The busy holiday season is under way. Feeling stressed already? We've got a few ideas for library resources that will help you stay efficient, sane and on budget for the rest of 2015.

DVDs

Make the entire family happy with movies and TV shows from the library. Stressed about time? Relax! All our DVDs can come home with you for at least six days, and most for seven days. You can renew most DVDs if your family decides to stay longer...

Music

Set the mood for holiday gatherings with music. We just updated our holiday music collection - including new releases from Brian Setzer Orchestra, Mormon Tabernacle Choir (featuring Sesame Street characters), and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. You can browse all the newly added CDs via CountyCat. Not into holiday tunes? You can find solid choices for dining music in just about any genre, depending on your crowd's tastes.

Head to our website for a few more ideas!

WINTER READING IS BACK

Mark your calendars for our s

econd annual adult winter reading program- Booked All Winter!

Stop in between January 4th and March 11th to pick up a registration bookmark, fill it out, and return it to enter in our prize raffles. The more you read, the more chances you have to win!

A special thank you to Nathan Villa from the Spice House and everyone who made it out to the "Lure and Lore of Spices" last month. It was fun to learn more about the origins of spices and even better to take some home. Look for more great programming in 2016!

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT

Tinker Lab & Teen Tuesdays

Do more at the library after school than just your homework!

Teens in grades 7-12 can hang out and geek out at Teen Tuesdays in the Village Center Meeting Rooms every other week from 4:00-5:30 PM. Video games, snacks & space to do whatever you want within the bounds of reason.

Tweens & teens should check out Tinker Lab for a creative outlet with tech, crafting, and more. Thursdays once a month from 4:00-5:30 PM. The calendar for teen events can be found on our website.

Family Time

The holiday season brings an abundance of quality family time. Kick it off with a family craft night on Tuesday, December 8 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM.

If your little ones aren't yet craft-capable, join us for Pop in & Play - geared towards early literacy play and movement. Monday, December 14 at 10:00 AM.

You can find all the kid-friendly events in December - and every month - on our website.

FROM THE FRIENDS

A monthly update from the Friends of Shorewood Public Library

Make a book list, check it twice - and support the Library

Join the Friends of the Shorewood Library as we welcome Daniel Goldin, proprietor of Boswell Book Company for a Holiday Book Talk on Saturday, December 5 at 11 a.m. in the Friends' Program Room in the Library. Daniel will share book recommendations - from today's top fiction to the most interesting nonfiction. His recommendations cover all ages and all different types of readers as well.

Then, buy some books to support the Friends of the Library! A portion of the sales comes back to the Friends to support library programs and collections. Last year, one Friend did all her holiday shopping at the book talk, with great results. "All the choices were great hits," she said.

Join us this Saturday at 11 a.m. For more from the Friends, including gift book ideas, check out the blog.

While you are there, pick up a Friends membership form and join us! Your donation is tax-deductible. Feel free to contact the Friends with any questions or to volunteer at: shwd.libraryfriends@gmail.com.

YOUR NEXT FAVORITE BOOK (or movie)

Recommendations from Shorewood Library staff! For even more recommendations, follow our staff blog and explore our curated booklists (genres, topics, read-alikes and more).

Fates & Furies

by Lauren Groff

Emily recommends this expansive examination of love, relationships and the passage of time to readers who enjoy literary fiction in particular.

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

by Sarah Vowell

Kate the clerk says: "Vowell's matter of fact approach to history is always refreshing, and her affection for her subject is readily apparent by how funny she finds the great general."

Taxidermy Art: A Rogue's Guide to the Work, the Culture, and How to Do It Yourself
by Robert Marbury

Hayley recommends this fascinating book to flip through: "Part art and part taxidermy, Marbury shines a light on uncommon artists that push the ordinary into the extraordinary."