Now that we are in the middle of the holidays, do you have plans for the New Year?

I don’t mean the big ones, like buying a new house or taking a cruise or anything like that. I mean the day-to-day plans. Plans for your leisure time. Want to see more movies or go on more day trips?

I know it’s not the usual thing to make a plan for your down-time, but what if you did?

What if you planned to join the book club at your local library?

What is you planned to attend more book readings and signings at your local book store?

What if you planned to get the newsletter from your neighborhood library and start attending some of the activities, like those at Kitsap libraries.

The “One Book, One Community” event is gearing up. The book “The Smell of Other People’s Houses,” by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, is the book for 2018.

“One Book, One Community” is a program of the Kitsap Regional Library that encourages everyone in the county to read the book selected to be its book for the year. It encourages a shared reading experience.

“What if everyone in Kitsap read the same book?,” reads the library’s announcement. “What conversations could we spark?”

Hitchcock was born and raised in Alaska. She worked many years fishing commercially with her family and as a reporter for Alaska Public Radio stations around the state. She was also the host and producer of “Independent Native News,” a daily newscast produced in Fairbanks, focusing on Alaska Natives, American Indians, and Canada’s First Nations. Her writing is inspired by her family’s four generations in Alaska.

Go to http://www.krl.org/classes-events to see when your library branch will start this adventure.

Do you know about the book sales libraries have periodically throughout the year? Do you know about story telling times?

There’s other things for your New Year enjoyment, too.

Did you know that our local Indie book stores, like Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge Island, present local authors and their books? The first one of 2018 will be at 3 p.m. Jan. 14. at Eagle Harbor Books and will include discussion of “Be Brave” by Florrie Munat.

To find out more about Eagle Harbor Books events, take a look at its newsletter.

“You can understand how an outfit with a collection topping 25,000 would contain books explaining why dirt is good in cooking, gives help fixing things like an unpleasant goiter, brings readers current on the latest thinking of polyvagal theory, or explains the conjunction of 601 Spanish verbs in just 727 pages,” the newsletter tells. Read more of this very interesting newsletter at http://www.eagleharborbooks.com/newsletter.

Liberty Bay Books in Poulsbo also features local authors from 2-3 p.m. on Sundays. Jennifer J. Wilhoit will talk about her book “Writing on the Landscape” on Jan. 7. Look for other activities offered at http://www.libertybaybooks.com.

And don’t miss this: Barnes and Noble in Silverdale is offering a Special Children’s Event at 11 a.m. Dec. 30. “The Story of Ferdinand,” by Munro Leaf, was first published in 1936 and has been brought to life again for this generation to love.

This story is about “All the other bulls love to run and jump and butt their heads together, but not Ferdinand. He would rather sit and smell the flowers. Then one day he is picked for the bullfights in Madrid.”

Find more events for the local B&N at https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/store/2281.

Happy New Year everyone and happy reading.

Quote for today: “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.” — Dalai Lama.

— Donna Lee Anderson writes a weekly Literary column. You can reach her at welltoldtales@aol.com.