Join Baltimore County Public Library’s Book Chat, where librarians share their favorite titles, talk about new books hitting the shelves and help you discover your next great read. Please enjoy these current titles that will start your new year right.
Doug’s Picks
“Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music” by Rob Sheffield
Celebrities can become role models and motivate us to become better versions of ourselves. Taylor Swift continues to astound and inspire us, and her meteoric rise to fame shows no signs of slowing down. Rob Sheffield, music journalist, contributing editor at “Rolling Stone” and avowed Swiftie, examines Swift’s career by breaking down the eras and offering a guidebook that will appeal to her fans and to music lovers who want to make sense of it all. Sheffield recounts career highlights, examining each era and the challenges Swift faced within the music industry. Ultimately, Sheffield recognizes the fans, many of whom are young women, who continue to resonate with the emotional content contained within her lyrics and find themselves and each other to create community.
“How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days”
by Kari Leibowitz, Ph.D.
Many of us feel the “winter blues” and dread entering the frigid and dark period of the year. Kari Leibowitz examines these negative emotions we feel and seeks to determine if our negative anticipation of winter becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Traveling to cities in the far North, Leibowitz embeds herself in the culture of countries that experience two months of darkness. She concludes that those who live in these climates don’t have more instances of seasonal depression, but instead embrace and celebrate winter with festivals and habitual seasonal activities. She offers practical advice on setting up your own winter plan to help you ease into the time change and enjoy cozy sweaters, warm beverages and snug evenings at home with reading or indoor winter hobbies.
Paula’s Picks
“The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World” by Robin Wall Kimmerer
No one matches Indigenous author and scientist Robin Wall Kemmerer when it comes to writing about the natural world from a place of passion and connectedness. The author of the hugely popular “Braiding Sweetgrass” returns with a meditation on looking past economic models ingrained in society and looking toward mutual relationships, generosity and kindness. The serviceberry, a native fruiting plant whose abundance has been essential to the survival of numerous birds and animals as well as Native peoples, proves an excellent metaphor for a new way of thinking. Beautifully illustrated by John Burgoyne, this slim volume will shift your worldview and encourage you to build closer, more meaningful relationships in the new year. Eminently discussable, “The Serviceberry” is an excellent book club choice.
“MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact” by Adaira Landry, M.D. and Resa E. Lewiss, M.D.
New Year’s resolutions often call for big life changes, but seismic shifts in behavior can be hard to initiate and even harder to sustain. What if you could make minor, immediate adjustments to your work habits in 2025 that would yield notable results? Harvard-trained physicians Landry and Lewiss share simple, practical advice while acknowledging what can get in the way of initiating change. Following their advice can make you more effective without sacrificing your personal well-being. In fact, the first chapter of the book focuses on self-care: protecting your ability to deliberately rest, setting limits on time spent in meetings and off-loading routine tasks that don’t bring joy or purpose. “MicroSkills” will inspire and motivate you to take immediate action.
