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Reading Rescue, May 2006: Memorial Books
By Anne Allen and Mary Anne Fulmer
 May
baskets and dancing around the May pole, spring flowers and the end of
winter, these are some of the things we typically think of in May, a
time of rebirth. This is also a month when we pause to look back and
remember. Ever since 1868, Americans have taken a day in May to honor
their dead. General John Alexander Logan initially designated Memorial
Day to encourage families to decorate the graves of the Civil War dead,
and it is traditionally a day to remember members of the armed services
killed in wartime. Gradually, it has become a day to remember all family
members who are gone; to visit the cemetery and reflect; to plant
flowers and look forward. At the library, we like to use this time to
review memorial books we have received, to remember the people being
honored, and to give thanks to those who have made donations in their
memories. For this month's Reading Rescue (no boring books here), we'll
take a look at some of the memorial books on the library shelves.
Many times we are asked to buy a book related to a
specific hobby the person enjoyed, such as gardening or cooking. In
1995, a young woman came in with a special request. Her older neighbor
had passed away, a gentleman who was the source of much gardening
information and many plants. As she said, he passed along his knowledge
and his plants, and she wanted us to purchase Passalong Plants
(635.5 BEN) by Bender and Rushing. Not a to-do book for gardeners, this
is a collection of items, concentrating more on how to plant a specific
variety and how to harvest the seeds or divide the bulbs. The authors
are from the South and their style is anecdotal and casual; you can let
the book fall open anywhere and find an engaging article.
It's amazing how often we are told to buy "a nice book",
the kind the honoree would have enjoyed. 204 Rosewood Lane by
Debbie Macomber was purchased in that category. On a gray rainy day,
like those we've been experiencing, most people would enjoy visiting
Macomber's characters in Cedar Cove, Washington. She has a pleasant
writing style and the characters of Cedar Cove are typical small-town
folk. This book is one of a series, so not all the challenges and
problems are resolved. Macomber keeps the interest level high so that
readers will happily pick up subsequent titles. Susan Wiggs' Lakeside
Cottage is another choice in this same genre. J.D. Harris, a Special Ops
medic, prevents a presidential assassination. To escape being hero of
the day, he borrows a cottage on a remote Washington lake. Damaged
single mother Kate Livingston and her troubled son are also spending the
summer there. Wiggs adds a teenaged girl with problems and some pesky
newspaper reporters to the mix.
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion is a
recent purchase. Didion tells the wrenching tale of the loss of her
husband, novelist John Gregory Dunne, and her period of recovery. The
book begins quietly, with Dunne enjoying a before dinner drink as Didion
prepared the meal. She heard a thump, and turned to find him on the
floor, unresponsive. As this memoir reveals, she spent the next year
second-guessing her actions and believing that Dunne would come back
(the magical thinking). At the same time, her daughter Quintana Roo
(named after a state in Mexico) was experiencing major medical problems
and Didion spent many months dealing with that. There is a nearly
unbearable poignancy for the reader knowing that Quintana herself died
shortly after the book was completed. As disturbing as this may sound,
it is helpful to read after a period of grieving.
Sadly, last year the library lost half of one of our
best volunteer teams. This patron was a man of science and the memorials
purchased reflect that. Big Bang by Simon Singh (523.1 SIN) is
the fascinating story of what scientists now believe is the way the
universe was formed. Singh presents his subject as ideas, not equations,
and this is an extremely readable book for anyone with an interest in
history or science. He begins with an overview of the birth of
scientific thinking, discusses various theories of the universe, and
ends with a compelling argument in favor of the theory. Especially
helpful are the summary pages following each chapter.
This is a small sampling of memorial books available at
the library. We appreciate the opportunity to honor these people and
thank the donors. These books and more are listed in an album available
at the circulation desk.
Registration for this year's summer reading program
begins in June. The wrap-up party will be Monday, August 7. The library
staff is gearing up for another fun summer. As always, send questions
and comments to mfulmer@pennlib.org.
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