Erneste Was Looking for Non-Fiction
He settled on a classic science fiction book instead. A bit a of a departure from his usual choice of reading material, but he said he has always wanted to expand his mind. Issac Asimov should help with that.
Cascadas Crane Will Be Back Again
Cascadas loves to read. She asked me, "You know how you feel when you love an author and you think you have read everything he or she has ever written, only to find there is a book that you missed? That happened to me TWICE today!" She said she would be back next week. Until then, happy reading.
D.P. Loves Street Books
In fact, he seemed ready to jump into the library...literally. He browsed the cart for quite a while until he found the perfect book.
Pamela Got Her Poetry
It's been a while since we'd seen Pamela, so it was very exciting to hear her holler "Hey Book Lady!" as I biked past Skidmore Fountain. I had two books we'd been holding for her, both poetry: Selected Poems of Gwendolyn Brooks, and Ultra-Marine, by Raymond Carver. Since our patrons live outside, rarely have cell phones or mailboxes, it's hard to maintain communication with them, and it makes every meeting, especially chance ones, even more miraculous. This fall/winter has been very cold, and we're not seeing as many of our regulars on the street. We hope that's because they've secured shelter, but we still miss seeing them week to week. Here's to Pamela, to hoping she enjoys the poetry, and that she stays warm this holiday season.
Justus Chose Ken Kesey
It's hard to resist One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Justus said he'd seen the movie, but had been meaning to read the book for years. I told him I'd been to Kesey's farm years back, and had a chance to meet and talk with him. We both agreed he's a gem.
Billi Got His Harry Potter!
He's been patiently waiting for a copy of Prisoner of Azkaban, and he was very glad to get it.
James Took Two
He said that one of the titles is a book he started in jail, but wasn't able to finish. He was glad to find it in the Street Books library.
An Event & An Ailing Patron
We'll start with the ailing patron. One of our most faithful readers is Eric, a slight man in his 70s, who's been checking out books since June. If you follow this blog, you will know him by his cowboy boots, bolo tie, his One Way: Jesus baseball cap. He was also featured on KGW's channel 8 news, when Sue presented him with a pair of cowboy boots donated by a Street Books supporter. Eric has had a rough go of it lately, with pneumonia and heart problems that resulted in a recent hospitalization. He's currently got a week or two at a motel downtown, but he is weak and not eating well. A small group of people from Right2Dream, plus Sue Zalokar and I from Street Books are checking in on him and taking him meals. Our hope is that he'll soon have guaranteed shelter and can really rest and heal. We'll keep you posted. Keep him in your thoughts. The Event: Street Books is pleased to announce a book drive in conjunction with Ecotrust's annual bake sale to benefit the Raphael House. It's a great opportunity to come unload some paperbacks, and eat a tasty baked good. We'd love to meet you in person, or say hello to old friends.
Date: Thursday, December 15. 11-4 pm
Location: Ecotrust building, Atrium: 721 NW 9th Avenue (9th & Johnson)
More details here.
Thanks everybody, and hope to see you there.
Billi Caught a Fish
Went fishing with a friend, who bought him a fishing license, and though he didn't technically hook the fish himself, he says his friend let him reel it in. Street Books volunteer Amy Bradley was there, and said it made her think of Elizabeth Bishop's poem, called "The Fish." The fish in her poem ("battered and venerable and homely"), has a happier ending than Billi's fish. It's well worth the read.
Justus Took Hole
It's the short story collection by Jason Breedlove. He donated 2 copies to our street library last week.
Two New Book Donations
Jason Breedlove, a long standing Street Books supporter and local author, caught up with me to donate two copies of his new collection of short stories, Hole. Learn more about his story in the spring 2011 interview with Powell's Books here.
Urban Man, Mountain Man
Jesse is a mountain man in the city. He saw The Big Sky and had to read it.
So Many Great Books
Jaclynn and her friend had a hard time choosing. They settled on four titles for the week and said they couldn't wait to see what was on the cart next week.
Kudos from Joseph
Joseph had nothing but good thoughts and warm words to share with me about Street Books. He found a title from our ever-growing science fiction collection. Thanks, Joseph!
Justice for Justus
He likes to read non-fiction and was thrilled to find a little something to whet his palate: science, nature and A People's History.
He set down his books for a minute to play a tune for all of us at 4th and Burnside this morning.
Gratitude, From Street Books
There's a lot to be grateful for on this Thanksgiving holiday. I'm thankful for my fellow street librarian, Sue Zalokar, and how she stepped up this summer to take library shifts and help me see the long-term potential of the Street Books project. She is a huge reason that Street Books keeps on keeping on, and I appreciate her energy and good work. I'm grateful as well for Street Book's new working board: Israel Bayer, Beth Chapman & Amy Dennis. They have given their time and enthusiasm to the project, and are a stellar cast of characters to have with us. I'm grateful to the folks at Ecotrust, for their willingness to donate storage space for our books. Street Books will have a book drive there on Thursday, December 15th, from 11-4 , (721 NW 9th Avenue). It will coincide with Ecotrust's annual bake sale to benefit Raphael House, an agency helping survivors of domestic violence. Bring paperbacks down to donate, and enjoy a baked good at the same time. The rain has finally arrived in our fair city, and our winter library cards are hot off the presses. Our hours are 10-1, Mondays and Wednesdays, serving the Right2Dream camp, Old Town/China Town & the Skidmore Fountain area. We've acquired a large umbrella to open over our library (the regular-sized umbrella being a sad attempt at coverage - see photo below), and our plan is to keep running library shifts through the winter. We've realized that on the truly blustery days, when wind blows the rain sideways, and the library cart/umbrella is in danger of being blown all the way to Astoria, people are generally less motivated to gather on the street and talk about books. So on those days, we will pack it in. But we are grateful for the days that aren't too stormy. We will do our best to be outside offering good books to the people who are living there. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your support. Happy Thanksgiving from Street Books.
Sci Fi With a Side of Vonnegut
We receive many, many requests for science fiction and fantasy titles, as well as novels by Kurt Vonnegut. Curtis took two from the cart today, making room for more.