discover life's possibilities | January

Advice From Some Gremlin
Have you made any goals for the new year? I recently read that the research shows we’re very good at making new goals for each new year, and equally bad at sticking with those goals. We all start our Januaries planning to run a marathon, and by March most of us have forgotten to run for weeks.
 
One thing that I have found helpful is to pick a theme for each new year. I pick a meaningful word or phrase and endeavor to live that way throughout the year. I find this brings the pressure down a little. I’ll explore that theme in what I choose to read, watch, and write about, and the theme will help inform my habits and decisions throughout the year.
 
Typically my years will have themes like ‘wander’ or ‘patience’, but in 2024 I needed a change of pace. I had been inspired by an art exhibit that played with the idea of spinning straw into gold, and I wanted to pursue that idea further. That prompted me to reread the Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde, a book in which Vande Velde rewrites the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale five times, each playing with the observation that the original fairy tale does not make very much sense. A few of the retellings work with the idea that perhaps Rumpelstiltskin isn’t so bad when his main quality is to show up in unexpected places and helpfully turn straw into gold.
 
I was inspired, and a timely meme supplied the final piece of the puzzle. I had found my 2024 phrase! For all of 2024, I endeavored to live as Some Gremlin.
 
How did the year go? Very well, thank you. I learned how to create and solve chaos with a needle and thread. I noticed how many things can be improved with a little meaningless decoration. I refused to be careful what I wished for, and instead wished wildly. I tried to live my life worthy of having a dastardly nemesis. I learned that accidents can happen, so long as you plan them properly. 
 
In all, a very good year. So very good that I find myself struggling to decide what direction to head from here. How do I top a year of being Some Gremlin?
 
I haven't figured out that answer yet, but I know where I’ll go looking. The library is a treasure trove of inspiration, and I know I’ll find what I need somewhere within these walls. And I know that you can too! Regardless of your plans for the year—adventure, success, rejuvenation, fun, or anything else—you can find aids on your path at the library. Come join us for another year of possibilities!
-Anthony
Anthony Morris

-Assistant Director
-Some Gremlin
-Gutfoundered Shab
 
Currently Reading

COLOR OUR WORLD WEDNESDAY
Come learn about different cultures from around the world!
 
This month, on January 29th, drop by the Library between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM to enjoy a cup of oolong tea and make a wish for our Lunar New Year Wish Tree! Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It is an important holiday in China and also widely celebrated in other East Asian cultures in Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam and throughout the World. 
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
ADULT
Tai Chi Class
Jan 15th, 12:30pm-1:30pm
 
Start your new year out right by learning some Tai Chi from Dr. Melissa Wickey. Tai chi is suitable for practitioners of all levels and ages and can be adapted to your comfort level. Through practice, you will improve balance & leg strength while releasing excess tension, soothing the mind, and nurturing vitality.
Registration required, but clicking the image above
TEEN
Teen Book Club
The Wild Robot
Jan 17th 6:30-8:30pm
 
This book group is for youth in 6th-12th grade. We will be  reading the Wild Robot and watching the new 2024 movie. Register online by clicking the image above.
YOUTH
World Wednesday
Lunar New Year
Jan 29th, 3:30-4:30pm
 
Join Mandy Hung for a fun hour of activities to celebrate and learn about Lunar New Year! Activities will include making a Year of the Snake craft, tasting popular Lunar New Year snacks, and making a wish for the Wish Tree! No prior registration required.

MEET THE TRUSTEES
A total of 5 individuals who serve rotating, volunteer, five-year terms comprise the library’s Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees focuses on setting library policy & budget and meets with the library director on a monthly basis in an open, public meeting, usually at 3 pm on the second Tuesday of each month in the library’s meeting room. This continuing feature will introduce all our current Trustees.
Kyle Loring - 2025 Board Vice President
Kyle is pleased to be able to serve our library as a trustee. Libraries have played a series of vital roles in his life since an early age, from babysitter to meeting space to rest stop and email portal on long bike trips. Even as an ardent fan of thin wallets, he has always found room for a library card, whether growing up on Anderson Island, teaching outdoor education in the Hudson Highlands, or settling into middle age as a lawyer here in Friday Harbor. When he isn't deep into the latest dystopian novel, you can usually find him on the tennis courts, zipping around on his bike, or being walked with his wife by their animated dog Frodo.
 
Kyle's reading recommendation: If you're in the mood for a little tennis nostalgia, you might try Gordon Forbes' A Handful of Summers, an uproarious and nostalgic glimpse into the tennis tour when it was ruled by amateurs. If you're in the mood for anything else, Haruki Murakami never disappoints with his moving blend of fantasy and realism.
THE PENNY PINCHER
Featuring popular services paid for by your tax dollars that you can access for FREE from the Library!
   
Enjoy complimentary access to NYTimes.com! The New York Times covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of the longest-running newspapers in the United States, the Times serves as one of the country's newspapers of record. Access it from the library here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Upper Elementary Book Group
 Wednesday Jan 15th at 3:30pm
 
This book group is for youth in 3rd-5th grade!
Register by clicking the above image, then drop by the library to pick up your complimentary copy of the monthly book.
Reading with Rover
Wednesdays from 2:30pm-3:30pm
 
Stop by the Children's Area of the Library to meet the Reading with Rover dogs. Say hello, read or show them a story, and get paw stickers! The Reading with Rover dogs are trained canines who serve as supportive listeners to help children boost their literacy skills and reading confidence. No registration required.
A Conversation with Percival Everett - SAL Presentation
 Thursday Jan 23 at 7:30pm
 
Join us for a watch-together of A Conversation with Percival Everett. Percival Everett's most recent books include James, Dr. No, The Trees, Telephone, So Much Blue, Erasure, and I Am Not Sidney Poitier. 
After Hours Lock-In
Friday Jan 24 at 6:30-10pm
 
Get ready for another After Hours Lock-In! This time we'll have karaoke, crafty supplies, live-action games, board games, snacks, your friends, and more!
DONATE TO THE LIBRARY
The San Juan Island Library welcomes gifts to support the programs, collections, and services designed to meet the needs of San Juan Islanders, nonprofit partners, and visitors of all ages, that are not met by tax revenue. There are many ways to support your library!
STAFF PICKS
Check out our latest faves!
 
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers 
by Samuel Burr 
 
Raised by a group of eccentric enigmatologists, 20-something Clayton Summer, when the esteemed crossword compiler and main maternal presence in his life passes away, bestowing her final puzzle on him, embarks on a quest to uncover the secrets surrounding his birth, which will change him, and the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, forever. 
The Faculty Lounge 
by Jennifer Mathieu 
 
When an elderly substitute teacher at Baldwin High School is found dead in the faculty lounge, the teachers spontaneously scatter his ashes on the school grounds, setting in motion a year that can only be described as wild, bizarre, tragic, mundane, beautiful and humorous all at once. 
 
The Perfect Passion Company
 by Alexander McCall Smith 
 
As the new manager of The Perfect Passion Company at No. 24 Mouse Lane in New Town, Katie Donald has made it her mission to provide help to the lovelorn citizens of Edinburgh. With the help of her amiable and handsome office neighbor William Kidd, she finds herself making matches for the lonely hearts of Edinburgh who want a more personal touch. In this tale, Katie helps an airline pilot figure out what it is he really wants in a partner by sending him to cooking school. Along the way, she learns that the work of the Perfect Passion Company may be a little broader in its scope than she had originally thought.
 
Discover Life's Possibilities
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Friday Harbor, Washington 98250
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