mammals the similarity ends there. Groundhogs (Marmota monax) are grazing members of the rodent family; badgers are hunting members of the weasel family, (Mustelidae). This pretty much means, theoretically, a badger could eat a groundhog for lunch which is probably why our badger’s predictions trump the local groundhog’s prediction consistently. Watch for Booky’s prediction on Ground Hogs Day on February 2nd. While you’re waiting you might want to check out some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

Did I predict this? Didn’t I mention this a couple of weeks ago? I’m pretty sure I did make note of the weather lore that says as the days lengthen – which they certainly have – sunset is not at 5 p.m. (instead of at 4:22 which it was at during the darkest days of December) and sunrise is not at 7:20 a.m. (instead of at 7:29 which is was for the twelve days at the end of December and into January) that the cold strengthens. We have gained a whole lot of daylight and, possibly, because of that, the bottom fell out of the thermometer over that past weekend and the beginning of this week. However, daytime highs that hover right around 1 degree (above or below zero – it doesn’t make much difference once it’s that cold) is the perfect time to get a hot beverage, a blanket, and a snuggle buddy (cat, dog, significant other) and curl up with a good book.  Below you will find some of the books which recently arrived at the library. I guarantee at least some of them are worthy of being snuggled up with.  Stay warm! Enjoy!

While we have had a temporary reprieve from the weather lore of “As the days lengthen, the cold strengthens” the 10 day forecast at this writing has us heading right back into the freezer this weekend and into the start of next week. But let’s not dwell on that. Let’s think happier thoughts --which I know is hard, what with the Packers losing this Sunday past which eliminated them from continuing in the playoffs. However, the Winter Reading Program is well underway Our Winter Woodland Reading Adventure continues on apace from now until March 1st. As of this writing, 137 readers have read 3.466 books. They have completed 919 activities. They have written 28 reviews. Our youngest group of 47 (the Chipmunks) have read through 2,402 board books and picture books. The 27 youngsters who read chapter books (a.k.a. the raccoons) have made it through 396 books. The 12 teen participants have so far read 181 books. And the 36 adults have read 192 books. Now if you do the math on these numbers you will find that the littlest kiddos are getting through the largest number of books – slightly over 51 books per participant. The chapter book readers are at almost 15 books per person. The teens are also reading about 15 books each. And you adults (I am assuming if you are reading this you are probably an adult) are only reading 5.36 books per participant. I would hope all of us in the “adult” category would view these numbers as a challenge. There is still lots of time (43 days to be precise) until March 1st when the Winter Reading Program ends. So let’s get reading and upstart readers what mature readers are capable of. Below you will find some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Read! Read! Read! And enjoy!

The 10th day of January. The second Friday of the month. And, as I foretold sometime back in the dark days of December, we have started to gain minutes of daylight back at the end of the day. Since that earliest sunset of 4:22 p.m. during the 7-10th of December, we have gained a whopping 21 minutes of light as evening falls. And, sunrise has also started to get earlier and earlier. We have been stuck at the latest sunrise of 7:29 a.m. from around the 27th of December until just this week when on January 8th, sunrise was a minute earlier. This is all great news for those of us who look forward to longer hours of sunlight. These longer days, however, come with a caveat. Weatherlore in this neck of the woods states that “as the days lengthen, the cold strengthens”.  The weather between January 6th and the 23rd are typically the coldest stretch of days we get around Madison. This year’s weather seems to be bearing that out. This is perfect weather to stay indoors and read. Remember the Winter Reading Program is underway and books that you read can be logged and earn you dragon dollars to either spend in our store, gift to a friend or relative to spend in our store, or donate to one of the designated charities. There are lots of new books arriving at the library. Below you will find a sampling of some of the titles. Enjoy!

Today, should be the third day of January, 2025.  You have already had a couple of days to get that date of the year right, if, like me, you still occasionally write a check or two and or send actual, handwritten, Thank-you cards. Here are some fun facts about January. The month is named after the Roman god, Janus (pronounced the same way my unabbreviated name is, but that is purely coincidental) the protector of beginnings and endings as well as gates, doorways, and other areas of transition. This god is portrayed as being two –faced, which does make sense, to be both looking back towards the past and forward towards the future. This pause that January gives us after the rush of the holidays, allows us chance to firmly resolve to take up new actions (sometimes) and set down old ones (sometimes). In the publishing world, this is the time of year that all the self-help books pour out into bookstores, libraries, and the hands of well-intentioned, determined individuals. You will note, that today’s selection of book titles, only includes one book that might be considered a self-help (“Lifestyled”). More titles of this ilk, I am sure will be following as we get deeper into the month of January. Today, January 3rd, is “National Drinking Straw Day”. This is the date in 1888 that Marvin C. Stone received the patent for the paper drinking straw. It is “National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day”. These cherries can be covered in white chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate and can also contain a little bit of kirsch liqueur (or other cherry cordial). I hope the beginning of this brand, new, year is treating you well. Below you will find some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!