Porch Books of the Pandemic
I’m reading the fourth of six Porch Books I acquired on March 25. This one, a paperback, is a suspense novel called Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman. Unlike Library Books or Store Books, Porch Books are rare treasures, their identities revealed only after pickup. Not a single one of these six titles was even on my radar before the pandemic, and yet they are all perfect selections.
As a member of two library systems in the Oklahoma City metro, I was comfortable in my habit of stocking up on reading material before the pandemic. I have a running list of titles and authors I want to read, and I used to reserve titles from my list and pick them up when they were ready. In between reserving specific books, I browsed the new arrivals on display at my local branch, going for the ones whose covers caught my eye.
I took my libraries for granted. Even as the pandemic was ramping up in my area, I did not consider that these facilities would close. I only had two unread library books in my possession on March 15 when I learned of the library closures. I was stunned and worried how long those two books would last me.
When I turned to Facebook to whine about my predicament, people immediately started letting me know that e-books and audiobooks were still readily available through the libraries. I felt a moment of relief, but I was not really comforted.
I like physical books that I can leave next to my bed or comfy chair. That way, I can see them waiting for me. From the time I bring a book home, I hold its weight in my hands and look at its cover before, during, and even after reading the pages within. I feel a calm satisfaction in the act of holding my place with a favorite bookmark before going to sleep. That bookmark peeking out from the edge of the book lets me know how far I am in the story. I could be nearly halfway through the book or have another twenty to thirty pages, give or take.
A few minutes after my Facebook post, a friend texted:
What kind of books do you like? I’d be happy to pass along some to you for your reading pleasure.
Before long, we were planning a zero-contact, socially distant book drop. The place: her porch. The date: March 25, the morning after her book club meeting on Zoom. She would leave the books in bags for me to pick up on my way to work. I wished I had saved more than three books over the years so I could offer her a fair exchange. On the rare occasions I have bought books, I’ve usually ended up donating them after reading. I never anticipated life without libraries.
The morning of the drop, I felt a thrill of adventure as I followed the GPS directions to my friend’s house. Despite knowing each other for a year and a half, I had never visited her home before. Now, I was going to pay a visit to her porch. I reflected on the strange and exciting nature of the situation I found myself in, fetching mystery books from my friend’s porch during a pandemic. I had no idea what to expect. Would the bag contain books I had already read? Books I would like? Books I would hate?
When I arrived, my friend was leaving for work, travel mug and keys in hand. My instinct was to rush over and hug her, but we stood a safe distance apart on her porch and grinned with delight at seeing one another. It had only been a week and a half since we were together in person, but so much had changed. She stepped back as I set down my small bag of books and picked up the two bags she had left me.
I isolated the Porch Books in my car for two days, in case they were contaminated. Then I placed them in an unused coat closet for a few days longer, just to be sure.
The first book I chose, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, will probably be one of my favorite books of all time — not only because of the story but because I was able to connect with my friend when I texted to let her know how much I loved it. Now, a month later as I dive into Porch Book number four, I wonder what the final two books have in store for me.
Strange times call for clever problem solving, and the simplest solutions can offer weird and wonderful chances to connect with other humans. I hope that whatever pastime or hobby you’re into, you’ll find something as magical as my Porch Books.
