Nancy Ling is
the Outreach Librarian at the Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood,
Massachusetts. Read Nancy’s column in the August 9th issue of the Norwood Transcript and
Bulletin.
You must have a
favorite author. Someone you turn to when the rest of the world seems in chaos.
Someone who is as comfortable to be with as your warm fuzzy slippers and a
chair beside the fireplace. Perhaps it is Jamie Ford or Susan Meissner (two of
my favorites) whose lyrical stories carry you back in time and make you fall in
love with their characters. Or maybe you are addicted to Mary Higgins Clark or
Louise Penny, and you cannot wait to settle down with their latest creations in
your hands.
While there is something magical and wonderful
about those treasured authors, there is also something to be said for those
books that you never ever thought you would read, and suddenly you do. Perhaps
you’ve been astonished when your world expands after being stretched by a story
or concept that greeted you when you dared to open a book that wasn’t part of
your regular repertoire.
Every month I lead between four or five book
clubs. I know! I should have my head examined. Still, I enjoy each and every
one of them. When I started these groups, I surveyed my readers to see what
type of books they loved to read. Many of them preferred mysteries. Hands down!
Ironically, it is a rare month now when I select a mystery for a book club
read. When it comes to this genre, I find there isn’t a lot to talk about in a
group. Trust me, I’ve tried. Once you know “who done it,” the conversation
tends to be a bit sparse. So I decided to choose a wide range of books and
topics instead. And yes, I like to stretch my readers. Actually, I like to
stretch myself, too. Sometimes this means I pick a total flop. This doesn’t
bother me, though. We’ve had the most engaging conversations even when the book
choice is a bust.
An example of this happened recently. The Spy Wore Red by Aline, Countess of the Romanones
was a big hit with my book clubs. Everyone loved the suspense in this true life
story of a World War II spy. With this success behind me, I decided a similar
read entitled A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre was
appropriate. Boy, was I wrong. This was the story of a friendship between two
spies, Kim Philby and Nicholas Elliott, and the years that Philby deceived both
MI6 and the CIA. While we had a lot to discuss, the style of writing was rather
dry for most of my readers. Nevertheless, we learned a lot about the circle of
Cambridge University friends that the British intelligence recruited.
Certainly, our minds were stretched.
Over the years my book clubbers have read a variety
of genres that they might not have tried on their own. While we covered
classics like Rebecca by
Daphne Du Maurier and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Margaret Smith, we have
also tried a western or two like True Grit by Charles Portis and post-apocalyptic
science fiction like Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. On occasion
we jumped into young readers like Skating With the Statue of Liberty by Susan Lynn
Meyer or The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Why? Why not!
Challenge accepted.
If you’re willing to stretch your definition of
“good reads,” you might be drawn into another reader’s obsessions as well. I
have a coworker who loves books about cats, any and all cats. Who am I kidding?
I’m surrounded by coworkers who read cat books. To be honest, felines don’t
always tickle my fancy as characters but, lo and behold, I found myself swept
into a picture book called Caramba by Marie-Louise Gay when I saw it on my
coworker’s desk. Now I’m addicted. I’m hoping Caramba, the cat who can’t fly,
has many more stories to discover.
Likewise my husband has certain topics that
fascinate him and I’m not sure if there’s any rhyme or reason for them. For a
while Appalachian history captured his interest. For several nights in a row I
fell asleep as he read out loud Night Comes to the Cumberlands by Harry M. Caudill.
Soon I became intrigued by Appalachia as well. When Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance was hot off the press,
I raced to get a copy. Later, when my husband’s curiosity shifted to the topic
of North Korea, I followed suit. A Thousand Miles to Freedom by Eunsun Kim and North Korea Undercover by John Sweeney are two books
I would never have touched without my husband’s influence. It seems that other
people’s obsessions are catchy.
Truth be told, I enjoy being stretched. I bet
you do too! In the words of Charles Scribner, “Reading is a means of thinking
with another person’s mind; it forces you to stretch your own.” The only
problem is finding enough time to fit it all in. I’d highly recommend trying
something completely new. You might even win a prize if you take the
opportunity to fill out our Summer Reader’s Bingo in the process. Consider some
of the categories: “A Book With a Beach Setting,” “A Book Set in Winter,” or “A
Book With a Food Theme.” Go ahead… give it a chance. What have you got to lose?
