Editorial: Love to think, talk, read, reflect? Come to the Book Lovers Fair today!

The harvest is here, the wind is blowing autumn leaves from the trees, a new season is beginning and today, November 1, begins the celebration of indoor pleasures and parties with the Book Lovers Fair, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall. All are welcome, there will be food, music and entertainment, and most of all, there will be books, talk of books, and more books — all for just the love of reading!

For me, November always recalls the beginning of the book Little Women, where Meg, looking out the window on a dreary November day, says, “November is the most disagreeable month.”

Jo, her bookish sister, pipes up, “That’s why I was born in it.” Like Jo, there’s nothing I find more safe, warm, intriguing and comfortable than curling up with a good book.

The Book Lovers Fair this afternoon is a big party, a big love letter to reading, to literacy and to the community, for all the ways we can escape and enrich our lives through reading and literacy. It is the Kick-Off event for Family Literacy Month, brought to islanders by Orcas Family Connections and the Orcas Island Public Library.

With their help, the School District’s Readiness to Learn Program has coordinated today’s event. People will share their consideration of stories, plots, personalities, theories, predictions, history and the resources we turn to, the great resource we have in being a literate, involved people.

That’s why we are bringing three of our great community literacy treasures to speak at the Book Lovers Fair this afternoon.

Anyone who’s heard Deborah “Sparks” monologues, or lectures, or presentations or talks, has enjoyed her vivacious, thoughtful, humorous and self-deprecating take on the literature and drama of our everyday lives, as well as the heroic, tragic and critical literature and drama of our culture.

Michelle Griskey, who with her husband Shane Watson, introduced their boys Holden and Liam to reading through the phenomenal world of Harry Potter, is a fine writer, dramatist,  teacher, and actress. She will tell the story of her boys’ introduction to literacy; they couldn’t wait for their parents to continue reading aloud the seven-book saga to them, and so picked it up on their own.

Antoinette Botsford, Orcas’ own “Storybird” lends her love of literacy through storytelling, reading aloud, creative mythology and drama research to the wildly popular Twilight book series for young adult women. The Twilight books tell the story of a highschool girl, newly arrived at Forks, Washington, who falls hard for a teenage vampire in that gothic setting. With that background, Antoinette explores the passion and the sacrifice of young crushes and first love.

In preparing for this event, I’ve had numerous conversations with Orcas Islanders about their favorite books and their reading experiences overall. The board of Camp Four Winds met and shared their favorite recent books, and director Paul Sheridan described Friday Night Lights, the story of  a high school football team.

Finance Director Sandra Green’s new favorite is Icky Sticky Frog, which she’s read aloud to her two-and-a-half year old niece innumerable times, and  Abby Rueb’s  favorite recent read is On Gold Mountain, the story of a Chinese immigrant family in the 1870s by Lisa See.

My colleague in Jazzercise, Mary Ann Slabaugh, named her favorite Tuesdays with Morrie, (although the new Garth Stein book, The Art of Racing in the Rain has captured her imagination), the school board’s Janet Brownell recalled her childhood favorite Alice in Wonderland and Keith Whitaker decided upon Lord of the Rings as his top favorite read.

On the other hand, Orcatrazz’s Beth Baker told me of her distaste for the Twilight books, her take on them being that they glorified the traditional feminine deference to the masculine; and the opinions of the most-turned in book during the collection process, Eat, Pray, Love, varied from the enthusiastic to the disdainful.

I’ve learned of a science fiction novel featuring a 80-year old heroine, The Remnant Population, and although I’m not keen on science fiction, I can’t wait to read this thriller-adventure story.

I’m delighted to learn that Jordan Griffin now has a Kindle, so he can read books again. And I’m reading and writing more and more on Caring Bridge sites about our neighbors who face challenging medical conditions.

Reading experiences have exploded, but they all begin with the ease and love of reading.

Family Literacy Month promotes that love of and facility with reading. It has been organized by Erin O’Dell of Orcas Family Connections and Nita Couchman, the Public Library’s Children’s Librarian. They have coordinated many events promoting the love of reading, from computer classes, to lifelong reading tips offered in both English and Spanish, to a Pajama Party with Pops at the Library.  Darvill’s has joined in to offer two workshops, to promote the Ivy and Bean books for young girls and for  graphic novelists, as well as their regular “Table of Contents” book club, in partnership with the public library. Family Literacy Month has been funded by a grant from the Orcas Island Community Foundation.

You can learn about all these free events in the upcoming month, just by coming to the party this afternoon from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall, and meet book friends, old and new, paperback, hardbound and personal!