Donating Books and Finding Joy in Autumn

Late Morning/Midday, Friday, September 27, 2024, Madison, New Hampshire

“There comes a day each September when you wake up and know the summer is over and fall has arrived. The slant of the sun looks different and something is in the air–a coolness, a hint of frosty mornings to follow….”  – Ann Rinaldi, Time Enough for Drums

It’s late morning here in Madison’s Eidelweiss District as I begin this, the 314^th post of 2024 for this blog. It’s a beautiful – if somewhat nippy – autumn day, far nicer than yesterday. The sun is out, there aren’t a lot of clouds in the sky, and it will be warmer today. The current temperature is 68°F (20°C), and the forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 73°F (23°C).

I write about the weather – whether I live in New England or Florida – because, like it or not, it affects my daily life (and moods). Here it matters a lot if it rains or snows all day because I usually stay indoors all day and can’t go out, not even for a stroll on Huttwill Drive. I’m also more susceptible to getting sad and lethargic on cold, gray, wet days like yesterday.

I’m feeling a bit more chipper today, partly because of the improved weather conditions, but mostly because I found a workaround to my unexpected problem of donating a copy of Reunion: A Story to the Conway Public Library – a project that I’d wanted to do since spring but couldn’t easily do without help if I wanted to do in person.

I don’t know what exactly the library staff will do with my novella. The library says it welcomes donations of new or “gently used” books, but according to what I read on the Conway Public Library website, it doesn’t guarantee that every donated book will be added to the permanent collection. Someone on the staff will likely read Reunion and determine if it is suitable for inclusion in one of the many fiction categories – I think it ought to be in the Adult Fiction category rather than Teen Fiction, or even in the Romance subcategory – or if it should be relegated to the Little Free Libraries in the Conway/Madison area.

I hope the librarian who reads the novella signs off on adding it to the general collection. I don’t think of myself as a great writer, but I do believe I’ve become a skilled writer who cares about giving readers a good and entertaining reading experience that resonates with them emotionally.  And, objectively speaking, I know that the handful of people who have taken a chance on my book and bought it on Amazon either in paperback or Kindle editions have liked it. The proof of that is in Reunion: A Story’s Amazon product page with reviews like this one:

After the first few pages, I was hooked and just kept reading. If I stopped reading to do something else my mind kept wandering back to the story and wondering what was going to happen next.

Well done, I’m impressed! – Tommy Rupp

Or…this one:

The plot was what drew me to the story. I’m not usually drawn to romance novels or anything particularly romantic. But the summary for this book really drew me in because it’s something most of us can relate to- lost love. We all have “the one that got away.” Well, most of us anyway. Also, as a historian myself I loved that Garraty’s character was a historian and was intrigued by that.

The author also explores multiple philosophical aspects of life such as true love, happiness, friendships, loss and regret. Things most adults are familiar with. We also learn the importance of confessing our feelings when we have the chance because life is so incredibly unpredictable.

The characters were relatable, emotion-evoking, thoughtful and I loved that the characters grew and evolved. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. – Pooja Gudka

I can’t deny it would thrill me if the Conway Public Library decided to include my novella in their general collection. It would definitely lift my spirits, even though I may not be around Madison next month to witness it firsthand. I’ll be keeping an eye on their website’s “new books” section for Reunion: A Story but I’m also ready for the possibility that it might not make the cut.