A Community That Reads Together

A few years ago, the Danville library received a strange phone call from a local patron.

“I found one of your books on my doorstep,” she said. “Is there something wrong with my library card?”

What the caller didn’t realize is that the book – The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett – had been left for her by a neighbor, who’d read the book and was passing it along. It did indeed have a Danville library sticker on it.

But it had not been checked out from the library.

The book was part of the Danville and San Ramon libraries’ “Two Cities, One Tale” program – a localized version of a national program called CityRead, also known as One City One Book, which takes the idea of a book discussion group and expands it to cover a whole community.

If you’ve ever walked into your local coffee place, bookstore or community center and noticed a basketful of FREE books, this is thanks to two special librarians: Amy Mockoski and Seng Lovan.

“We hope people will read the book, then pass it on to friends, families and neighbors,” explained Mockoski, youth services librarian at the San Ramon Library. “A literary event is always a good thing for the community. We want to reach as many people in the area as we can.”

Lovan, senior branch librarian at the Danville Library, started the program eight years ago with San Ramon’s former Adult Services Librarian Peter Meyer.

Lovan and Mockoski have been working together for the past seven years.

“We really wanted to do something to bring both cities together,” said Lovan. “Which is why we nicknamed our program, ‘Two Cities, One Tale.’”

Every fall, the two librarians select and purchase a book, and then put copies in baskets in the libraries (including Dougherty Station) as well as other places throughout the communities, such as bookstores, coffee shops, community centers, senior centers, high schools and even city offices.

“Our goal is literacy, and the idea that a community reads together,” Mockoski said. ”We bring the program outside the library, catching people who haven’t heard about the books, or don’t visit the library on a regular basis.”

Mockoski also coordinates a KidsReads program, which she started six years ago and is held in the spring.

This year’s KidsReads selection is Kristi Yamaguchi’s Dream Big, Little Pig! (illustrated by Tim Bowers) – the Olympic medalist’s inspiring tale about a little pig who won't give up on pursuing her dreams.

Mockoski said there will be a springtime launch party at the Blackhawk Plaza to get people excited about the program.

The libraries host events throughout the month that relate to the book, culminating in an author appearance and book signing.

The first book that launched “Two Cities, One Tale” was a classic: John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row.

Now Lovan and Mockoski focus on more contemporary titles, so there’s an opportunity for the author to come speak at the culmination of the program.

They try to feature books that people are excited about.

“We get email requests, notes left at the front desk and recommendations from the audience at the closing author events,” Lovan said.

She and Mockoski also get ideas by reading book reviews and checking authors’ availability to come discuss their books and meet their readers.

“The author’s appearance helps bring the book full circle for the reader,” Lovan explained.

To ensure variety and a wide audience, Lovan and Mockoski select a different genre each year.

Last year’s selection was Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s memoir, Highest Duty.

There have been multicultural books, such as Gail Tsukiyama’s Samurai’s Garden, and mysteries, like Locked Rooms by Laurie King.

“We also look for a California connection,” Lovan said.

This year’s title is the New York Times bestselling Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, a historical novel by Jamie Ford.

Ford is an award-winning short story writer who grew up near Seattle’s Chinatown. His great-grandfather was mining pioneer Min Chung, who emigrated in 1865 from Kaiping, China, to San Francisco, where he adopted the Western name “Ford.”

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a heartwarming story of widower Henry Lee, his father, and his first love, Keiko Okabe. It is set in the ethnic neighborhoods of Seattle during World War II and the Japanese-American internment camps of the era.

The book has received great reviews, including this one:

"In 1986, Henry Lee happens upon the Panama Hotel in Seattle, where discoveries in the basement bring back haunting memories of the 1940s. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet tells of family pride, innocence, young love, jazz clubs, and internment. This novel will delight all ages -- it's good for reading aloud and great for discussions." -- Barbara Theroux, Fact & Fiction.

In addition to being a New York Times bestseller, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an IndieBound NEXT List Selection, a Borders Original Voices Selection, a Barnes & Noble Book Club Selection, a Target Bookmarked Club Pick and was also named the #1 Book Club Pick for Fall 2009/Winter 2010 by the American Booksellers Association.

Lovan said Jamie Ford’s book has drawn a lot of interest from regular book clubs, high school book clubs, a parent-student book club from Monte Vista High School and the principal of a Chinese school in San Ramon.

The Danville library is hosting free events that tie in with the book, such as Art and History of the Japanese Tea Ceremony (held at the end of last month) and the upcoming Chinese Calligraphy and Brush Painting class on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 7 pm.

The closing event will be Jamie Ford’s appearance on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7 pm at the Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center. This event is free, but seating is limited and reservations are required.

Lovan said there are only a few individual tickets left; however, people who come without tickets may be able to get a seat if there are no-shows.

Getting a copy of the book from one of the community locations at this point might be a challenge, as most copies are in readers’ hands by now.

There are copies in circulation (regular, audio and large print) through San Ramon, Dougherty Station and Danville libraries.

And an electronic version is now available.

“We’ve made copies downloadable for the first time this year – in ebook format and audio – which you can get with your library card at ccclib.org,” Lovan said. “We hope to eliminate any obstacles to getting a copy.”

To reserve a seat for the Jamie Ford event on Oct. 27, please call the Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center at 925-973-ARTS (2787) or go to www.sanramonperformingarts.com.