Several books are on my list for this month; one very special and one which emphasizes light but informative reading, and the last not, so good.

The first is THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN written by Ron Rozelle, a resident of Lake Jackson, and a teacher at St. Thomas High School in Houston, Texas. The book is a semi-fictionalized account of the Hurricane in 1900 that destroyed much of Galveston. Many of the characters in the book are actual people, interesting and concerned residents including the brothers Cline, who worked for the Weather Bureau and had tried to warn residents of the potential disaster; the Sisters at the Orphanage on the beach, where only three children survived; and the Kempner family who gave shelter and food to many. Reading a description of those people as they tried to survive water rising and rising accompanied by the strong, gusty winds definitely brings home to us in Port O’Connor of the damaging hurricanes from which our area has survived and rebuilt.

I heartily recommend this book for any to read and learn; the sad fact for Galveston was that many residents had tried to have a seawall built for protection; but could not successfully battle the corrupt members of City Hall for its protection.

The second book which is the first in a new series is HOMICIDE IN HARDCOVER written by Kate Carlisle, a study of creative repairs of books; i.e., bookbinding. Set in my home city of San Francisco, the plot is well designed; the characters are interesting and somewhat amusing, and the fascinating procedures in bookbinding and restoration are well written and researched. Not a heavy story, but one that holds your attention. I look forward to others in this series.

But the disappointing book was written by a well established author, Lisa Jackson and entitled AFTER SHE’S GONE. The story line is a little strange and somewhat confusing; the characters seem light and not realistic; and there really is too much unnecessary off-color language to fill the pages. This is somewhat sad as the author has written other books in previous series that gave the reader a knowledge of the areas in which the major characters lived; a well written and taut plot, and an interesting twist in both the people and plot. Hopefully, this will not be the successive path this author is taking, and that she will revert to her previous skills.

We at the Library look forward every December to putting up our tree and proudly displaying the decorations we have accumulated over the years with the wonderful help of so many caring residents. But this year we will have an extraordinary addition to our Christmas Season: a stunningly beautiful house created by the very famous painter and author, Thomas Kinkade. This very unusual Christmas house is a gift from a new resident, Edna Paine, to whom we are very grateful. As Shirley and I have not completely decided where to best display this Christmas house in our Library, we welcome any suggestions from our many visitors. And, speaking of Christmas, although it is only April, we will once again be accumulating recipes for our Christmas Cookbook. So, if you or other members of your family prepared a special food during our wonderful Christmas Season, please think of giving it a place in our Cookbook for 2016. And, if you missed our very first book, come see us. We can probably find one for a special spot in your home.

“When an old person dies, a Library burns down.”
Karin Gillespie