 Who or what got you started with the Friends?
Nothing in life is truly 'free' - not even a free public library. Nor can every bill be paid in dollars. When our children were young we incurred a debt by taking full advantage of everything our local library had to offer without having the time to give back. Now it's time to help pay back a small portion of what our library provided back then. This is an investment in the current and future children of Belchertown. Every community has to have a library or it's not a community. No electronic connection, no downloaded eBook, no movie or video can ever replace the printed page or the camaraderie and social interaction of the library programs . How long have you been involved with the Friends/Library? Pretty much from the first day we, my wife and I, knew about its existence. What is your favorite part of being a Friend? Working with my wife Suzy as a team. I actually enjoy working the desks at the semi-annual book sales, collecting money but also meeting so many bibliophiles. It's great seeing multiple generations of a family come in and buy books that will be read again and again. What would you say to someone thinking about joining the Friends? Volunteering doesn't take a lot of time unless you want to give it a lot of time. Our library is so much more than a collection of books and there are so many more things we can help with than just selling at the book sales or donating books for the sales. Coming to events like the wine-and-cheese night helps strengthen the foundation upon which this library is built. The more people involved the better! What was the last book you read ( short review; did you like/dislike?), and who is one of your favorite authors and why? I'll read 2 - 3 books a week. I just finished "Faithful Place" by Tana French for our book club and it was very good. I really enjoy authors that put aside their well-known genre and experiment elsewhere (e.g. David Baldacci's "Wish You Well", John Grisham's "A Painted House"), I enjoy Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther character because of the Vermont people and settings. I also have a romantic side and would recommend "The Long Walk Home" by Will North for those so inclined. |
