The Library Playaway Weight Loss Plan

Here's a fresh new weight loss idea submitted by one of our members. 

For years the words “work out” were anathema to me.  You, like me, have undoubtedly read articles about the virtues of daily exercise for weight loss and overall health and mood improvement.  Perhaps, like me, you’ve glanced at these articles, sighed, and quickly turned the page.   It took my experience this summer with a new audio technology at the library to make me a believer in the good that exercise can do.

 Knowing I’ve long enjoyed audio books and regularly borrow them from the library, a friend told me about Playaways, small cassettes which hold an entire book.  You don’t have to download anything.  The borrower simply supplies her own headphones and a AAA battery.

 I’ve wanted to lose 10 pounds for a while.  With the Playaway, I quickly found that if I’m listening to a book while walking, I can walk for an hour or more.  I’ve walked all over Cambridge and Somerville listening to We Bought A Zoo, The King’s Speech, David Copperfield (haven’t read that since high school!), Middlemarch (never read that in high school), and currently, A Soldier of the Great War. Because listening to a book always feels like a delicious escape from responsibility, I find myself plotting ways to fit in an extra walk or a longer one.

Since starting the “Playaway diet” in June, I’ve lost 6 pounds and feel great.  My new first stop at the main library is the mezzanine where I check out what’s on the Playaway shelves.  This has truly been the best feel good and lose weight activity I’ve ever heard of. 

Cambridge is embarking on some gorgeous autumn weather, perfect for being outside -- so now is a great time to stop at the library and start your own Playaway habit.

There are always great things happening at the library! For more information on how you can get involved with the Friends and help to support our Cambridge libraries click here.

More Good Press

Since this blog began, we've written many times to share with you the accolades that have been received by our beautiful new Main Library.  This time, a library visitor has taken up her pen, or should we say keypad, to spread the news.  You can read her post at http://masslibraries.tumblr.com/ , the blog of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. 

While you are there, you could always add a comment or photo of your own.  Spread the word!

There are always great things happening at the library! For more information on how you can get involved with the Friends and help to support our Cambridge libraries click here.

Put a Literary Twist on your Holiday

Halloween is just around the corner. If you've exhausted all of the usual costume ideas over the years, why not think about transforming yourself into a literary character or a book title? Try these on for size:

 

• The Grapes of Wrath: purple balloons over green tights

• Old Man and the Sea: a fishing hat, rod, a plate of fried bananas, and wrinkles
• Lady Macbeth: fake blood on hands, a candle, and a nightgown
• Ophelia in Hamlet: a crown of flowers and a frantic expression
• Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire: a ripped undershirt, preferably with sweat stains
• Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment: an ax and a cross
• Miss Havisham in Great Expectations: a frayed wedding gown and some of last week's cake
• Montag in Fahrenheit 451: fireman’s hardhat, a pile of books, and a lighter
•  Fifty Shades of Grey: go monotone
• The Kite Runner: assorted kites (broken glass optional)

We would love to hear your costume ideas, so think about posting a comment before October 31^st.  Happy Halloween!

There are always great things happening at the library! For more information on how you can get involved with the Friends and help to support our Cambridge libraries click here.

CambridgeREADS Announces its 2012 Selection

Hard to believe, but this year will mark the 10th anniversary of the CambridgeREADS program. To honor this auspicious milestone the selection committee concentrated on books by local authors. In addition, since the last two books were non-fiction, the committee moved novels to the head of their list. Three Weeks in December by Audrey Schulman came out on top.  

There will be a "Meet the Author" program on October 25th at the Main Library at 7 PM which will be followed by a book signing held in cooperation with Porter Square Books.  In addition there will be three companion programs on Thursday evenings in October.  You can read more about the book, its author, and the up-coming programing by following this link.

 

If you belong to a book club, why not make Three Weeks in December your September or October pick?  It will provide your group with lots of opportunity for discussion topics, among them the endangered mountain gorillas of the Congo, Aspergers, the colonization of East Africa, and the true story of man-eating lions during the construction of the British railway.  

 

If you'd like to know more about the history of the CambridgeReads program and their book selection process, you can follow this link to a previous post on our blog.

 

There are always great things happening at the library! For more information on how you can get involved with the Friends and help to support our Cambridge libraries click here.