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DKG Practice/Program

2003) were three such series.
Reading an entire series enables one to observe the development of the author’s
craft. One member particularly enjoyed the “femininization” of the writing after
Tony Hillerman’s daughter took over her father’s series. With successive books,
identification with characters and setting increases. A historical series reinforces
knowledge of the time period. This familiarity is a motivator for further reading
and is particularly strong in teens and older children.
One Mu Chapter member made good use of the pandemic restrictions to spend
time with some of the longer classics of American and British literature. Dickens,
Verne, and Huxley were prominent on the list.
Many members spoke about having several books on-the-go during the
pandemic. One referred to this as her “triangle” of reading: something spiritual,
something informative, and something for a future goal. Another member had
“cozy” reads and “brain books” at any
one time.
Keeping Current

The years 2020 and 2021 will be
remembered as filled with socio-political
and environmental issues, as well as
for the scourge of the pandemic. They
provided an opportunity for reflection
and for updating one’s reading on many
national and global issues.
One Mu Chapter member shared
two “Black Lives Matter” titles: I’m
Still Here: Black Dignity in a World
Made for Whiteness (Brown, 2018)
and How to Be an Antiracist (Kendi,
2019). Another member had read The Book of Gutsy Women, a recent publication
by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton (Clinton & Clinton, 2019). The local public library
sponsored a Community Read of a book dealing with Arizona/Sonora border issues
(Bobrow-Strain, 2019); complimentary print copies were available to patrons, as
were online discussion sessions and an online meet-and-greet the author.

Keeping Local
During the pandemic, many in our community chose to stay close to home.
Chapter members shared how they had used the time to choose Pacific Northwest
authors and topics for their reading, making the time a true literary “staycation.”
One Mu Chapter member shared the Emma Lord mystery series (Daheim,
1992). The attraction was the setting: Stevens Pass in central Washington State.
Even though the town of Alpine is fictional, the setting is so accurately described
that the member felt immediately at home. Another member shared a book on
local African American history (Wulff, 2012). This work had been introduced at a
DKG area meeting. The library’s Community Read title was by a Washington State
author.

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