I mentioned in last week’s column that being a librarian doesn’t mean just sitting around and reading books all day.

That’s true, but we do love books, so generally we get our sitting around and reading done in the evening. It’s important to keep up to date with your professional literature, and we sure are lucky that ours is such fun.

Curious about what my coworkers have been reading lately, I took it upon myself to find out.

Harolyn has recently enjoyed “How It All Began” by Penelope Lively, on the recommendation of a patron. She says it’s about a mugging and how it affected people’s lives, and that it was fantastic.

On the youth front, she read M.T. Anderson’s latest, “The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge,” which she’s sure is going to be an award winner. Reviews of the graphic novel online, which I sought out to verify the spelling of Brangwain, unanimously mention its hilarity as well.

Meg has been enjoying the Dragonsitter series by Josh Lacey with her young son, which she describes as an early reader written as a series of emails sent by young dragonsitter Eddie Smith-Pickle to his uncle. Interesting!

Meg herself is reading “Stardust” by Neil Gaiman and “The Last Librarian” by Brandt Legg. The former is fantasy, and the latter a dystopian future.

Joanna was in a reading slump for the last few weeks, so to ease out of it and build some momentum she requested a children’s chapter book from another library, “The Dollar Kids,” by Jennifer Richard Jacobson, a Maine author. It was about several families moving to a small town that raffled off five houses for a dollar, and their subsequent trials and tribulations to fix the houses up and become part of the community. Joanna’s now moved on to “Black Feminist Thought” by Patricia Hill Collins, essential reading for those interested in feminist issues.

I was reading “Fever 1793” by Laurie Halse Anderson before my teenager stole it. It’s historical young adult fiction about the very real yellow fever epidemic that hit Philadelphia in 1793. Daughter is giving it rave reviews, which must mean most of the characters die. She’s a disaster fan.

Before that, I binge-read “The Evil Inside,” a Halloween horror-romance by Heather Graham. Lots of fun.

I asked Gloria, one of our volunteers and a board trustee, what her favorite novel of all time is. She said she has two: “A Woman of Substance” by Barbara Taylor Bradford, a sweeping saga of a business matriarch, and “Where the Red Fern Grows”, by Wilson Rawls, the classic story about a boy and his dogs.

“I don’t remember if I read it myself as a kid,” she said, “but I used to read it to all of my classes when I was a teacher.”

Another volunteer of ours, Cindy, says “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger is her all-time favorite, followed closely by Lois Lowry’s “The Giver.”

I asked two of our 9-year-old library regulars for their recommendations, and I heard enthusiastic praise for “Girls Who Code” by Reshma Saujani, “Maxi’s Secret” by Lynn Plourde, and “Refugee” by Alan Gratz.

That’s some heavy content for fourth graders. When I was their age, all I read was Nancy Drew!

Lexi also told me she loved “The Cactus that Had No Arms,” which I determined through a bit of old-fashioned sleuthing is actually called “Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus” by Dusti Bowling, and is about a girl with no arms. Close enough, kid.

The kids also volunteered that they don’t care for the Big Nate books, by Maine cartoonist Lincoln Pierce.

I told them what Gloria told me: “Books are like jeans — they either fit or they don’t. Don’t be afraid to drop it and start a new one if it doesn’t fit.”

That’s a good reminder for all of us.

Upcoming events

Pajama Story Time: Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Come dressed in PJs and slippers and settle in for a bedtime story at the library.

Friday Story Hour: Hear a story, make a craft, and sing a song with Miss Harolyn. 10:15 a.m., ages birth to 5.

One-on-One Tech Help: Tuesdays, 2-4 p.m., Wednesdays 6-7 p.m., and Saturdays 1-2 p.m. Call 633-3112 or email desiree@bbhlibrary.org to make an appointment.

Boothbay Lights Story Time: A special holiday story time in celebration of Boothbay Lights. Saturday, Nov. 17, 1 p.m.

Please note the library will be closed on Nov. 22 and 23.