It’s no secret that winters up North are long and frigid. Let’s face it, sometimes the weather is not conducive to going anywhere. But how to stay busy while cooped up indoors? Julie Reiten, MAFB Librarian and lifelong North Dakota native has a mantra for when those blizzards are about to strike: “Grocery Store, Gas Station, Library.” But reading can offer benefits beyond just passing the time while the weather turns extra harsh. It can reduce stress, improve brain function, expand imagination and develop empathy, just to name a few well-documented benefits.
But how to get started if your reading life has been in a rut lately or you struggle to focus? A good beginner practice is to read for a set amount of time instead of for a specific number of pages. Another hack that might work for some is to never be reading just one book at a time. Try to keep a challenging read, a lighter read, and some kind of self-improvement on hand. That enables you to choose what best suits your frame of mind on a given day. Ultimately, the way to becoming a better reader is to read regularly and across a variety of genres. Much like our bodies, our mental muscles also need to be strengthened through repetition and practice before we can dive into that classic work of literature or a contemporary piece of literary fiction.
Finding your preferred reading format is also a game changer for many. E-readers save space and provide almost instant access to any book, including free or low cost books in the public domain. Audiobooks still count as books “read” and can be listened to while doing something else with your hands like cooking, working out, or driving to and from town (that’s 200 minutes of reading a week!) But for some, there is nothing quite like the smell of ink on paper and the comforting feel a traditional book.
. Often thought of as a solo pursuit, reading doesn’t have to be. The social motivation of a book club discussion is a great incentive to read more. Whether gathering to discuss everyone’s personal reading or a particular book, clubs are a way to unite around a shared love of reading. The good news is that the MAFB Base Library boasts a variety: the kid-friendly “Newberry Book Club,” the “Sunday Escapes Book Club,” and its newest offering “Quiet Book Club.” For more information email mafblibrary@gmail.com. Can’t find what you are looking for? Winter is a great time to start a club of your own!
It’s difficult to recommend specific books since no two people will necessarily enjoy the same things. There are, however, a few favorite genres that seem to lend themselves well to winter reading. According to Julie, most popular with Minot AFB Library patrons is anything fantasy. From the “Wings of Fire” series popular with kids and traditional high fantasy by author Brian Sanderson, to the rise of adult women’s interest in ‘romantasy’ such as “Fourth Wing,” this genre in all its manifestations is having a moment. Julie also shared that our younger kids are especially into books on animals or dragons, such as the “Animal V. Animal” series of books. Some other categories to consider during the colder months include: cookbooks (and their cousin, the foodie memoir of which Stanley Tucci’s “Taste” is a recent example), murder mysteries (you can’t go wrong with Agatha Christie, but for something more modern why not try Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling’s “Cormoran Strike” books) self-help, and historical fiction.
To encourage more reading this winter, the Minot Air Force Base Library is holding its Winter Reading Program from 1 December through 1 March. Readers can sign up either online or in person. As always, there will be digital and hard copy ways to track one’s reading. And while everyone who reads gets a prize, the more hours logged, the better one’s chances are of winning one of the bigger prizes. More details on the winter reading program can be found on the 5th Force Support Squadron Website or by talking to our base librarians. With that information, why not set some reading goals to get yourself not just through this winter, but the year? Whether you choose to track them through the library, Goodreads app, or in a hard copy journal, it’s exciting to have something to work towards. Having a few aspirational reading goals can be a motivator, and ultimately, those are stories that you will carry with you for life. This winter, why not make a few strides towards a life well read.
