This past weekend I enjoyed a solo al fresco breakfast in downtown Columbia, and as I sipped my coffee I realized I wanted to be doing anything but scrolling on my phone. I needed to spend some time with myself, not enthralled with whatever might show up on my social media. After telling my insulin pump to give me a bolus for my bagel and iced oat milk latte, I put my phone away and settled into the moment. I heard gossip and watched people go to and fro while petting the occasional puppy as they passed by. I can’t believe I didn’t bring a book, is what I kept telling myself. I had just started “Cats Cradle” by Kurt Vonnegut and it was ripe for reading on this sunny summer afternoon. If only I would’ve brought an analog bag to cure my idleness.
This Reader’s Digest article discusses the cure for doomscrolling and how to make an analog bag. Here at the library we have several items that could be fabulous additions to your analog bag including Fiber Art Kits. You could “Learn to Crochet” or even “Learn to Loom Weave.” You can put a Fiber Arts Kit on hold through the catalog or ask about them at the reference desk.
Analog Scrolling
Recently, in a similar vein to the analog bag, I’ve been enjoying the screen-free activity of analog scrolling. To begin analog scrolling all you need to do is find a large non-fiction book with plenty of pictures and get to flipping those pages. It’s basically Pinterest but without the ads and AI photos in between the art and outfit inspo you’ve been trying to enjoy. No need to read every word or look at every picture, just flip the pages and let yourself relax. Check out these scroll-worthy books that are available in the adult non-fiction section on the second floor at the Columbia Public Library:
Are you in the mood to revamp your space? “A Mood, A Thought, A Feeling” might inspire you to do just that with elegant and colorful introductions into how you can design your mood through pattern and style. Several home aesthetics are displayed from historic country homes to luxurious penthouses.
Whether you’re getting married or just like to throw a party, take a look at Martha Stewart’s collection of party aesthetics in the book “Martha Stewart Weddings.” Martha includes a questionnaire for the brides, grooms or party planners to open the road to a celebration of love. I’m particularly fond of the ‘garden affair’ aesthetic.
Wright Morris captures the essence of the American Midwest in “Distinctly American.” The Library Journals states that “many of Morris’s photographs are considered American masterpieces, wonderfully composed and executed.” Take a flip through 80 photographs of iconic Midwestern iconography.
Stunning visual representations of information surrounding our world today are displayed in “The Infographic History of the World.” If you want to learn some interesting facts while analog scrolling then this book might be for you.
“Bird: The Definitive Visual Guide” profiles more than 1200 species of birds and lists details about species, habitats and more. I enjoyed the pictures of the owls, specifically the Tawny Frogmouth on page 390.
“A Century of Poetry in the New Yorker” is an anthology of poems from the New Yorker published from 1925-2025. Two of my favorites that I found while analog scrolling include “The Public Library” on page 150 and “Artless” on page 759. Try analog sharing a poem with a friend this summer. We have postage stamps and envelopes for sale at the Columbia Public Library circulation desk for your poetry sharing needs.
