What is flat, rectangular, portable, made out of wood pulp, and doesn’t need to be charged or plugged in? Answer: a book. Almost all public libraries now provide free Internet access providing timely information, but let’s not forget that they provide books for our reading pleasure and also free of charge. It’s hard to curl up with a computer and there’s more to life than technology. So, in case we sometimes forget, the library has lots and lots of books and they’re free, free, free. What a deal!

In an earlier article, I asked people to tell about a book they felt had made a difference. Here are some of the responses:

Bob Boydston-One that comes to mind most often is Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. We may think we get away with something but our conscience will likely haunt us worse than any externally inflicted punishment. I guess that is another version of “honesty is the best policy”, or don’t do anything you wouldn’t want your mother to know about.

Priscilla Seals-To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is the one book I could read over and over. It is a wonderful coming-of-age book: funny, tragic with well-drawn characters. The movie was wonderful too.

Bill Albrecht-Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet is a short book about life: love, marriage, children, passion, reason, and much more. With thoughts like, “You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth,” and “ Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul.” How can you not pick it up again and again and not be inspired?

Gwen Michal-The book series that really made a difference to me was the Left Behind series by B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. While reading them, I learned a lot about the Bible and would look up the scriptures they referred . The series gave me real hope for what’s on the other side of this earthly life.

Arnold Barban-Personally, Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift was an amazing tale that exposed the ills of the world he witnessed. In satirizing the society of his era, one can draw parallels to current human behavior.

During this busy season, come to the library and get one of these relaxing, inspirational, and pleasurable things called a book. See you at the library!