Chris Chose Dirty Tricks
A kind of murder/mystery. It had a sexy cover, with a woman's bare back, and just before I snapped his photo, Chris said, "Wait! I have to hold up something more respectable." He grabbed a Stephen King book and held it up. "Christine?" I said. "That's more respectable?" He laughed. "Maybe not."
Josh Requested The Gunslinger
It's from Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Josh is the one who showed up last week with some scrappy teenagers in tow, saying "See, I told you she'd be here. This is a street library. Check it out." So I was happy to find him a book this week, and even happier to see him today, when I could hand it to him.
Stephanie Requested Nora Roberts
So I tracked down a Nora Roberts title at 2nd Glance Books this week, (a kind of steamy murder mystery called Sacred Sins). It was a small thrill to make a match, book to patron, and it happened several times today. Stephanie was excited to get her book.
Ms. Steinmetz is a Fan of Christopher Walken
We agreed he was pretty wonderful in the film version of Dead Zone.
Shadow Liked Geek Love
She was impressed to learn that Katherine Dunn is our own local Portland legend. A couple weeks back, a guy skated up on roller blades and looked at my library. When he saw Dunn's book, he said "Hey, she used to live in the apartment next to ours. We could hear her typing all hours." He also said that someone had tried to mug Katherine Dunn as she walked home from the grocery store, and she'd given the person a right hook, and then pinned them down until the cops came.
Li
Shine Took Sackett's Land
It's a Louis L'Amour classic. The plot: After discovering six gold Roman coins buried in the mud of the Devil’s Dyke, Barnabas Sackett enthusiastically invests in goods that he will offer for trade in America. But Sackett has a powerful enemy: Rupert Genester, nephew of an earl, wants him dead. A battlefield promise made to Sackett’s father threatens Genester’s inheritance. So on the eve of his departure for America, Sackett is attacked and thrown into the hold of a pirate ship. Genester’s orders are for him to disappear into the waters of the Atlantic.
Danny Checked Out Animal Farm
He said he hadn't read George Orwell in a long time. When he posed for his photo, I said, "Okay, on three, smile to debunk stereotypes about people who have 'Derail' tattooed on their faces," and he laughed, but my camera just caught the last of a nice smile.
Charlie Said, Do me a favor, will you, Sweetheart?
I said, "Okay." He said, "Have a marvelous weekend." He returned Blindness by José Saramago, and checked out The Assassins of Tamurin. Said The Monkey Wrench gang was still with the autistic kid, but he'd get it back to me. "It's okay," I said. "I know where you live." He grinned.
Paul Took a Pass
He said he had to read the books he has first, before he takes another one. It was hard to understand him because he speaks faintly, and nearby an enthusiastic a cappella group sang into microphones in the rain. He's in a wheelchair because of heart problems and diabetes. Paul says his daughter's getting married, and she's given him an ultimatum: lose the beard, or he can't give her away at the wedding.
Martin Talks About the Animals
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Roxie Bumped Into Us at Skidmore Fountain
Said, "Hey, I didn't know you'd be here during the week!" She'd finished the James Patterson book she checked out on Saturday, and later, just before I packed up for the day, she came back and checked out another. This time her dog wasn't so shy for the camera. She said she'd see me Saturday at the Park Blocks, to return both books.
Dave Got One For His Girlfriend, Too
He went with a novel by Tony Hillerman, set on a Navajo reservation, and a collection of Native American writing.
Glen Went With James Patterson
His VA benefits had just been cancelled, and he was trying to figure out what to do.
Ajax Was Psyched to Find Obama
He said he'd been meaning to read Dreams of My Father, and there it was for him in the library's collection. He said he really likes Michelle Obama, and he shook his head and said "Just wish she could have been friends with Lady Diana, you know? What a pair they'd make..." I asked him why he was a fan of Diana's and he said that she was just a normal person thrust into a formal, royal situation. When really, all she wanted was a hamburger. "She sent her people out to get her a regular hamburger," Ajax said. "She did that sometimes."
Jaime Prefers Video Games
So he said he'd leave the books for other people. He was selling newspapers at the market in the Park Blocks. He told me his favorite musician is Michael Franti, and that at a Portland show one time, Jaime was selling newspapers to a line of people waiting to see Franti perform. Nobody was buying papers, he said. Then all of a sudden, Franti appeared from the back of a limo and greeted Jaime and gave him tickets to the show, a CD of all his songs, and invited him backstage afterward. Franti is a musician who has made a film about people in Iraq, Palestine & Israel, hoping to bring attention to the effects of war on ordinary people. Jaime says Franti walks barefoot everywhere he goes, so occasionally gets turned away from hotels and restaurants. "Until he shows them his Visa card," Jaime says. "Then they open the doors wide."
