Branching Out

Some people have an aversion to going to the library to look for books. They insist that ordering books online works just fine for them.

To each his own, but I say they don’t know what they’re missing.

There have been so many times Mr. Ginley or I have picked up a book that we would never have thought we’d enjoy, and found a new favorite author.  Mr. has even found the occasional treasure for me.

“Read this,” he’ll say, pointing to the flyleaf. It sounds like something you’ll like. 

One such time we were at the Lakewood library, and he held up a book called The Fairy Tale Girl. The author was Susan Branch. I’d never heard of either her or the book, but I was smitten when I started paging through the book. It was beautifully written and illustrated. 

I took it home with me and spent the next week or so reading a chapter at a time. It told the story of her love, her marriage and its eventual dissolution. At the end of the book, she’s getting on a plane to head to Martha’s Vineyard.

Of course, I had to get the next book in the series, Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams. It continued to tell the story of Susan Branch, how she found herself and built a life that was hers alone. The next book in the series, A Fine Romance, covers her travels in the English countryside with her second husband. 

Each book has been like a hot fudge sundae, and I’ve savored every bite.

For my birthday, I got Susan Branch's book of quotes, Distilled Genius. She had me from the very beginning, when she quoted the line from the song, The Rainbow Connection. “Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me.” (Lyrics by Paul Williams.) I know it’s silly because Kermit is singing it and he’s a Muppet and all, but I always tear up when I hear that song.

So now I’m savoring this book, too, reading a quotation from it every now and again, pausing to drink in the illustrations and consider the quote she’s chosen. It’s quite the eclectic assortment.

The words of poets, scientists, authors, actors, philosophers, musicians and many more are represented here. 

As it turns out, Ms. Branch, like me, is a fan of Elizabeth von Arnim, who once quipped, “Nor would I miss the early darkness and the pleasant firelight tea and long evenings among my books.”

Sounds like a plan to me.