Page 25 - Panama City Living Magazine September-October 2019

BOOK REVIEWS
PREFACE
Books and reading have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. How would my life be if books had not been a part of it? Unimaginable. But there
are many who do not have the opportunity to read, and no access to books. But with a little help, they might become readers.
The Bay County Public Library Foundation is avidly promoting literacy in our community and I am enthusiastically supporting this cause as an active member of the board. The foundation recently received a donation of 20,000 books from Better World Books, kickstarting the launch of “FLOW,” a Free Library on Wheels. I’d like to thank the St. Joe Community Foundation and Better World Books for their generous donations to bring this project to life.
FLOW, a hightop van especially outfitted to hold books, will be traveling through our community, putting books in the hands of readers, free of charge. As FLOW rolls through Bay County, we will surely see a new generation of enthusiastic readers. Would you like us to include a stop in your neighborhood or at your school? Let me know.
Bookish enthusiasm is contagious, and we avid readers aren’t bashful about sharing opinions on our favorite books. It is fascinating to hear someone explain why a book is good. Good? What does that even mean? What does it mean to them? Reading is a deeply personal experience. There have been times when I have stayed up all night, or gotten up at 4:30 in the morning, before my workday started, just to finish a book.
It is inspiring to share the beauty of reading with others. Take our reviewers this issue, Parker McClellan and Laura Laspee. Parker remembers very well when he received a boxed set of the Hardy Boys mystery series from his mother. He was just 5 or 6 years old and she read the first book to him, then, slowly and painstakingly, he
read the others to her. This is how he learned to read and it was the very beginning of his passion for reading. Today, Parker has created a social media page dedicated entirely to sharing his personal library of more than 400 books with friends.
Laura Laspee, managing librarian at the Panama City Beach Library, also had a very early start into a life of reading. Her sisters will tell you they cannot ever recall a time when Laura didn’t have a book in her hands—a habit that continues to this day. In elementary school, her approach to reading the children’s collection at her hometown library was to do
so in alphabetical order. To this day, she recalls that when she moved on to the Young Adult section once she was in the 6th grade , she very much felt like a big girl. Is it any wonder that she became a librarian?
Books and the delightful joy of reading. Let’s pass this joy on. Teach someone to read or read to someone. Share your favorite book. Can you imagine your life without books? Me neither.
Submit your book review for consideration to: Laura@panamacityliving.com PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE FENDER
VENUE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY: PANAMA CITY BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY
www.PanamaCityLiving.com • September–October 2019 • 25