Winter Solstice︱Shannon, Kate, & Cate

The winter solstice is upon us! Too many of us enter the darker months with a feeling of dread, but what if it didn't have to be this way? The solstice is a time to embrace the return of the light and rejoice in the gifts that the colder months have to offer. In this conversation, Kate will share a little history surrounding the winter solstice. Shannon will offer ideas for solstice celebration and Cate will share positive winter practices inspired by the Nordic and Scandinavian culture. Enjoy winter hikes in the woods, intentional time with loved ones, cozy reading sessions by the fire, and endless cups of tea! Happy Solstice!

Book Recommendations

loria Buenrostro is NOT My Girlfriend by Brandon Hoang
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
Lost and Found by Kathryn Schulz

Hygge Episode

https://middletownstrong.buzzsprout.com/1546903/11994340-hygge-christy-stephanie-kate-cate

Resources

https://scienceatl.org/science-of-the-winter-solstice/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/well/mind/Scandinavia-Norway-Winter-Mindset.html

Live at Stonehenge: Winter Solstice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a66kvYnGc_c

This podcast uses music by Ashutosh, under a creative commons license:
Time by ASHUTOSH | https://soundcloud.com/grandakt
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Transcript

Welcome to Middletown Strong, Looking Up with Russell Library. I'm Cate T. and I am here with Shannon B. and Kate M-B, and we are here to talk all things winter solstice.  Most people are aware of the solstices, but not everyone chooses to celebrate them. Maybe this conversation will inspire you to add a few more rituals into this darker season. 

So, according to the Farmer's Almanac, the winter solstice, which marks the first day of winter, will occur on Thursday, December 21st at 1027pm Eastern Standard Time for the Northern Hemisphere. This moment marks the shortest day and longest night of the year.  Throughout the ages, the winter solstice has been celebrated and ritualized around the world.

So to tell us more about this, I'll hand the conversation over to Kate for some history and folklore surrounding the day. Take it away, Kate. Thank you. So, um, I did a little research and there's a lot of information out here. I know probably we've all found similar information. Maybe something's a little different. 

And, um, The article I found starts, The Day the Sun Stands Still.  Before the modern era of telescopes and space exploration, early civilizations looked to the skies for an understanding of time, seasons, and even human existence.  Many ascribed meaning to the behavior of the skies based on existing folk tales and cultural perspectives.

Believing the winter solstice's lack of sunlight was caused by monsters who stole the sun away,  some cultures also saw the solstice as an opportunity to create light or goodness in the face of darkness or evil. That's a positive play. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.  And, um, you know, now we see like the, the Festival of Lights in many different cultures and religion.

The Jewish religion has the menorah, um, Diwali, Festival of Lights, Christmas. The tree. Exactly. All that jazz. So, yeah, exactly, right? Yeah. So, history indicates that humans may have been observing the Solstice since the Neolithic  period around 10, 200 BC. In the Stone Age, people held rituals at sacred sites like England's Stonehenge, Ireland's Newgrange and Native American Woodhenge in what is now known as Illinois.

in celebration of the changing seasonal cycle. Now, as I read further into this article, it talks about all the different, um, world folklores and the stories that they come up with. Um, Finnish folklore, the Winter Solstice was believed to be the work of Luhi, the witch goddess of the north who kidnaps the sun and moon while both Yupik and Greek.

Early explanations sought the souls disafforded, gnome like creatures, the opportunity to hunt. So if you see garden gnomes out there Oh my god. I have an obsession with gnomes. I do too! I like, my mom now buys me a gnome for every holiday, every season. Yes! Christmas gnome. I got like a Halloween gnome.

They were like the cutest thing. I agree. And I think it started with Gnomeo and Juliet and now my nieces love that and gnomes are the bomb.  So see, there you go. There we go. If some of your gnomes go missing, you know where they're doing. I know what they're doing.  But the solstice isn't scary in all cultures.

For many, the day is a chance to worship a number of religious deities.  Like Tonanson in Mexico, Kylie Beru in Scotland, Horace in Egypt, and Spider Grandmother by the Hopi. The winter solstice is also frequently associated with Earth's rebirth, as it emerges from the long night to the light of day. as well as the continual cycle of life and death.

And I just want to point out some other events around the world that, um, do celebrate the winter solstice, like Pagan Scandinavian Feast of Jewel, Pakistani Festival of Keomos, and I apologize, my pronunciation of some of these is not accurate, Chinese Dongzhi Festival, and the Roman Pagan Saturnalia. to name a few, are also associated with lighting up the darkness that occurs on and around the winter solstice. 

These occasions and the stories associated with them were powerful tools intended to not only explain what people of the time believed to cause the winter solstice, but also to reassure that the darkness would pass, daylight would return, and joy or light would prevail.  Nice.  It makes sense though, you know, because you think about it.

People knew they were coming into months of, you know, scarce resources and cold and darkness. So this was sort of their, like, okay, it's gonna, it's gonna be okay. The days are eventually going to get, are going to get longer. The sun's going to return. Food's going to be hopefully abundant again. So it, I, my research was showing the same thing that really around the world you can find History of this.

I think people take more of a positive outlook on it as well. It's like we're bringing light back rather than, sometimes I look, you know, December, it's like the crazy months, like with the holiday season and everything, but the solstice makes you Calm down, reflect, look back and just know like, yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that light will continue until it happens yet again in another year. 

And I think that's why we initially decided we wanted to do this episode because it is a time that people get overwhelmed and they're, they're focused on whatever their, their celebrations are and all the extra activities and the extra. things that they have to do and money they have to spend. And the solstice is about none of it.

And actually you, you're not a big fan of holidays. No, I'm not.  Up your alley. I've been very good this year. Cause um,  my credit card's a little scary, but that's okay. The Christmas shopping is done for my family. And. I told my family to chill. I'm like, guys, everyone's getting older. We're doing it for the children.

Don't do it for each other. We're doing it for the kids and we're just going to have a nice time. Get them to celebrate the solstice instead. I'm hoping we can. That would be great. I know my sister definitely would be down. My brother would make fun of us. That's okay. But he can enjoy that.  So.  What does solstice mean? 

We talked about this. Take it away. When Kate Bee was saying, she's like, you know, I'm not pronouncing this right. I'm not going to pronounce this right. So just be wary, everyone. So solstice comes from two Latin words. Sol, which means the sun, makes sense. Sun's coming out again. And sesta  means to stand still.

still. So at this time, it appears the sun and the moon have stopped moving across the sky in a cyclical order of the cosmos. And this time it's remembrance. So kind of looking back, reflecting at what we have done this past year,  remembering the good times, and maybe what we can put forward with the sun rising, the darkness leaving to.

You know goals, life, just anything in the next years. So it happens in some cultures duos looking This is like their new year. Yeah, they don't wait till December 31st, January 1st because that's what we've defined on our calendar, right? But um, the solstice is a time for like a new beginning Yeah So some ceremonies and rituals that you can do some can be your own You know, it could literally be like taking time and reading a book and being comfortable in your comfy corner Which reminds me back to our yes And just spend more time kind of being centered with yourself as we're saying this is a crazy time listening to yourself  Not going at such a fast pace, calming down and just realigning yourself so you can reflect and focus on what's going to happen next and be ready and be open to different things because God, as we know, life changes at like the dime, like I can't even, um, but so besides just doing your own personal things, other ways to practice, um,  Is you can have like a they went into a Yule altar and like the different aspects that go into a Yule altar  Which kind of, the symbolism, which all go into what the solstice is.

So the purpose is to honor the return of the sun. It is essential to have a candle which represents the sun. Um, and symbolizes it. Um, you can also have like pinecones and evergreen and cedars and wreaths and all these things surrounding it because it's a time of Which really just focuses, I feel like, New England.

Yeah. Sorry, everybody out there. We're New Englanders. We're just thinking about ourselves again. Yeah. But at that time, and that's what we kind of think of, you know, and for all of those things. Um, but also as I was saying about. like intentionally doing things. You can set up a meditation space. Um, eating a lot of food and lighting a big fire and being comfortable because slow down.

It's dark. It's not light. We don't need to run a thousand miles a minute. Just  chill. Yeah. One of my favorite celebrations that I did, I did, um, I used to do it quite a bit was us. And I was telling you guys about this previously. Um, Um, where we used, um, at our Audubon society, um, we would have the massive bonfire, uh, and it's beautiful nature preserve.

Um, don't worry, the fire marshals were there, it was fire controlled  and it was a town event and it was people of all ages, so all different types of background coming together to celebrate the solstice. I love that.  So there was a Yule log, um, people shared some stories, but what we did as a group as well was throw rosemary into the fire.

Cause rosemary means remembrance. So a huge other part besides like, you know, the rebirth, the, you know, intentional seeking is also the remembrance of this year. Cause as we're coming to a close in our calendar year, but, um, As it comes to a close to remember all the good things and focus mostly on the positive and how we can grow better as humans. 

So I thought that was kind of cool. Yeah  But yeah, it's okay. Oh one other thing if you guys do want to read a book. This is from the 90s I did get good information from it. It was a good decade and they're coming back my niece the other day had a Nirvana t shirt on and like bootcut  jeans and like A flannel.

And I was like, are you from Seattle? Like, where did you come from? That was my outfit for many years  to a T  But celebrate the solstice honoring earth seasonal rhythms through festival and ceremony by Richard Heinberg. I think I said that right Uh, very lot of good stuff about yeah how if you would want to celebrate how to go about it  Well, we'll throw that in the show notes along with some other resources that we have and I'll link the Hygge episode that you were alluding to from season two, so we'll make sure we get that in there.

Um, I'll talk a little bit more about that in a minute, actually. So, so most Americans tend to dread the winter season. We see cold, dark months as a time to endure, not a time to thrive.  But given that we live in New England and can experience this type of weather for approximately a third of the year, That seems like a lot, Kate.

That seems like a lot to endure.  So I decided to seek some inspiration from our neighbors to the north. So people living in Scandinavian and Nordic countries really seem to have the secret to winter. And I think we should learn from their example. They're also the happiest people in the world. Exactly.

So we have, we have lots to learn, right? So maybe we can enter the darker months with a lighter spirit than we have in years past. But first, I wanted, I wanted to say, so I'll be using both the terms Scandinavian and Nordic, which we often use interchangeably, but they aren't actually the same thing. And it's quite complicated to wrap your brain around because it turns out that there's quite a lot that goes into these distinctions.

But for the purpose of this conversation, I'll just say, Scandinavia is a geographic region that includes Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, all of which are located on the Scandinavian peninsula. So these countries share similar histories, languages, and cultures. The Nordic region, however, includes not only Scandinavia, but also Finland and Iceland. 

So, because if you're there  It's a big deal. You gotta make sure you get it right. You gotta respect it. There's charts. I was trying to follow it. It was quite complicated. Well, you really made that simple, so thank you for Too simple, though. There's way more that goes into it, but for now, it'll do. So, one of the things that sets people living in Scandinavian and Nordic countries apart is their positive winter mindset. 

So, they see wintertime as a time to ground, to slow down, and to spend time doing the things that they love. So, part of this is due to the fact that their governments actually flow with the seasons. So, businesses shut down early, employees get more quality time by themselves, you know, for themselves, their loved ones, and their hobbies.

Wow! Stop! We're doing everything wrong here in America yet again! Yes! Good! So clearly,  that makes a huge difference, but  You know, our society is not set up this way, but we can change our patterns to, to what you were talking about a few minutes ago. So maybe rather than have as many outside obligations once the winter hits, like we take that down a notch.

We spend longer, you know, times reading and maybe make slower cooked meals and do early bedtimes, like that we prioritize these things. So maybe our stores aren't going to close and our work hours aren't going to change. But we can still change our habits. So,  that's a huge one. Um, they also make time and nature a priority all year round.

But especially in the winter. So, in the darker months they make sure to still get fresh air with activities like snowshoeing. Cross country skiing and walks in the snow  and time in nature, as we all know, has been proven to improve well being. And people in this region have embraced it for centuries.

They actually have a philosophy. Now talk about butchering a word. It is spelled. F R I L U F T S L I V.  Fruf s a liv. Fruf s a liv. That's not it. No, with confidence. Fruf s a liv. There you go, with confidence. And that is, that translates to open air life. Oh, awesome. Which is beautiful. That's wonderful. I can say that, that I can say.

You can become your new exclamation point.  Nailed it. Nailed it.  So,  Americans though, we're much more likely to sprint from our heated car to our heated office and then back into a heated house. Maybe we'll stop at a stuffy, crowded gym on the way home where you can see like all the stuff. sweat in the windows.

So gross. Right? But why not experiment with going out for walks in nature? Like we could invest in a warmer coat and hat and mittens and just get out in the cold now so that by January, February, we're more acclimated to it. Um, and that way it doesn't feel as harsh, even if you just start with like short walks and then kind of build your way up.

Um, I even have, they're called yak tracks. Oh, and they're like these grippies that you you literally wrap around your shoes, and they're great if you're walking in like the ice and the snow Yeah, they're really so I when I was walking to work all the time I would drop those on my shoes before I walked because they're not great if there's like black ice or something They're really when there's more on the on the ground, but they're great.

I mean it kept me from falling a lot So that's good. That's a really good thing to, and they're, they're 20 bucks or something. They're really inexpensive.  So yeah, and then another thing is that, so that we were talking about the outside, but Scandinavians really also enjoy purposeful time inside. So back to the, to the hygge.

So they use this as a time to cultivate relationships with their friends and family, improve whatever craft they might be working on, and just return to themselves. Yeah. So, um, So the word hygge, which we've, we've mentioned a few times, it's spelled H Y G G E. And the definition is, let me get this right, a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality. 

That engenders a feeling of contentment or well being, and that is a defining characteristic of the Danish culture. So it's all about embracing slow moments by candlelight, and the acknowledgement of the fact that quiet time spent inside is soul nurturing, restorative, and pleasurable.  So, light a candle!

Put a fire in the fireplace, throw on some cozy socks and a soft blanket. Play that smooth jazz on the record player. With a cup of tea and your favorite book and pet.  And what could be better than that? Honestly, I've been doing that this year. This is my life. I just, I just ran a half marathon. So I was, you know, like gung ho working out, doing that.

Bam, bam, bam. And then after Thanksgiving I was like, I need to chill. Like I have not worked out, but that's okay. I haven't really taken walks yet. I've just been.  Yeah. Read your book. I took on War of Peace. Why did I do that? Cause it's me. And I've been really working on my art. So craft, like, and just going a little slow.

Cause right.  I think I get really bad seasonal depression  and by March I'm gone. Yeah. But  work Shannon's work, Shannon. Um, so I'm trying not to do that. Yeah. Because I feel like I go, go, go, go, go, go, go. And maybe that's what's leading to it. And I'm not in grad school this year. Yeah. So this is an experiment.

It is.  Let's hope. And I don't think that you're, that you're alone. I mean, my husband.  He dreads the winter, but he, there was one year that we lived in Ithaca, New York, which gets a lot of snow and is cold. That was his best year because we literally lived right in the center of town and would go usually a week without getting in the car.

And we had like our, we had, our kids were little. My daughter was not even a year. Our son was like two and a half, three, three. Um, and we just had them in the stroller all the time. And his seasonal depression was. Significantly better just by being out in it all the time. Mm hmm. Oh, wow. So, and just because he was in the sun, even though you're still out, you're not in the house all the time.

So, but then if you make your home environment as comfy and inviting as possible and, you know, bring other people into it as well. My sister used to do, um, winter solstice parties at her house and she would, all the lights went off.  And she would just have candles lit all over the house, she would have the, her fire going, and have soup, and people would bring food, like cheese and crackers, or That sounds perfect!

That's such a vibe. electricity Yes! And it was It was great, and everybody would come, and quiet conversations, and their, you know, drinks would be flowing, whether it was tea, or wine, whatever. Whatever floats your boat. Right? And so, I always remember those. I don't think she's done it in a couple of years, but, um, yeah.

That's beautiful. It was magical. Yeah,  like that's something you could do. Actually brings me to my next question, but like that's something you could do every Friday or Saturday or Sunday, like through the winter, it would probably be a thing that gets people through the week just knowing they can do that. 

Is that, so what I was going to ask both of you. Sorry, I know I jumped ahead. No, no, no, no, no. You were actually going to, you were going right into what I was going to ask you, which is do you, what do you think you are going to do for, to celebrate the solstice or to, you know, to kind of greet the winter in a different way?

Like, would you do that maybe in your house or something else? I like to, like, I just put out the, um, the window candles. So, like, these got to be operating candles. Yeah, yeah. On the, uh, on the window sills. I put two in my bedroom, one in the kitchen, and I've got two in our front window. So, they're on a timer.

So, they just go on at a certain time. Yeah, I love those. And it's just comforting. It is. It's really comforting. It is. Yeah. Yeah. So, that's. There's something about that type of light, even if, even with the, the electric one, you know, the battery operated ones, it's just, it takes you down to a different level.

It's just, cause I have them in my window too. And it's like, like I'll put the tree on and have those on and you're just like, ah. So good. It's just cozy and you have kind of it's the warm lighting Yes, that you're maybe not getting throughout the day because it's so gray in offices and work. It's fluorescent lighting The best lighting, right? 

So bright, I can't see but it's the warm lighting that makes it comforting, you know, yeah Yeah, definitely soup. I mean lately Kind of honed my lentil soup making skills. Oh, that's a good one. There's something about it that's just so good. Well, because it's hearty too. Like it's a soup, but it's got some like heft to it.

I've been crock pot, crock potting it every  Sunday. I know. It's them, like, I was just baking meats. Yeah, you said you made, like, brisket or something, didn't you? I made, uh, God, what is it called? Beef stroganoff this weekend. Oh, beef stroganoff, that's what she said. With tenderloin tips. I didn't even get beef stew.

I was like, I'm going all out. Wow. I made short ribs. I made pulled pork. I think it's time for some chili, but that's not gonna happen. Yeah. Cause, you know, but maybe after Christmas we'll do some chili. But just been crockpotting it. And I love it cause you just get the meats. You Do it at 8am, cooks all day, you're good to go.

Yeah, meal at like 5 o'clock, yum.  Yeah, there's something, there's something about that. Knowing that it's going to be ready. Yeah, crusty bread. Crusty bread with stew, yeah. Oh yeah, yeah. I made like a ratatouille the other day, and I got bread from actually the Chester market. Have you ever been to the Chester?

No.  It's their, right now they're doing their holiday market, but it was so rainy that None of the vendors were there,  but the bread, the bread company was there and it's so good. I don't get down there, but I love Grano Arso, the Italian restaurant in Chester. Oh, I've never been. Oh, yeah. Shout out to you guys.

Awesome food. 

Well, Shannon, are there any other things you're thinking about doing? Okay, so I randomly got invited to a solstice party at a brewery. They're playing Dark Side of the Moon all night. I really don't know if this is gonna be like the solstice that we're describing. It might be different. It might be a little different, but it is a celebration.

So, um, that just randomly happened yesterday. All right. So the plans are intact and I guess that's what happened in next Thursday for me. Yeah. So. That sounds good. Yeah. It'll be, it's still going to be gathering with people. Eating and drinking. Eating and drinking. There's going to be music. Right. And people are coming together.

To celebrate the light that is going to. Yeah. Shine soon.  I've been, since September, I've been taking weekly hikes and it's been so, and I want to do this like through the winter, it's been so nice to really watch the woods change from week to week and I, I mean, I kind of prefer hiking in the winter because you're not dealing with as many ticks and bugs.

Oh, there's nobody else there too though. Yeah, and it's, and it's pretty quiet.  And that has been, it's like to be walking the same paths and have them look so different from week to week. It's just kind of fascinating because you often take for granted where you are. Like I'm just going to Wadsworth. I mean, it's yeah, it's so close.

Well, I mean, neither of you live in Middletown, but for anybody living there. Yeah, it's so close and  Yeah, that's been, that's been really nice. It's beautiful over there. It is. I used to live right near there. I bartended an event at the mansion. Oh my god.  It was, it's nice. It is. It's a good one. Yeah.  Well, I have, and I don't know if either of you are, I'm not super crafty, but this is something that I'm going to try.

This year, my daughter gave me the idea. So I For years, I've done stringing popcorn and cranberries, which is it's just it's like a I don't have any sewing skill or anything But it's literally just a needle and thread and you put and it looks so pretty in the house And then you can also if you don't some people shellac it so that it keeps longer, but I don't do that I just then put it out for the birds.

Yeah  But my daughter wants to do orange garlands So you actually like cut the orange and then you I think you bake it  At like 200 degrees for like two and a half hours or something. Yeah. Until they get dried. And then you put those on the string and you can hang them around and also could hang them outside.

Oh, air fryer. You could probably do it in the air fryer. Air fryer. That's a pumpkin too. That might, that might work. So, um, so yes, I wanna try. Oh, that's cool. Can try that. I know. And then simmer pots. Do you ever do those? No. Oh. Okay, so simmer pots are exactly what they sound like. You basically put a pot of water on the stove.

You could even, I don't know if you could do it, how it would smell in a crock pot, but basically you put the water in and then you can add like a winter one might be cinnamon sticks and orange slices and cranberries. So it's just like cloves like any you could even do with like Pine needles, you know, so whatever those fragrances and you just simmer it really low and it makes the whole house smell really good.

My friend, what he, he used to do for the solstice was make mulled wine. Oh my God, that was good. And then sometimes it was a little look, Ooh, but it was good. But like the, all the scents and all the wonderful, like the cinnamon, everything that was put in very good though. Well, one of the, um, the traditions.

I'm not sure where it began, but it's, uh, it's called wassail or wassail, depends on, and it's, it's a mold. It's like you can make it alcoholic or you can make it not alcoholic, and I've seen different recipes, some with the base of, um, of like apple cider or apple juice, others with cranberry, and then you're adding all those kind of spices, and you could add, you know, liquor if that, if you want to make it that way.

Yeah, and then you, The, the tradition is that you would go wassailing, or wassaling. I think it's wassailing. I think it's wassailing. Yes!  I love that. Go baby, yeah. Sing a little tune.  I've never heard that.  I've never heard that.  Oh, I guess I have heard it. You definitely have. I never knew what that was though. 

I just make up my own words when I sing, so. So do I. This is a choir song. Oh, I love that. I was sharing, uh, I was in choir in college, and so we did, um, Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? And there was a whole dance to it. And I was showing Stephanie or somebody downstairs my little dance. And they were like, Oh my God, okay.

Alright, you're going to have to show us that. KB, is there video of this? No, no, no. Oh, I wish. You never know. I'm burned on.  We can digitize them at the Digitization Center. There you go.  There you go.  But that's such a beautiful, like a beautiful tradition. Yeah. And you go to people's homes, or they come to you, and you know, it's just another way to gather.

Yeah. I just, um, I also wanted to  talk about music, because music is like, especially around this season. Mm hmm. I, I like to listen to, uh, George Winston, December,  because it's very much, uh, that winter themed music. It's very soothing, and so sometimes I put it on in the car when I'm home, I turn the Bluetooth on, and it's just, it's got a lot of music on that album that is just, like, quiet, and it's not necessarily Christmas music, but it's like, this very wintry, uh, Keeps you relaxed.

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I like that. I listen to a lot of jazz, and it's not like fast paced, it's like Coltrane and Davis.  Um, I've been getting into a lot of classical music. So in college I used to paint to classical, because it just would put me in a right sense of mind for some reason. I don't really know. But, um, no.

It's like, Greg, I'm messing up any of these names I listen to, like Debossy, I don't know if I said that right, but oh, it's vibes, like, the Spotify clutch, it's coming in and I'm like, I have a whole playlist and I'm like, this is so soothing. My daughter listens to classical music all the time, like she writes her papers to classical music, she like has it on in the background.

Oh, I was like writing to Skrillex sometimes and I wonder how those papers came out. Maybe not your best work. Actually, no, I think they did well. It was just my mindset then.  Yeah. Empty stomach and just writing. Got it done.  Yeah. Well, I want to tell you two about one other thing. I wrote on the corner of my notes because this might be something you've either heard of or want to try.

So, um, this is an Icelandic tradition. And so it's on Christmas Eve. Okay. I'm going to spell it. Do you know this one? I know it, but go. J O L A. B O K A F L O D. Jalope. Boca Flood  ? No, but I don't know the name. It means Christmas book Flood. Yes. Yes. Okay. So you, you basically get a book for your, one of your loved ones.

Everyone gets a new book. Mm-Hmm. And then you just sit and read together on Christmas Eve and snuggle up on Christmas Eve and just read. How perfect is that? You know, it's amazing, right? My friends, I think my family's gonna redo on Instagram and I was like, this is such a vibe. This is perfect. Yeah. So my, since my son works at rj, Julia.

My daughter was like, we should go in when he's working and we all get each other a book. We'll put names in a hat, we'll each choose one of, one of each other, get each other a book and then do it. So  question. Yeah. What if it's like, I really want this book. Can you pick out the book or do you just have to get the book you're going to get?

I mean, I feel like you can make the rules. Okay. Yeah. I didn't know if there was rules for that. There might be. It might be, but we're also not in Iceland, so if we just put a little spin on it, that might be okay. That's okay, that's okay. Yeah. Just making sure. Since I, since I, maybe Ramona would know, because she was in Iceland.

Maybe she got the answer to that question. I don't know. Maybe she did. I don't know. But, anything else you guys can think of? I'm excited to see what this winter has in store for all of us. Yeah. So. Yeah, I think, I think we all need to slow down a little bit. I think so too. Maybe this is a, this is a good time to do it. 

As an organization, as individuals, as a community, as a larger world. Yeah. I think we all need that. Yeah. So, well, then I think that wraps it up for us. Yeah, thanks guys. This was fun. Yeah, thank you for. sharing in the conversation and thanks to our listeners for joining us. Um, I hope that everyone open or welcomes the solstice with open arms this year, and hopefully it will be lighter and more joyful, joy filled than we imagine.

Um, So yeah, stay tuned for some Solstice inspired reads on Shelf Life and Library Happenings with Turn That Sh up. Happy Solstice, everyone. Happy Solstice. Hello and welcome to Shelf Life. I'm Stephanie Rush and I'm here with my friends Christy Billings and Kate Bond. Hey! And as we wrap up the year, I thought it'd be fun to talk about books that surprised us this year and I think we have probably all interpreted that in our own way.

So I'm excited to hear what books we've brought today. Kate, do you want to start with a book that surprised you?  So I had a lot of personal back and forth about this book because I'm thinking, just recorded the Winter Solstice, and so I'm thinking, oh, books and surprises, and we're going for like cozy and warm, or what, and so I chose  Finley Donovan is Killing It. 

Yes! I took that on my train trip because you recommended it, and let me tell you, I loved it, so I can't wait to hear more, like, from, but there's a series, this is like the best. I'm all for it. Oh, I love it. a fourth one coming out in the summer. Nice. And I gave Kate a blessing. I said, please come talk about this book.

It'll be fun. It'll mix it up a little bit. So please tell us about Finley Donovan. So totally fun. It's Finley Donovan is killing it. Killing It by El Cozumano. Finley Donovan is a divorced single mother and author. And she's killing it!  Maybe, quite literally. After a meeting with her publicist in a Panera, she finds a note left by another customer offering to pay Finley a large sum of money to kill her husband. 

With her nanny as partner in crime, Finley finds herself in a web of deceit. Mistaken identity and bad haircuts. What's a single mom who's broke to do?  Follow Finley and Vero in hilarious madcap bomb of murder, dirty diapers, and the Russian mafia.  This is the first in the series.  Uh, the second one is Finley Donovan knocks him dead.

The third one is Finley Donovan jumps the gun. And the new one that comes back, uh, comes out in March is Finley Donovan rolls the dice. So, her and her nanny, Finley and Vero, the nanny, are finding themselves in these unusual situations.  They think one thing,  but another thing happens. And then they just get sucked deeper and deeper into this whole, like, mess of bodies.

And, you know, it's like, it just keeps getting worse and worse. And somehow, like, there's all these secrets that are being cut, Finley has this secret, then she gets involved with the police, and her sister's a cop, and She like, I forgot her sister's a cop, so Yeah. I've read this too, but it's been a couple of years, so this is a nice refresher.

I forgot. Her sister is a cop and then there's nosy. Yeah. Right. To the, the cute cop. Yep. Mm-Hmm. . Right. And the nosy  neighbor. Mm-Hmm. . And the nosy neighbor.  Wait, isn't there also a, a guy at a bar? Yep. So there's a nosy neighbor. There's the cop, the bartender. There's at the bar. Yeah. The nanny is hilarious.

She wears that wig.  Oh, I, I, Kate, I'm so, I so appreciate that you recommended this because I'm like, Oh, let me see if it's on the shelf. And I read it on my whole train trip up to Vermont. Like, I, I devoured it. I couldn't put it down. I came back and got the second one because  It was wild. Like this mom, this single mom is now like a hit man completely accidentally. 

Now, Kate, did this book surprise you because it's not what you normally read or did it surprise you just because it was so bonkers? It surprised me because it was so bonkers. The family actually gave it to me for Christmas last year, and so I was like, Oh, I feel like my husband is killing it, and I'm like, Oh, she's a mom, she's juggling all this stuff, and I'm like, Oh, this sounds like fun, and then I'm like, Whoa, what?

What are you trying to tell us, children? And then because of all the things that happened, they really are becoming, like, developing their own rap sheet. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's like, but not really even they're like, oh my god, did we do that? What? And Vera was hilarious and she's got her own secrets. She's my favorite.

Yeah. I loved her. She's just like, I don't know. And they've got these toddlers in the background too who are like The kids are like also there and her daughter has like glued something in her hair.  She glued her hair back on. Yeah. She cut it. It got cut off. Yeah. Only because I just read it. Like you get the dad in the background who's,  I have a word for him, but I won't use it because it's, it's not nice.

Yeah, the dad's there too. Yeah. Yeah. And I love how the mom doesn't badmouth him despite the fact that there's a lot of stuff going on. Exactly right. And she keeps it, she keeps it together, you know, with the kids, keeps an even keel. And that's why I really was like, oh, my family gave this to me. This is actually really interesting.

And then I was like, oh, not really what I thought, but really hilarious. I mean, I guess sometimes we all feel like, yeah, you know, like, yeah, I want to just kill somebody. And it ends on a cliffhanger. It does. So you want to have the second one lined up? Yes, absolutely. The second one, which is  Uh, Finley Donovan, Knox, and Doug, and I was like, oh, the cliffhanger is really, really good.

Really good. What? What? Really good, yeah. I closed the book and I was like, wait, what?  What? Let me get the next one. Yeah. Yeah. It's so fun. It's fun. I don't think we've ever talked about a book that we've all read. No! And this was completely like  Yeah, we don't talk about it before we come in. So this is so fun.

And also you just, you both just read it. I read this book like three years ago. So, the fact that you brought it up, I was like, oh yeah, I did read that and now it's all coming back to me. Yeah, it's fun. That's a nice surprise. Yeah,  and that's why it surprised me. I was not expecting what happens to her.

Absolutely, but we all highly recommend it. Yeah, it's a good one. So, I have, I have two. Okay. Um, one is The Wishing Game by Meg Schaefer. Um, so I'll read a little bit about it. Make a wish. Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it's like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books.

Namely, the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a 26 year old teacher's aide, she's able to share her love of reading with bright young students. Especially 7 year old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would do anything to adopt Christopher.  But the idea of becoming a family seems the impossible dream, without proper funds and stability.

But be careful what you wish for. Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he's finally written a new book. Even better, he's holding a contest on the island, the real Glock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to win.  compete to win the one and only copy. For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher.

Meanwhile, Jack, the mastermind Masterson, is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change their lives forever.  So,  I picked this up kind of thinking it was going to be very light and fluffy, and there's a lot going on in this book, there's a lot of good actual discussion that could happen with this book, and I, I was enthralled, I loved the game pieces of it, um, there's good guys, there's bad guys, but there's real people. 

I think Meg Schaefer just hit this out of the park. Um, I would, I think it's probably one of my top ten for this year and I would really recommend it for folks. So I think the surprise for me was just mostly it was more depth than I anticipated. But really good, like Paige Turner, and that doesn't always happen.

Cool.  I had a second one if we have time. Yeah, go ahead. Okay, Lost and Found by Katherine Schultz. I think I might have talked about this before. It's Reflections on Grief, Gratitude, and Happiness. I'll be brief because I know, like, we've got more to get to. Um, but Katherine Schultz writes a, uh, a memoir about finding love and also losing her dad.

And talks about things that are lost and found and I want to give this book to everyone that I know Um, so that's going to be in your stocking some of you Some of you are going to get this under the tree, but it's it's a really interesting look at life Um, I found it Um, the surprise piece for me was that it actually helped me cope with some grief last year when I lost a, a dear friend.

So, um, I think it's a good book to read before you have that happen, but if you're struggling with it, it's also a really good book. That's what I was going to ask. I was going to say, is this a good choice for someone who has not truly experienced a lot of grief, like as a primer? Yes. Okay. Yeah, I would say it is.

Okay. Um, and it's also LGBTQ because I thought so, Catherine finds the love of her life and I love that piece where it's talking about how they got together and their wedding and the beauty of it. So definitely, um, uh, highly recommend this. Cool. Cool.  All right. So I had a book I was going to talk about. I said to Christy, Oh, I got the book and then I changed my mind because I was going to talk about Holly by Stephen King and then I realized we don't need one more person talking about the latest Stephen King book.

We just don't. Um, I have a lot of opinions on it. Come find me later. But I was like, of all the books I've read this year, the new Stephen King is not the one I want to focus on. So it was excellent, but  I have another book that has really been, um, sticking in my brain. So I brought a YA pick, surprising nobody, a young adult pick for those of you who do not know. 

Um, so I brought a YA  and this book is called Gloria Buenrostro Is Not My Girlfriend by Brendan Huang.  And this is one of those books that has like kind of a title that pokes at you like she's not my girlfriend Okay, like you heard me. Gloria is not my girlfriend and I was like, well now I have to find out and I was expecting This book to be like she's not my girlfriend, but we end up together anyways, like it feels like almost like a romance novel like  like it's supposed to be inflammatory  and I am delighted to say that I guess it's kind of spoilery, but like not really This does not end in a romance and I loved that so As a YA reader and as a YA collection developer, it's really hard to find books about male female friendships that are platonic nice.

They're just, they don't have a lot. And having books with a male protagonist in ya space is also kind of rare. It is. Um, and every time I pick one up I'm always delighted. So, um, let me tell you about Gloria and, um, oh my gosh, Gary. His name is Gary . Um, so Gary is a 16-year-old Vietnamese American teen and he's really shy.

And there's only one other Vietnamese kid at school, so they've become friends, for better or for worse. They're friends, but they're kind of friends because of circumstance and not friends because they're kind of thrown together. Correct, because they are two, they're, they're similar and everybody else kind of treats them differently.

Um, but I wouldn't say they're really friends by choice.  And, um, Gary's really struggling with finding his people and fitting in and because he's so shy, he knows he's never going to be like a popular kid. Um, but then he's presented with the opportunity with his other friend to get in with the popular crowd, which, um, he basically has to do like a dare. 

to kind of be initiated into like the cool crowd.  And this dare, or this like, request, um, Is asking him to steal an item from the like untouchable Gloria at school It's got some really gross like toxic masculinity and it like the boys are the boys in this group are like Really gross and they like take things from girls as like treasures.

It's really gross Which is like a really interesting commentary on toxic masculinity and how it presents in teenagers and Gary's like I guess if I want to be cool I got to steal this bracelet from this girl, but she's beautiful. She's perfect. Like she won't mind if I take her bracelet. It's fine Well, he starts to get to know Gloria and he really gets to know her as a person and he's like, oh no I don't want what have I done?

I can't do this. I can't do this. And if I choose to do this She's going to have to find out so they become friends due to some circumstances and, um, he realizes that it's more important for him to keep this real true friendship than it is to kind of be peer pressured into a not so real friendship. Um, and it's all about, you know, the things we do and don't do to try to fit in. 

Which is so prescient in teens and young adults. And just like, who do you consider friends and how your choices affect those people? Um, so I thought this was a beautiful story about this male and female friendship that turns into, not romantic, but it turns into this like, work relationship. They kind of turn into a business partnership and it kind of turns into this like, buddy, um, this like, buddy buddy situation.

So it doesn't get romantic, it's just like, We're friends and we're starting, we kind of are running a business together. So we're like bonding. It's beautiful. It's fun. Um, and it has all these beautiful food descriptions in it. Oh nice. Because Gloria's family is Mexican American and she's always making, um, I think tamales.

That's like part of her business as she makes tamales and delivers them around town. And Gary is Vietnamese and he's constantly talking about all the food they're eating in their house. So, um, not only is it have this beautiful male female friendship, but it also has, um, this really delicious food descriptions.

That's really awesome. Um, so I had a really fun time with, with this one and it's a debut novel, which also surprised me because debuts can be really hit or miss. Um, so this is a male Vietnamese American author based on his own experience. So I'm really looking forward to seeing, um, what Brandon Wong does next.

Yeah. Yeah. So that was Gloria Buenrostro is not my girlfriend by Brandon Wong.  And I had done The Wishing Game by Meg Schaefer and Lost and Found by Katherine Schultz. And I read Finley Donovan is killing it.  Cool. Well, thank you for joining us and hopefully you'll pick up some of these books and hopefully you'll come tell us about some books that surprised you this reading year and we'll have to check back about Holly.

Yes. Yes. I'll talk about Holly at some other point, but today was not the day for that. Another review. Yeah, I love it. All right. Yes. All right. Thank you. See you later. Bye. Bye. 

Hello and welcome to the segment we're calling turn that shh. Up! Projects at Russell Library that are too good to keep quiet. December is here, and Russell Library has fun planned for the school holidays. We'll have opportunities to build, discover, and take some time to relax. Joining me is Shannon Barilleri, from our Digital and Emerging Technologies Department.

So Shannon, how is the holiday season treating you?  Better than normal. Oh, good! Yeah. Um. How is the holiday shopping going? I remember that was on your list. Nice! Almost. I have like two more things to get, but  in tune with the solstice, I am taking things a little bit slowly this year. And intentionally purchasing gifts, not just purchasing them for the means of purchasing them, um, but to have a little bit more purpose with that.

And just taking things slowly. I think that's smart. So I don't Stress myself out because it's not necessary. It's the end of the year. We should celebrate it. Absolutely. So,  you know, no, no What are you gonna say? Well, no, and I've had some really good luck this year shop shopping locally Oh, that's good.

And I wanted to mention that because you had mentioned going to Amato's with your mom  And you know, there are a lot of great places in Middletown to do holiday shopping  I had some really good luck this year at pocket full of posies. Yes Which is just a joy to walk into it really is lovely I mean,  just  The way it's set up.

Everybody is very friendly. Christy actually, um, interviewed the owners on the blog. And, uh, so if you haven't heard that, I recommend it. And if you haven't stopped by, I recommend it too, because it has a vibe that's really like gentle and not pushy. No, it's warming and welcoming. Yes. And it's cozy and it's like everything that you want at this time of year.

In all times of year, but it really shines right now. Yeah, absolutely. And R. J. Julia, um, I'd love to browse a bookstore and, you know, and they have, it is, and you know, even if you're, you're shopping for people who aren't necessarily book lovers, they have a lot of really great gifts. They do. So most bookstores do cause they always have like the little nicks and crannies or like the perfect little thing for like.

Say they're, the person's like a writer, or they're artsy, or it's just like a nice sentimental notebook, who even knows, but they're good. They are, they are. And, um, you had recommended, um, a, a store to me, and I, the name is,  it's awesome, and I don't even know the name, but it's next to Pocket Full of Posies in the street market.

Yes, yes. And it's, um, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's a great vibe, it's kind of about, um,  Earth goddesses and Wiccans, but also with a lot of wit and a sense of humor, um, also self care. Um, I stopped by and the person who was helping me said that the owner, um, is also, um, I think she's in the healthcare field.

She's a nurse, full time, and runs her store, which is pretty cool. And her name is Rachel Castor, which I think is awesome.  Well it goes with the vibes of the store. Totally, it's perfect. Um, and so I had a lot of fun shopping there. I'm going to look up and see. The name, so we're good. No, it's like  Bella Donna, the Stevie Nicks album wrapped into one.

Yes. And if that is your vibe, then you need to go there.  Absolutely.  Cause we were just talking about Stevie Nicks previously.  We should need to bring it all around. So yeah, it's called, um, the store is called I think, uh, Mooncaster. So Mooncaster LLC. So Rachel Caster, Mooncaster, um, again, another store to just go into and just soak up the vibe.

Yeah. It's, it's got wet. It. It promotes self care and it, it'll just give you a little magic to your day. Exactly. So, Main Street, it's, it's really amazing. It is. And I've been, I had a lot of great luck, like you said, picking out, um, intentional gifts, um, being a little surprised and, um, getting something that's unique.

Yeah. Cause I, I love some online shopping, but honestly it can also be exhausting in its own way. I hated it. Yeah. But sometimes, yeah, it's good to support small businesses, especially here in the community. Absolutely, and Middletown does a great job  of, you know, promoting small businesses that are doing cool things. 

Exactly.  Um, but we're also here to talk about the library and we're doing a lot of cool stuff and we're doing, um, I'm really excited by what the youth and family learning department is doing in December. They're doing a lot of programming, um, during winter break when people are home and looking for stuff to do. 

Um, so I think that's great. It's a great thing for families, for grandparents, parents, caregivers who have kids and want to spend time with them.  So on Tuesday, December 26th at 3 p. m. The library will host an afternoon of creating with playful engineers founder Jay Mankita Founder Jay Mankita will help kill  Founder Jay Mankita will help kids to build and design artful mechanisms, creative tools that tell stories and do other useful things.

All of the supplies will be provided, so you want to make sure to visit the library's website to register ahead of time. And make sure you register each young person who plans to participate. Oh, that sounds like fun. Yeah. Yeah. Oh my god, we have a lot of stuff going on for kids this month. Right. This is wonderful.

Yeah, so on December 27th at 3. 30 Come and relax and unwind at Russell Library at our chill out program. There will be make your own bubble tea kits, DIY  stress balls, puzzle games, and more for people to play. Activities will be geared towards the younger ages, but Also people 12 and up, for more information, please visit the library's online calendar.

Oh, that sounds like fun. Yeah, it does. Again, just some time to like regroup and, you know, reset after the holiday rush. Because it's needed.  Absolutely, and you know we were talking about the magic of downtown Middletown, well we're actually going to have Mr. Magic back at the Russell Library for an afternoon of entertainment for families on Friday, December 29th.

So there are going to be two shows that you can choose from, one at 1. 30 p. m. and the other at 3 p. m. So to reserve your seats, uh, make sure you register. Uh, on the library's website, um, the last time we had him here, the, the shows were really full. So you are going to want to try to make sure you reserve a spot.

Yeah, that's nice it's on a Friday because I think it was previously on Saturdays, right? Yeah, I think so. So that'll be good for people, but also another fun thing that's going on is life under The Ice Animal Program? Yes. Okay, so this is, so discover how animals like frogs, fishes, turtles, and beavers survive under the ice in their winter habitats.

Ooh. It is cool. Yeah. Yeah. This program, um, this program is on Thursday, December 28th at 3 p. m. And it's recommended for young people ages 6 to 11, but siblings and family are welcome. Everyone's always welcome at Russell, so no worries really about ages here. Exactly, exactly. And this is being presented by our friends at the Denison Pequot Sipa Nature Center. 

And they've been here at the library before, um, and they always bring, bring animals and they have, um, their own, um, location, um, where animals are doing their thing for the winter. So they'll have a lot of good stories to tell. Thank you for that pronunciation. I would have butchered that completely. And Kim's really good at that. 

Yeah, it was dicey there for a moment. OK. 

Another program that I'm actually really excited that we're doing is, is the Yoga for Littles at the Russell Library. So on Friday, January 5th at 11 a. m., um, there will be a story time and yoga session in the Hubbard Room. And the librarians will focus on mindfulness and movement in this program for kids and caregivers.

And the session will begin with a focused reading from the library's feelings book bin. And then at 11.  15 a. m. the yoga practice will begin and so drop ins are welcome.  So is it like baby and mama yoga? Like not just like that's like a yoga class thing. So it could be like  caregiver and stuff. It's whatever grandma, grandpa, whoever works.

Whoever's flexible and and game for yoga. Yes. So it is it's interactive. So you'll be you know, the the caregiver and the child will be doing yoga together. Okay, um and You know, we're the children's department is really gearing up to do a lot of more movement classes over the winter So there's gonna be some dance  Hopefully they'll continue to do the yoga.

So, you know as kids are you know  Inside more often and they have that energy, bring them to the library to, you know, to move and groove,  burn it off, take naps.  I was about to say, get them worn out and then take them home for a nap  and take some, take some books with you. Um, so yeah, I think that's, it's a really smart thing to do and I'm glad that the.

the children's department is doing that. Um, so and you know, Russell Library appreciates all of the support that we receive from the community. Thank you for listening and please visit our website to learn more about our events and resources. Middletown Strong is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many of the places you listen to podcasts.

Please subscribe and feel free to share what you learn with others. And you can do that, um, Also, feel free to get in contact with us. We now have our own email at podcasts at russelllibrary. org. We would love to hear your feedback. We'd love to hear about people that you know in the community that are doing great things, um, and people we should talk to. 

So, um. It's actually middletownstrong at russelllibrary. org. So that's okay. That was the old, that was the old email. Use our new email, which is MiddletownStrongAtRussellLibrary. org. Thank you for that. It's okay. Um, you can find it on the website too. We have our own webpage as well. That's right. Yes. With all of us on there and our latest podcast.

There you go. Um, and a nice catalog. If you're just starting to listen to us, it's a good way to catch up. on previous episodes as well. So, um, and we're excited about it because Russell Library ultimately has too many exciting things going on to keep them quiet. Talk to you next time. Talk to you next time.

Thanks, Shailen. Thanks, Kim. Bye.