Around TRL with Sarah: Shelton

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Hello dear fellow library enthusiasts, 

Here is our eighth edition of this blog series!

The Shelton Timberland Library is located on WA-3 and Highway 101 in Mason County. The estuary of Oakland Bay is located near the town of Shelton. 

    

 

Familiar Faces of TRL: Shelton

Name: Kinsey Conklin
 

What is your favorite book? The book I usually recommend is a recent favorite of mine called The Wager by David Grann. If you like history, tales of mutiny and disaster on the high seas, and masterful storytelling, this one is for you. However, I can’t claim to normally read a lot of big nonfiction books. Most of my reading list consists of fantasy, danmei, webcomics and fanfiction. If those are more your style I recommend Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, a sweeping fantasy, romance saga featuring a lovable main character who might not be the most reliable narrator, and his boyfriend who most definitely is an overpowered, dark, and brooding love interest.

What is your favorite memory from working, visiting a library? As a child I remember browsing the VHS shelves for The Big Comfy Couch and the clay animation Wind in the Willows tv shows. I think I was responsible for a considerable amount of wear and tear on the film tape of those items as I would check them out multiple times. They were right in front of the service desk, and I was convinced the librarian was watching me browse and judging my choices. Now that I work in the library, I know that any judgement would have been of having good taste.

What is your favorite quote from a book, movie, etc. One of my favorite lines in a book is from The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Beatrix Potter. Throughout the book Jemima yearns for freedom and to lay her own eggs. Terrible things befall her both due to her own folly and others taking advantage of her naivete. In the end Jemima finally lays some eggs of her own, though only some are successful. Beatrix can’t give this duck any pity though and ends the book with one last derogatory remark.  “Jemima puddle duck had always been a bad sitter.”

 

 

Name: Sean Lotz
 
What is your favorite book? I don't have a "favorite" anything. I love too many things, and I love those things for all different reasons. But if I were forced to pick, today I might come up with two titles. (Tomorrow I will come up with two different titles.) The first is Job, an ancient Hebrew poem which I consider to be the best collection of words the human race has ever produced. And then... how about The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G. K. Chesterton. This surreal story of anarchy and  detective work, with the most "what the heck is going on?" scenes utterly captivated me decades ago when I read it the first time, and it still accompanies me every day, reminding me that life is really weird when you look under the hood. 
 
What is your favorite format? I really like physical books. I like having the entire thing in front of me all at once. I love being able to thumb through a book with my hands. Humans are physical creatures; we weren't built to live in a virtual reality. But having said that, I use my Kobo e-reader fairly often. It has features I really enjoy; and when an e-book is the only way I can read something, I have no intention of missing out on it just because it is not in my preferred format. 
 
Where did you grow up? What is your favorite memory of this place?
I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. My family had left the farm and moved to the city before I was born. I am a Texan (I always will be) but I wold never live there again. Although I am so glad to be gone, I have profoundly life-creating memories of several things. The green skies before a tornado; the cry of the cicadas rising and falling like an alarm, filling every part of your mind with the sound that sets the rhythm of the day; and the sound of real people talking—Texans talking. 
 
What do you most appreciate working for a public library in your community?
I am grateful for the opportunity to serve all the people of my community, no matter who they are. I get to serve the rich and poor; I talk with the locally-born and the immigrant from far away; and I help persons who love and understand libraries as well as those who have no idea what this place is and just want to get out as soon as they finish their business. I get to provide services the people don't even know anybody offers. I love hearing someone say, "You saved my life! I had no idea! How can I thank you enough?!" And I really like the people I work with. 
 

Did you enjoy this short tour and visiting with our staff? Look for more " Around TRL with Sarah" coming soon.

Visit the Shelton Timberland Library to learn more about this library including address, hours, programs and more! 

Shelton Timberland Library

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