Another successful Art and Soul took place on July 18th – a beautiful sunny day, of course.
This biennial event benefits the library. This year’s event included creative and beautiful baskets, a silent art auction at the Dodwell Gallery, food and flowers for sale, and a lovely exhibit of art books. And our perpetual book sale in the basement rounded out the appeal to come support the library!
We have a new way to access books on the island – a charming Little Free Library has appeared in the community garden, which makes perfect sense to me, as I think community gardens have a lot in common with community libraries, including seed libraries, providing a place to read and ponder, and a space to feed our body and soul. This one came about through the love of friends of Dan and Alisa Barton. Alisa shares her story here:
Thanks for noticing our special, whimsical Little Free Library, which came into being back in June of 2019 but finally found a home in June of 2026, thanks to the board of the community garden.
The provenance of the library is a story of true friendship. It was designed and built as a surprise – to both Dan and me – for my birthday. It was the brainchild of our close friend, Nancy Langmeyer, who regularly visits us here on the island from Newburyport, MA. She secretly organized a design-build team of friends: (then) islanders Judy Paolini and Jim Thibault and Hope and Dave Madsen, as well as frequent island visitors Carolyn and Jim Wagner.
Judy had found a photo of a playful Little Free Library and this inspired the design. She says the colors of the box are “Alisa colors”. Afterwards, she realized that the door of the library box in the photo wasn’t really angled, it just appeared to be, given the perspective of the photo. We, however, love the fun and unique door that they installed in our box.
Placing the box proved tricky. Our property is on the East end of the island in one of the little off-road neighborhoods and it doesn’t have any road frontage. We also love both Brenda’s box, which was the first on the island, and the library, and didn’t want to take away from either of them. Last year we had the brainstorm that placing the box at the community garden was a central location that could be easily accessed by not only islanders but also visitors. We are very grateful that the board of the garden was kind enough to approve its placement there.
Nancy registered the box with the Little Free Library association and asked us how we wanted to dedicate the box. We chose to honor both our son Christopher and our island community. Christopher, who passed away in 2015, came to the island his whole life and loved it deeply. It is one of the places we feel his spirit strongly. In addition to the island, Chris had a passion for knowledge and learning and loved to read. We are happy to be able to commemorate both of these things he loved through the Little Free Library.
Our island book group mostly reads recently published books, but occasionally we will revisit classic literature, especially by Maine women writers, such as Elisabeth Ogilvie and May Sarton. This month we read and discussed Louise Dickinson Rich’s classic, “We took to the woods,” which was written when Louise and her husband Ralph lived in the woods of Maine near Umbagog Lake in the Rangeley Lakes region, close to the New Hampshire border. The book is laid out in chapters that are answers to questions that were often posed to her about her life in the woods – some of which us islanders can relate to, such as when people wonder what we do out here in the winter, and if we feel isolated.
Although this book was written in the early 20th century, Rich’s comfortable style makes for an entertaining read, as well as giving us eye-witness accounts of lumber camps, and “life in the woods.” Sadly, Ralph died in 1945, leaving Louise with two children and a different kind of life than she imagined, including an ill-fated marriage, and moving “home” to Massachusetts for a bit, as a single parent. Eventually she found her bearings again, and lived for a time on the Gouldsboro peninsula down east Maine, where she wrote “The peninsula,” a coastal equivalent, in some ways, to “We took to the woods.”
Louise Dickinson Rich wrote 24 books during her career, including autobiographies, novels, and historical and regional works. Many of her books took place in Maine, but she also wrote about her childhood in Massachusetts.
Louise also wrote many magazine articles and newspaper articles, including one that appeared in the Portland Sunday Telegram, as well as being recorded for “This I believe,” a five-minute program, hosted by journalist Edward R. Murrow from 1951 to 1955 on CBS Radio Network.
The words and writings of Louise Dickinson Rich have withstood the test of time, and she remains a voice to be reckoned with, and to delight in.
For more about Louise Dickinson Rich, read Alice Arlen’s “She took to the woods: a biography and selected writings of Louise Dickinson Rich“
Special thanks to the Maine Women Writers Collection at the University of New England’s Westbrook College campus, and the Maine Historical Society for use of their collections for this article.
Most of us have beloved books that have seen better days, but are so special that we hang on to them – many carry an inscription from a loved one, or are a tender children’s book read to you or one that you read to your children, or just a favorite book that is read over and over again.
The latest exhibit at the Long Island Community Library’s small glass case is full of these treasures, and one can feel the love when viewing these offerings.
Children’s books are an obvious choice, including The little engine that could, Robert McCloskey books, and Dr. Seuss books. The island library kids chose Island winter, by Charles E. Martin. Beloved books by Judy Blume, for teenagers, made the cut. Wind in the willows, by Kenneth Grahame, is a classic!
The Holy Bible on the shelf is not a children’s book, but “Ellen Wood” imprinted on the cover tells a story from Ellen Harford’s childhood – no doubt this holy book was given to Ellen when she was a small child.
Adventure stories, such as Lost on a mountain in Maine and Two years before the mast, remind us of books that thrill us each time we read them.
And of course cookbooks! Who doesn’t have a food spattered book that has dogeared pages, and annotated recipes? Julia Child’s Mastering the art of French cooking, and a Fannie Farmer cookbook can be found on the shelves.
Our selection was The boat who wouldn’t float, by Farley Mowat. As boat owners we discovered Farley Mowat’s books, and have acquired quite a few of them over the years, and subsequently become huge fans, even exploring his stomping grounds in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. This copy was given to Michael by Neil Tyson and Diana McLennan on Father’s Day one year, in appreciation for Michael’s “fathering” of their son Neilly over the years. Priceless!
Come see this lovely collection of favorite books of Maxine Harmon, Karen Boss, Deborah Donovan, Ann Caliandro, Long Island Library kids, Nancy Noble and Michael Urban, Ellen Harford, Mary Caliandro, Candy Dale, Rennie Donovan, Meredith Sweet, Kim MacVane, Marci Train, and Paula and David Johnson.
According to Goodreads, I read 52 books in 2025, averaging about 1 book a week. Here are some of the more enjoyable reads, of my favorite fiction and non-fiction choices.
The Sentence, by Louise Erdrich
Despite the beginning section of this story, I fell in love with Tookie, an Ojibwe ex-con, and all the other characters in this wonderful book, much of which takes place in the author’s bookstore, Birchbark Books. Although I did peter out a bit about two-thirds of the way through the book, overall I found it well paced, and easy to move through. So well written – it deserves another read through, just to absorb all the great words (and sentences!).
The beautiful poster lady: a life of Ethel Reed, by William S. Peterson
What a serendipitous find! Many years ago, in graduate school, I wrote a paper about the artist Ethel Reed (1874-1912), as I was intrigued by a short section of a book, about the history of illustration, that mentioned Ethel Reed, and stated that her fate was unknown. I didn’t get very far in my research for my graduate paper about what happened to her, but fortunately Dr. Peterson did. I stumbled onto this book at a bookstore in Rockland and was so thrilled to find it, and to finally discover what happened to Ethel. Sadly, her life beyond the mystery wasn’t happy, but I was still glad to learn about it, and see her beautiful posters and book art displayed in this lovely book. I was so taken by the book that I wrote Dr. Peterson, and he responded in a very appreciative way.
Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade, by Janet Skeslien Charles
A magnificent story, based on real people involved in getting books in the hands of soldiers in World War I France – I was engaged and engrossed all the way through. I loved the characters, setting, story, charm, humor, and warmth. At first, I was disconcerted with the more modern-day story, but I soon fell in love with Wendy and Roberto, and so was thoroughly charmed by that section, too.
The Emily Dickinson cookbook: recipes from Emily’s table alongside the poems that inspire them, by Arlyne Osborne
A friend mailed me this book, as a distraction from an upcoming shoulder surgery. And indeed it was, as well as being a perfect book post-surgery, for curling up with, reading a few pages each time. It was a lovely blend of poetry, stories about Emily, delicious looking recipes, and had a beautiful layout with visual appeal.
The British booksellers, by Kristi Cambron
Another in the “the power of books during war time” genre, this book goes back and forth between periods of time in the character’s lives, and has likeable characters, good story, appealing setting, and interesting history (WWI and WWII Britain). The love the main characters have for each other is endearing.
A marriage at sea: a true story of love, obsession, and shipwreck, by Sophie Elmhurst
I have read quite a bit of “sea stories” but was not familiar with this one. I really liked the style of writing in telling the story – I had no idea how it would end, so I found myself turning page after page to find out what happened to this British sailing couple, Maurice and Maralyn, throughout their journey in life together, including many days adrift at sea. After finishing the book, I took a deeper dive into their story, which is always the sign of a good book.
The seamstress of Acadie, by Laura Frantz
I always believe that historical fiction is a wonderful way to access history, and this novel did it beautifully. While I was familiar with the Acadian expulsion, I really didn’t know much about it. I not only learned a lot, but was entertained by a good story, with interesting characters. And I love a good ending, which this one has.
Stargazing year: a backyard astronomer’s journey through the seasons of the night sky, by Charles Laird Calia
I have always loved the idea of the night sky, and gazing at the stars. This book drew me in, with the dreaminess and gentle tone, and humor. I didn’t absorb it all, so I may have to go through and reread it – maybe out loud to Michael. I love how the author took us through the year, and interwove his past history (his mother, an astrologer, was very intriguing). Great dialogue, including with his young daughters, and overall such a beautiful, well-written book.
Still life, by Sarah Winman.
This is a fantastic read, with a touch of whimsy and wonder, and quirky characters and beautiful writing. Admittedly, much of the earlier part, which takes place in a village in England, is quite depressing and dismal, but once the characters take off on a road trip to Italy, the magic happens. Towards the end, the earlier story of one of the main characters drags on, and I lost interest. But still, most of the book is a lovely tale of post-World War II Italy.
This is my kind of writing – literary pilgrimages and travel writing makes for a wonderful combination, and on top of that, wonderful writing about both familiar writers and people I knew nothing about. I also liked the blue type, the illustrations, the cover, and the nice short chapters. Delicious!
So, from stargazing to the Canadian expulsion, and all in between, a wonderful variety of books sparked joy in 2025 – and this year is already off to a great start, too! (January is the best time to curl up with a good book). May the new year bring many wonderful books your way!
It recently occurred to me that there seems to be a growing trend to feature bookstores in novels. I recently read two similar titles, “The Stationery Shop,” by Marjan Kamali, and “The Lost Bookshop,” by Evie Woods, which are about bookstores (well, technically the stationery shop is a stationery shop with books, but books play a large part in the lives of the young star-crossed lovers in Tehran, Iran). The Lost Bookshop overlaps with Ruth Reichl’s The Paris Novel, in that they both feature Shakespeare and Company, the iconic English language bookstore in Paris, founded by Sylvia Beach. A few months ago I read “The British Booksellers,” by Kristy Cambron, about two rival bookstores in WWII England.
I realized that three of the books that our LICL book group read this past year take place in bookstores: “The Education of Harriet Hatfield,” by May Sarton, is about a bookseller, Harriet, who runs a women’s bookstore in Cambridge. “How to Read a Book,” by Monica Wood, takes place partly in a bookstore that is much like our beloved Longfellow Books in Portland. The main character in “The Sentence,” by Louise Erdrich, Tookie, works in an indigenous bookstore in Minneapolis, which is based on Erdrich’s own bookstore, Birchbark Books (and, in fact, Louise is a minor character in the book).
“The Bookshop,” by Penelope Fitzgerald, is a classic (originally published in 1978) in the genre. Perusing titles in Minerva, the statewide book catalog for libraries, brings up fun titles such as “Murder in an Irish Bookshop,” “The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams,” and “How to Find Love in a Bookshop.”
These site bring more suggestions for novels to read that take place in a bookstore:
And for those of you into semantics, I had to look up the difference between bookstore and bookshop – in British English, bookshop is more commonly used. And the correct spelling for bookstore is one word, not two (I tend to interchange them, so good to know!)
What are some of your favorite novels that take place in bookstores?
When November arrives and it gets colder and darker, most of us begin to either head south or turn inwards. Turning inwards can mean different things to different people, but in this season of Thanksgiving, it seems like a perfect time to give thanks for many of our island blessings, including:
-The Long Island Community Library. This beautiful library was lovingly and thoughtfully brought into being over 20 years ago, led by a committee with Nancy Jordan at the helm. Designed by architect Frank Oliva, this light-filled and comfortable space is a wonderful haven in the summer for holidaying island families, as well as a place of warmth and coziness in the winter (especially during a power outage). It’s not only a place to find books, but a gathering space where one can enjoy working on puzzles or reading in the nook.
-The Long Island Community Library board, including the Friends of the Long Island Community Library. This passionate group of folks, ably led by Katie McGarry, meets regularly to discuss the needs of the library, and plans all the great events and fundraising activities that bring us joy (and funding). I’m also grateful for all the volunteers that make the library run as many hours as it does.
-The Long Island Community Library librarians. Our co-library directors, Robin Goodell and Katie Norton, keep our library running smoothly, with grace and expertise. From the outside looking in, they make it look easy! They build on a tradition created by previous librarians, including Paula Johnson, Nancy Jordan, and Connie Brayley.
-The LICL book group. Started a few years ago, this core group of 10-15 readers gathers once a month to talk about a variety of books, chosen democratically among our group. From time to time we’ll bring in a guest author, or just an expert in the subject of the books. We even have dedicated folks who come from off island to join us, just for the book group.
-The small glass case, currently curated by Karen Boss. This case is a great way to showcase community treasures, whether an individual’s collection, or a “group show.”
-The Dodwell Gallery, which brings to us larger works, in a similar vein – a solo show, such as the current show by Jennifer Wood, or a group of artwork with a theme, such as this summer’s nature photography show. There is always something visual to enjoy on a visit to the library, thanks to our current curatorial team, Jeanne Handy and Richard Mitchell.
-Our community of readers. When we first moved here it was such fun to find books in our mailbox, and share recommendations with each other. Living on an island is a perfect place to be a reader, and those of us who are commuters especially love having that built in reading time on the ferry. Besides the Long Island Community Library, we have avenues to books, such as little free libraries, and the Evergreen United Methodist Church library. It’s a joy to live in a community where if the conversation dwindles, we can always talk about books!
Happy Thanksgiving to all! And happy reading in the winter months to come, wherever you are.
Who knew there were edible book festivals? The International Edible Book Festival is an annual event usually held on or around April 1, which is also known as Edible Book Day. The global event has been celebrated since 2000 in various parts of the world, where “edible books” are created, displayed, and small events are held.
The Portland Public Library used to hold these festivals, as well as other libraries in Maine.
Ordinarily edible “books” are cakes, but this summer the talented and creative board of the Long Island Community Library took it one step further and created all sorts of lovely (and delicious) interpretations of books turned into food, such as slushies (“Frozen river” by Ariel Lawhon), a vegetable plate (“The tiny seed” by Eric Carle), pigs-in-a-blank (“Charlotte’s web” by E.B. White), chili (“Like water for chocolate” by Laura Esquivel), muffins (“If you give a moose a muffin” by Laura Joffe Numeroff), peach cobbler (“James and the giant peach” by Roald Dahl, raspberry cordial (“Anne of Green Gables” by Lucy Maud Montgomery), iced tea (“The tea girl of Hummingbird Lane” by Lisa See), and branches of blueberries (“The berry pickers” by Amanda Peters). And many other clever and tasty treats.
During this annual event at LICL to honor and thank the library volunteers, this impressive edible book festival was a wonderful celebration of food – and books!
Today is my father’s birthday – August 27th – he would be 102 today. Bill Noble had many loves, including his family, the California desert (where he lived), writing, and great literature. My sister Patty just uncovered this reading list that he wrote about books he read in the first 9 months of 1993, when he was 70 years old:
Reading: 1993 – in the order read
Jan. Alan Watts – “Cloud hidden: whereabouts unknown.” 1974. Ruminations, journal form, restatement of Tao.
Jan. Alan Watts – “In my own way.” Autobiography. Loaned to Bob Hoyk 4/8/93.
Jan. George Bernard Shaw – Complete plays. I had never read a play by GBS before now, probably because in college I read his “Quintessence of Ibsenism” which was really all about himself. Pompous, arrogant but with the wittiest cutting edge dialogue. Prologues and introductions are endless.
Jan. Henrick Ibsen – After Shaw I had to read Ibsen again. At UC I took a course in Scandinavian literature and read Hedda Gabler, Doll’s House; this reading of his plays 45 years later had the effect of endless slogging through thick cold mud. Especially after flippant Shaw.
Feb. Tony Hillerman – all 10 novels, crime on the Arizona and New Mexico Indian reservations, Navajo, Hopi. Get out AAA’s Indian country map and follow along. Good writing and good insights into Indian culture.
Feb. Benita Eisler – “O’Keeffe and Stieglitz” – biography. Overdone in parts but good racy reading about my favorite American artist.
Mar. Mary Austin – “Land of little rain” – plant, animal and human life in the border regions of Arizona and Southern California. Good nature writing but lags. Think she’s overrated.
Mar. Loren Eisley – “Not man apart.” Photography and accompanying poetry text by Robinson Jeffers on the Big Sur area.
Mar. James Karman – “Robinson Jeffers: poet of California.” Great biography, 4th or 5th reading. The only poet I can halfway understand and appreciate. At UC I took a course in English literature given by Benjamin Kurtz, his farewell lectures and he unloaded on us, the Iliad, Ibsen, Shaw, Shakespeare, Bergson’s “Creative evolution,” the “Bhagavad Gita,” Corneille’s play, “El Cid,” and the only thing I remember is Jeffers’ “Roan stallion,” “Tamar” and “Cawdor.”
Mar. Edith Hamilton – “Mythology.” – A classic, basic text, good reference for Jeffers reading. Been on the shelf for years – finally got through it.
Apr. Frederick Turner – editor of an anthology of Henry Miller’s work. Good reading.
Apr. Herb Caen and Dong Kingman – “San Francisco,” text by Caen, watercolors by Kingman. Caen is the San Francisco Chronicler and Kingman its artist.
Apr. Curt Gentry – “The last days of the late, great state of California” (1968) – history, must reading; hypothetical cataclysmic end of the state.
Apr. Annie Dillard – “Teaching a stone to talk.” Philosophy, nature, “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” is still the best. Most of her writings are over my head. Edward Abbey said she was the only true heir to Thoreau. I think Thoreau is kind of boring but at least I can understand what he’s writing about.
May-June. Will Durant – “Story of Philosophy” – read parts of this in college in connection with a ‘Philosophy of Literature’ course. Found it in a used book store in Palm Springs this year and have been taking it in small sips, no big gulps.
May. John Steinbeck – “Log from the Sea of Cortez” – Baja marine life with Ed Ricketts, the “Doc” of “Cannery Row.”
May. Robert B. Parker – “Double deuce” – mystery, Boston, Spenser.
May. Sue Grafton – “J is for Judgment” – latest of the alphabetic mysteries from Santa Barbara.
May. Colin Dexter “Secret of Annexe 3” – British mystery – Inspector Morse and Sgt. Lewis.
May. Willa Cather – “Death comes for the archbishop” – about the 4th read on this. Great novel of New Mexico early settlement. Have never gotten interested in any other of her work but this is a classic.
June. Nelson De Mille – “The general’s daughter” – mystery – good, fast, wit.
June. Henry David Thoreau – read parts of “Walden Pond” and “Cape Cod.”
June. Nelson De Mille – “The Gold Coast” and “Cathedral.”
June. David Park Curry wrote the text to this great collection of impressionist art by Childe Hassam on Appledore Island in the Isles of Shoals 10 miles out from the Maine and New Hampshire coasts. Is called “An island garden revisited” – Celia Thaxter’s garden.
June. Isabel Allende – “Eva Luna” – sort of a picaresque novel of growing up in South America. Improbable situations.
June. Sara Paretsky – “Deadlock” and “Guardian angel” – good mysteries in Chicago area.
June. James Joyce – “Portrait of an artist as a young man” – read in the 50s. Then tried “Ulysses” and gave up.
June. Peggy Wayburn – “Adventuring in Alaska”
Steven C. Levi – “Alaska traveler”
National Geographic Society – “Alaska’s parklands”
In anticipation of the August cruise.
June. Jack Smith – “Smith on rye” and “Jack Smith’s LA” – collection of columns from LA Times.
June. Colin Dexter – “Last seen wearing” – mystery.
June. Frederick Franck – “Days with Albert Schweitzer” – a Lambarene landscape, book and pen drawing by a dentist who volunteered at the Congo compound for a year.
All July – too hot to do anything but read.
Edward Abbey – “Desert solitaire” – classic by the master, nature in Arches National Monument, Utah, Moab, Colorado River before the dam.
Eliot Porter – “The place no one knew” – Glen Canyon on the Colorado – photos of the way it was before the dam. Text by Porter and others.
John Wesley Powell – “Exploration of the Colorado River”
Leonard Hall – “Stars upstream” – nature, the current river in the Missouri Ozarks.
Marston Bates – “The forest and the sea” – a look at the economy of nature and the geology of man.
Ludwig Koch-Isenburg – “Realm of the green Buddha” – jungles of Thailand, birds, animals, Burma, Ceylon
M. Hatzioutou – “Greece through the ages” – history, art, culture
Rinn S. Shinn, ed. “Greece, a country study,” history, politics, economy.
Oliver Taplin – “Greek fire” – the influence of ancient Greece on the modern world, good illustrations but overrated.
Edmund C. Jaeger – “Desert wildlife” – descriptions of life and habits of critters in Southwest U.S. and Northwest Mexico
July. Joseph Wood Krutch – “The desert year” – pure poetry
July. Stuart Woods – “Santa Fe rules” – mystery – New Mexico
July. Henry Beston – “The outermost house” – a year of life on the great beach at Cape Cod. Probably the 40th read since the first in 1947. It restoreth my soul.
July. Jorge Luis Borges – “A personal anthology” – Borges is the only Latin American writer who inspires me. He is an incredible philosopher word-smith, he reminds me of Annie Dillard but even in translation he is more intelligible. Maybe Annie needs a translator. There are 50 or so essays in this anthology. This is a third reading and I need a few more to cull out the gemstones. See later.
July. John Steinbeck – “The pearl” – have most of Steinbeck – like this one. Actually, like just about everything he wrote, several times. I like to read “Cannery Row” over again on Sunday afternoons with a glass of wine and “Of mice and men” after no breakfast, just coffee. But, I need a full stomach for “In dubious battle.” Gut writing. I read most of Steinbeck once a year.
July-August. Edmund C. Jaeger. “The North American deserts” – describes the 5 deserts of North America and their subdivisions. Read this along with “The Sonoran Desert” publication of the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum.
Aug. George Adamson – “My pride and joy” – autobiography of a life in Kenya as game warden among wildlife, esp. lions – “Born Free, etc.”
Aug. ’93. Mccrum, Cran, & MacNeil – “The story of English” – great history of the English language.
Alan Paton – “Cry the beloved country” – I like to read this book every few years because of the way it is written, poetry in prose. It came out in 1948, there was as movie made of it. Just a beautiful book. But I’ve never read his “Too late the phalarope” – not sure why.
Isak Dineson (Karen Blixen) – “Out of Africa” – another poet-prose-writer, and “Shadows on the grass,” one of the best. For warm summer nights and fans to cool the air.
Jeffrey Archer – “Honor among thieves” – contemporary (1993) novel of international intrigue that includes Saddam Hussein and Bill Clinton. Suspense.
Sept. ’93. Rereading Peggy Wayburn’s update (1988) on the Sierra Club “Adventuring in Alaska, to refresh me on details of our cruise. Bought this in Anchorage.
John Muir, “Travels in Alaska” – ever loquacious, Muir found Alaska “beyond description.” Travels in 1879 primarily.
In addition to this reading list, he included some of his favorite writers, artists, entertainers, etc.
Nature writers: Henry Beston, Edward Abbey, Joseph Wood Krutch, John Muir
Historian: Bruce Catton
Photographers: Ansel Adams, Wilhelm Hester
Poets: Eudora Welty, Robinson Jeffers
Novelists: Tony Hillerman, John Steinbeck, Alan Paton, Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), Ross Lockridge, Jr.
Philosophy-nature-novel: Annie Dillard
Philosophy: Alan Watts
Artist: Georgia O’Keeffe
Entertainers: Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Laurence Olivier, Robert Duvall, Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Ronald Colman, Peter Ustinov, Patrick McGoohan
Otherwise great writers: Jorge Luis Borges, Eric Severeid
Commentators: Jack Smith – LA Times, Herb Caen – SF Chronicle, John Ed Pierce – Louisville, Ky, Mike Royko – Chicago Tribune, Charles Kuralt – at large
Perhaps in retirement I’ll attempt to read the books on my father’s reading list, and write my own commentary on them.
Happy birthday, Papa!
Mary Caliandro had a dream – to return home to Long Island, after many years living elsewhere, most recently Chattanooga, Tennessee. So, a year ago Mary and her husband, Chris Mobley, ventured north and landed in the end condo down front, alongside the road leading down to Ponce’s Landing. Mary had another smaller dream, to put up a “little free library,” to offer books to the community. The location is perfect, as this crossroads is walked by many, on their way to the beach or Bakehouse, or beyond. Mary has been involved in books and reading and libraries for most of her life, and this is her way of giving back.
So, a few months ago, her smaller dream came to fruition, thanks to Mary’s cousin Robbie, who made and brought the little free library out to the island for Mary’s birthday, and Tom McVey, who installed it on the planter. The library has slowly become populated, most recently by children’s books, and more donations are welcome.
Mary’s favorite author is Stephen King – she has read all of his books. She also enjoys all types of fiction, non-fiction, mysteries, and biographies – most recently she read one about Jimmy Carter.
At the end of the summer Mary and Chris are moving from one end of the condos to the other, and will be moving the little free library with them – still a great location, and perhaps a bit more sheltered for the upcoming winter season, which is when we will need books more than ever. Mary says, about her little free library, “It’s a pleasure to have it” – and we are happy to have Mary and Chris here on the island, sharing their passion for books and reading, and brightening up their small corner of Long Island.
