We were on our way for a little three- day weekend getaway. It is getting close to lunchtime and we are ready for a little stop. Pulling off of the interstate we find ourselves in a small mid-western town, a perfect throwback to the 1960’s. We look for a coffee shop, or outdoor café, no such luck. Then we spot the sign, a small café selling local produce, and homemade sandwiches. Tables and umbrellas invite you out onto the large patio. We look once, and then twice…our eyes are not deceiving us, it’s the Public Library.
The moment I walk through the door…memories of lazy summer afternoons spent reading a book both as a child and with my own children flood back to me. As a girl I could check out eight books at a time with my own library card. I always checked out the max, and walked home many miles with my huge stack of books, hardly tall enough to see over the top. I didn’t mind, I knew that many hours of adventure and learning were waiting for me to devour, sometimes I would even try to read a book while walking home! Don’t try this, it doesn’t work, patience is something you learn…not something you are born with!
Standing in the entrance I breathe in the familiar scent, the smell of lots and lots of books, and something else, what is it? This is when I remember the café. I look around and there it is prominently placed at the entrance to the library, an indoor fenced off area with tables and chairs, and people sitting around sipping a cup of coffee, soup and sandwich, or homemade no-bake cookies, yet another staple from my childhood, reading a library book!
Overstuffed chairs are placed throughout the library to offer comfort and ease as you thumb through your old or new favorite book. No wonder Barnes & Noble are struggling I think. This public library in this small town has converted their model to duplicate the merchandising giant. Pure genius! I wander through the library, same old paneling, same shelves, same Dewey-decimal system, only no card catalogues…that part only lives on in my memory. Everything else is the same as our library at home, except the place is packed. I have not been frequenting our local library branch lately, maybe they are doing the same thing? I make a mental note to check it out.
While eating my local fare, I looked over at the prominently displayed books right outside of the café, all about organic gardening, and book after book that make my fingers itch to go check them out. Then I remember that I am simply a visitor to their branch of the library and that I cannot take these books home. You won’t find a copy of The Year of the Cicadas in your local library branch yet, please ask your librarian to order a copy, they can make it happen, give them a little nudge for me. I hope that this summer finds you enjoying some summer reading, and making lots and lots of memories while doing so.
Catie
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Want to help? Here are some of the things you can do:
Write a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or our website www.theyearofthecicadas.com
Tell a friend about our book or purchase a copy for them as a gift.
Take our book to your or your friends book club, church group, or start a small group to read the book together. We have study guide questions on our website to help guide you through conversations about the book. You can get a discount through our website for multiple books purchased.
Write your local newspaper book reviewer and tell them how much you like our book.
Send a copy of our book or write to one of your favorite shows, like the Ellen Show, Oprah, The View or Kathie & Hoda, tell them what you think about it. It only does so much if I say my book is good, you the reader carry a lot more weight than I do with the outside world.
Pray for our message, that our story will reach the hearts and minds of the people who can help us to open the doors. Pray that our story will help to inspire people who are in need and that our story finds a way into their lives.
Without you, the readers of The Year of the Cicadas, this story would be in a shoebox in the top of my closet waiting for my grandchildren to discover it after my passing. Thank you for letting me see it find the light while I am still here. You rock.
The Year of The Cicadas 
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