I sat down to write this week’s blog post, but as sometimes
happens when one sits down to write and one is on a computer, it’s easy to get
distracted and wander off. I wish I could say the purpose was ‘research,’
(though in a way it was), but instead it was book shopping – trying to choose
what would be the most rewarding for the least cost and in paperback. A couple
hours or so later I finally made my selections (on Thrift Books and Amazon.com)
and pulled the trigger. Now I just have to sit back and watch my mailbox.
As you might have guessed, this month’s topic is BOOKS. It
all started with a trilogy of classes I signed up for through Upper Arlington
Parks & Recreation called Building
Your Personal Library being taught by Rich Simpson whose credentials were
simply listed as ‘Experienced Bibliophile.’
This much was evident from my observation on the Zoom call
that night. Rich was sitting in a wide aisle between two rather large
library-sized bookshelves. Since I wasn’t sure if he was holding the class remotely
or at home, I asked. He said it was his home library. I was duly impressed
(except for the fact that most of the books appeared to be law books and other
equally dry subject matter due to the lack of color on their covers).
One of my classmates that evening was Rich’s friend, Alan
who told us he had a rather large home library as well with shelves in most
rooms including the hallway. The last two houses my in-laws lived in were like
that with book shelves in most rooms lined with lots of vintage orange Penguin
paperbacks along with other well-aged novels and miscellaneous subjects.
Although I love books, I am of the type of personality that prefers my items to
all be corralled in one room, if possible. When we found our house many moons
ago now, and I saw that the room behind the living room had built-in
bookshelves,
it was love at first sight as I immediately had dreams of
commandeering that room for my home library. I ended up having to wait several
years because my husband needed a home office, so he snapped it up first.
Eventually he changed jobs and went to work outside the home, so we gradually
got rid of the desk that took up a good third of the room. I then went online
and ordered a couple nice bookshelves to match the built-ins, and the rest is
history.
Anyway, I digress. Back to the class – the first class was
called “Libraries and Book Collecting,” and the description said: “Do you love
books? What kind are meaningful to you? Are you an “accumulator” or a
“collector”? Why bother keeping a book on your shelf? This session helps answer
these questions and includes a discussion of the history of libraries and book
collecting.”
After
getting to know each other a bit, the instructor launched into a history of
paper and book making (most of which I already knew, so I struggled to look
engaged), then he showed examples of books from his collection and why one book
might be more valuable than another. I learned that most books only have a
first edition, but books that do go into a second or third print run certainly
makes the first editions more valuable. Of course you can learn a bit about why
certain books are valuable if you watch shows like "The Antiques Road
Show." I seem to recall a first edition signed copy of "To Kill a
Mockingbird" being worth thousands of dollars - not surprising.
I’ll be
honest, I skipped the second class and the third class got cancelled. The
second class was called “The Value of a Book.” (description: "What makes a
book valuable or worth keeping? Discussion focuses on the many factors that go
into making a book worth keeping. Participants learn by inspecting
examples.") I don’t buy books as investments and tend not to spend much
more than $20 (which is rare for me to even spend that much). I am all about quantity,
rather than quality.
I have to
say, as bored as I was with the first class, Rich did inspire me to go online
and have another search for a favorite childhood book. The search was fruitful
as I found a well-loved (i.e., duct taped binding) copy of a Golden Book for about
$8 and some change. I could have gotten a nicer copy (though still only fair by
industry standards) for $35, but felt sorry for this lesser version.
Plus, it's
not like all my childhood books are in pristine condition. I still kick myself
for putting a piece of masking tape on "Flat Stanley" which says
"C" - might have been part of my initials at one point but the “C” is
all that's still legible.
The same
day as the last class (Monday) I heard on NPR that Bexley Library was having
Susan Orlean speak in their Community Author Series the following day
(Tuesday). I decided my time would be better spent trying to read as much of The
Library Book (the 2018 book about the 1986 Los Angeles Public Library fire)
as possible, so I called in sick to the class (not proud of that, but I rarely
ever do that, so I am letting myself off the hook here), grabbed my paperback,
and headed out to our patio to read.
I’m glad I
did since much of what Orleans talked about was familiar from having just read
it. She was an excellent and engaging speaker and inspired me to look up some
of her books and add them to my reading list.
By the way,
since this event was free and open to the general public, I emailed a link to
the event to my uncle in California, who was kind enough to give me his copy of
The Library Book many years ago, but until now I hadn’t gotten around to
reading. He joined me (and 500 others) on the Zoom call and we periodically
texted a few comments. I think he enjoyed it as much as I did.
The other
recent book event was The Ohioana Book Festival which was held April 22-25 (http://www.ohioana.org/programs/ohioana-book-festival/) strictly online, same as last year. I had
a quick look at the schedule and selected a few panels I thought might be
interesting. Because they’re all recorded anyway, you have the option of
viewing them on You Tube at your leisure.
I was able
to tune in live to the Cozy Mystery panel which was broadcast on Saturday
morning. My husband was kind enough to make me a mocha (on Monty our beloved
espresso machine) so I could sip it while enjoying the program. The description
of the program pretty much dictated that you have a beverage in hand, so when in
Rome! “Grab a cup of tea and your
favorite furry friend to enjoy this discussion with a group of Ohio’s most
beloved cozy mystery authors.” (my cat preferred to nap elsewhere, so no kitty
on my lap for this one).
I’ll be
honest, I like the idea of a cozy mystery more in theory than in practice as
I’ve only ever read a couple (though I enjoyed them both), but it’s always fun
to hear about the various author’s processes and get a sneak peek at some of
the plotlines and characters. One of the authors revealed that she always warns
her friends that something they say might show up in one of her books. Another
of the authors said it would be her dream to be locked up in a library
overnight. That would definitely be my dream too. In fact, that happened to one
of my favorite characters in a sitcom, but that was because he was running late
to do research on a college term paper, so he inadvertently got locked in (but
I seem to recall he had female companionship that evening, so his evening went
off in a different direction than mine would have).
In case you’re curious what I’m reading now, I have set
aside The Library Book (by Susan Orlean) as my friend and I just formed
a two-person book club (though it’s open to anyone else who would care to join)
to read I Thought You Said This Would Work by Ann Garvin.
I am also reading 365 Devotions to Savor by Shauna
Niequist. Several of the daily devotions have coincided with events going on in
my life, which is an interesting coincidence and makes me think the universe is
definitely paying attention to me. They also say that a lot of times the right
book finds you when you need it. However, I bought this book a couple years
ago, and only now (January 1st) finally picked it up. Although it
has some religious overtones and a lot about the author’s marriage and home
life with her child, I still find much of it relatable.
If you’re a fan of all things books and libraries I can
definitely recommend The Library Book. You do, however, have to tolerate
a lot of tangents off in different directions (like a whole section about past
and present directors of the library and the role the library plays in the
community, etc.). It’s an easy book to dip in and out of, so one to enjoy in
spare moments of leisure time.
I only just started I Thought You Said This Would Work
by Ann Garvin, but am enjoying it so far. I made a casual resolution to read
more novels (my preference is usually towards memoirs and collections of
essays), which seems to be how most of my family leans.
My mom said she’s never read as many books as she did last
year when the pandemic started. I recommended a couple authors to her (Lisa
Scottoline & her daughter Francesca
Serritella) and my mom has had nothing but praise for Scottoline’s
books (mysteries). My dad is more of a John Grisham and James Patterson fan.
I’m not sure if my sister has a favorite author, but I think she and I probably
read a lot of the same authors growing up – Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. She
seems to prefer novels too and often reads what’s currently popular.
I think my bad habit of accumulating books has rubbed off on
my sister as I have seen a tower of paperbacks in her master bedroom. My mom
told me she is anxious to go back to the library* even though she still has
plenty of books to read at home. Me too mom!
*(I think their library up in NE Ohio has mostly stayed open,
whereas ours closed during the pandemic and has only been open for pick-ups
until fairly recently).
I recently subscribed to an excellent magazine which is free
of all advertising and is devoted exclusively to articles about the joys of
reading and all things books. It’s called Oh Reader, and there’s been
three issues out to date. For more info, here’s a link: https://www.ohreader.com/about
While on the subject of books, I can recommend an excellent
somewhat book-themed movie called “Liberal Arts” which was filmed here in Ohio
– mostly on the campus of Kenyon college, but one scene was filmed at the now
defunct Acorn Books in Grandview (I wrote a previous blog post about that in
2018 which you can find in my archives). There’s a funny discussion about the
value (or in this case, lack thereof) of the “Twilight” book series. As a Harry
Potter fan, I was a bit disdainful of them at first, but after I saw the first
“Twilight” movie, I became a fan and have added the series to my books to read
list.
I can also recommend “The Bookshop,” which came out in 2017,
though it’s definitely not one of the
more cheerful films, but it is set in a bookshop in England, so if you
like period dramas and all-star casts, this is a good movie to rent/stream.
In addition, there are several excellent documentaries about
books on Amazon Prime. One of my favorites was about the people who sell books
from tables or the sidewalk on various streets in Manhattan, or at least used
to, because I think the city has since shuffled them off to greener pastures.
There’s another program about the whole world of book collecting and the
conventions devoted entirely to antique and rare books. Some of these people
buy up these books and then store them in giant warehouses, which seems just a
little bit selfish to me. I hope some of them eventually bequeath their
collections to libraries.
Well, that should be enough recommendations to get you
started. I would love to hear what you’re reading and any movie/documentary
recommendations.
