Cathlamet Library: Reader's Fave

I recently interviewed Ken Johnson of Wahkiakum West for our fourth installment of Reader's Fave. This casual chat allows a community member to talk about their favorite book and share what they like about it.

Ken shared that, as a boy, he'd read books such as the Hardy Boys series. However, he had never read a long novel, preferring works that immerse the reader in the book and its mood.

Ken remembers that it must have been around eighth grade in Ohio when his older brother introduced him to the novel "Watership Down" by Richard Adams, which is currently in our library. He found reading a long book for the first time fascinating. The challenge was satisfying to him, as was all the new vocabulary, the underground world of rabbits, and the difficulties they faced to survive.

When it comes to reading, Ken knows what's essential for him: "Half the reason for a good novel is to get you emotionally attached and to understand the viewpoint of the various characters." Ken stuck to reading only books he could become engrossed in after reading "Watership Down". As he put it, "I wanted to be immersed in a book or not at all."

Ken often puts on some instrumental music in the background to set the mood when reading. He finds songs like "Mona Lisa" by Nat King Cole especially relaxing. Living in Ohio near Lake Erie, snow days often allowed him to read all day and "get lost in the novel for an extended period of time." Ken read many of Richard Adams's novels during his younger years. The two that stuck out to him were "Plague Dogs" and "Girl in a Swing."

Ken had fond memories of his youth and discovered the joy of immersing himself into another world through the power of a good, long novel. Maybe you will, too. Wahkiakum readers, until our next Reader's Fave, I hope you enjoy a good book.