A happy and healthy New Year to everyone.

When we are at the start of a new year, we think of New Year’s resolutions.

In the Christian calendar, it’s a little like Lent when we have an opportunity to give up things that are not so good for us.

In Islam, there is advice on changing bad habits for good ones.

In the Sikh religion, Nanak Naam says there are five weapons to fight bad habits.

Giving up a bad habit appears to be a problem we all face at some time in our lives. If we turn the bad habit into a good habit, we know it may take quite a while. Research suggests replacing a bad habit with a good one may take anywhere from 18 to 254 days.

We all know there are 365 days in the year - plenty of time to establish a good habit!

How about adopting the habit of reading every day?

It doesn’t have to be a thick book every day - a few pages will make a great start. If you don’t want to read a story, pick a factual book.

You don’t have to read a book from front to back. A travel brochure or a magazine is a fantastic, quick read.

As Dr. Seuss said, “Reading can take you places you have never been before.”

If you don’t have anything interesting to read, come and visit us. We’ll be more than happy to find something to help you establish a valuable habit for a lifetime of reading.

NEW BOOKS

Fiction: “Her Hidden Genius,” Marie Benedict; “Find Me,” Alafair Burke; “The Last House on the Street,” Diane Chamberlain; “The Magnolia Palace,” Fiona Davis; “Reckless Girls,” Rachel Hawkins; “City of the Dead,” Jonathan Kellerman; “Gwendy’s Final Task,” Stephen King; “Quicksilver,” Dean Koontz; “Lightning in a Mirror,” Jayne Ann Krentz; “Steal,” James Patterson and Howard Roughan; “Abandoned in Death,” J.D. Robb; “Forgotten in Death,” J.D. Robb; “End of Days,” Brad Taylor

Nonfiction: “Enough Already: Learning To Love the Way I Am Today,” Valerie Bertinelli; “The Black History Book: Big Ideas, Simply Explained,” DK; “Patient Zero: A Curious History of the World’s Worst Diseases,” Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen; “The Sleep Fix: Practical, Proven and Surprising Solutions for Insomnia, Snoring, Shift Work and More,” Diane Macedo; “Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth and the Trials of American Democracy,” Jamie Raskin; “Betty White: The First 100 Years,” Andrew E. Stoner; “The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation,” Rosemary Sullivan; “Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies To Keep Any House Under Control,” Dana K. White

Juvenile: “Star Wars Character Encyclopedia (Updated and Expanded Edition),” Simon Beecroft, Pablo Hidalgo, Amy Richau, Dan Zehr and Elizabeth Dowsett; “1619 Project: Born on the Water,” Nikole Hannah-Jones; “The Blue Lady of Coffin Hall (Nancy Drew Diaries),” Carolyn Keene; “Sunlight on the Snow Leopard (Magic Tree House),” Mary Pope Osborne

Young adult: “The Curse Workers,” Holly Black; “In Every Generation,” Kendare Blake; “Lore,” Alexandra Bracken; “Court,” Tracy Wolff

Children’s picture books: “Stacey’s Extraordinary Words,” Stacey Abrams; “The Night the Moon Went Missing,” Brendan Kearney; “Group Hug,” Jean Reidy; “Belle’s Playful Puppy (Disney Princess: Place Pets) (Step Into Reading),” RH Disney; “A Book for Escargot,” Dashka Slater; “Just Help! How To Build a Better World,” Sonia Sotomayor; “Happy Birthday, Fiona,” Zondervan

Children’s board books: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Winter (The World of Eric Carle),” Eric Carle