Seeking Rest in a Busy World

February 8, 2017January 9, 2017 / Mary / Leave a comment

Rest is hard to find. Our homes, schools, and public places are filled with sound and activities. People talk, electronic devices ping, beep, and trill. Machines hum. We are plugged in 24/7.

Our lives have become a hive of constant connection. We are never alone! And quiet time is so necessary for well-being. A recent study looked at the benefits of time alone. It turns out, even extroverts need alone time and that time spent alone makes people feel more rested, which contributes to their well-being.

james_tissot_-_quiet And the activities that people in the study found the most restful?
1. Reading.
2. Being in a natural environment.
3. Time spent alone.

So grab a book and head outside for some quality alone time. It’s good for body and soul.

Want to know more about the benefits of rest? Try these titles. Just want to relax? Check out the downloadable music suggestions at the end of this post. For a full list of relaxation resources, click here.

Silence : the power of quiet in a world full of noise / Thich Nĥát Hạnh. (Hardcover)
One of the world’s most beloved teachers and Zen masters shares a profound, concise, and practical guide to understanding and developing our most powerful inner resource—silence—to help us find happiness, purpose, and peace.

The art of stillness : adventures in going nowhere / Pico Iyer. (Hardcover)
Why might a lifelong traveler like Pico Iyer think that sitting quietly in a room might be the ultimate adventure? Because in our madly accelerating world, our lives are crowded, chaotic and noisy. There’s never been a greater need to slow down, tune out and give ourselves permission to be still.

Stillness speaks / Eckhart Tolle. (ebook)
If you connect to the stillness within, you move beyond your active mind and emotions and discover great depths of lasting peace, contentment, and serenity.

Relaxation revolution : enhancing your personal health through the science and genetics of mind body healing / Herbert Benson and William Proctor. (Downloadable Audiobook)
Using the mind to quiet the body not only eases stress, it actually alters the activity of thousands of genes, promoting wellness. Science now proves that relaxation not only changes how a patient feels physically and emotionally, it has the power to transform genes, molecules, cells, and other physiological functions to relieve a variety of afflictions.

Downloadable Music

Positive thinking, vol. 1 – music for meditation, relaxation & yoga

Guided meditation guided relaxation & guided imagery for the body and mind

Classical music for relaxation vol.1

Spa music: relaxing music for massage therapy, spa, yoga, stress relief, meditation and sleeping

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Hot New Contemporary Romance Series

February 6, 2017December 23, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

heart-2 I’ve been reading contemporary romance books for a very long time. It’s getting harder to find a book that grabs my attention and captures it until the end of the book. After awhile, the plots seem to be so similar and the endings predictable. After starting three books and returning them to the library after just two chapters, I was thrilled to find a book that held my interest all the way to the end! Author Tessa Bailey has come up with a fresh new series, Romancing the Clarksons, about four siblings coming to terms with the death of their mother.

The first book in the series is Too Hot to Handle.
The road trip was definitely a bad idea. Having already flambéed her culinary career beyond recognition, Rita Clarkson is now stranded in God-Knows-Where, New Mexico, with a busted car and her three temperamental siblings, who she hasn’t seen in years. When rescue shows up—six-feet-plus of hot, charming sex on a motorcycle—Rita’s pretty certain she’s gone from the frying pan right into the fire . . .

Jasper Ellis has a bad boy reputation in town, and he loathes it. The moment he sees Rita, though, Jasper knows he’s about to be sorely tempted. There’s something real between them. Something raw. And Jasper has only a few days to show Rita that he isn’t just for tonight—he’s forever.

The author managed to surprise me with intricate story telling and dramatic turns of events – a complex story hidden beneath excellent writing, with an intriguing cast of characters. This dysfunctional cast of four siblings literally leads you on a journey of anguish, vulnerability, sorrow, humor and passion. This is a book full of life and passion!

I will admit that parts of Too Hot to Handle were, well, too hot for me! There are several explicit sex scenes throughout the book, but not enough for me to stop reading it. Whatever your comfort level is, the book is worth reading to the end. Just skip what is uncomfortable for you!

Book two in the series is Too Wild to Tame – due out January 31, 2017. Hired to work for the country’s most powerful senator, Aaron Clarkson, known for his prowess in the bedroom, finds it hard to not mix business with pleasure when he meets the senator’s daughter, the black sheep of her conservative family who is wild, gorgeous and 100 percent trouble.

too-hard Book three in the series is Too Hard to Forget – due out April 25, 2017. Peggy Clarkson is returning to her alma mater with one goal in mind: confront Elliott Brooks, the man who ruined her for all others, and remind him of what he’s been missing. Even after three years, seeing him again is like a punch in the gut, but Peggy’s determined to stick to her plan. Maybe then, once she has the upper hand, she’ll finally be able to move on.

In the years since Peggy left Cincinnati, Elliott has kept his focus on football. No distractions and no complications. But when Peggy walks back onto his practice field and into his life, he knows she could unravel everything in his carefully controlled world. Because the girl who was hard to forget is now a woman impossible to resist.

Author Tessa Bailey – Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans and laptop, driving cross-country to New York City in under four days.

Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.

She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband of nine years and four-year-old daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

Dealing with Anxiety

January 23, 2017January 3, 2017 / Mary / Leave a comment

face-sad-sweating Angst, anxiety, stress,–whichever way you describe it, it’s a feeling everyone has experienced and the last few months have raised anxiety and stress levels higher than ever.

While everyone feels the occasional need to crawl into a blanket fort, most of us don’t have that luxury. Yet some days soldiering on can be painful, if not impossible.

If you are looking for a little ease or a way to calm your inner alarms, check out some of the materials we have on the subject of anxiety.

Books

The 10 best anxiety busters : simple strategies to take control of your worry / Dr. Margaret Wehrenberg
Learn ten simple techniques from breathing exercises and relaxation practices to thought-stopping techniques and strategies that put an end to catastrophizing once and for all.

My age of anxiety : fear, hope, dread, and the search for peace of mind / Scott Stossel
The author recounts his lifelong battle with anxiety, showing the many manifestations of the disorder as well as the treatments that have been developed to counteract it.

The anxiety toolkit : strategies for fine-tuning your mind and moving past your stuck points / Alice Boyes
While reducing your anxiety level to zero isn’t possible or useful (anxiety can actually be helpful!), you can learn to successfully manage symptoms with tips and tricks you can employ in everyday life. You’ll discover how anxiety works and learn strategies to help you cope with common anxiety ‘stuck’ points.

Seeking serenity : the 10 new rules for health and happiness in the age of anxiety / Amanda Enayati
Seeking Serenity presents ten revolutionary principles developed from the emerging science of stress and reinforced by literature, philosophy and age-old spiritual wisdom that help us to differentiate between destructive and constructive stress, and to master stress in everyday life.

eBooks

The stress solution: using empathy and cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce anxiety and develop resilience / Arthur P. Ciaramicoli, EdD, PhD
“We work too much, sleep too little, love with half a heart, and wonder why we are unhappy and unhealthy,” writes clinical psychologist Arthur Ciaramicoli. Learn simple, realistic, powerful techniques for using empathy and cognitive behavioral therapy to perceive situations accurately and correct distorted thinking.

Anxiety Attacks : Conquering Your Insecurities, Anxieties and Fears / Atcheson, Lucy.
Discover how and why your doubts make you feel trapped and insecure and how you can acknowledge them in a healthy way and break free of their negative influence.

10 steps to take charge of your emotional life overcoming anxiety, distress, and depression through whole-person healing / Eve A. Wood
Dr. Wood makes healing a simple process that anyone can understand. She walks you through ten steps that encompass examples, stories, exercises, and guidance. You’ll take stock of where you are and discover what you can do to transform your life.

Downloadable Audiobooks

Freeing yourself from anxiety : 4 simple steps to overcome worry and create the life you want / Tamar E. Chansky
This book explains that the solution is not positive thinking but possible thinking. Armed with these strategies, listeners can achieve accurate perceptions of their lives that can liberate them from fear and perfectionism.

The mindful way through anxiety / Susan M. Orsillo, PhD
A powerful new alternative that can help you break free of anxiety by fundamentally changing how you relate to it.

Stopping the noise in your head: the new way to overcome anxiety and worry / Reid Wilson, PhD
Learn how to confront anxiety head-on. Drawing on a range of sources, from firefighters and fitness instructors to Sir Isaac Newton and Muhammad Ali, this book demonstrates the importance of shifting your perspective and stepping toward your challenges in order to regain control of your life.

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The Doctor Is In

January 17, 2017December 29, 2016 / Kaitlin / Leave a comment

Everyone has heard of Doctor Strange, which is currently in theaters. However, let’s not forget about the other famous doctors that are out there.

Doctor Who: The Complete Ninth Series
One of the most famous doctors of all time is the Doctor of Doctor Who. This is the ninth series with Peter Capaldi as the doctor, but our library has many of the other doctors as well, including Chris Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith. Watch them all!

Doctor Zhivago
This classic film is based on a book of the same name. This story is about a romance occurring during the time before World War I all the way through to the Russian Civil War.

Doctor Dolittle
This is the original story of the doctor who can speak with animals. He uses his abilities to communicate with them in order to heal them. This is a good story for the whole family.

Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
This is the popular musical story of a villain named Doctor Horrible who is trying to join the Evil League of Evil so he can become a super-villain. He is also trying to speak to his crush, Penny, but the superhero Captain Hammer keeps thwarting him at every turn.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
This movie is a comedy about the tensions of the Cold War. One man tries to start a war with the Soviet Union while the President and several politicians and generals, including Dr. Strangelove, try to prevent this from happening.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
This is the classic story of a man known as Dr. Jekyll who creates a formula that turns him into an evil man known as Mr. Hyde. As time goes on, the formula he used to switch back begins to weaken.

Motley Crue: Greate$t Hit$
This CD from the heavy metal band Motley Crue contains a very popular song called Dr. Feelgood. This music is perfect for when you want to jam out with your friends.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
This is the classic story of Dr. Frankenstein. This is the man who was determined to create life but ended up creating a monster in the process.

Back to the Future
Don’t forget about Doc Brown! He’s the one who invented the time-traveling DeLorean that sends Marty back in time to the 1950s when his parents were in high school. Marty, along with a younger Doc Brown, have to make sure that his parents become a couple so that Marty and his siblings don’t get erased from existence!

The Complete Sherlock Holmes
Dr. Watson is another classic doctor. He is the companion to the great detective known as Sherlock Holmes. Check out this book to read about the adventures that these men have had.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show
To round out this list is the cult classic with Dr. Frank N. Furter. The plot is tricky to describe, but it involves transexual transvestite aliens who create a man. And throw dinner parties. And sing and dance. And other things. Watch this to complete your education.

The X Factor

January 11, 2017January 3, 2017 / Susan O. / Leave a comment

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom created an uproar in the movie industry. While it didn’t meet the criteria for an R rating, the intensity of the violence and its unrelenting action and danger freaked out so many kids and parents and caused so many complaints that the PG-13 rating was born – probably the same people that brought their six year old grandchildren to see Deadpool and didn’t think twice. Before that, there were just four ratings by the Motion Picture Association of America: G (general audience), PG (parental guidance suggested), R (no one under 17 without guardian), and X (now NC-17, meaning No One Under 17 Admitted, no way, no how, this will scar you for life).

Of course, as a kid, you can’t help but wonder, what’s in an X movie? What could be more violent than people beating each other up? What could be grosser than people naked? How many more swear words are there? And then the internet was born and we’ve never wondered since.

Surprisingly, though, some of our favorite movies DID have an X rating at the start. Film makers want to be cutting-edge and push envelopes, but an X/NC17 rating can sink an otherwise profitable film because it cuts out the teen crowd that hangs out at theaters every week and also makes some adult film-goers leery. After repeated trips back to the editing room, most of the movies do achieve their golden R rating.

Some, however, never do. Three movies were nominated for Oscars despite their X rating: Midnight Cowboy, A Clockwork Orange, and Last Tango in Paris. Midnight Cowboy actually won the Best Picture Oscar for 1970. When rereleased in 1971, it carried only an R rating, even though not a single edit had been made. It had been given the X rating for “homosexual suggestions,” and that was no longer a criteria. Times were already changing.

Two things are usually to blame for an X rating: extreme violence/gore, or explicit nudity/sexual content. It’s hard to believe, but for all the outcry against The Exorcist (some viewers were taken away by ambulance), it only garnered an R rating. (So, in 1969, homosexuality would get you a deadly X rating, but by 1973, demonic possession, gore, blasphemy, and violent sexual situations involving children would not. Go figure.) Sometimes the fix was something so banal as toning down the brightness of the blood (Taxi Driver), which makes you wonder who is actually doing the judging and rating of the films. Others, like Cliffhanger, needed adjustments to almost every single scene. Although Casino cranks in at more than 420 utterances of the Fornication word (that’s almost 2.5 for every minute of film), it was the violence that created its problems.

Here is a list of popular films you’ve probably heard of, and probably have seen, that were originally rated X before being edited yet again (American Pie needed four tries) to win the magic R. Some of these are very good films that just happen to be a little more graphic than others. Some of them you knew were headed for trouble just by the title (Freddy Got Fingered), but others, especially twenty years later when there sometimes doesn’t seem to be a limit on sex or violence in movies or on television (Boogie Nights drew trouble for a 10-second shot of a prosthetic penis, yet Life of Brian and Trainspotting didn’t for showing a real one), make you scratch your head at what the fuss was.