Recently we received several delightful notes from readers. These have been slipped into returned books, and I must say they bring smiles to our faces, even if you can’t see them behind our masks.

Some ask, “How is your day?” or might leave an inspiring message. Others offer comments about the book, praises as well as critiques. We have enjoyed finding them, especially when we have read the book in which they arrive. One even offered an email address asking the finder to make contact to discuss the book.

I suppose these communications have been prompted by our natural tendency to communicate, one that has been diminished lately because of this ghastly pandemic. Regardless of what provoked them, we encourage you to send more, and keep sending them even when we are open to the public again.

While we all are inveterate readers, we also really yearn to talk to others about the books they are reading. (This is actually one of the best of the many perks of working in a library.) So, we have missed chatting with you about your favorite books and hope you will share your opinions with us via short, or long, notes. We love to hear from our patrons!


Timely Quote
“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break, and all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.” This was written by L. R. Knost, who also wrote the following poem:

Books on the bookshelves
And stacked on the floor
Books kept in baskets
And propped by the door
Books in neat piles
And in disarray
Books tucked in closets
And books on display
Books filling crannies
And books packed in nooks
Books massed in windows
And mounded in crooks
Libraries beckon
And bookstores invite
But book-filled rooms welcome
Us back home at night!


New Nonfiction
“Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider’s Guide to Jeopardy!” by Claire McNear will take you behind the scenes into the world of the popular game show “Jeopardy.” Interesting stories about contestants and the strategies they use to prepare for an appearance; comments from the show’s late host, Alex Trebek; and accounts both poignant and hilarious are included. It’s a must for fans of the long-running nightly test of knowledge. (If you want to know more about “Jeopardy,” we also have “The Answer Is…Reflections on My Life” an autobiography by Trebek.)

“Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House” by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz presents an expansion of Maddow’s podcast that was nominated for a Peabody Award. This entertaining and compelling book is about Spiro Agnew, Nixon’s vice president, whose attempt to disguise his corruption led to his resignation after federal prosecutors discovered the depths of his shameless double dealings. Kirkus Reviews calls it “A welcome reminder that, unlike today, in the case of Agnew, political crimes were actually punished (and in a nonpartisan fashion).”   
“How to Catch a Mole: Wisdom from a Life Lived in Nature” by Marc Hamer is a memoir by a man who experienced homelessness as a teenager, became a professional gardener and, at one point, was a molecatcher in Wales. His reflections and insights will inspire those who seek a closer relationship with nature. Said Margaret Renkle, “…hands down the most charming book I read last year.”

“Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live” is a definitive account of how the highly contagious virus has affected us by Nicholas A. Christakis, MD PhD, a public health expert, author, physician, and sociologist. Hailed by Harvard Medical School professor Paul Farmer for its “scope, wit and erudition,” the book looks at the virus from both a historical perspective and a medical one. It is most informative, as well as absorbing.

“First Principles: What America’s Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country” by Thomas E. Ricks is endorsed by Gen. James Mattis with these words, “Ricks knocks it out of the park with this jewel of a book. On every page I learned something new. Read it every night if you want to restore your faith in our country.” The book studies the education and philosophies of our first four presidents: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison and how these leaders used their knowledge to establish our nation. Students of American history will be enthralled by this enlightened exposition.

“The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War” by journalist Delphine Minoui tells the exciting and true story of a group of young men from Daraya, Syria, who recovered a trove of books from the rubble left after a bombing. They went on to establish an underground library in the midst of a civil war. Chosen as a Best Book of the Year by NPR and an Editor’s Pick at Library Journal, this is an incredible account of bravery and a powerful passion for books and reading. It brings an untold story to readers who won’t soon forget the heroic actions of these courageous and resourceful men.
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“Garner’s Quotations: A Modern Miscellany” was compiled by Dwight Garner, a New York Times book critic. It is crammed with witty and memorable, irreverent and raucous sayings that Garner has collected for years. “Quotations, by definition, are out of context. I’ve played freely with this notion and have placed some lines quite out of context indeed,” he writes. Here’s a taste: “I don’t even know who Mr. Watergate is,” said Vladimir Nabokov in a 1974 interview.  “My sad conviction is that people can only agree about what they’re not really interested in,” said Bertrand Russell.
by Karin Glendenning

Those of you who love Louise Penny and her wonderful books about Armand Gamache and Three Pines, the fictional village in the Eastern Townships of Canada, may not know that she has an amazing website: louisepenny.com. It is full of information about all 16 of the Gamache books and offers links to author events, frequently asked questions about the books, and a pronunciation guide to the French words sprinkled throughout every book.

You may also sign up, via the website, to receive Penny’s newsletter, an excellent source of all things to do with the books and something you will surely grow to eagerly anticipate each month. In fact, if you wish, you may go back as far as August 2010 and read each letter, making yourself even more conversant with the books and their generous author.

A recent newsletter offered a link to some remarkably interesting discussion questions dealing with Penny’s latest and wonderfully received book, “All the Devils Are Here.” For example, one of the 12 challenging questions reads: “‘Hell is empty, and all the devils are here” is a line from Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest,’ Stephen’s favorite saying, and, of course, the source of the book’s title. Why do you think this quote resonates so much with Stephen? Why do you think Louise chose this saying as the inspiration for her title?”
These questions will make you want to reread and consider the implications of many facets of the book you may have missed. And they just may encourage you to reread all the books in the series, “a consummation devoutly to be wish’d” as far as I am concerned.

On the last Sunday in November, I was pleasantly surprised to find a reference to Penny and her novels in the New York Times Magazine. (Patrons may access this through their free subscription to the Times via their library account.) In her column in the magazine, cookbook author Dorie Greenspan explains that after reading and loving all of Penny’s books and meeting Penny in Paris, she became so enamored of Gamache that she was inspired to create a recipe in the Chief Inspector’s honor. She confesses that she is “obsessed with Gamache, whose ‘job is to investigate murders’ but his “remarkable gift is to understand people.”

Gamache is known for adoring lemon meringue pie, but Greenspan wanted to make something new and unique in his honor. Thus, she came up with lemon meringue cookies, a treat that stars a shortbread cookie dressed with a smear of lemon curd and topped with bits of crunchy meringue. She ends her column by stating that she imagines eating the cookies with Gamache: “Maybe he’d find them heavenly. I would.”

You have lots to look forward to if you haven’t read Louise Penny. Like Dorie Greenspan says, her books “include family, mystery, murder, knotty moral dilemmas, goodness lost, goodness found, dogs, a duck, children, very old people, and food, lots of it.” If you have read her, I’m sure you are a member of the can’t-wait-for-the-next-Gamache-novel-club, definitely a crowded organization!

Not Just One Word
“Seismic shifts in language data and precipitous frequency rises in new coinage” is how the Oxford English Dictionary describes 2020. Thus, the redoubtable British publisher has eschewed naming just one word, as is its usual practice, for the past year.

Instead, it acknowledges 2020 as a span that has numerous new or newly popular words. Not only have scientific terms come to be widely spoken, but phrases such as “flatten the curve” and “community transmission” have become routine. And “following the science” has increased in usage by 1,000 percent.
According to the OED, in 2020 words associated with the coronavirus became part of our vocabulary at “hyper-speed.” Other language addressing the world health situation that increased in frequency includes the words “lockdown,” “shelter-in-place,” “face masks” and “keyworkers.”

In addition to terminology having to do with the virus, our speech also reflected social attitudes and concerns. So, it’s no surprise that the use of “Black Lives Matter,” “impeachment,” “mail-in,” and “conspiracy theory” surged.

Casper Grathwohl, the president of OED, said he has never seen a year like 2020 where there were so many new words and phrases in use. “It’s both unprecedented and a little ironic - in a year that left us speechless, 2020 has been filled with new words unlike any other,” he said.


Great Courses
It has been 30 years since the first Great Courses lectures debuted. Here at the Library we have more than 150 of these offerings, some with CDs, some with videos, and some with only print lessons. These products have been used and appreciated by many serious students who want to immerse themselves in a topic.

Partnering with such esteemed organizations as National Geographic, the Smithsonian and the Mayo Clinic, these courses present lectures on a wide variety of topics, from philosophy and music to history and literature. While we do not have every one of the courses that have been published, we do have a good representation that covers many categories.

Lifelong learners have enjoyed checking out these courses from the Library for years, and, now that many of you are staying home, we at the Library wanted to remind you that the courses are still here, ready for you to explore.

If you are interested in widening your knowledge of a particular subject, you may investigate the titles via our card catalogue or call us and we will be happy to help you find one you will like.

Here are the titles of just some of the courses we have available for check-out: American Civil War, American Religious History, Augustine, Philosopher and Saint, Bach and the High Baroque, Churchill, Classics of American Literature, Dante’s Divine Comedy, The History of Ancient Rome, The New Testament, Tools of Thinking and Understanding the Fundamentals of Music.


Thank YOU
We so appreciate our patrons who have stuck with us during these last trying months. The many of you who regularly use our curbside pick-up have been so enthusiastic about our service! While we are yearning to reopen fully, we want you to know that your support has buoyed and sustained us.

by Karin Glendenning