As we close out the final days of this year, treat yourself to a deliciously distracting new book —a book that you can dip into and out of throughout the holidays. Read up, rest up, and enjoy yourself.

A must-have guide for yoga-loving mamas, Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond offers helpful relaxation techniques and breathing exercises that are tailored to each pregnant woman. The book also lays out valuable techniques for labor and staying in touch with your body as it continuously changes.

We could all use a little more peace in our lives. Uniquely suited for children and parents to do together, the 40 mindfulness exercises recommended here —from pausing to fully enjoy a tasty sandwich to taking chalk walk together—will not only teach children calm and gratitude, but also bring grown-ups and their littles closer together.

Frankie Elkin is a recovering alcoholic who devotes her time to solving cold cases, especially those involving people of color. A new investigation brings her to Boston, searching for a Haitian teenager who disappeared months ago. But as Frankie starts asking questions, someone else will stop at nothing to keep the answers hidden.

Lauren Redniss’ Oak Flat tells the story of the land near the San Carlos Apache Reservation through an Apache family fighting to protect the land which the U. S. government and two world-power mining enterprises are attempting to seize and destroy for its copper resources. Visually striking and deeply reported, Oak Flat tells a larger story of endless westward expansion and native resistance.

Adult Summer Reading

How to participate (参加):

Starting Saturday July1 sign at the Circulation Desk and receive a Summer Reading T-shirt! Enter a raffle ticket (彩票) for each book you read for a chance to win a weekly prize.

Read any book of your chance. The more you read, the greater your chance to win a prize! Entries must be received by Tuesday, August 22 at 9pm.

Notes: Send us a photo of yourself wearing your Summer Reading T-shit to framinghams ummerreading@ gmail. com for a chance to win a grand prize.

What you can win:

Weekly prizes will be drawn on the following days

July10- Gift card for a dozen donuts donated (捐赠) by Cael Bagel

July 17- $5 gift card donated by Mad Willes

July 24- $5 gift card donated by Mad Willes

July31- $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble donated by the Friends of the Framingham Library

August7 $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble donated by the Friends of the Framingham Library

August14- $25 gift card donated by Zaftig Delicatessen

Grand prize

880 gift card to Barnes&Noble or a Kindle Paper white donated by the Friends of the Framingham Library

The Finale Concert

Wednesday. August 23 at 7pm Costin Room, Main Library

The grand prize winners will be drawn, followed by a concert by The Love Dogs. Enjoy ice cream donated by Ben & Jerry’s Natick.

For more information: Call 508-532-5570 x4351 or visit www. framinghamlibrary.org

As a college student in Boston, I formed the habit of buying used books. I enjoy the hunt, the good price and the unrecognized treasures. I find old textbooks, ex-bestsellers, and books on subjects I’ve never heard of and now must learn all about. I don’t search for rare books, first editions, or leather-bound editions but books that are worth reading.

Rereading, for me, is a pleasure during retirement. The theater and the concert hall become less appealing to me, along with crowds. Staying alone and reading books have become extremely important to me. Literature needs the flesh of experience to have its full effect. Different books offer me insights and ways of expressing that stuck in my mind as grains of sand in an oyster now shine like pearls. My taste in books improves with age.

While packing for a move, which occurs at intervals of five to seven years, I clear my shelves and pick my books. I abandon a few, later regret my decisions, and look for them again. Several years ago, I got rid of books related to my job-architecture. Some were design guides, reference books, product catalogs, and things that went out of date. Some were historical or centered on a period or an architect. These had given me many hours of pleasure. Will I ever open their covers again? Certainly. I held on to the red bulk of Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture and books on Paris, Rome, and Boston.

I gave away drafting equipment and instruments. I threw out rolls and rolls of paper, and old drawings of projects completed long ago, some of which had even been damaged. This time, I stay put in a cottage that suits my status and I’ve moved on in spirit. No doubt I will acquire more used books and throw away more books as passions grow and fade, like feathers changing with the seasons.