The Local: First in a series

At the moment, I’m looking at a blank page, wondering what I was thinking when I volunteered to do this. After all, there’s a pandemic going on (whether you want to admit it or not) and there are enough restrictions on gatherings to make it problematic to schedule any.

The first thing I must do is apologize to everyone who missed the Christmas tree lighting at Old Town Hall. It was completely my fault that the event was not publicized adequately. I will own that and promise to try to do better in future. That being said, the event was very short. I said a few words, we plugged in the lights, we sang three or four Christmas carols and everyone went home.

Next year will be grand, as we will be celebrating Old Town Hall’s 101st birthday.

This being the first issue of this hopeful series, there is not a great deal to report.

I’ve compiled a list of local groups, and hope to begin making contact with the right people this coming week. Given that it’s just about time for Christmas break at school (and in my brain) there probably won’t be any events to list until January. If you are reading this, and you are in the know about plans for your group, please call or text me at 509-988-0085.

In the meantime, winter is a great time for reading! There are some new books on the shelf at the Odessa Public Library, and I am happy to recommend some here.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, by Katarina Bivald, is a charming reminder of why some of us love to read. Set in a small, struggling town in Iowa and full of quirky characters, it was easy to identify with this novel. A Woman of no Importance, by Sonia Purnell, is the true story of Virginia Hall, a socialite turned spy in occupied France during World War II.

I could not put this one down. If you like, follow it up with Transcription, by Kate Atkinson, another spy story. It also starts in the 1940s, but this one is fictional if no less complicated.

Generally, I like mysteries, and mysteries that come in series are the best of the best. All the Devils are Here, by Louise Penny, is the latest in the Armand Gamache series, and Troubled Blood is the most recent Cormoran Strike novel by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling). Both are complicated enough to keep the reader occupied for a while.

More next week.