In an article in the New York Times (week of Aug. 7, 2016), Yale University professor Becca R. Levey said there is a connection between reading books and living a longer life.

“People who report as little as a half-hour a day of book reading had a significant survival advantage over those who did not read,” she said.

Who knew? We just thought reading was fun!

***

And speaking of reading and fun, during the 10 weeks of the Public Library of Catasauqua summer reading program, children from Catasauqua, North Catasauqua and Hanover Township read a total of 396 hours and 49 minutes.

While statistics tell part of the story behind the success of our summer reading program, we think Catasauqua’s Hannah, age 12, summed up the experience.

“The library is a place to find information and entertainment,” she said. “It is like a gym for your brain. You can exercise your mind and use your imagination. You also learn new things!”

***

On Aug. 23, to conclude Summer Reading 2016, Officer John Wiseman of the Catasauqua Police Department’s K-9 Unit drew the winning raffle ticket for the basket of children’s craft supplies that constituted a fundraiser to benefit the Catasauqua K-9 Unit. The lucky winner was Nancy Brodhead, grandmother of summer reader Hannah Decker, age 7.

Library patrons who purchased raffle tickets for the basket contributed $151 toward the training of Zora, Wiseman’s new K-9 partner.

Wiseman and his current K-9 partner Jack had presented the first program in the library’s summer reading series. This month, Jack retires, and Zora begins her training. So, with a fond farewell to Jack comes a hearty good luck to Zora.

***

Grab your calendars and mark these dates. At 6 p.m. Sept. 26, please join us for a planning session to kick off the library’s new club for those who knit, crochet or enjoy any form of needlework. We’re calling the club Keep Me In Stitches.

***

Then, 6 p.m. Sept. 29, Blondie’s Rebecca Zukowski-Gillespie returns to charm us all, this time as Snow White. Come meet her. Hear her amazing story and get her autograph. Snow White will visit us in our spacious auditorium where there will be room for many families. This event is featured both on our Facebook page and on Blondie’s Facebook page.

New Books

Fiction: “Insidious,” by Catherine Coulter; “Curious Minds,” by Janet Evanovich; “Three Sisters, Three Queens,” by Phillipa Gregory; “Homegoing,” by Yaa Gyasi; “Sweet Tomorrows,” by Debbie Macomber; “Bullseye,” by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge; “The Nest,” by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney; “The Underground Railroad,” by Colson Whitehead.

Nonfiction: “Grit,” by Angela Duckworth; “Hamilton: The Revolution,” by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter; “American Heiress,” by Jeffrey Toobin; “Hillbilly Elegy,” by J.D.Vance.