Lists

I am always so impressed with patrons who come into the library with lists of books they have read and ones they want to read. Only once have I kept a record of what I read, that being in 2002 when the library held the "100 Years, 100 Books" year-long reading program, and I don't quite know why I didn't continue. And I occasionally make lists of books and authors I want to read--but then I lose them or throw them away (though many patrons have been told, "no, I haven't read that one yet, but it's on my list!" The list just isn't written down).

But if I did have a list for books I want to read, it would include the following:

Mockingbird, the new biography of Harper Lee by Charles Shields (despite a bad review that I read in the Wichita newspaper over the weekend).

Kathy Reichs' latest, Break No Bones, due out next month.

The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry (I enjoyed The Third Secret although I'd be hard-pressed at the moment to tell you the plot. But it was good).

Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (I read about this on a list serve and it intrigued me).

And You Know You Should Be Glad by Bob Greene (I like his books)

There are probably more, but I didn't write them down. And I can guarantee you that when I am finished with my current read (I'll Be Seeing You by Margaret Mayhew--pure WW II England schmaltz story that I'm eating up. I really should have lived then) I will not be able to find a single one of those titles on the shelf. So I'll pick up whatever book at hand looks good & I'll forget about these--until I'm too busy to read and they all come in on the same day.

The curse of the reader--no books or way too many.

Building Project: Chapter & Verse

June 12, 1996--a pleasant summer morning awaited a festive group who had gathered to celebrate the long-awaited groundbreaking of the library addition. The night before I had helped library director Dottie Thomas & her oldest son, Ben, clear the lot of sticks and rocks and the event went off without a hitch. The pre-school kids with their tiny shovels made a great photo op and the air was full with anticipation and excitement, although mine was due more to an upcoming trip to England than the building project. After all, how much would it really affect me? If I knew then what I know now, I may have run for the hills, too.

Fast forward to June 12, 1997--it was beastly hot with no AC in the original Carnegie building, the addition was under seige by displaced pigeons, and I was off my self-imposed deadline to open the addition exactly one year to the day of the groundbreaking. But it was close enough and people who didn't know the inside scoop were excited and we opened amidst much fanfare (even though things weren't quite as smooth as I had hoped). But to this day, I still get teary-eyed when I think of the exchange with the handicapped man who told me he had waited four years to get into the library. That made the blood, sweat, & many tears worth it.

Then on June 12, 1998--dedication day, even though part of the building had been used for a year and the renovation of the other half wasn't quite finished (we won't go into how long that took!) The best part for me was seeing the faces of those persons I had come to know & appreciate (despite the butting of heads on several occasions) who had traveled to Pittsburg for the important event. The meeting room was full--no doubt causing the first of many remarks along the lines of "why didn't you make it bigger?'", "why did you do it this way?", etc, etc.--but that time I let it slide off my back--I wanted to enjoy one day. And I did.

June 12, 2006--much has transpired in a decade. Many who rejoiced at the beginning are no longer with us, except in spirit. My bravado when Dottie left quickly dissolved and my self-confidence took many, many hits--from which I'm still trying to recover. But that which didn't break me only made me stronger and I am not as fearful of facing new challenges. I'm much more aware of buildings (some would say more critical, I call it discerning), and the added space (yes, critics--we have a tremendous amount of room compared to ten years ago!) has created all kinds of programming opportunities and addition of materials.

Regrets? Of course. But I try to focus on the good points. The people (well, most of them. I could have done without a few of the construction guys). To this day when I hear the phrases "apples to oranges" and "more bang for your buck", I laugh (sometimes ruefully) when I remember wanting to strangle Vance for saying one or the other (or both) for the five hundredth time. And of course, I love it when visitors and patrons come up and say complementary things about the building and knowing that I played a very small role in its transformation. So would I have given up the opportunity for an easier life? Well, not today. And probably not tomorrow.

And there has been one constant throughout the past eight years: I still want to work for the architects (hear that Dave?)

Happy Anniversary.

PS--for those looking for a book list, come to the library & I can pull out many, many titles on architecture, libraries, and anything else you want to read about. Despite my building project experience, finding books is still what I do and like best about this job..

Checking Out Nonfiction

I readily admit to not reading much nonfiction--too many reading assignments in college, I suspect, turned me to more escapist fiction. But I have come across a few titles in recent years that have made me change my tune (at least a little bit).

Bill Bryson is one of those nf authors that I actually look forward to reading. I first discovered him with Notes From a Small Island and then went back to his earlier works chronicling his travels across Europe and America. However, my favorite is A Walk in the Woods. It is one of those laugh-out-loud reads (& the only library book I had to replace, thanks to little Lab puppy teeth marks. But I should have known better than to leave it within Haley's reach) that I have recommended to many people, most of who have told me how much they enjoyed it, too (one of the best parts of this job--hearing positive feedback).

Erik Larson's Devil in the White City looks intimidating (especially the LP version, which is what I read) but it is a fascinating account of the Chicago's World Fair of 1893. I picked it up after hearing Larson on C-Span (do I lead an exciting life or what?) and I plodded through it. But then it has Chicago, architects, and a serial killer--what more could a girl want? Packed with historical tidbits, it is also a readable narrative of a city, as well as a country.

Another book I ran to get after hearing the author (again, on C-Span) was Once Upon a Town: the Miracle of the North Platte Canteen by Bob Greene. What a wonderful, heartwarming story! I could almost hear the Top 40 of the 1940's playing in the background as I read it. And the juxtaposition of the modern town to its glory days during WW II highlighted the changes the country has gone through. I like Greene's writing and his latest, And I Know I Should Be Glad, is on my summer read list.

My latest foray into nonfiction was the often funny, sometimes poignant The Ride of Our Lives by Mike Leonard. The story of the intergenerational RV trip across the US brought tears to my eyes--mostly from laughing so hard but also during the more reflective parts of the book. And I think all the book's readers need to start a letter-writing campaign to get the horribly rude and insensitive employee at the alma mater of Leonard's father fired for her treatment of an elderly alumnus who had been so excited to make what it most likely his last visit to the place of so many good memories (getting so wrapped up in a book is a sign of good writing, isn't it?)

I shouldn't shy away from nonfiction as much as I do--these gems show why. And how many more are out there just waiting to be picked up?