By Carol Van Why

A couple of months ago when I was looking for a book that wouldn’t take up much space in a carry-on bag I got an email from Coffman resident, Bob Tapp.  In it he shared a piece titled “18 Short Classics You Can Read in One Sitting.” 

Like me, you’ve probably read all or many of them before. There may even be a title or two in your personal collection. At 200 pages or fewer one of these titles might make a good traveling companion.

​By Carol Van Why

Two excellent books donated by Coffman residents made me pause and think about how good our SCI/TECH/MATH and ENVIRONMENT NATURE collections are.   One of the new books is Roger H. Stuewer’s Age of Innocence: Nuclear Physics Between the First and Second World Wars.  You’ll remember that Dr. Stuewer gave a well-received talk at Coffman in October.  The other title, My Life with Cranes:  A Collection of Stories is by George Archibald.  Archibald is one of the founders of the world-renown International Crane Foundation, located in nearby Baraboo, Wisconsin.

For the next two months when these books are not checked out you’ll find them on the library’s RECENT ARRIVALS shelves.  Thereafter they will be in their permanent locations on the library’s upper level.  There they’ll join an award-winning collection of titles from a who’s who of writers.  Be sure to browse those shelves sometime this winter. Readers recommend the ones with the neon green stickers as particularly readable.

By Carol Van Why

Originally published in the November 2018 issue of the 1666 Coffman Newsletter
Winter is on the way. A sure cure for cabin fever is to enjoy those frigid sunny days from the comfort of the Coffman library. New to Coffman? Get familiar with the library now and begin to consider it your second living room.

Our website is your road map to using the library. Paste the following URL into your
browser: https://1666coffman.com. Once there, click on “Library” in the top menu. Next, slide your cursor across the menu bar. Topics of most interest to newcomers will be the book donation policy, a self-guided tour, and instructions on how to subscribe to our website.

The Library Committee receives a small budget from the condo association. However, resident book donations are the lifeblood of the collection. Regrettably, it’s a small library and we can’t use all donations. The Library Committee takes pride in both collection content and the visual appeal of the library itself. For that reason, we cannot accept damaged, worn, or musty books.

​Orient yourself in the library by taking the self-guided tour that you will find on the
website. You’ll learn how books are arranged, how to sign them out, and where to return them. Soon after you’ve settled in at Coffman, the Library Committee will offer you a tour and orientation. Contact Katie Weiblen to set up a date/time.

Want to keep up with what’s new in the library? Be sure to subscribe to our blog. You’ll get an email each time there’s something new on the site. We feature a new book and its review each week.

So plan to beat the winter blues. The Library Committee purchased nearly forty new books during the summer and fall. Over a dozen new mystery/suspense titles were purchased by virtue of a generous financial donation from a resident. Pick up your copy of our new books list from the library table or find it on the website, and read your way through the winter days.

By Carol Van Why

In preparing to spend two weeks in fourNew England states during October, I first cruised the 1666 Coffman library shelves.  A book in the TRAVEL WRITINGS section, The Last Empty Places by Peter Stark, offered up tidbits about Emerson, Hawthorne and Thoreau. Because my travel was going to feature Revolutionary War sites, I signed out and enjoyed David McCullough’s 1776 from the U.S. HISTORY section.

The trip would also take me to western Massachusetts with a special visit to Edith Wharton’s home in Lenox, MA.  The Library’s FICTION section did not disappoint, containing Wharton’s House of Mirth, Ethan Frome and Age of Innocence.

The final third of the trip would be a meander down the Maine Coast.  Linda Greenlaw’s Lobster Chronicles, found on the BIOGRAPHY shelves was required reading for this segment of the trip.

​Where have your 2018 travels taken you?  Did you browse our library to find related reading before or after your trip?