An avid devourer of written stories since I learned to read, books have been companions to me on my journey of life. Certain ones linger in memory longer than others, like ones that had profound impact on me, or ones that came to define certain periods of my life. Others function as thresholds or gateways to new ways of thinking or living. Still others are just sources of comfort that abide and sustain through the years. As I reminisce about the books I’ve read in my lifetime so far, specific titles rise to the surface with fond remembrance.

Beverly Cleary

Paperback $7.99

Beverly Cleary’s books defined my early childhood. Henry Higgins, Mitch and Amy, Ralph the mouse, Socks the cat, Beezus Quimby and her sister Ramona were my cherished friends at a time when real-life friends were hard to come by for me. This particular adventure, which sees six-year-old Ramona starting first grade and trying to navigate an increasingly baffling and discouraging world of difficult assignments, mean classmates, ferocious dogs, an annoying big sister, and parents who seem more distant every day, was especially poignant for me. The climactic scene, where Ramona can’t take it anymore and has a full-blown emotional meltdown, was as cathartic for me as it was for her. This book is a treasure from my childhood I cherish to this day.

C. S. Lewis

HarperCollins

As I moved from chapter books to young reader books, I discovered the fantasy genre. I fell in love with it and have remained enthralled by it my entire life. This classic story, of displaced British children who are moved to a distant relative’s mysterious estate during World War II and discover a portal to another world, cemented that love. When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy stepped out of the wardrobe and into the magical land of Narnia, my mind opened to infinite possibilities of excitement, adventure, danger, and, most of all, wonder. I was delighted by Mr. Tumnus the faun, terrified of the White Witch, in awe of the majestic lion Aslan…and became a fervent lover of fantasy from that day forward.

Stephen King

$19.99

Discovering Stephen King was a big part of my adolescence. The first “grown-up” book I ever read was Carrie when I was thirteen. Different Seasons, King’s 1982 collection of four novellas themed around spring, summer, fall and winter, was particularly powerful for me. I first read it when I was fourteen or fifteen, and it, more than anything I’d read in my short life so far, showed me some of what might be waiting for me in adulthood. The book’s novellas, “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” “Apt Pupil,” “The Body,” and “The Breathing Method,” still rank among my favorite works of prose by any author. No vampires, werewolves, haunted cars, or demonic clowns here—just human beings with their distinctive blend of generosity, tenacity, frailty, and equal capacities for love and darkness that is so very recognizable in ourselves and each other. Stephen King was and is my favorite author.

Ethan Mordden

9780312141127

St. Martin’s Press

$18.99

Come out, come out, wherever you are! As a 22-year-old, newly out-of-the-closet gay man in Los Angeles in the early 1990s I was eager to find fiction featuring people like me. It was not nearly as easy then as it is now, but the (much-missed) A Different Light in West Hollywood had what I needed. It was a “Gay & Lesbian” bookstore! Being from a tiny suburb in Washington state, a Gay & Lesbian* bookstore was not anything I imagined existed. (*We were also a long way from the LGBTQ+ acronym back then.) A Different Light was a wonderland, and I spent many hours there. In the stacks I found this fantastic collection of short stories about a group of gay friends in New York City. I had little in common with these (mostly) sophisticated Manhattanites, but the fact that they were gay and I was reading stories about them was more than enough to make me fall in love with this book. Seeing yourself in the books you read is one of noblest and most essential functions of art in our lives, and my identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community was partly forged by reading books like this one.

In a recent purchase, we acquired a small stack of extremely well preserved copies of thin illustrated children’s story books from the World War II era. All are unpaginated cloth-bound books with bright dust jackets. These are my favorite six:

Muggins by Bianca Bradbury with pictures by Diana Thorne. A kitten story with illustrations in black, white and green. 1st printing, 1944. $50

A Prayer for Little Things by Eleanor Farjeon with pictures by Elizabeth Orton Jones. A prayer and poem for nature and life. Delicate and lovely color illustrations. Early printing, 1945. $45

Big Lonely Dog by Leonore Harris with illustrations by Dorothy Allyn Deets. A Great Dane’s struggle to achieve human companionship. Pictures occur alternately in color and yellow tinted black and white. 1st edition from 1943. $80

Jacoble Tells the Truth written and drawn by Lisl Weil. A moral tale with brilliant bold color illustrations. 1st edition. 1946. $100

Five & Ten by Roberta Whitehead with terrific illustrations by Lois Lenski. A children’s shopping adventure. Pictures are alternately printed in vivid color and black and white with yellow tinting. 1st edition. 1943. $85

Peter Opens the Door by Roberta Whitehead with pictures by Mildred Bronson. Lonely kid’s hope for companionship is fulfilled after many false starts. 1st edition. 1946. $65

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According to the National Geographic Society, the Anthropocene is described as a “period of time during which human activities have impacted the environment enough to constitute geological change.” Humans, at least how we know them now, have only really been around for the last 250,000 years, a miniscule blip on earth’s historical timeline. We don’t even take up 1%, and yet the amount of change we have afflicted upon the planet in the short span of our existence will likely outlive even us.

It’s rather frightening to think about the amount of power we hold to “radically reshape” the earth, and how little control of that power we actually have. A heavy and teetering burden to bear, but at least we don’t have to bear it alone. John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed explores what it’s like to be a participant living in the Anthropocene, reviewing all the changes—good and bad—that come with it.

It’s sort of ironic to write a review for a book of reviews (take a shot each time I say review). But since I’m also a participant of the Anthropocene, I find it rather appropriate. In over forty essays, Green reveals his experiences with topics that range from the most mundane to the extraordinary—Dr Pepper to sunsets to the human capacity to wonder. The book is openhearted and vulnerable, rich in a way that will make you both laugh and ache with melancholy. In essence, this book is a love letter to our “human-centered planet,” because to love something means to see it in all its flawed glory. To look at all its broken bits and cracks, and see them filled with golden hope. Alexander pope wrote that “To err is human,” and we cannot hide away from all the erring we have done. Humanity has reshaped and cracked and battered, but we have also created and dreamed and loved. I never claim to know the meaning behind what an author has written, what their intended purpose was, or what they truly wanted to say, but I hope this book was intended to make us blush with warm affection for our frail and temporary selves.

It’s hard to love something as fickle as this planet, this earth bursting with the very worst and best of humanity. There is much to be scared of—the future is uncertain and fragile—but life is so very long, I'd like to try to fall in love with it as best as I can. To quote John Green: “We all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love with the world anyway, to let it crack me open. I want to feel what there is to feel while I am here.” So pay attention, fall in love with the world, read this book. Or don’t. Read something else, anything you can get your hands on. Watch the sunset, drink Dr Pepper, stay away from Canada geese and CNN. Enjoy being a participant of the Anthropocene. As Maurice Sendak encouraged, “Live your life, live your life, live your life.”

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Where’s Waldo? In Trolley Square, of course! The iconic children’s book character in the red-and-white-striped shirt and black-rimmed specs is visiting businesses throughout our mall this July. Find Waldo Local is a free, family-friendly summer activity and a wonderful way to support local businesses, including Tabula Rasa, Williams Sonoma, Spark, My Amour, and so many more!

Anyone who wishes to participate can pick up a “Find Waldo Local in Trolley Square!” stamp card at Weller Book Works, which contains the names of all the participating sites; with each Waldo they spot, they can get their card stamped or signed by the participating shop. Waldo has also misplaced his glasses in Weller Book Works, so eagle-eyed hunters can find those as well! Collecting store stamps or signatures at mall businesses will entitle diligent seekers entry into a grand-prize drawing for Waldo books and paraphernalia.

Martin Handford’s collections of crowd scenes took the world by storm in the late 1980s, and since then the books have held a cherished place on bookstore shelves. More than 80 million Waldo books have been sold worldwide, and they’ve been translated into over thirty languages.

Once again, in celebration of Waldo’s longevity and popularity, Candlewick Press is teaming up with the American Booksellers Association and hundreds of independent bookstores nationwide for some hide-and-seek fun designed to encourage residents to patronize their local businesses. There is no charge to participate, and the hunt lasts for the entire month of July.

For more information about hunting for Waldo in Trolley Square, call Weller Book Works at 801-328-2586.

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