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By James Gardner

Clark County Public Library

There is no equivalent word in English, but in Japanese, the word is tsundoku. Tsundoku is the phenomenon where you own books that you haven’t read. If you have a to-be-read pile (or TBR pile), then you are committing tsundoku. Many of you are probably experiencing tsundoku right now. A stack of books might be beside your bed that threatens to crush you in the middle of the night. As bibliophiles prepare to celebrate National Book Lovers Day on Aug. 9, I am reminded of, and forced to confront, my tsundoku.

One important thing that I’ve learned working at a library is that there are a lot of books. I mean a lot of books. Just like jelly beans, from licorice to popcorn and everything in between. Imagine if you liked jelly beans and got a job at the jelly bean factory, surrounded by temptation. Now imagine those jelly beans not being eaten immediately but gathered by your bedside or categorized into a list that gets longer and longer. It makes me a little anxious sometimes, thinking about all the books I have to read.

But books are awesome! Where else will you find stories and ideas to stimulate your mind? And I already hear many of you practically shouting, “Internet!” The Internet might solve the issue of physical space, but it doesn’t magically make the books I need to read disappear.

It forces me to realize that–deep breath!–I can’t read all the books, that I control what I read, and that I just enjoy reading when I get the chance to. I must be zen enough to say, “Be in the book I am currently reading.” If I am deep in tsundoku, it is only because I am also a book lover. I will keep loving books because the pleasure I get from reading them far outweighs any anxiety I might have by them not being read.

Be sure to enjoy our books and these programs:

• On Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 6 p.m., Ron Kibbey’s Comedy Classics features a screwball comedy starring Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. Hoping to receive a million-dollar donation for his museum from a wealthy society matron, a hapless paleontologist (Grant) gets entangled with a free-spirited heiress (Hepburn) and manic misadventures pile up—including a missing dinosaur bone and a leopard on the loose. A classic screwball comedy. Popcorn and drinks will be provided.

• This week’s Kentucky Picture Show, premiering Aug. 9, at 2 p.m., features the story of George Foreman. Fueled by an impoverished childhood, Foreman channeled his anger into becoming an Olympic Gold medalist and World Heavyweight Champion, followed by a near-death experience that took him from the boxing ring to the pulpit. But when he sees his community struggling spiritually and financially, Foreman returns to the ring and makes history by reclaiming his title, becoming the oldest and most improbable World Heavyweight Boxing Champion ever. Popcorn and snacks will be provided.

• Why should kids be the only ones to get storytime? From 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., on Thursday, Aug.10, the library will be having Adult Storytime. Sit, enjoy some snacks, have some fun, and listen to some classic and contemporary stories being read aloud. Feel free to bring your favorite short story to read and share with others. Napping is not allowed because you won’t be able to get to sleep later.

• On Saturday, Aug. 12, at 2 p.m., the library’s Winchester Fiber Arts program is offering a place for fiber artists to work. All fiber arts are welcome, crochet, spinning, needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch, quilting, weaving, rug hooking, etc. Bring a project to work on.

• There will be a Friends of the Library meeting on Thursday, Aug. 17, at 6:30 p.m. in the Brooks Community Room. The Friends of the Library had been an integral part of the library up until about 2013. Most of the organization’s emphasis has been on raising funds for the summer reading programs and activities for young readers.

• On Saturday, Aug. 19, at 2 p.m., the Winchester Black History & Heritage Committee’s Between the Lines Book Club will be discussing “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek” by Kim Richardson. This best-selling historical fiction story is about one of eastern Kentucky’s last living Blue People in Appalachia and the healing power of the written word. Copies of the book are available at the library’s front desk.