This month I asked colleagues what they are reading and learning about in their spare time (we have interests besides books you know!) Please tell us what you are learning or creating this month in the comments.

I am reading The Luck Uglies by Paul Durham in an e-book. But I am also teaching myself to play the ukulele and using Progressive Beginner Ukulele by Peter Gelling in an e-book format. —Karen, Chatham Square

I am currently learning Japanese. I started out using Mango Languages, which I started before my first trip to Japan. I learned some helpful phrases and got a feel for the language so it was a great tool. I'm now taking classes at Japan Society so I no longer use Mango, but I do use lots of resources from the library yet, mainly DVDs and books about Japan. I really love Japanese cinema, a couple directors I enjoy are Ozu and Kore-eda. I also read A Hundred Years of Japanese Film by Donald Richie, and in my queue right now are A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present by Andrew Gordon and Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II by John W. Dower. Right now I'm not advanced enough to pick up a novel in Japanese, so I use picture books in Japanese to practice my reading skills. One of the most helpful resources in learning Japanese, though, has been the opportunity to speak Japanese with native speakers. There is a patron and her two young children who visit my branch often who are Japanese, and it's super fun to practice with them! —Rabecca, Kingsbridge Library

I wish I was learning a new instrument, hobby, or craft, but sadly I'm not right now!  I do use the library resources to bring home materials for my two little boys all the time—it's such a perk having daily access to new children's books, DVDs, and CDs.  My four-year-old's first question for me when I get home from the library is, "What'd you bring me from the library?"  In my own reading life, I'm in the middle of Gary Shteyngart's memoir, Little Failure, which is a funny and poignant account of his growing up in the U.S. as an immigrant from communist Russia. —Susie, Mulberry Street Library

Just finishing Just Between Us by Mario Lopez. I am reading it on my tablet, and this book gave me some insider information on the entertainment business. In particular, on how actors have to stay on top of their game and be willing to expand their horizons in search of maintaining employment.  He spoke about some gossipy parts of his life during his run on Saved By The Bell and the challenges of being typecast after the show finished its run. And of course, of his personal relationships and the complications along the way, both familial and romantic. —Christel, George Bruce Library

I homeschool my son in two subjects, French and Geometry so I need to learn whatever I teach him. We're currently reading and studying Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape by Danica McKellar and Geometry in 15 Minutes a Day. Though Danica McKellar's book is geared to girls, the explanations using things like nailpolish and shopping are memorable enough and make us laugh so that we actually remember ideas long after we've finished a chapter. For our French lessons we're reading Words in a French Life by Kristin Espinasse (and we subscribe to her French Word a Day emails). We liked French in 10 Minutes a Day so much that we purchased a copy for ourselves. We watch films to help reinforce the language we're learning. Last week we watched a fantastic movie that we both loved, The Intouchables. It was based on a true story and a book, You Changed My Life. Of course, we've already put a hold on it! —Maura, Volunteer Office

Don't know if this counts 'cause it's not me, but I recently recommended a mechanical aptitude test book and LearningExpress Library for a friend taking a test for a new job. Come to think of it, I did recently check out Merchandising Made Simple. —Melissa, Mid-Manhattan Library

I've been learning American Sign Language. In addition to taking classes at the Sign Language Center I've been watching ASL videos on YouTube for reminders of basics and some extra slang. The Internet is a useful library resource. Also, since I teach it to others, I'm learning more about the library's free, instant, unlimited talking books for people with visual, physical, and print-reading disabilities using the BARD website and mobile app. I just recently took a blacksmith class, and after that exhilarating and completely exhausting, muscle-aching experience, got this from the library to try out: The Acupressure Atlas. And lately, maybe partly due to the gorgeous and remote setting of the blacksmith class, I've been reading several books at once, all about the natural world, including: Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, Survive! by Les Stroud, and Stronger Than Dirt by Kimberly Schaye. —Jill, Andrew Heiskell Library

I want to learn how to crochet, and have watched a few YouTube videos but am finding them more overwhelming than helpful. When I taught myself how to knit in 2002 it was with a For Dummies book because online streaming video didn't really exist then (hard to remember what life was like in those days!) So I went through our e-book collection for crochet books for beginners and downloaded a few. —Lauren, Reference and Research Services

I continue to learn on the job every day. Just now, as I catalog items from the age of Voltaire, I am learning details about the life of Jean Calas and his family. Calas was a celebrated victim of religious prejudice and judicial murder, tortured and executed in Toulouse, France, in 1762; the cause of his rehabilitation and the relief of his widow and children was taken up by Voltaire, and became one of the great causes célèbres of the 18th century. Some of the Library materials I use in my research have been helpfully digitized by Google and are available online, but recent items, including the definitive edition of Voltaire's writings on the subject (The complete works of Voltaire, volumes 56B-56C), are under copyright and must be consulted in the form of physical volumes. —Kathie, Special Formats Processing

I am learning how to cook Singaporean food: Singapore Cooking. This book is beautifully illustrated, includes a thorough glossary of ingredients you may be using in the recipes, and puts the cuisine in context of Singapore's eclectic mix of cultural traditions. This is also a good book: The Cooking of Singapore. —Sherri, Mulberry Street Library

About two years ago, I started dabbling in collage, and in December I will be having my first ever exhibit at Morningside Heights, so right now I am using the book Show Your Work: 10 Ways To Share Your Creativity And Get Discovered, by Austin Kleon, as a source of inspiration, encouragement, and reassurance. —Ronni, Morningside Heights Library

I am reading books by the authors who are presenting at the Drop Everything and Read Day at the Bronx Library Center.  Just finished Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix, which I highly recommend for the workplace humor. I had fun seeing some of myself and my co-workers in the characters. Before We Met by Lucie Whitehouse—a real thriller—you'll be surprised by the ending.  I am currently reading My Old Neighborhood Remembered by Avery Corman.  It's a memoir of the author growing up in the Bronx in the 1940s and 1950s.  It's very interesting to read about the impact of World War II in the day-to-day life of a child growing up in the Bronx—reading the newspaper everyday, and dutifully writing to relatives in the service.  —Jean, Bronx Library Center

I'm trying to improve my limited Spanish using some of NYPL's free online resources. I'm still working my way through the final chapters of the Latin American Spanish conversation course in Mango Languages. I like having the option to download lessons onto the Mango app my phone so that I can learn offline, too. I've also started reading and listening to animated children's books in Spanish in the TumbleBooks Library. My current favorite is Lola en la biblioteca, a translation of Lola Loves the Library by Anna McQuinn. Tuesday is Lola's favorite day of the week because it's the day she goes to the library with her mother. For me, it was a useful lesson in Spanish library vocabulary, which I need to review a few more times. Sometimes I try to read articles in the El Diario newspaper using the PressDisplay newspaper database. PressDisplay has an option to listen to an article as well as read it, which I find helpful. I also find it helpful to choose articles about local news that I'm already familiar with because I have more context for understanding new language in the article. —Elizabeth, Mid-Manhattan Library

Perhaps not the most exciting use of library resources, but I've been interested in learning about healthy living for some time and the library is a really fantastic resource. My roommate just bought a blender so when we're not scratching our heads and doing the whole "let's throw a pizza and peanut butter in the blender" thing, I make smoothies from Clean Green Drinks. I keep the book on my kitchen counter. I'm hoping to get even more ambitious and make some Asian Pickles, another book from NYPL. I'm particularly interested in trying to make pickled ginger to put on everything! I love having access to brand new titles, as dear as those old hippie cookbooks are to me. And when the never-ending book review season ends for us YA librarians and I can do some pleasure reading, I have Yoga Body, which explains how an ancient Indian belief system turned into yoga culture in the U.S. today as we know it. One of my favorite things about working at the library is being inspired to read and explore constantly, from unpacking boxes of new books to patrons who are just bursting when they walk to tell someone, anyone, about the book they just read or the CD they just listened to. —Charlie, Inwood Library

I'm currently refreshing my knowledge about entrepreneurship by watching the lectures from "Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies: The First Step in Entrepreneurship" via Coursera. The class goes over basics of business planning and the perspectives of customers and business leaders. A new session is starting at the end of October along with one called "Innovation for Entrepreneurs: From Idea to Marketplace." As for books? I've just checked out, but haven't read as of yet: Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation, The Responsible Entrepreneur, and The One Minute Entrepreneur. —Jaqueline, Ask NYPL