January 1, 2022

Jane LeGros is the director of marketing and communications for the New Orleans Public Library. When not fretting over new years, she enjoys visiting museums and adding to her plant collection.

When Mardi Gras is in late February or early March, January can be a weird month. It’s after the holidays but Carnival festivities have yet to start. Plus, it’s a new year. Where did 2021 even go? I still feel like it is 2020.

But for all the weirdness, I do like to treat it as a fresh start. This January, I’m finally going to start reading the ever-growing list of books that I have in a note on my phone.

I know what you’re thinking. “You must read a lot since you work at the library!” I do love to read, but I’ve been going through a personal taste change lately that kind of left me thinking about books instead of reading them.

I thought I loved fiction. I thought fiction was the only thing in which I was interested. But, lately, the books on my list are all nonfiction. This change has made me feel more adult. Now all I need is a good crossword puzzle. (By the way, you can check out books about crossword puzzling at the library.)

For now, I will feel more adult by reading some of the biographies on my list, starting with Untamed by Glennon Doyle. Already a fan of hers, I cannot wait to dive into her story after hearing about it for months from friends who didn’t take as long as me to appreciate nonfiction.

Untamed’s summary reads, “In her most revealing and powerful book yet, the beloved activist, speaker, and bestselling author of Love Warrior and Carry On, Warrior explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet the expectations of the world, and start trusting the voice deep within us.”

After Untamed, I plan on checking out Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab. I follow her on Instagram, and her book has been on my list for months. As far as influential therapists on social media go, she’s one of the best. Her ability to make me think introspectively and to give practical, helpful advice makes me excited to read more of her wisdom.

From the Set Boundaries, Find Peace summary: “End the struggle, speak up for what you need, and experience the freedom of being truly yourself. Healthy boundaries. We all know we should have them—in order to achieve work/life balance, cope with toxic people, and enjoy rewarding relationships with partners, friends, and family.”

With these plans solidified, I think I’ve discovered the perfect way to settle into the new year without it feeling weird. I definitely can’t back out now that my plans have been printed, right? Right.

Before I finish up here, I want to plug the library’s delicious new collection. We have cake pans available for check out at Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center. Our pans were generously donated* for library cardholders to use at home without having to buy new cake pans. More information can be found at nolalibrary.org. Happy baking!

*The Library is not accepting pan donations at this time.