13 April 2026

National Library Week is approaching, April 19-25, 2026.

I love libraries! For me, it means I can get books when I want to read them, and then return them, because I’m probably never going to read them again (although I admit, sometimes I “try out” a cookbook from my library and then buy it - used, of course - if I like it). Less clutter, better for the planet and the beautiful connection with all the previous readers of that very same book.

Libraries also serve as a community hub. I don’t know if I’ve just been lucky, but all of the libraries I’ve been to (and I’ve been all around Westchester County) have offered clubs, activities, internet access, educational events and more. It’s the place where everyone is welcome and a library card is free!

I’ve always been a “heavy user” of the library system, but it was Mychal Threets on instagram who got me thinking more deeply about how grateful I am for my local library and how libraries provide the ultimate safe space for our kids [and adults too].

It seemed appropriate that many of my first events for Building Healthy Communities Westchester will happen in our libraries. From cooking classes to film screenings to cookbook pot lucks, libraries are the place where we can show up for our community, meet people and learn something new.

My library offers loans of baking pans, bird-watching kits, board games and bongos. Libraries, of course, are primarily known for the BOOKS (no, those physical items have not gone extinct in this digital world, although you can borrow e-books from the library now). Some of my favorite books include:

Cookbooks

For easy recipes with no specialty ingredients: Fuss Free Vegan by Sam Turnbull. For format and photos, my favorite is Plant You by Carleigh Bodrugh, and for slightly more involved recipes that are worth it, my go-to is Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen by Chloe Coscarella.

Non-fiction

I found a thought-provoking easy read in Less Is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World. And The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor is incredibly interesting and enlightened me to many things I did not realize about our food. Lastly, I’m not being morbid when I say I’d recommend everyone read, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. The scary thing about death is we don’t talk about it enough, even though we know it’s a certainty.

Fiction

I like historical fiction and All the Light We Cannot See is definitely one of the best. I generally avoid long novels, but The Overstory by Richard Powers sucked me in and left a lasting impression.

I’m sure I’m forgetting many; we don’t remember every one but they all leave an impression on us that we may not realize. Books take us around the world, introduce us to new perspectives and keep our brains active. What books have had a lasting impression on you?