The Shelf Life

What a gorgeous week we have had here in the Finger Lakes, a perfect start to the summer season!  School is letting out next week, spring sports are coming to an end and our schedules are slowly freeing up thank goodness!!  It is time to relax, enjoy the long summer evenings, swim, head out to the Drive-In in Auburn, and oh yeah, READ!!  I finished up re-reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince last week, and I am more worried for Harry’s fate than ever, but one of my fellow Harry readers soothed me a little bit the other night with her Harry prediction.  She is thinking Harry will triumph and survive to later in life become Dumbledore’s successor as headmaster of Hogwarts.  I hope she is right, I would like that ending!  We are clicking right along with our Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release party plans and pre-orders.  As of yesterday we had 54 copies already pre-ordered at the store !!!yea!!!   The saga of the Bookstore Cat continued this week with an interesting twist.  On Wednesday we opened the store to the sounds of a baby bird chirping insistently up in the ceiling.  An hour later, after ladders, flashlights, broomsticks, and several popped out ceiling tiles we were looking into a fabric lined basket containing one tiny baby sparrow that was chirping and holding its little mouth open plaintively.  Colleen fed our guest some tiny pieces of moistened bread while I drove us out the Beverly Animal Shelter in Waterloo, who had graciously agreed to accept and care for Joe the bird (yes we named the bird) until he was big enough to fly.   While we were there dropping off Joe, we mentioned to the staff at the shelter that we were thinking of adopting a bookstore cat.  They happily made some suggestions of cats they are caring for who they thought would make good additions to our bookstore setting.  Then they took us to the kitten room and introduced us to a kitten they had named Charles Dickens.  I am not making this up the kitten’s name is actually Charles Dickens.  Well if that isn’t fate, I don’t know what is.  We have redoubled our efforts to bring around our dissenter, so we will see what happens. I know when summer rolls around and the weather gets warmer our family hit’s the road and takes several day trips around the Finger Lakes.  This is such a beautiful area with so much to do who could resist?  It is always good to learn about the places you call home and the people who are your neighbors, so with that in mind I would love to recommend some great local interest books and books by local authors to add to your summer reading lists. Images of America: Finger Lakes Memories by Michael Leavy is brand new to our shelves.  Published this spring Finger Lakes Memories takes a long and mesmerizing look back, at a land of 11 lakes, a land of  monasteries and mansions, a U.S. president, abolitionists, women’s rights activists, Mark Twain, early aviation, and superb universities.  Featuring the work of early 20th century photographer George Bentley Corby, the book reflects the remarkable scenic beauty of the area before commercial and residential development.  I loved paging through this book and seeing old photographs of people enjoying some of the same places my family visits each summer, like Taughannock Falls, Buttermilk Falls and Watkins Glen. In his book The Belhurst Story, author David Sakmyster takes a closer look at one of Seneca Lake’s most special treasures, Belhurst Castle.  A native of Rochester, David’s interest in the history and lore of Belhurst Castle was sparked while on an overnight there, when he had a personal brush with Belhurst’s famed “Lady in White”.  That incident spurred the research for this book and revealed a story cloaked in legend for over a century.   If tales of the supernatural intrigue you and you are interested in local supernatural connections we would suggest checking out any of author Mason Winfeild’s books.  Haunted Places of Western New York takes readers on a haunted history tour of Western New York’s mansions, inns, churches, battlefields, and more.  Shadows of the Western Door and Spirits of the Great Hill are great choices for anyone seeking the mysterious underside of the region including dozens of old-fashioned ghosts, burial mounds, giants, lake monsters and more. For people who like to be out and active, husband and wife authors Rich and Sue Freeman have written a series of books highlighting trails and routes for hiking, biking and paddling in the Finger Lakes.  These include:  Take A Hike: Family Walks in New York’s Finger Lakes Region, Take Your Bike: Family Rides in New York’s Finger Lake Region and Take Your Paddle:  Western New York Quiet Water for Canoes and Kayaks. Seneca Falls Inheritance by Miriam Grace Monfredo is a historical mystery novel set in Seneca Falls at the time of the first Women’s Right Convention.  When town librarian Glynis Tryon agreed to help organize the Women’s Rights Convention of 1848 she expected there would be controversy and opposition from the community.  But she never expected murder.  Monfredo is the author of many other titles set in the Finger Lakes region.  Her books are intriguing and engaging with the added bonus of a local connection.