As we all navigate this unprecedented time and do our part to stay home to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we thought it might be fun to share what FDL staff are doing to pass the time. While most of us are still working from home, we definitely have more time on our hands for reading, creativity, hobbies, and more. So here’s what some of us have been up to this week – we hope you enjoy!
The Adventure Zone podcast – “You should go all the way back to episode 1 and listen to the episodes in order. There are well over a hundred episodes, so once you get into it, it can keep you entertained for hours and hours.”
The Twilight Zone – “My parents and I have been rewatching the original series on Netflix. It’s not exactly light-hearted, but it’s such a good show.”
Archiving Family History – “I’ve been working on transferring my family’s old VHS home movies onto DVD. It’s been an ongoing project for a few months, but the extra time I’ve gotten this past week has helped me get close to finishing all of them.”
– Cindy, Youth Services Assistant
The Chronicles of Narnia series – “When I was a kid, I was utterly addicted to all books, but I had a special weakness for The Chronicles of Narnia. I would finish The Last Battle, and I’d turn right around and start in on The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe all over again. Now that many of us are stuck at home and looking for things to do, rather than cleaning out my closets, I’ve turned again to my childhood obsession. I won’t be reading them a half a dozen times, but I will be reading them in order.” The Chronicles of Narnia series is available from our digital catalog in eBook and audiobook formats from ADML/Overdrive, Axis 360, and hoopla.
All Creatures Great and Small series – Another series of “comfort food books” I’ve been bingeing on is James Herriot’s classic animal stories about his experiences as a veterinarian in Yorkshire in the 1930s. I own all five of his books, and while re-reading them, I discovered to my intense delight that I’d only read the first three. So there have been new stories to discover, even in a well-loved series. The series is available in eBook format from our Axis 360 collection.
– Sylvia, Circulation Specialist
Making Facemasks – Melissa has been making fabric facemasks to donate, which you can read more about here. “When my daughter is helping me, we are binge watching NCIS. When it’s just me, I stream an audiobook on my phone using the hoopla app. I’m currently enjoying A Study in Scarlet Women.” This audiobook is available to check out from hoopla.
– Melissa, Reference Assistant
Handel’s Messiah – “For me, having some work to do at home has helped having to stay home. Listening my pastor’s daily devotion and listening to music has also helped big time. Yesterday I listened to Handel’s Messiah & today I listened to Queen (We are the Champions).” FDL cardholders can stream music albums from hoopla.
– TJ, Circulation Specialist
Mindcraft: Builders and Biomes – “We play a variety of games in our home, but the ones we are playing now are the Mindcraft: Builders and Biomes boardgame and Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch.”
– Laura, Adult Services Manager
This Podcast Will Kill You – “I love this podcast by two grad students studying disease ecology, and they just released six episodes where they exclusively cover COVID-19, discussing the virology, control, vaccines, and even mental health with experts. Sometimes it’s helpful to hear information in a format that doesn’t involve alarming headlines and pundits.”
– Beth, Communications Specialist