Armchair BEA ~ library love

Introduction

Introductions are "an Armchair BEA standard" so we can make friends and meet new people.  Choose five questions to tell us a bit about yourself:

1.  How long have you been blogging, where are you from, and how did you get into blogging?

I've been blogging since January 2007 so I could talk about books with interesting people.  I'm "from" Chattanooga, Tennessee; but I now live in St. Louis, Missouri.  As a matter of fact, I missed Armchair BEA in 2014 — even though I participated in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 — because I was in the process of moving to St. Louis.  But this year, I'm baaaack!

2.  What is one book everyone should read?

There's no such thing, but I can recommend one to people whose interests are similar to mine.  I recommended the 2014 novel Goodnight June by Sarah Jio to my church's book club, and I'll find out next week if they agreed with me or not.  I finished it in a couple of days and rated it a 10 out of 10 because I couldn't put it down.  If you want to read more about it, I shared the book's first lines, here.  I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoyed the beloved children's book Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.  The author imagines a bookstore owner who was "Brownie's" friend and the inspiration for her moon book.

3  What book are you reading right now?  What is the top book in your TBR pile?

Reading now:

Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions (4th edition) ~ by Kate Lorig, Halsted Holman, David Sobel, Diana Laurent, Virginia Gonzalez, and Marian Minor, 2012, for a 6-week class that I'm taking.  The sub-title of the book is "Self-Management of Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Depression, Asthma, Bronchitis, Emphysema and Other Physical and Mental Health Conditions."  It encourages us to set eating goals and plan appropriate exercises.  I'm learning a lot.

Next book from TBR pile:   

Run ~ by Ann Patchett, 2007, a novel recommended by an acquaintance.  Since their mother's death, Tip and Teddy Doyle have been raised by their loving, possessive, and ambitious father.  As the former mayor of Boston, Bernard Doyle wants to see his sons in politics, a dream the boys have never shared.  But when an argument in a blinding New England snowstorm inadvertently causes an accident that involves a stranger and her child, all Bernard cares about is his ability to keep his children — all his children — safe.

4.  What book are you most looking forward to reading this summer?

Participants were given "Big Books" bookbags this week at the kick-off of the summer reading program at the University City Public Library.  This summer's "big book challenge" is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1877), which is 923 pages long.  On the blue bookbag are the words:  "I like BIG BOOKS and I cannot lie."  Well, to tell the truth, I rarely tackle books this long.  I did borrow a copy from the library, but I've decided to put the free version on my Kindle to read because it won't be as heavy to hold.  Do you like long books?

5.  If you were stranded on a deserted island, what author would you want to bring with you?  Why?

Jodi Picoult?  Barbara Kingsolver?  Madeleine L'Engle?  (Yes, I know L'Engle died, but we're imagining aren't we?)  Someone who has written about how to survive in the wilds?  Or maybe I would rather have my best buddy there and we'd write our own novel in all that time with nothing else to do but survive.  (Donna, are you up to being stranded with me on a deserted island?)

Share a picture of your bookshelf.  (Whoever set up these questions called it my "shelfie.")  This is one of four tall bookcases in my apartment, each six shelves tall.  I actually need more.  Many of my books are still in boxes, almost a year after I moved here.  I have, at least, been slowly weeding out my books.  Unfortunately, I have also been adding books.  Surely, all you book lovers understand that dilemma!

Library Love

Librarians are awesome. Not only are they helpful, they're very fun to talk to and give great recommendations. Show your library some love, and the wonderful men and women that run it. Why is your library fantastic? Got any funny stories? Feature your library on your blog? Do an interview with a librarian?

Donna

Let me tell you about Donna, who is one of the Crown Center librarians.  After renovations, the library was ready to be restocked so it could be opened.  Donna, a book lover and former English teacher who had also worked for several years as "the bookmobile lady" for schools, volunteered to help.  You can see in the photo what she and Larry, another resident of the Crown Center for Senior Living, produced.  Books are all donated, the work of sorting and re-shelving is done by volunteers, and books are checked out on the honor system.  We sign out a book and bring it back whenever we're finished with it.  No problem.  Thanks to volunteers like Donna, we enjoy a variety of novels, biographies, thrillers, mysteries, and large print books.