Chapter I
It was in a deep corner of the library far removed from the check-out and information tables. In fact, there were no chairs and tables — there weren’t even bookcases. Instead, the young adult science fiction section consisted of three book carousels filled with paperbacks. I’d seen Hallmark cards on displays like this but never books. It was a poorly lit area, the only light entering from a small square window high up in the ceiling. It was as if someone had pushed these books in a corner and forgot about them. Like any ten year old the first thing I did was take the books for a fast spin…only a few fell off. I looked around. I didn’t get caught. I then practiced pushing the books around as slowly as possible. My fingers became covered in dust. Pictures of UFOs, aliens and planets jumped off their covers and captured my attention. I read the titles, The Martin Chronicles, The Time Machine, A Wrinkle in Time and Under Plum Lake, and my heart started to race.

Under Plum Lake by David Line. A young boy is ushered into a subterranean world where he encounters a civilization and kingdom unlike anything above ground.

That’s all I will say about the plot. It’s not a book I want to talk about – it’s a book for you to read. It was the first book that completed transported me out of reality. It was the first time I realized the power of my own imagination and that I could see pictures in my mind. It was the first time I realized that people had stories to share about places I didn’t know existed. And I was a willing traveler. (more…)

5-in-5. Five minutes. Five books. It’s a game I’ve played at the library since I was a young girl.

Game Rules

1. Place library card in your back pocket and check the clock.
2. Choose books based on a title or cover art that catches your fancy.
3. Do not read the book jacket.
4. Once you grab the book you must take it.
5. Do not look at the books until you get home.

Here’s how 5-in-5 played out this week:

• The Soul of Rumi by Coleman Barks
• Making Kind Choices: Everyday Ways to Enhance Your Life Through Earth and Animal Friendly Living by Ingrid Newkirk
• The Wheel of Life by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
• Making a Good Writer Great: A Creativity Workbook for Screenwriters by Linda Seger
• Bonus Book: The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (The librarian informed me that my book on hold had arrived.)

It looks promising! What are you reading?

I had the pleasure to read “The Hero Project” by brothers Robert and William Hatch. Eight years ago, when they were ages 14 and 11, they embarked on an ambitious project: to interview their heroes and write a book about “how the heroes have made America a better place.” Sure, it was totally impressive that these kids landed interviews with the likes of Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu, Dolores Huerta, Yo-Yo-Ma, Madeline L’Engle and 8 others, but what I LOVED about the book is how different the interviews are compared to what we are usually fed via the popular media pipeline. Kids ask smart and honest questions and the heroes tend to let their guard down while chatting with them. If I had read this book as a junior high student I would have fallen in love with history, social issues, and politics! I would have become a very young social entrepreneur.

After I read the book I sat outside enjoying the sun and reflected on the stories and ideas shared by the change agents. I realized that my life is filled with heroes. In particular, SHEROES. I quickly drafted the list below and reflected on the creative women that make my life so rich and fill it with love, invigorating conversations, and humor. These women have three things in common:

(more…)

I first heard about “going steady” on an episode of the Brady Bunch. I’ll never forget it. Marcia comes home from school and Alice asks her if she wants a glass of milk. But Marcia doesn’t hear anything because she’s so busy daydreaming…about a boy! A boy who doesn’t even know she exists.

As you may recall, the boy turns out to be the nerdy insect collector, Harvey Klinger. Marcia checks out a bunch of library books and catches Harvey in her web of insect facts. Harvey is totally smitten. I could tell because he said, “Gee, Marcia, you really know your bugs.”

I wanted a steady boyfriend like Marcia so I headed to the library to find me some bug books. But that afternoon something else happened.

Librarian: Oh, you want to see books on entomology.
Me: Um, no, just bugs please.
Librarian smiles and says: Entomology is the study of insects. I’ll show you where to go.

As we scan the shelf the nice librarian removes a large blue book and tucks it under her arm. She tells me it’s in the wrong place. I look at the blue cover and see the word “Epistolary” for the first time.

Me: What’s epist…episto…?
Helpful Librarian (she sounds out the word for me, E·pis·to·lar·y): An epistolary novel is a story told through a series of letters.
Me: I like to write letters! We have pen pals in Mrs. Schultze’s class. She’s my 4th grade teacher. I’m in the 4th grade. I like to write.

I didn’t see one picture of a bug that day. Instead I spent the next hour reading collections of letters. And when my eyes got tired I looked around at all the books and wondered, “Who wrote all these books? What else is in this place?”

That day I started “going steady”…with the library.

This March I decided to take a few months off to rest, reflect, and reconnect with what is truly important to me.

What’s on my library card this week?

1. Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman
2. Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
3. Why Aren’t You Your Own Boss by Paul and Sarah Edwards
4. Cave in the Snow by Vicki Mackenzie
5. Thousand Days in Tuscany : A Bittersweet Adventure by Marlena De Blasi.
6. Bachelor Brothers’ Bed and Breakfast by Bill Richardson