Happy New Year! A new year means a new start, a fresh beginning, a sense that something significant is over and something more significant has begun. This nebulous, indescribable force inexorably moves on, month after month, year after year. It is something that has both stymied and fascinated people throughout history, from the common peasant to the high-minded philosopher...and even to Hobbits on unexpected journeys!
"This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down."
This riddle was posed by the creature known as Gollum to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, and it was only through sheer dumb luck that Bilbo correctly "guessed" the answer: "TIME!"
Time can be many things, and has many different definitions and meanings. It can be a unit of measure (minute, second, hour), a specific point or period when something occurs (New Years Day, the Mesozoic Era), or even if someone is enjoying or not enjoying something (she had a good time at the movies). Many people throughout history have had different notions and concepts about time, not all of them in agreement. One way to form your own opinion of time is to read and research what others thought and decide for yourself what works or doesn't work! Some would even say that would be time well spent!
If you've got some spare time, check out the Rio Hondo College Library's Concept of Time book display for January 2025! You'll find a range of intriguing and informative titles that will help spark your curiosity on many time-related subjects, from historical usage, cultural conceptions, mythology, the science of time, and more!
For a neat primer on time, check out the video from PBS on time HERE!
The Aztec Calendar by 
The Seven Day Circle by
Follows a Viet Cong agent as he spies on a South Vietnamese army general and his compatriots as they start a new life in 1975 Los Angeles.
The story of a South Vietnamese captain -- a man brought up by an absent French father and a poor Vietnamese mother, a man who went to university in America -- who returns to Vietnam to fight for the Communist cause.
Discoveries: the Calendar History, Lore, and Legend by
A deluxe volume of 15 Japanese folk tales that is sure to impress any fan of cultural and mythological literature with impactful and stunning illustrations by contemporary Japanese artist Kotaro Chiba.
The Secret Pulse of Time by
Lara Jean has never openly admitted her crushes. Instead, she wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.
Time in Antiquity by
Compiled by disciples of Confucius in the fourth century B.C.E., The Analects of Confucius is a collection of aphorisms and historical anecdotes embodying the basic values of the Cunfucian tradition: learning, morality, ritual, decorum, and filial piety. Reflecting the model eras of Chinese antiquity, the book is valued for its insights into the successful governance of the empire and its ideal organization of society
A Brief History of Time by 
