Do people still send postcards? When I was in junior high and high school, I had a couple of friends who traveled a lot, and they always sent me postcards from whatever exotic locale they were visiting. I thought this was very cool, receiving correspondence from another country, feeling—if only for a moment—that I was sitting next to my friend sharing a piece of news. But now with smart devices and texting, I wonder: is a postcard still meaningful?
Postcards are on my mind because the first week of October is International Postcard Week. If you search for “postcards” in the library’s catalog, the results will bring back an eclectic mix of titles. Fiction includes titles from authors Annie Proulx (Postcards), Carrie Fisher (Postcards from the Edge), Laura Childs (Postcards from the Dead), and Trisha R. Thomas (Postcards from Venus). Multiple nonfiction titles appear, but they aren’t necessarily about postcards. Even a children’s picture book pops up. Love, Agnes: Postcards from an Octopus by Irene Latham is about a giant Pacific octopus named Agnes who sends postcards to creatures above and below the sea. Sweet.
What interests me most about International Postcard Week is the physical act of sending correspondence through the mail. Don’t get me wrong. I am fully involved with electronic messaging. How I managed life before smartphones is baffling (and makes me feel pretty darn old, by the way). However, I do remember receiving handwritten letters (and postcards!) from family and friends, and as connected as I am with smart devices, a letter in my hand is much more powerful than an emoji-filled text. This is why this week’s reading list focuses on handwritten correspondence from Helene Hanff, Julia Child, Abigail Adams, John le Carre, and Ralph Ellison.
If a book could send me a postcard, it might go something like this: “Dear Reader, I hope you’re doing well and enjoying my story! Scenes? Check! Characters? Check! Reading is such an adventure! All the best, Your Book.”
- 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff.
- As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto: Food, Friendship, and the Making of a Masterpiece by Julia Child.
- Letters by Abigail Adams.
- A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carre by John le Carre.
- The Selected Letters of Ralph Ellison by Ralph Ellison
New at the Library
Fiction
- Five Years After by William R. Forstchen.
- Her Little Flowers by Shannon Morgan.
- The Second Murderer: A Philip Marlowe Mystery by Denise Mina.
Nonfiction
- The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight by Andrew Leland.
- The Einstein Effect: How the World’s Favorite Genius Got into Our Cars, Our Bathrooms, and Our Minds by Benyamin Cohen.
- National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home by Anya Von Bremzen.
Children
- Captain Awesome is a Spy! written by Stan Kirby, illustrated by Doc Moran.
- Glow: The Wild Wonders of Bioluminescence written and illustrated by Jennifer N. R. Smith.
- Pumpkin Day at the Zoo written by Susan Meissner, illustrated by Pablo Pino.
This is just a small sampling of the many new titles added each week to the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries collection. Find more in our catalog, or call 360-906-5000 to reserve titles or find additional listings.
Jan Johnston, Collection Manager
Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries
You can email Jan at readingforfun@fvrl.org.
