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ired of reading terrible news and novels about sociopaths? The library has a new collection that will brighten your mood and bring fun back to your reading.

It’s the Vintage Fiction collection and it’s made up of classic children’s books that appeal to adults who enjoy classic literature.

For example, wordsmiths of all ages will enjoy Norman Juster’s 1961 novel “The Phantom Tollbooth” illustrated by Jules Feiffer (call No. VF Just).

The story follows the adventures of Milo and his watchdog, Tock, through the lands of Dictionopolis and Digitopoli. It’s full of puns and amusing wordplay. The Vintage Fiction edition also contains an appreciation by Maurice Sendak and 10 essays about the book by contemporary authors such as Mo Willems, Jean Birdsall and Michael Chabon.

If you prefer an A1 ripping good yarn full of outdoor adventure and meticulous descriptions of camping and sailing, try Arthur Ransome’s 1930 novel “Swallows and Amazons” (call No. VF Rans). It’s about two groups of children who sail boats called The Swallow and The Amazon and the way their imaginative lives color and enhance every bit of their exciting summer spent living on and around Wildcat Island.

The writing is excellent, the characters are alive, and if you enjoy being on the water in a sailboat, Ransom’s novel will make you feel the waves rocking.

If you’re a dog lover, read Carol Ryrie Brink’s “The Highly Trained Dogs of Professor Petit” (call No. VF Brin).

When Willie meets Professor Petit and his five Highly Trained Dogs, he is immediately captivated by the dogs’ talents and the professor’s kindness. This charming, funny book is about the value of kindness even in the face of adversity.

You can browse through all of the titles in the vintage collection by going to the library’s webpage: www.clarkbooks.org. Click on the Catalog tab, choose the Advanced browsing link, click on Collections and choose “F Vintage” in the drop down menu.

You could find a fondly remembered book or a new favorite read.

If you are looking for economical ways to make gifts, decorate or cook for the holidays, remember that the library is loaded with good books for all your holiday plans — even if your holiday plan is to stay at home and read.

Log into the library’s catalog, browse and then use your account to reserve the books you’d like to have.

As I wrote last week, there are bundles of holiday craft and cooking bookazines to be checked out. If you need suggestions, call the library and a member of the staff will be glad to help you.

Librarians can put together collections of books and other materials that meet your personal needs, check them out and have them ready for curbside pick up.

If you’ve already been decorating, share pictures of your exterior or interior decorations, on the “CCPL Virtual Gallery” on Facebook. You can access CCPL Virtual Gallery by searching for it from your Facebook page or by going to the Clark County Public Library Facebook page, opening Groups and choosing CCPL Virtual Gallery. There you can upload a picture of your decorations.

Share some holiday spirit with your friends and neighbors with pictures of your decorations, cookies you make, favorite food recipes or craft ideas.

This time of year, patrons always shared holiday ideas with staff friends and those ideas would often be relayed to other patrons.

This year, by posting to CCPL Virtual Gallery, you can share holiday tips with a wide audience. If you need any help with a post, contact me at john.clarkbooks@gmail.com.

It’s the holiday season. Get yourself a nice holiday-themed mask, wash your hands with scented holiday soap, be social-ly distanced. Santa says that’s the way to be on the good list this year.

John Maruskin is director of adult services at the Clark County Public Library. He can be reached at john.clarkbooks@gmail.com.