The New Year is a time for renewal. For many of us it is a fresh start; a cleansing of our bad habits, attitudes and stress. We reflect on the previous year and what accomplishments we may or may not have achieved. We set new goals and aim for a better version of ourselves and community. It’s a great time to forgive ourselves for the entire box of peanut butter Oreos we ate last month and the birthday card for Gran that never got sent out in April. While these things could have been forgotten months ago, there’s something to be said about watching the ball drop at midnight and feeling a galactic deep breath emerge from the depths of our being. A whole new year waits with open possibilities and challenges. The JanYOUary we want to give you ways to lessen your stress and ring in the new year with a fresh mind and gratitude.

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After handling the deaths of so many iconic pop stars this past year, following the election and hurtling one obstacle after another, 2017 couldn’t be greeted with wider arms from any of us. A new great year can’t be hard to accomplish after what we’ve just dealt with. Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end of the race! Now deep breathe, and don’t set the bar too high for the New Year; there’s no way it can’t be better than the past. We want to help ease you into your new goals and ambitions. Don’t get caught up in the frantic craze of GO, GO, GO! Below we offer some of the best “de-stressers” for the New Year:

  • Coloring Books

    • Sure, we’ll sling coloring books at any possible moment, but we mean it! The rise of adult coloring is a phenomenon from 2016 we’d like to appreciate. No longer a childhood activity, the beautifully complex books we’ve been seeing in our stores will have you lulled into a tornado of colorful meditation. Treat yourself to a new pack of colored pens or markers and check out our sections for coloring. Mandalas, Harry Potter, Steam Punk or animals there is surely a coloring book that match your geeky little soul. Take a break for even 30 minutes to rest your mind, zone out and get a little creative.

  • Musical Instruments

    • An easy and obtainable way to lose yourself in some quiet time is learning to play a new instrument. You’ll up your mental capacity as well as your level of “hip.” With the array of guitars both electric and acoustic, ukuleles, djembe drums, harmonicas or (and we’re not being entirely silly here) those plastic records from middle school, there’s no way you won’t find a calling in something in our music department. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the new 2017 star! This year we double dog dare you to take some time and learn to play. Have you felt estranged from your angsty teenager? Pick up an electric guitar and learn together! The possibilities are endless and New Year offers you an unlimited time to start.

  • Fiction Anthologies

    • How often do we hear, “This year I’m going to read more!” That’s a great goal to set and a great way to spend time quietly and stress free. However, between soccer practice or the term paper that’s due in 2 hours, it is easy to forget to set aside adequate time to read. We’ll make it easy for you. Check out our “Anthology” section. With a whole book dedicated to short stories you’ll not only broaden your author knowledge, you’ll give yourself a manageable snippet of reading time. A whole novel may be daunting but a ten page short story, not so much. From the years “Best Of” collections to compiled anthologies from some of the literary worlds favorite authors, these are a great way to meet your goals and set aside quiet time. The book nerds in our stores will happily recommend the best selection.

    2017 is a bright and shiny star looming on the horizon. We have hope that it will be a year for the books; a year of less stress. Let us help make it a fabulous New Year not only with our stress free solutions to making goals and setting aside quiet time but also for our Arizona community as a whole. 2017 is a new year to make a difference, be green in our re-use mentality and come together as a whole. Now more than ever Bookmans stands as a post for community interaction, helping one another out and let’s not forget, finding that perfect “geek out” item that makes it all worth it!