I read an article by Tracy Brower the other day. In the article, she talks about the benefits of giving, as well as the ways we can give within our community.

People are fundamentally linked in our society through smaller communities. Connecting to others in our community strengthens ties and develops empathy.

Giving purposefully is beneficial to both the giver and the receiver of the gift.

“Our brains provide a positive hit when we do things for the health of our community,” Brower said.

There are three main ways to give, according to her article.

Time

You may find that a neighbor or community organization could do with help. You could donate your time to clearing an elderly person’s leaves. Or, like Tristan Hodson in the Catasauqua Press’ Aug. 25 edition, spend time clearing litter from Catasauqua streets.

Talent

Do you have a specific talent?

Can you read to a housebound person or bake cookies? Can you raise seedlings or babysit for a busy parent?

Treasure

If you find yourself with extra money, you can use that for the good of our community. Last week, I was buying coffee for the library staff. The woman in the queue suddenly reached over the counter and said, “I’m paying for that.”

I stammered my thanks, and she said she was paying it forward. It doesn’t have to be a fortune to make someone’s day.

How will you give to your community?

Giving Tuesday will be here soon - Nov. 29.

I would like us all to stop and think about how we will give on that day and into the future.

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NEW BOOKS

Fiction: “Next in Line,” Jeffrey Archer; “The Winners,” Fredrik Backman; “Long Shadows,” David Baldacci; “Treasure State,” C.J. Box; “The Boys from Biloxi,” John Grisham; “Endless Summer,” Elin Hilderbrand; “Captive,” Iris Johansen; “The Big Dark Sky,” Dean Koontz; “Clive Cussler’s Hellburner,” Mike Maden; “Tick Tock,” Fern Michaels; “Vince Flynn Oath of Loyalty,” Kyle Mills; “Our Missing Hearts,” Celeste Ng; “The Marriage Portrait,” Maggie O’Farrell; “The Girl in the Castle,” James Patterson and Emily Raymond; “The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas,” James Patterson and Tad Safran; “Mad Honey,” Jodi Picoult; “Righteous Prey,” John Sandford; “Dreamland,” Nicholas Sparks; “The High Notes,” Danielle Steel; “Suspect,” Scott Turow; “Distant Thunder,” Stuart Woods

Nonfiction: “Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls,” Kathleen Hale; “Prisoners of the Castle: An Epic Story of Survival and Escape From Colditz, the Nazis’ Fortress Prison,” Ben Macintyre; “Operation Pineapple Express: The Incredible Story of a Group of Americans Who Undertook One Last Mission and Honored a Promise to Afghanistan,” Scott Mann; “Five Floors Up: The Heroic Family Story of Four Generations in the FDNY,” Brian McDonald; “Lethal Tides: Mary Sears and the Marine Scientists Who Helped Win World War II,” Catherine Musemeche; “Killing the Legends: The Lethal Danger of Celebrity,” Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugar; “Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories,” Kelly Ripa; “American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper,” Daniel Strashower

Juvenile: “Odder,” Katherine Applegate; “The Chroma’s Clutches (Spinjitzu Brothers No. 4)”

Young adult: “Demon in the Wood: A Shadow and Bone Graphic Novel,” Leigh Bardugo and Dani Pendergast; “Kingdom of the Feared,” Kerri Maniscalco; “The First to Die at the End,” Adam Silvera

Children’s picture books: “The Crayons Trick or Treat,” Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers; “Pete the Cat Plays Hide-and-Seek,” James and Kimberly Dean; “Hey Bruce! An Interactive Book,” Ryan Higgins; “Dragonboy & the Wonderful Night,” Fabio Napoleoni; “Busy Betty,” Reese Witherspoon; “Little Blue Truck Makes a Friend,” Alice Schertle