Henry’s father always said, “If you build your house far away from trouble, trouble will never find you.” Probably nearly every review of this book will open with that line. Trademark Gary D. Schmidt, Trouble has a tagline that is repeated again and again throughout the book and that quote is the tagline for this book. But, of all of Schmidt’s books that I have read, that one is the best. It fits the story perfectly, and it is an interesting line to ponder. What does it mean to build your house far from trouble? Is it good to have no trouble? Can you really hide from trouble?

I also sponsor, through the library, a few activities such as a CM-based Book Discussion group that I’ve been facilitating in our community for more than a decade, as well as a new fun thing, Conversazione Teatimes, which are basically times to come together for an hour and talk about whatever each person in attendance is currently reading, learning, or pursuing in the realm of arts or literature. It is a delightful time with friends, and I’m finding it seems to reach some that otherwise wouldn’t necessarily visit my library, for example—women that never had the opportunity to have children, retired homeschool moms, and some young adults that have moved beyond high school graduation, but have remained local. Feedback has been excellent! One of my goals in hosting this is for us all to practice the lost art of conversation and, at the same time, be encouraged to pursue good and beautiful things. Currently I host this event approximately once every 6 weeks in the hour prior to my evening open hours. You do not have to be a library member to attend these events. 

I continue to gain books by my own purchase and also by kind donations from friends. I have a lot of support and encouragement, but not a lot of physical help, so I simply have to move at my own pace and be content with that. I have days when I feel discouraged and want to give up. But then I remember how important this mission of Book Rescuing is in this throw-away, tech-crazy world; we are helping to preserve a part of history and that is important and meaningful. I also think how sweet it is to share with others these Book Treasures. I am so blessed to help others find what they need for their lessons, as well as to inspire them to learn by, and to develop a love for, books and reading. I enjoy the challenge of finding books to fit certain needs or requests.

https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/stacie-beans-humble-library/

I got in touch with Liz and Emily Cottrill (now Emily Kiser) and asked how to get started. They got me connected to the Yahoo group for private lending libraries (now at groups.io), where I became acquainted with Kristi Stansfield, who got me started going to the Booksaver warehouse sales in Hagerstown. I attended the local homeschool conference in 2014 as a vendor: “Hello!  I’m going to have this library in the fall. . . It’s going to be great. . . No, you can’t see it yet.”   

We set up bookcases at one end of our walk-in basement, the end with the door.  Over the years the library space worked its way around until it took up two thirds of the basement. My husband built nice brick steps to get people safely down and around the house, but on snowy days I had people come in the kitchen door and down the basement stairs so they wouldn’t slip and die. Our one bathroom was on the main floor, so anyone who needed it got to traverse the entire house. I had a baby monitor set up for when my kids were napping, but it wasn’t reliable, so I would occasionally come to a growing realization that someone was screaming upstairs.  

I saw “Saving Private Ryan” as a teen. Once you have seen that film, you will never forget what the beaches of Normandy looked like. And if you are like me, you may try to avoid reading a lot more about the invasion because of how tragic it was. Bruce Bliven’s The Story of D-Day: June 6, 1944 helped me. There is nothing that can make this story less tragic, but there is much that can help us celebrate the heroes who made sure that the losses were not in vain. 

Very much like reading Wyatt Blassingame’s Combat Nurses of WWII or his Medical Corps Heroes of WWII, this book made me cry tears of pride for the men who stormed those beaches. The first half of the book sets the stage and focuses on the insane bravery of the First Wave (as it should). The last half of the book highlights individual heroes who refused to admit defeat even when everyone around him was stalled, pinned down, and about ready to give up. 

https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/the-story-of-d-day-june-6-1944/

In The Sinking of the Bismarck, he used his journalistic talents to study the declassified reports, comb through personal accounts, and harvest the best information from the time. Instead of telling the story of an interested observer as he did in Hitler, he re-creates the story with the enthusiasm of a patriot who is proud and excited about an epic victory at sea. And, while he clearly is on the side of the Allies, he does have some sympathy and understanding for the men in German boats who were simply doing their duty. In this way, we get an exciting page-turner that leaves the reader inspired and in awe. 

Nothing went right. Until, through a combination of sheer determination and uncanny good luck, the Allies were able to sink the most important ship in the German navy. Failure to win this battle would probably have cost us the war. And one devastating error after another almost guaranteed the victory to the Germans. Only God knows how this came out right in the end. But, by His grace, it did. 

https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/the-sinking-of-the-bismarck/

History often remembers Alexander the Great as being in the same category as Julius Caesar, Attila the Hun, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Adolf Hitler. A handful of men who through incredible genius, unparalleled thirst for power, and sheer determination were able to achieve unprecedented world domination. None of these men are remembered as paragons of virtue nor even decent role models, but all of them deserve our attention and some level of respect. Each changed the world in which they lived. Each of these leaders was a complicated man. 

In the August, 2023 episode of Our Reading Life, Tanya Arnold and I discussed why we are so impressed with Jennifer A. Nielsen’s historical fiction. Many of her stories are set in war settings that are mostly unfamiliar to the average reader. The stories feature teens who are coming of age in hellish circumstances that are more unbelievable than the best fiction. The teens behave in ways that are consistent with their age and culture. But these same teens are also being refined in the fires of terror, grief, and suffering. Some of her books are stronger than others. This one, Resistance, is the hardest and yet the best that I have read so far. 

I always had the idea of an official lending library in the back of my mind, and I would trot that idea out when people asked me why I bought so many books. Sometimes people would ask me if I was a teacher or a librarian, and I would say “yes” to the first and “Librarian Wannabe” to the other. 

I also have known from the beginning that having people in our home to visit the library would not be an option, so finding and maintaining an online catalog was a #1 priority. Readerware and LibraryThing have been a huge blessing.