Giving Thanks

“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”  –John F. Kennedy, The 35th President of the United States

Thank yo  is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.”  –Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award Winner for The Color Purple

John F. Kennedy and Alice Walker remind us that saying thank you is good for the soul. If, right this minute,  you had the opportunity to say “Thank You” to someone who made a difference in your life,  who would that be?   Chances are you have a long list. I hope that somewhere on everyone’s long list of people to thank is a teacher, because, without a doubt,  teachers are in a position to make a difference in our lives.  I once heard a teacher say, “I have never known anyone who was sorry they tried their best.”  The opportunity to be our best is definitely something to be grateful for. And, every opportunity to be our best is an opportunity for growth and a blessing.

Like teachers, here in the Library, we are in the business of life-long learning.  To that end, we are grateful for the many individuals and organizations that have presented educational and entertaining programs.  To name a few: The Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group’s” Battle of the Books,”   Kelly Decker’s “All Things Google,” Rebecca Zukowski-Gillespie’s Disney Princess Story Times, Hartzell’s Pharmacy’s many “Heath Talks”,  North Penn Legal Services “Landlord Tenant Rights,” The Historic Catasauqua Preservation Association’s Walking Tour, The Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild’s “Spooktacular,” Joe Carl’s “Until Help Arrives,”  and all our many, many Summer Reading Program presenters.

On behalf of the Trustees of the Public Library of Catasauqua and the Library Staff, you are wished a very Happy Thanksgiving and a Blessed Holiday Season.  Be sure to come to see us after December 6,th when the Catasauqua Garden Club will have decorated the Library’s Christmas Tree.  Donations of canned goods for the Catasauqua Food Bank are gratefully accepted.

NEW BOOKS

Fiction:
“Secrets of Cavendon,” Barbara Taylor Bradford
“Tom Clancy Power and Empire,” Marc Cameron
“Uncommon Type: Some Stories,” Tom Hanks
“The Whispering Room,” Dean Koontz
“Year One (Chronicles of the One Series #1), Nora Roberts
“Past Perfect,” Danielle Steel

Non-Fiction:
“Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-Ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in The White House,” Donna Brazile
“We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy,” Ta-Nehisi Coates
“Gold Dust Woman: The Biography of Stevie Nicks,” Stephen Davis
“Leonardo da Vinci,” Walter Isaacson
“Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans: The Battle that Shaped America’s Destiny,” Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger
“Member of the Family: My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside  His Cult, and the Darkness that Ended the Sixties,” Dianne Lake and Deborah Herman
“Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit,” Chris Matthews
“Food Can Fix It: The Superfood Switch to Fight Fat, Defy Aging and Eat Your Way Healthy,” Mehmet Oz
“Wisdom of Sundays,” Oprah Winfrey

Children’s Fiction:
“Through Your Eyes: My Child’s Gift to Me,” Ainsley Earhardt and Ji-Hyuk Kim
“Everything is Mama,” Jimmy Fallon and Miguel Ordonez
“Madeline Finn and the Library Dog,” Lisa Papp
“Elvis Presley’s Love Me Tender,”  Elvis Presley and Stephanie Graegin (Illustrator)
“Creepy Pair of Underwear!” Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown

Children’s Non-Fiction:
“Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability,” Shane Burcaw
“Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History,” Vashti Harrison