Books About Books

 The book is huge, over 700 pages and that makes it a difficult book to read in bed! There are times when it seems as if my bookmark hasn’t moved in days. Still, the story is good and I’ve fallen into its grasp. I have traveled through both time and space in this piece of fictional literature. I’ve gone to the far side of our globe and have seen both the beauty and the ugliness of the country where it takes place, a place that I’ll probably never visit.

    One of the many things in this book that pulled me into it is the love of books. While not a major part of the story, the importance of the written word plays a big part of this novel. Book appreciation is something I’ve always considered important and that has always drawn me towards certain books.

    I find that as I read different books I can’t help but notice the similarities between them and other books I’ve read. Things such as; certain themes, or locations, the use of an odd word appearing in two different books, sometimes one right after another, these things stick in my mind. I’ll notice how plots are similar or that the subject matter is often the same. Is it just random chance or is it my subconscious picking out the books I read without my knowing it? I often wonder about things such as this!

    So far this year, I have read at least 5 books that have had reading or books as an important part of their stories. Books about books have always intrigued me. I would guess that it is because of my love of the subject. Who doesn’t enjoy reading about or participating in favorite hobbies or activities we like?

    I don’t remember any books in my early reading history that involved this subject other than the Detective Brown series written by Donald J. Sobol. Written back in the 60’s, the main character was Encyclopedia Brown, a 10 year old boy. I was just about the same age when I started reading them. I could be like him! How much they incorporated books I’m not sure, but how could I not like a main character named “Encyclopedia”?

    As the number of books in my collection grew, books on this subject (books and writing) increased. I came across an old book called The Haunted Bookshop written by Christopher Morley. Printed originally in 1919, the bookshop is haunted by the ghosts of writers and the books that they reside in. The story is a mystery but I especially enjoyed the parts dealing with the store and its books.

    This book then led me to the author’s first book, Parnassus on Wheels, printed two years earlier. The story is about a bookshop set on a wagon pulled by a horse. A woman buys the shop and escapes her boring life with an adventure and a celebration of reading.

    Since then, I have added many other books about books to my collection. A definite favorite is the book 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. This non-fiction book, written in 1966, is a collection of letters written between the author and the employees of a book shop in London. It is to me a wonderful book dealing with caring, friendship and of course, the love of books.

    Another favorite is The Book Thief written in 2007 by Markus Zusak. This fictional novel is set in Nazi Germany during the Second World War. A young girl steals some books and learns from them, finding a haven from the war in the books she has stolen.

    The The Midnight Library was written by Matt Haig in 2020. In this book, a woman who had attempted suicide finds herself in a magical library. Each of the books in this library offers her an alternative life. With each life choice come both good things and bad. “We” don’t always get what we hoped for.

    This previous book reminded me of another one, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Written in 2012 by Robin Sloan, this book tells the story of a young man who takes a job at a bookshop in San Francisco. He finds out it is a front for a secret society. Ancient books and manuscripts mixing with puzzles and secret codes that may possibly lead to the secret of eternal youth make this an exciting read. It takes us on an adventure that blends the ancient world with our modern civilization.

    My bookshelves are filled with books that mention books and reading in their pages. I am always on the lookout for another to add to my collection. Fiction or non-fiction, it doesn’t matter to me, I find them all exciting.

    So what exactly is it that I find so intriguing? They show me the behind the counter activities, how the book trade works. They tell stories about other book lovers, like me. People who can escape the everyday world by diving into another world printed on paper. I’ve read and learned about how books are made, how authors come up with their ideas and how companies decide which manuscripts to publish. I’ve read about how people, known as book scouts would search through bookstores and rummage sales for rare and collectable volumes. (Wouldn’t that be a fun job?) I’ve gone along with people who shared their love of books with others and gone into other dimensions and to other planets through the wonder and workings of books. 

    In case you’re wondering about the 5 books I was talking about earlier, the ones that caused these thoughts about books to begin, here is a quick once over about them…

1)    The Untold Story of Books by Michael Castleman. (2024) This is a history of publishing, from the Guttenberg Bibles and a bit before, to our modern digital age that we live in now.

2)    Camino Island by John Grisham. (2017) A fictional story about a writer who is enlisted to infiltrate a group of writers on an island off the coast of Florida. She is hoping to find some stolen manuscripts that a bookstore owner might have hidden.

3)    How to Resist Amazon by Danny Caine. (2019) The author, a bookstore owner, tells how Amazon manages to sell books at such a great discount. Books play such a small part of this massive industry that they can afford to take a loss on them while reaping in profits on other items. Meanwhile, book shops and stores have to deal with Amazon’s discounts, deals they can’t afford to offer without bankrupting themselves. The workers at Amazon and its offspring’s are paid poorly while the owner has become one of the richest men in the world.

4)    The Astral Library by Kate Quinn (2022) A woman in trouble finds a hidden door leading her into a secret library where she can be protected. People here are able to hide in the book stories! Unfortunately, someone is attempting to break into the library and she must help to defend it.

5)    The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (2023) This is the thick book that I am still only half way through. In one of the sections, a boy is taught to read by reading Moby Dick and then Great Expectations. He recites the stories to his family and then after being let go from college, he spends what money he still has on books to take back home to his village.

 

I am a sucker for reading and so, I can’t help but enjoy reading books about books. Like any hobbyist, I love anything dealing with the subjects I’m enamored with. I can’t help it; call it an addiction perhaps, an addiction that I don’t want to kick! 

Losing Our Borders

 Sitting in front of my TV, I came across a video about Borders Books stores. Watching it brought back a lot of good memories.

    We are coming up to the 15^th anniversary of Borders filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I find it hard to believe it has been that long. It was February 16^th, 2011. First opened as a used bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1971, it grew to include over 1200 stores worldwide. The store prospered for 40 years during which time they became a part of so many of our lives. Just about everyone I talked with has some memories of a Borders bookstore somewhere!

    My daughter Chelsey and I spent a lot of time at the McKnight Road store. We would look around and get a couple books or magazines and then go to the café and get a cup of hot chocolate and a cup of coffee and sit down and skim through our books, enjoying the ambiance.

    I can remember vividly the time that I attended a performance by the Pittsburgh Opera at the store. A woman, I only wish I knew her name, was singing “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle”, or “Love is a rebellious bird”. Also known as “Habanera”, it is a very sexy song! As she worked her way around the tables, she came to mine and looking me directly in the eye, she completed the song. I forgot about the others sitting around me, she was singing to me, to me alone! Wow, I thought I was in love! I wonder if she knew what an impression she made that day.

    There were many events I went to at that store. Two that I really enjoyed was when I went to see Neil Gaiman do readings at both the Northway Mall store on McKnight Road and the one on Rt.19 in the South Hills. Neil wore a black leather jacket, as did many of his fans. The place was packed. I hadn’t realized how popular he was. He signed a couple books for me at both readings.

    I also remember a night, sitting beside the window during a snow storm. With my usual mug of coffee beside a couple books or magazines, I was staring out at the blowing snow. I could feel the cold coming through the glass. My notebook and pen were on the table also but weren’t being used. The books sat unopened. It was a depressing night, I was thinking about the failure of my marriage. The cold weather outside reflected the way I was feeling inside. The bookstore gave me a warm place to go on a cold bitter night.

    Thinking of that night reminded me of how careful you had to be when going to your car on nights like these. The parking lot was sloped, and it was easy to slip as you went down to your car. Icy nights at that location were treacherous!

    Even though Pittsburgh had other bookstores, Borders became a favorite spot to go. They offered thousands of books, and they had a great children’s section for when my daughter came along. There were books about “almost” any subject you could want. Music and movies were a big part of the store also. Chairs were scattered around for your reading pleasure and then there was the café. Good snacks and caffeinated beverages were there for you while you shopped.

    Unfortunately, their internet presence wasn’t quite up to par. Try as they might, they just couldn’t keep up with Amazon and Barnes and Nobles. The costs of their huge stores also worked against them. After filing for bankruptcy, their final store closed its door in September of 2011. The company is gone, none of their stores remain, anywhere, including “my” store on McKnight Road.

    I can remember going through the store and looking at the shelves and trying to figure out where I could put them in my house. It was really sad to see price tags on the furnishings, it just didn’t seem right.

    There are a lot of books I bought at Borders in my collection. I’d be willing to bet that there are still a few Borders bookmarks slipped in between the pages. I have a poster from the store hanging on my library door. Even though it has been only 15 years, it seems like so much more. Borders bookstores have contributed a lot to me; at times I think the best things I got there were the memories!

    (Note: Now days, for our book buying needs, I hope you are taking advantage of the services of your local independent bookstores! Support small bookstores!)

Book Notes 2025

 I enjoy taking notes; but in fact, it is sometimes necessary that I take them. As the years accumulate my memory is dwindling. Remembering things has always been difficult for me, especially if it is something important. The need to remember often causes me to forget; how that works I don’t know but it does. If the facts aren’t important, they tend to stick in my head, the critical ones are the ones that slip away soon after I hear them.

    In astronomy, it is important to take notes. You always want to be able to look back to see exactly when it was that you discovered a comet or saw that nova! (Ha-ha) In reality, it is good to keep notes since you often look back to check things or just to relive moments. I have gone through my astronomy journals many times to determine how long ago it has been since I saw a certain feature on the moon or last saw an occultation or an eclipse. Dates and years aren’t one of the things that stick in my mind and I envy people who have that ability.

    Like astronomy, I also keep notes on my reading life. I compose a list each year of the books I’ve read. The list is simple, the name of the book, the author, the date the book was published and when I read it. I also include a brief description and a rating. The rating is simply 1 through 5, with 5 being the best.

    To determine the rating I consider a couple things. Most important of all, did I enjoy reading it? The ability of the author to tell their story is important also. Another thing is whether or not the subject matter is exciting to me. I’d much rather read a book about trains than one about brain surgery.

    Looking over my list, I see that in 2025 I’ve marked 17 books as 5’s. That is approximately 17%, one out of every 5 or 6 books I've read was a good one, not bad. So, without any further mathematics here are the books I enjoyed most during this past year. They are listed in order as they were read. I hope you see a couple that excite you and prompt you to visit your local bookstore or library. Please, continue to support both of these establishments, they are so important in today’s world!

 

1) The Upstairs Delicatessen by Dwight Garner – (NF) 2023      Reading and eating what goes better together? This is a humorous collection of stories centered around the author and food.

2) Joyland by Stephen King – (F) 2013       It is a mystery, a “horror” story and a coming-of-age story taking place at a beach side amusement park. I’ve always enjoyed books and stories about carnivals and amusement parks. I've read this book numerous times!

3) The Briar Club by Kate Quin – (F) 2024              The book tells about a group of women living in a boarding house outside of Washington DC. during the McCarthy era. At first, they hardly know each other but as the years go by, they form friendships and bonds. There is a chance that one of them might be a spy…

 

4) The Last American Road Trip by Sarah Kendzior - (NF) 2025   The author writes about how she and her husband took their kids on road trips to see the country. The parents wanted to show their kids what America is like now, afraid that it will be swiftly changing. The trips were taken around the Covid pandemic but despite numerous problems the family visited almost all of the states, stopping in National Parks and historic sites. At times it gets a bit political, but it is the journeys that I enjoyed most.

5) Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller by Oliver Darkshire - (NF) 2022           The author worked for a decade at a London bookstore that specialized in rare books. In his book he tells about the eccentric staff and customers, the shop ghost and some interesting tales about getting and selling these old tomes. He planned on only staying for a bit but the store ended up growing on him.  Books about books and bookstores are another of my loves!

6) Becoming by Michele Obama - (NF) 2018          The former First Lady tells about her childhood, her education and her work experiences, along with her life with Barack. The book told me more about a woman I always have admired.

 

7) Ready Player One by Ernest Kline - (F) 2011  In the year 2044, people are constantly immersed in computer simulation. While the world is on the brink of collapse, people spend their time in OASIS, a made-up virtual reality universe. There is a search for a digital Easter egg hidden in this world that could provide unbelievable wealth and fame. It is a great adventure story.

8) Free Ride by Noraly Schoenmaker - (NF) 2024 This is the story of the author's motorcycle ride from India back to her home in Holland. Riding over 20,000 miles, she rides solo discovering new friends, beautiful vistas and herself, finding her inner strength and fortitude. I think I enjoyed it because I always wanted to take a long motorcycle trip but never did.

9) The Red Notebook by Antone Laurain - (F) 2014         A French bookseller finds a purse on the street and attempts to find its owner. Inside is a red notebook with her writings in it and perhaps some clues as to who owns it. The book is a nice simple love story!

  

10) The Lion Woman of Tehran by Marjan Kamali – (F) 2024  The story of two girls who become friends while growing up in Tehran, going through both personal and political turmoil, and how their lives changed as they grew.

11) High Contrast by Ian Thomas Healy – (F) 2016   A collection of short stories, some rather odd… but all enjoyable! It is a variety of things, a little science fiction, a little horror, and even a post-apocalyptic story. One of the 8 stories is about a man whose teeth start falling out, for no reason. Try the book out, you might find it interesting, I sure did!

12) Elevation by Stephen King – (F) 2018   A man starts losing weight yet retains his same height and shape. He just keeps getting lighter and lighter. How far will it go? Sort of like the book before, a little odd, but a fun read!

 

13) The End of the World as We Know it by Assorted Authors – (F) 2025   These stories are continuations of Stephen King’s book, The Stand, fan fiction.  I enjoyed almost all of the stories. Like so many collections, it wasn’t perfect, but I still enjoyed it enough to give it a 5 and, it also enticed me to re-read the next book on my list.

14) The Stand by Stephen King – (F) 1978             Truly a classic good versus evil book. A man escapes from a secret government laboratory, infected with a deadly flu. With-in a few weeks, 99% of the world’s population has died. Two people arise to become leaders, one good and the other evil. There are two versions of the book available, the original release with about 800 pages and the re-released version with about 1200 pages. I’ve read both versions, more than once, this time through; it was the larger version! If you haven’t read it, please try it!

15) Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid – (F) 2025             This is the fictional story of a woman who is accepted into the space program to become an astronaut, working in the shuttle program. It tells about her training and her fellow astronauts, both men and women. In the long run, it is a love story. I enjoyed it because of my love of astronomy and the space program and how the details were pretty accurate. Sometimes all it takes is one thing to swing a 4 up to a 5!

16) 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff – (NF) 1970   The author Helene and a London bookseller corresponded for 20 years, getting to know each other only through the mail. It started with a search for rare books she couldn’t easily get in New York City. Over time the correspondence grew to include the other workers at the store and families. It is a wonderful book about the love of books, caring, friendship and the passage of time. This is another book that I’ve read many times! Re-reading books is like visiting with good friends!

17) Starlight Nights by Leslie C. Peltier – (NF) 1965    What an excellent book to end my list! Leslie wrote this book telling about his history of observing. He observed not only stars and comets, of which he discovered 12, but also the nature surrounding him, birds, insects and even rocks and minerals. In his astronomy life he found 6 novas and made over 130,000 variable star observations. His book is written in an easy going way, explaining things in a way that you don’t even realize that you’re learning. He tells about his first telescope and listening to the nocturnal animals and insects as he used it. He takes us on trips to go camping and searching for mineral specimens. In his final chapter, in 1965, he talks about a new form of light pollution that has started to enter his skies, that caused by satellites. I’d hate to think what he would say if he saw today’s skies! This book makes me want to go out and observe the world! A boy from Ohio, born at the very start of the 1900’s, (January 2, 1900) Leslie became one of the most renowned amateur astronomers in the United States.

His book has been republished a couple times but you’ll have to pay lots to get one now. The Allegheny County Library didn’t have a copy in their system but they found a copy I could borrow, from Augusta, Maine! (I love what our libraries do for us!)

It is rather apropos that Leslie Peltier’s book ends my list. His life was spent recording what he saw. He took many notes and made many lists during his long life and by doing so; he set a wonderful example for the rest of us. Don’t be ashamed to take out your pen and paper to scribble a note on it, it just might help you out at a later date!

As I said before, if a book on this list struck your fancy, stop into your local bookstore and inquire if they have it or can get it for you. The public library is also a wonderful tool that is available to everyone. Make use of it, take your kids or your grandchildren there and spend an hour or two… just exploring!

Book Collecting

 The book club I belong to picked 84 Charing Cross Road for our December read. Not only is it a thin easy to read book giving us all more time for holiday preparations, but it is also a book about books. In my opinion, this is one of the most important things about this book. (I love books on books!) It is also about friendship, caring and compassion. Some readers may even consider it a love story.

    It is the true-life story of the author, Helene Hanff, who was a writer located in New York City. In 1949 she wrote to a London bookshop looking for some books. In those days you couldn’t just tap out a request on your computer. If you couldn’t find what you wanted in a local book store you had to write a letter. Then you would wait until it was answered. Seeing an ad in the back of a magazine, the author contacted The Marks and Company Bookshop, hoping that they could provide some titles that she couldn’t find. Their address is the title of the book.

    Unlike Helene who occasionally writes rather sarcastic letters, the book-seller, Frank, is very dignified and proper until they get to know each other better. Starting with the salesman, the letter writing eventually grows to include other workers in the store and their families. Their correspondence spanned twenty years. Helene is amazed at the quality of the books that are sent to her. They are nothing like the trade books sold in the shops in the States and she is excited to add them to her small collection of English classics.

    There is a good feeling I get whenever I hold or read an old book. I think of all the people who might have also held this book, read its lines and thought about what the author had conveyed in them. In some books there are penciled in notes or slips of paper used as bookmarks, nameplates are pasted in some and in others, an author might have signed his name. I also get a good feeling when I read a well written book, one whose author strikes a chord inside of me, causing me to pause and think about what I just read or that tells a story that makes me want to stay up all night just to find out how it ends. In many of these cases, I’d like to keep the book. I’d like to be able to read it again in the future. With the older books, I’d like to be able to be awed once again when I think of the books past, its history and what it might’ve gone through to get to my hands. Sadly, finances and common sense usually prevent me from buying them. 

    There are many types of book collecting. There is your average collection, books that have been read, enjoyed and saved. On the other side of the coin, a bit higher up the scale is collecting first editions or signed books. Some collectors search for copies of their favorite author’s work, while others collect only certain subject matter. There are some that collect to impress, searching for prestige in their collection. I’ve even heard of people collecting books because they “look good” on their shelves. But in actuality, like me, I’d have to say that most collectors accumulate their books because of their love of the printed word.

    Over the years I’ve developed my own style of collecting. In my office I have a collection of books dealing with Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas. Often used for research, these are both newer volumes and books published in the early 1900’s, and some even further back. There are also sections dealing with maps, machine tool technology and railroads. A shelf holds some poetry near my easy chair and a group of old textbooks sits on a shelf.

    In other rooms I have many newer fiction books, both hardback and paperback. They were read and then kept for eventual re-reading. Many have been read numerous times. Re-reading a book is like re-visiting an old friend. Then again, the way my memory works, it is often like finding a new friend!

    There is a set of shelves where I keep my “books on books”, books filled with information and stories about books, paper, libraries and bookstores.  They are a collection of both new and old, both fiction and non-fiction. I love reading this type of book. Near-by is a cabinet of signed books. While the vast majority of these are local scribes, I have a few books signed by some rather well-known authors. I must say that I value most, the books of authors I’ve met and talked with. Some of these signed books date back into the early 1900’s. I think it is exciting to have a book that is signed by the person who wrote it. It is a bit of history sitting in my hands! These books may not be worth much to a bibliophile, but to me, they are priceless. The value of a book is so often determined by the love of its reader!

    In this group I have the signature of President Carter and the signatures of some authors I’ve always admired such as Bradbury, Creighton and Gaimen and a few others. Sitting among these books is a worn paperback. Though it is beat up, the cover cracked and it’s unsigned, I treasure it.  The paperback contains a letter from the author, Cliff Stoll. I had written to him about his book, The Cuckoo’s Egg. There were a couple things in his book that I agreed with and I wanted to share my thoughts with him. I was so impressed that he took the time out of his busy day to write me back. I slipped the letter into the book and have kept them both safe and protected.  While I really enjoyed the book, that simple reply made it even more valuable to me. 

    There are a few “nice” books sitting on another shelf. Some of these were my father’s books. It was him that taught me to appreciate books! They are books with slip cases and nice bindings, books such as Gulliver’s Travels and The Turn of the Screw. I have added a couple volumes to this section over the years including two different printings of Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes. Both are in very nice shape, and both reside in slip cases. I’ve read this book many times, always enjoying the author’s efforts while taking a 12-day journey with a stubborn donkey named Modestine. A little further down the shelf sits my modest collection of Baedeker Guides; more non-fiction history. My collection of books might not look classy, but they please me and that is what I think is most important to any collection!

    While re-reading Helene Hanff’s book I once again have gotten the urge to go visit my local bookshops to search for another book for my collection. I want a book that is more than just your standard paperback novel. I’m thinking about one with a nice pebbled cover and gold imprinting. Or maybe one that is a limited edition or perhaps with an inscription from the author, the possibilities are endless but it has to be one I’ll enjoy reading! I love to dream about what I could get but then reality returns. Every so often a “special” book pops up in my travels, but until then I’ll continue to visit the library and my favorite bookstores, always on the lookout for that “special” book!

Lunch and a Movie

Leaving a little after twelve this past Sunday, Ann Marie and I drove over to the town of Sewickley. A friend had told us about a movie that was playing there, and we had purchased some tickets for it. Our plan was to get some lunch and then stroll around the borough for a bit before the movie started.

    Arriving we saw signs advertising the Library Book Sale. We both had the same thought, another place to visit while we were in town. We found a parking spot close to the theater and started our walk from there. The day was perfect for walking, the sun felt good and lots of others were enjoying the day along with us.

    A few blocks from the car, we stopped at the Mediterra Café. We have been to this establishment before, along with the one located in Lawrenceville and had enjoyed both places. Being a Sunday afternoon, the place was rather crowded but as we ate our lunches the crowd dwindled down, Sunday was the first Steelers game of the season. Once the game started, most of the stores and restaurants in the Pittsburgh area would be empty. The fans will have moved to sports bars and their homes to watch the game. (I find this a great time to do my weekly food shopping; the grocery stores are almost empty! Don’t make the mistake of going before the game, you’ll get stuck in the pregame rush!)

    We sat and talked about books and people watched, both favorite activities of ours. Finishing our coffees and after getting some “to-go” boxes, we returned to the sidewalk. About a block away sits a gazebo where we stopped for a minute or two to look for a geocache hidden near-by. After a short search, it was Ann Marie who found the small container. The library sat about a block away, that would be our next stop.

    We were afraid that it might be closed but luck was with us. This was the third day of their sale, so we were browsing through rather slim pickings. Even so, Ann Marie found a book by an author she liked and I found two for myself.

    The walk continued eventually bringing us back to the car. We put our “to-go” boxes in the car and went across the street to the plaza in front of the Lindsay Theater. There we sat in the sunshine, reading our new books. There were lots of people walking on the sidewalks and biking in the streets.  More than a few dogs were getting their afternoon constitutionals. We shared the patio with another couple. The sunlight felt good on my back.

        The movie we had come to see was called Rebel with a Clause, starring Ellen Jovin who had written a book by the same name. She is a “grammar nerd” and she, along with her husband Brandt Johnson, who filmed the project, visited all fifty states. She sets up a small folding table and then invites people who pass by to ask her grammar questions. The movie is a compilation of the people she met and their questions.

    Now I am far from being an expert on grammar or English. PLEASE, never ask me to diagram a sentence! I tend to speak and write in a way that I feel “sounds” correct. Sadly, my teachers would never accept that reasoning when I explained why I had written something the way I did. Still, the movie sounded like it would be fun to watch and Ann Marie, whose skills at grammar are so much higher than my own, was excited to see it also.

    We watched the movie with 27 other people. (No one came in wearing a Steelers jersey.) I would have to guess that the average age of the audience was probably 60 or 70.

    Wherever Ellen set up her table, she always met a wide variety of people. All ages were represented and along with your "average" people, she was also visited by a few eccentric ones. They added to the humor of the film. All most everyone had a question for her. There were questions about which word is correct, who or whom. Questions included proper use of semicolons, apostrophes and commas. The questions often branched out to other topics such as how words are pronounced in different sections of the country. Ellen is the type of person who is able to turn difficult things into positive experiences, her interactions with the visitors almost always ended with everyone smiling, including the audience. I am pretty sure that everyone enjoyed the movie as much as we did.

    I thought it was interesting that the book I had bought at the library, and that I was reading before the movie was called Lapsing into a Comma. The book was written by Bill Walsh who was the Copy Desk Editor of the Washington Post. It tells about the various mistakes that can occur during writing and printing and how to avoid those, many of which were mentioned in this film!

    Walking out of the movie we were saying how interesting it would be to meet Ellen. Someone mentioned that she had been here at this theater last week. Oh well, you win some and you lose some!

    Returning home, we shared a couple beers and caught up on some late-night TV shows. The day turned into a great afternoon date; lunch and a movie, what a wonderful way to spend a September afternoon.

Weeding out the New (?) Stuff

While organizing my shelves, I came across some books whose time had finally come to be removed. I always find this a difficult thing to do but as more books come in, sadly some have to go. In the collection about machine shops and machining, I realized that some of these books were never going to be used by me again. I realized that some of the newer books could be used by someone still working in the trade. Much as I hated to, I weeded out the newer books and set them aside for resale.

    Some of the books on these shelves I find extremely interesting. Many of them were printed in and around the early 1900’s. I find the subject matter in these books fascinating having worked as a machinist for so many years., A few of the book covers are embossed, with the lettering raised up in nice old-style fonts and a couple books have gilded edges. They knew how to print nice books back then. Some of these books are like artwork!

    One small book, a mere 3 ½” x 5 ½”, printed in 1924 is filled with lots of line drawings, charts and tables. Hard bound, it was made to be kept in a workers tool box for quick referencing. It was distributed by International Correspondence Schools of Scranton, Pennsylvania as a text book. In the back are the notes of the man who owned it, George K, they tell the dates when he left from one section of the shop for another, moving up the ladder. He started the course on Dec.3^rd, 1929 and by 1932 had worked his way into the shaper and planer department. Filled full of machinery instructions, the final 10 pages of this book deals with the subject of first aid, you never know what might happen in a machine shop!

    I am infatuated with books such as these. It is always a trip back into history when I read them. The equipment shown in the books, often drawn, is equipment that is never seen in shops anymore.  I find it amazing to think about all the things built with these tools; airplanes, trains, dams and ocean liners, built with equipment run by overhead belt drives. The computers of those days were slide rules. Types of machinery like these are still being used but the machines shown in these books are extremely out dated.

          Back in the day when I was working and was the only machinist in our shop, I purchased some books to be used for reference. They sat on a shelf beside my desk right outside the machine shop. Sadly, even though the books were there for everyone who used the shop, I was the only one that opened them.

    I have always thought that to improve your job performance, knowledge of how your tools and equipment runs is important. Knowing how to calculate feeds and speeds should be more than just guesswork. Keeping track of the directions the industry is going can also help your performance. Machine shop trade magazines were also set on the shelves for people to read. You can guess who the only reader of them was…

    When visiting the cubicles of other employees I almost always scanned their bookshelves. I’d often borrow some of their books and I’d like to think that they were glad to see that someone else was interested in them! It is amazing the various topics you can find on people's shelves.

    Sadly, even back then, people didn’t seem to read that much. Fellow workers would joke about the “library” sitting beside my desk. It didn’t bother me though; I knew where to go to get the answers to the questions they brought me! I would tell them that they could get better answers from the library than on their phones but unfortunately, that didn't always hold true.

    I find that it is good to have the knowledge of how to solve a problem. Finding an answer on-line is fast but knowing the reason why that is the answer is important also. Using your brain to solve a problem is good exercise. Like jogging or weightlifting, mental exercise strengthens you also. It builds up your thought process and the ability to sift through possibilities and scenarios, helping you to find answers quicker.

    Punching some buttons on your phone can quickly find the information you need but does it strengthen your mind? In today's modern world where quick responses are mandatory, our computers and phones can supply these things within seconds. What I wonder is, what is happening to the strength of our minds as we become more and more dependent on this technical wizardry? We need to exercise more, both physically and mentally!

    I am now going to attempt to sell these newer books, hopefully to another person like me, one who enjoys having the answers close at hand…in a book. I've already found a man who is interested in a couple of them.  As for the other older machinery books I have, I'll keep on paging through them, enjoying the machines and reliving the past.

Desert Solitaire

 

Having recently found out that my nephew, a good friend is reading and enjoying a book that I had read and loved decades ago, I pulled my copy off the shelf and started re-reading it. This isn’t just the second time I’ve read it; I can’t even guess at the number times I’ve been transfixed by this book.

    The book is Desert Solitaire, written by Edward Abbey in 1968. It was the first non-fiction book that Abbey wrote, a nature narrative compared by some to Thoreau’s Walden.

    I probably discovered the book in the mid 70’s. Telling about his years as a park ranger, Edward writes about the joys of sitting with his cup of coffee and waiting for the sun to make its appearance in the morning and watching the moon rise in the evening. He writes about the things I wanted to do and things that I still do now!

    As I was reading, I watched as the sunlight crawled up the hillside across from my vantage point. The sun was slowly setting, I couldn’t see it from where I was, but I could see its light. As the sun dropped closer to the horizon its orange light climbed up the hill across from it, leaving the trees below in shadow. Soon it was on just the tips of the trees and then the brightness of the sun disappeared.

    It is a Friday night; the sounds of the traffic on the roads below have quieted down. It is far from silent though, nothing like the quiet and solitude of the desert that Edward had written about.

    The trees and the woods are losing their details, the trees are no longer individuals, they have become a mass, a collection of greens and browns. A few dead trees stand separately, their trunks and branches white, like skeletons. In the sky the clouds are gaining a pinkish tinge.

    I had just read about Edward’s ideas about banning cars and roads from the national parks. Eliminating powered transportation and requiring visitors to hike or ride on mules or horses, making them see the wonders of the land the way they have been seen for centuries, under their own power. He was definitely against “industrial tourism”.  He knew it was coming and there wasn't much he could do other than write about it. (He does mention a couple other things in his book(s)...)

    My reading has only taken me through 60 pages, give or take, yet I understand already what it is about his writing that captured me so long ago. I don’t agree with all his ideas but yet I have always admired this man, his thoughts and his writing.

    I am no longer sitting at a table in my backyard in Western Pennsylvania. I am in Arches National Park in Utah, along with my teacher Edward Abbey. He is explaining about the desert, telling me about the wildlife, the soil and the plants that inhabit this difficult land. He is telling me how important it is that we preserve our world!

    If you’ll excuse me now, I am going to sit down by his campfire again and listen a bit further. This is just like visiting with an old friend!

My Top Books from 2024

What I consider my reading list is far from the Best Seller lists on the Internet or at a local bookstore. Many of the books I read are circumstantial; they are often books that I just happen across. While I do read the best-seller lists, their suggestions don’t always strike me. For one thing, there are so many choices I have to pick from. Looking through Book Pages, there are 30 or 40 books reviewed. I can at least eliminate some of them by their genre. I really don’t want to read any romance books or historical fiction, which is not to say that I never do. They just aren’t my favorites.

    I belong to a book club, and I enjoy most of the books we read. Suggestions from friends and booksellers have often turned into treasures worth keeping. Visiting the library or bookstores always has given me books that I enjoy. There is nothing like walking down a set of shelves and seeing what books might present themselves to me. I also enjoy reading older books, ones that have been out of print for awhile. Libraries and bookstores excel at these books!

    I keep a list of the books I’ve read and rate each book from 1 to 5. “Five” is a book I’d rave about and suggest to others while “one” is a book I don’t want to mention to anyone. These ratings are only my own thoughts, they are based on how the story grabbed me, how well it was written and of course, whether the subject matter excited me or not. It is a numerical version of how I felt after reading the last page.

    My reading preferences this year has been more fiction than non-fiction with a sprinkling of poetry tossed in. There were a couple books I started but put down before finishing, these weren’t included. There are too many books to read and not enough time. I don't want to spend time reading books I don’t enjoy. If they don’t grab me quickly, I pick up something else. I also tend to read a couple books at a time. Should one get tiring, I just go to another and slip right back into that story. The other one can wait awhile, just as this one has.

    These books have been rated at 5 in my records. They are listed as read, not by preference.

1) A Long Way Gone – Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by ishmeal beah. (NF-2007) This tells ishmael’s story, how he fled his village when he was 12 and how at 13 he was taken to become a government soldier in Sierra Leone. It is touching, scary and violent. It shows how some people are forced to live, and how they deal with it.

2) Learning to See, by Elise Hooper. (F-2019) This book is a fictionalized version of Dorothea Lange’s life. Having recently read another book about Dorothea Lange, I was surprised at how closely the book followed the details of her life.

3) The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride. (F-2023) Set in Pottstown, a mystery is presented to the community when a skeleton is unearthed. The story tells about how neighbors in a poor section of the town come together, never minding each other’s religion or race, to help each other during difficult times. We find out about the people in this Pennsylvania town and their thoughts and prejudices against each other.

4) All the Broken Places, by John Boyne. (F-2022) This book is about a woman; as a young girl, as a young woman and as a nonagenarian. (a woman in her 90’s) As a child she lived near a Nazi concentration camp that her father was in charge of. The book tells about her feelings of guilt and how it affects the decisions she makes as she goes through her life. It is very well written and has a few surprises in it.

5) One Dog, Two dog, Three Dog, Four…, by Paul Estronza La Violette. (NF-2007) On one of the trips that Ann Marie and I took this year, we passed what we thought was a bookstore. We drove up a long driveway and met Paul, the author of this book. He and his wife lived there and graciously invited us in and told us about their dogs, their hobbies and their history. The book is a collection of stories about the Weimaraners they had when they lived on the Gulf Coast. The stories just made me feel good!

6) The Globemakers, by Peter Bellerby. (NF-2023) This is a beautifully illustrated book about the craft of making world globes. Wanting to get a nice world globe for his father’s birthday, Peter attempted to make one himself. He discovered it was quite difficult. He eventually created a company to continue this art form. The globes this company makes are true art, no doubt about it.

7) The Burnt District, by Gary Link. (F-2003) This book, written by a local author, tells a tale about what the city of Pittsburgh was going through after the Great Fire. (April 10, 1845) As I read the book, I could easily imagine where he was writing about because of my familiarity of the city. The story follows the city’s history rather closely and includes some well know citizens in it.

8) James, by Percival Everett. (F-2024) This was a great book, especially if you've read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. It can't help but make you think! I tore through the book, not wanting to put it down! I can't say I enjoyed (?) reading this book but I'm very glad that I did. The story is the same as Mark Twain's story about Huck with a few variations. The biggest one is that the story is told from Jim's (Jame's) viewpoint. A very good story and I'm sure it will become an important novel in the ages to come!

9) The Women, by Kristin Hannah. (F-2024) The book tells the story of "Frankie" who as a twenty-year-old, volunteers to go over to Viet-Nam as a nurse. It tells about the awful things she sees and experiences along with the friends and loves she encounters during her tours of duty. It also tells about all the things she loses while she is there!
    Coming back home she encounters another country than the one she left a couple years before. She isn't respected, her family doesn't know how to relate with her and she can't get any help for the traumas she experienced while helping the men and boys, she helped save. She is constantly told that "No women served in Viet-Nam". Luckily, she has friends that help her through the tough times.
    I read this book with damp eyes. There was so much in it that made me stop and reflect, mostly as to how lucky I was to have "just" missed having to go and experience this war myself. A lot made me think about my brother who experienced it firsthand, along with a good friend of mine who did likewise. Our country did a great disservice to the men and women who served in this war, and it can't help but make me think, is this still going on today?

10) Slow Train to Yesterday, by Archie Robertson. (NF-1945) Archie tells us about short line railroads and their appeal, both standard and small gage lines. He has ridden many of them and tells about the equipment, the scenery and the people who run them and ride them. He also discusses railfans (of which I am one!) and railroad clubs.

11) The Forest of Lost Souls, by Dean Koontz. (F-2024) Basically a good versus evil book. A woman who lives away from society, who is “one with the woods” ends up battling to protect a sacred section of land that an “evil” mastermind wants to develop for financial gain.

12) The Tender Bar: A Memoir, by J.R. Moehringer. (NF-2005) I thought this was a wonderful book. It is the story of a boy growing up, searching for a father figure. The bar his uncle owns provides a variety of father figures that help him through his life into adulthood. The question is, was he searching for his father or himself? I had seen the movie before the book, both are good!

13) The Life Impossible, by Matt Haig. (F-2024) An elderly math teacher inherits a small cottage on a Mediterranean island. It begins with an e-mail from a former student, telling her about her problems. Her reply is, basically the book. The book tells about her search to find out more information about the woman who bequeathed her house to her and the importance of protecting our planet and all the creatures on it. (Matt Haig’s book, The Midnight Library is also a great read!)

    I hope you see something that strikes your fancy and gets you to visit your local library or bookstore. Remember how important it is to continue supporting these valuable resources! If you are a reader, you know how important they are!

Happy New Year, I hope it is filled with lots of good books! Keep on reading!

Phil B