LIFE REVIEW.  Sobering thoughts near the end of a life. Was this worth what I invested? Would I make a different choice if I had it to do again?  Is there still a chance for redemption?  Are we ready to say good-bye?

I’ve pulled a list of books that nobody has checked out in three years.  A “weeding” list. (If we don’t do this, and often, the shelves become overcrowded.)  It’s part of the lifecycle. A library book is conceived by its author, and given its start in life by publisher and reviewers; adopted by a library and put on display for the neighbors. “Look what we just got!” The neighbor patrons check it out (or not). A popular book is read many times, with eager readers waiting.  A quiet, underappreciated book may get little buzz from its publisher and escape notice, like a direct-to-video or “sleeper” movie.  If it sits on the shelf, it will soon be on the chopping block, its library life over.

It makes me sad to remove them, and I want to check many of them out and see if I love them.  I am not a fast reader.  Still, some of the titles and covers are so compelling, or so quirky, I want them to have a chance to be read and shared.  “The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors” (Michele Young-Stone), “The Wisdom of Perversity” (Rafael Yglesias), “The Tale of the Incomparable Prince” (Classic Tibetan Novel, by Tshe Ring Dbang Rgyal), “Rodin’s Lover” (Heather Webb), “Women of Sand and Myrrh” (Hanan al-Shaykh) are just a few.  Some have glowing comments from more established author colleagues.  I could add here that not all books make me sad; there are two or three new James Patterson titles out every month and they strike me as factory goods on conveyor belt.  I never mind to make shelf space with a prolific author.

Salvation can happen on the chopping block.  For any number of reasons, a book may strike us as unready for retirement.  A movie’s being made of it, or the author has just died, so interest is bound to renew. Or it was someone’s favorite book, and they are going to re-read it soon. And so forth.  But many books retire to the Friends Bookstore.

CHECK OUT A STACK OF BOOKS TODAY.  You may extend their lives, and they may change yours.

More to come…in Part Two.