Book Shelf

Who doesn’t like getting a book for the holidays? Below are a handful of gift-worthy books (all published in 2019) selected by the librarians of the Akron-Summit County Public Library’s Collection Development Department. 

 

The Art of Looking Up 

By Catherine McCormack

Critics and reviewers alike are calling this book a visual feast that is desirable as an art book and as a challenge to seek out art in unusual places. Forty spectacular ceilings are featured in this unusually dazzling book. Art historian Catherine McCormack guides readers through the stories behind the artwork depicted in this beautiful book of hypnotic ceilings from around the globe. Remarkable locations, great artists and glorious color photography make this book a great gift!.

Classic Restaurants of Summit County 

By Sharon Moreland Myers

Akron and Summit County’s classic hot spots have satisfied palates since the early 20th Century. Akron alone could sit up to 30,000 people at once during the golden age of the ’50s and ’60s. Marcel’s made a name for itself with its scampi, and Iacomini’s became synonymous with lobster. Ladd’s dished crowd-pleasing coney dogs, and Yanko’s sliced up its mouthwatering shish kabobs. Digging up vintage images and recipes, author Sharon Myers leads readers on a delectable trip down memory lane to the area’s most renowned and cherished eateries.

 

For the Love of Books: Designing and Curating a Home Library 

By Thatcher Wine and Elizabeth Lane.

A book about books – what could be better? Learn from the curation and design experts at Juniper Books and see your bookshelves in a whole new light. Explore the history of books, private libraries and celebrate the resilience of print books in the digital era. Marvel at the photographs and be inspired. Useful tips and illustrations will help you create and curate your own home library, whatever the size.

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By Traci McBride

Everything in life comes with its own inventory of pros and cons, especially how you decide to spend your time and efforts in volunteerism. Creating your own list of positives and negatives is good advice before starting any long- or short-term commitments.  

Strike up a conversation with someone who volunteers on a regular basis and ask about their experience. It can give you a good perspective and direction on organizations that match your belief system and interests. Your time is priceless; giving it with joy is selfless and satisfying.

 

Let’s Start with the Cons of Volunteering

Time commitment

Costs of travel/food

Unappreciative recipients of your efforts

Personality conflicts

Personal energy expenditure

Potential of choosing the wrong organization

Emotional drain when engaging with those in difficult life situations

 

And Now the Pros…

Staying active & engaged extends to graceful aging

Influencing another human being can be life-saving

Practicing or elevating your skill set

Mastering time management

Experiencing an organization from the inside

Socializing while creating new friendships with like-minded people

Increasing self-esteem & confidence

Creating the ripple effect in your community & in other people

Inspiring friends and family to get involved

Rewarding effect of aligning with a non-profit that touches you on a personal level

Spearheading ideas inside the organization                     

Source: CharityNavigator.org 

 

Traci McBride of TeeMcBee.com has passionately been a volunteer with Dress for Success – Cleveland since 2008.

 

Our Volunteer Salute

Meet NEO’s Givers

What better way to kick off the season of giving than recognizing some of our region’s most impressive volunteers? No other age group gives as much of its time, talent and energy as Boomers. We want to introduce you to a few outstanding givers recognized by our readers and provided by Greater Cleveland Volunteers (greaterclevelandvolunteers.org). 

 

Meet: Gail Tichy 

Where: Cleveland Metroparks

A retired federal worker, Tichy inherited a love of gardening from her grandmother.

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Has this ever happened to you? An elderly neighbor or family member tells you about a phone call from a "relative" asking for money for an overseas emergency. Or they have a new "friend" who needs money for a business venture or a medical bill. If you help with managing their money, you suddenly notice a dip in their bank accounts or missing checks. What should you do? This article gives helpful information about protecting a vulnerable, elderly loved one or friend. ...

Pun alert: we’ve got a few books we think you’ll fall for this autumn. Carve out time for a couple of these titles and leave the busyness of the season behind. These book suggestions are from Jason Lea, Community Outreach Coordinator for Mentor Public Library and reference librarian Cailey Williams. 

 Go to mentorpl.org to learn about upcoming library events.

 

Mrs. Everything 

By Jennifer Weiner

Jo and Bethie Kaufman have always been opposites. As children, Bethie was the good girl, while Jo’s dress was always dirty. Bethie never questioned their mother, and Jo pushed boundaries. But when push comes to shove, the sisters always have each other’s back. Growing up in the 1950s, coming of age in the 1960s, and into adulthood, their experiences couldn’t be more opposite. One takes the traditional family route, and the other joins the counterculture of the day. Follow these very different women on their journeys through life, love, good times and bad, and see that no matter what happens, they have each other.

 

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper 

By Phaedra Patrick

Arthur Pepper, 69, is a quiet man focused on his routines. While cleaning out his late wife’s things, Arthur discovers a charm bracelet he’s never seen before, a hint to his wife’s life before they married. Stepping entirely out of his comfort zone, Arthur goes on a journey to discover the hidden stories behind these charms, taking him to Paris, London and even India, where he learns more than he ever wanted to know about both his wife and himself.

 

The Keeper of Lost Things

By Ruth Hogan

Forty years ago, Anthony Peardew lost a beloved keepsake. Since then, Anthony has become the keeper of lost things, gathering the lost items he finds on the bus, in the park, on the street, carefully documenting and saving them in case their owners ever come looking.

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Northeast Ohio's favorite fall crop is hitting fruit stands and markets now through November. If you like apples then this is your time to check out the area's best orchards. Pick your own or grab a bag and enjoy. Many orchards have fall festivals throughout October. You can grab a glass of cider, take a ride on a hay wagon, and pick up recipes for all those apples you bring home. ...

I fell into fall and didn’t know it.

After years tethered to an academic calendar, school started without me, or at least without me noticing.

Other signs of the season were there, of course. The daylight started shifting in mid-

August. Cricket and locust chirps grew more persistent. The golds and purples of wildflowers replaced the white and pink flushes in ditches and fallow fields. Still, I was surprised to see the school buses go by.

Without kids in school anymore and no grandkids (yet), my calendar is a rambling, undisciplined affair that lands mostly on work deadlines and holidays. It’s a bigger-picture type of calendar that I follow these days, marking time by seasons instead of school days. It gives me the chance to take a long view of things. My focus is broader, not narrowed by someone else’s timeline.

This broader view fits our theme, “Restore.” We profile three Boomers who conserve and preserve special things, some centuries, others decades old. Experience counts, as these conservators prove. You can read about them on page 30.

Taking the theme further, we have two stories about yoga and its enduring benefits. If you haven’t tried it or gave it up years ago, our story on page 32 provides plenty of reasons for another look. I’ve heard about goat yoga but never understood the appeal of having one graze near my yoga mat.  We explain the charm of goat yoga, too.

Here’s a blast from our past: the Richfield Coliseum. Rising from fields in the middle of nowhere, the massive structure deserved the coliseum moniker. It’s now a haven for birds and bird watchers. Two decades after the Coliseum’s demolition, we’ve got a story about the property’s restoration on page 34.

We have two more Restore topics: cosmetic tattoos and side gigs.

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Where else can you meet other folks aged 50+, talk with vendors, grab a bite, listen to music and have a cocktail, too? It's the BOOmer Bash East, of course. Why the BOO in Boomer? We've got a Halloween theme for our Oct. 30 event. Costumes are encouraged but not required. C'mon, why wouldn't you want to grab a friend and come as Popeye and Olive Oyl? ...

The growing student loan crisis is getting a lot of attention from policymakers. But did you know that, as Boomers age, many of them are bringing student loan debt with them into their older years? Some of it is their own, while other debt is from cosigning student loans for children and grandkids. What happens to that debt after you're gone is the topic of this column, provided by the Cleveland-area law firm Solomon, Steiner & Peck. ...