Joys of Reading 4 - Bout of Books Read-a-thon - Jan 2022

 

We’re half way through the January Bout of Books Read-a-thon for January 2022 and I’m thinking about how happy reading makes me. It’s a subtle form of joy that creeps into my body and imbues my soul with calm. Reading is all the more joyous when shared with others.

Joy 4 - Recommending Books

What’s more joy-filled than sharing a good book with friends, acquaintances and even near strangers. As librarians, we are taught to evaluate books, read them, and recommend them to anyone who asks. I learned that skill early in my career while working at NYPL at reference desks and helplines.

As a librarian, I often recommended books I hadn’t read, didn’t have an interest in. I was told, “it’s a skill you need to embrace.” So I did. Suddenly, a world of books in genre I had never read were open to me. What a joy!

Sharing books through reviews

When I began writing reviews, in 1989, I was able to recommend all sorts of books with readers far and wide. Some readers were strangers who became first acquaintances and then friends. Others were friends and neighbors who were always asking me to recommend ‘a good book.’

In my retirement, I continue to spread the joy of books and reading (and listening). While I write tons of reviews on Goodreads based on my own eclectic reading choices, I also review and judge audio books for a general reading, or listening, audience for AudioFile Magazine http://www.audiofilemagazine.com.

So, what book would I recommend to you today?

“The Baker Street Letters” by Michael Robertson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8087812-the-baker-street-letters. It’s a charming book about two British lawyer/solicitors who are renting the building at 221 Baker Street in London. Their lease requires they answer letters address to Sherlock Holmes. That’s right, Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous detective lives on and gets tons of queries every year. When the lawyers find a dead body in their offices and their files ransacked, they realize there’s a mystery to be solved posthaste. I hope you enjoy this recommendation. Want more? Check out my Goodreads page https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1557957-miriam 

Best of all, I get to share the books with friends. I’ll write more about that tomorrow.