Wrapping up a year puts me in a nostalgic frame of mind. If someone asked me what song is playing in my head right now, I’d say “Memory” from the Broadway musical “Cats.”
Anyway, thinking back on the past year, I decided to review my columns from 2016 with the idea of calling out one title from each month. Out of the hundreds of titles that wend their way through both my working and extracurricular reading life, this bibliographic dozen indexed themselves into the chapters of my brain and heart. Make your own list of reading favorites and email it to me at readingforfun@fvrl.org.
• “59 Illustrated National Parks: 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service: Celebrating 100 Years of Wilderness and Wonder,” by Nathan Anderson and Joel Anderson. Several wonderful books about the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service were published this year, filled with history and beautiful photographs, but I especially enjoyed this title because of the artwork. Yes, art. Each national park is represented by a poster reminiscent of the art commissioned by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression.
• “Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders,” by Joshua Foer. Although I didn’t write about this title for the column, I think it’s worth checking out. If you like geography mixed with strange and engrossing information, you’ll find plenty of both here.
• “Building the Columbia River Highway: They Said It Couldn’t Be Done,” by Peg Willis. When my soon-to-be-husband introduced me to the Northwest 23 years ago, one of our first drives was along the Columbia River Highway. It fascinated me then, and it fascinates me now.
• “Dinner Pies: From Shepherd’s Pies and Pot Pies to Turnovers, Quiches, Hand Pies, and More, with 100 Delectable & Foolproof Recipes,” by Ken Haedrich. It’s all about pie. What more do I have to say?
• “Felines of New York: A Glimpse into the Lives of New York’s Feline Inhabitants,” by Jim Tews. Not just a book of photographs (which are great, by the way) but also a witty take on what might be going on inside a cat’s head. Drama, angst, acerbic wit.
• “Florence Foster Jenkins” (DVD), directed by Stephen Frears. OK, I have a confession to make. I haven’t actually watched this yet. But I’m on the waiting list for it, and I’m pretty sure I will be delighted by the story. It stars Meryl Streep.
• “I Love You Already!” by Jory John. Bear just wants to relax and be by himself, but Duck, his next door neighbor, thinks Bear is just the best and wants to spend lots of time together.
• “Japanese Fabric Flowers: 65 Decorative Kanzashi Flowers to Make,” by Sylvie Blondeau. I am not a crafter. Sometimes I pretend I am especially when I look at a book like this. I was so captivated by these fabric beauties that I bought my own copy of “Japanese Fabric Flowers.” It’s still sitting in a pile at home, but I am going to make a Kanzashi flower someday.
• “Lee Miller: A Woman’s War,” by Hilary Roberts. The cover is what prompted me to check out this book: a black and white photograph of a female pilot. But the book is not about aviation. It’s a fascinating look into the life of Lee Miller, a photographer who worked as a war correspondent in England during World War II. In this case, judging the book by its cover was a good thing.
• “Mother Bruce,” by Ryan T. Higgins. Mother Bruce is a big ol’ bear. And he absolutely does not want to get along with newly hatched goslings. Hmm, another strained-relationship-between-bear-and-fowl story — I seem to be following a pattern here.
• “Shelter Dogs in a Photo Booth,” by Guinnevere Shuster. This book melted my heart and will stay with me for a long time.
• “Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores,” by Jen Campbell. Having worked at a reference desk for many years, I just want to say that I related to this book — a lot. Not that libraries are the same as bookstores, but, yeah, they kind of are.
Jan Johnston is the collection development coordinator for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. Email her at readingforfun@fvrl.org.
