June 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives forever. For months, we did not have access to activities that we enjoy: dining at restaurants, hanging out with friends, traveling to new destinations, working out at the gym, and visiting the library to browse the collection. I asked people to share what they missed most during this past year, and then I found books that offer ways to stay connected from home or adapt to our “new normal.”

Since I cannot travel, I found the next best thing in a book called ‘Lonely Planet’s Where to Go When: The Ultimate Trip Planner for Every Month of the Year.’ The title says it all, and the photos are spectacular. I look at this book every day and dream of my next trip.

Deb Stein said, “I missed my leisurely perusing of the grocery aisles. What I have realized is that I’ve adapted to a new routine for procuring groceries, and I prefer it!”

If you need ideas to update your cooking/grocery shopping routine, check out this new book from America’s Test Kitchen: “The Ultimate Meal Prep Cookbook: One Grocery List, a Week of Meals, No Waste.”

“I missed going to my favorite restaurants,” disclosed Janice LaDuke. When you cannot dine at your favorite restaurant in Sedona, you can skim cookbooks that feature Sedona restaurants and recipes. Here are a few titles to whet your appetite: “The Elote Café Cookbook,” “The Elixir of Life,” and “Sharing the Table at Garland’s Lodge.”

Library volunteer Nancy Champagne shared, “I think the thing I missed the most during the pandemic was human contact. Getting back to volunteering at the library gave me a much needed mental health boost. I love seeing the people from the VOC, hearing their stories, and, of course, talking about books and movies. I’m sure it helped my sanity!”

To learn more about the many benefits of volunteering, read “The New Breed: Understanding and Equipping the 21st Century Volunteer,” by Thomas McKee.

If you prefer not to go to the gym and want an informative guide to stretching exercises you can do at home, Marie Olivarez recommends “Stretching Exercises Encyclopedia,” by Oscar Moran.

“I missed soft toilet paper,” confessed Carol Stetser. While the library does not lend toilet paper, the collection has some interesting books about toilets: “The Story behind Toilets,” by Elizabeth Raum, and “Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet,” by Chelsea Wald.

If you have missed visiting the library, we are excited to welcome you back. Our patrons and visitors are delighted to come inside to use the computers, pick up holds, and browse our floating collection.
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Sedona Public Library in the Village is at Suite 51 A in Bell Rock Plaza. We are open Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information about library services, please call 928-284-1603 or email voc@sedonalibrary.org. We are here to help! Thank you for supporting library services in the Village of Oak Creek.