When I was writing about my new favorite cookbook, I started thinking about books that I’ve borrowed from the library and later decided to purchase for my own collection. My shelves are already overflowing, so I’m pretty discerning about what I add to my collection. But sometimes I read a book, and I just feel compelled to own a copy.
I have very eclectic taste in books: I love old Stephen King and new Stephen King (though not so much the Stephen King of the ‘90s). I read literary fiction, mysteries and thrillers, and love anything with a strong plot. I also read lots of nonfiction, especially science, nature, language, and medicine. I read picture books, chapter books, and YA, and if my children are lucky, I might even share with them. I borrow craft books galore, both to try new crafts and improve my skills in my favorites. Anything with an interesting cover is fair game. I especially love odd little books like A Compendium of Collective Nouns
and Lost in Translation.
Maybe because I read so much, I don’t have a fantastic memory for content, and sometimes I’ll get halfway through a book, and realize I’ve read it before. But each of these five books has stuck with me, and earned a spot in my home library. While I don’t remember every detail, they are all accessible but a bit unusual, either in structure or storytelling.
Fox 8 by George Saunders
This tiny gem is written by a fox. Fox 8, to be precise. He lives with Fox 7, Fox 28 and others, at the edge of human development. He’s taught himself to write by listening to the Yumins around him, and it does take a few pages to get used to his spelling. His adventures are by turns laugh-out-loud funny, and heartbreakingly sad.
Mink River by Brian Doyle
A small Pacific Northwest community, fascinating characters, poetic, stream-of-consciousness prose, several beautiful intertwined stories, a little myth and a little magic, with a crow that met my eye the first time I saw the book. Not only do I own this one, but I have purchased several as gifts, and I’m pretty sure I have a backup copy, too. This book was my gateway to his essays and poetry, as well.
I was lucky enough to score these last two from the Friends Bookstore here at the Library. Everything in the Bookstore is $1, and if you're lucky, you might hit a pop-up sale when the prices are even lower! As a rule, I try to stay out of that corner of the library (see “overflowing bookshelves” noted above), but if you feel the need to add to your personal collection, The Friends Bookstore is a fantastic resource! You never know when you'll find a keeper.
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