The Diary - February 4

February 4, 2026

I spent part of last evening boxing up books in my home in Henry so I could take them to the Reading Room.  As a bookstore, River City Reading Room will focus on new books.  However, I’ve collected some interesting reads over the years, so some pre-owned tomes will pepper the shelves as well.

As I was dusting, sorting and stacking I came across two titles that I could not pack up without one more perusal.  The books-- a children’s book and a social and urban geography—could not be more different.  As I plopped down on my bed and turned the pages, I was reminded of the transportive power of books.

“Miss Rumphius”, by the Maine writer and artist Barbara Cooney, was the winner of the American Book Award. Published in 1985, it’s the tale of a woman who discovers a very simple but brilliant way to “make the world more beautiful”.   “The American South-- Towns and Cities” was also published in the 1980’s.  With photos by William Blake and text by political commentator and journalist James J. Kilpatrick, it chronicles a region on the rise.

I came to “Miss Rumphius” fairly recently.  During the Covid pandemic, I developed an obsession with the Commonwealth of Maine.  I do not know exactly why.  Perhaps a place so defined by nature offered a sense of safety and peace.  Soon I had a subscription to Down East Magazine and was reading the Portland newspaper online during my morning coffee. Down East carried an article about books and authors who best embodied Maine.   “Miss Rumphius”  made the list.  I ordered the book (and other recommendations as well).  Last night, I was with Miss Rumphius as she wandered the Maine hills in the height of summer, the sea in the distance, making the world more beautiful.  But I was also back in 2020-21, stuck in the house in Henry, alone, a bit scared, looking to fill my down time and wondering if the world would ever start spinning again.

“The American South” similarly took me to a physical place—actually places—and enveloped me in a Zeitgeist as well.   I spent a considerable amount of time traveling the south as part of my last job and one of my sisters lives in North Carolina.  Looking at the photos, I was back in Jackson, Little Rock, New Orleans, Charlotte and Winston-Salem. The cities, save perhaps Jackson, look much smaller in the photos than they do today.  With their new fountains, plazas and high-rise offices, they exude a sense of optimism and newfound prosperity that seems disarmingly simple today.

I delivered my books to the bookstore today.  “Miss Rumphius” and “The American South”, however, did not make the trip.  They remain perched on the far side of the bed, where for the next few days, they offer me a chance to travel in space and time.