This month's interview is with Ann Mueller, former adult services coordinator for the Monroe Public Library. Ann retired in June following an incredible 40-year career with the library. We sat down with her for a great discussion about books, favorite authors and a lot more.
What are you reading now?
Right now, I am reading a mystery by Sue Henry. She's a new author that I found on OverDrive, and it's her second novel. It is okay. I'm just waiting for the new Louise Penny book to come out.
Do you tend to prefer mysteries?
I like mysteries a lot but I like historical fiction, too. I like to learn about things that I don't know about. I usually do some research to see if the historical fiction is based on fact, and I've learned more about history that way. I seem to get in a subject area - for a while I was reading about the Civil War, and then I was reading about World War II, and that I had to stop because it was getting a little overwhelming.
What was a book that you really enjoyed when you were growing up?
The first book that I remember really liking was Anne of Green Gables. We had neighbors who had one daughter and I was a kind of adopted sister to her. They had this bookcase with these classics in it and she let me borrow that book. The other one that sticks in my mind was Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. There again, I was learning about a different lifestyle, because I grew up in a small town and we were kind of sheltered from other things. The other two I remember really reading were Nellie Bly Reporter and Escape from Warsaw. Those were both Scholastic books that you bought at the book fair. And, of course, Nancy Drew. Those are some of my early memories.
I've an older sister and my mother was a teacher, and my dad was an avid reader, so I learned to read before I went to school. I remember my mom reading to me and with me. We had Reader's Digest Condensed Books my dad had a subscription to. I remember sitting on the couch along with my mom and we were both silently reading the books together.
Was there a particular book that has inspired you at some point in your life?
I think that changes, as you grow older. I don't know if it inspired me, but Johnny Got His Gun stuck with me. It's a book you read once and you never read it again. It was so well-written that you could feel what this poor serviceman was going through, having lost his limbs and not being able to communicate. It was written by Dalton Trumbo, and it was banned. Another was Gone With the Wind. I remember feigning an illness so I could stay home and finish it.
If you could be a character in a book that you've read, who would you be?
Right now, I think I'd be Myrna in the Louise Penny books. She's a strong woman. She was a psychiatrist and gave it up to come to this town to find relief and to find peace. She owns a used bookstore and people just come in and take books and walk out.
Is there a book or series of books that you think is completely overrated and you just don't get the hype?
Danielle Steele. I don't get it. I've read two or three of hers, just because I felt I should. I think some people feel that way about James Patterson. He and Danielle Steele are just writing them too quickly. I don't always read bestsellers, and I may wait a while to see. I like to find the gems that are hidden.
If we came to your house and we looked at your book collection, would it be bigger than we think or smaller than we think?
Smaller than you think. My daughter's collection and my husband's collection are the hugest in the house.
Tell us about reading to your children and sharing books with them.
I read to them very early on. My son learned to read very early and we read every night. We made up stories together so he could think outside the box. I used to try to find wordless books to bring home for him so we could tell stories, because he depended on the words so much. Now my daughter Lindsey struggled learning to read. She really loved Dr. Seuss. We read Dr. Seuss over and over again, and I still remember the day that she said, "Mom, I can read." I knew she had been reading before that, but it was the moment she realized she could read.
When did you decide that you wanted to be a librarian?
It kind of came upon me. It wasn't something I was going to do necessarily. I went to school to be a teacher, and my mom suggested that I have a minor, so I picked up Library Science. When we moved to the area, I taught for one year but it wasn't a great experience. The job at the library opened up and the rest is history. It was something I found that I really enjoyed. I learned so much from other people, talking to them about books.
What have you seen in your time being a librarian? Have you noticed any trends that have either encouraged or discouraged you?
I think the one very good thing about libraries is that it serves a multipurpose for people. It just isn't about books anymore. Readers are always going to be readers, and I think libraries are doing a real good job now of trying to grab readers at an early age. We also have to remember to try and keep them as readers, because we're going to lose them if we don't.
Here in Monroe, some of the people that are parents now that are bringing in their kids were struggling teenagers, and they're finding that they want it better for their kids. That's rewarding to me. We caught them somewhere along the line and, as parents, they're finding that this is a good place to bring their kids.
As a librarian, you put your hands on a lot of books. How did you keep yourself from wanting to read them all?
You check out a lot of books and you take them home, and then you don't get them read. I still go to bookstores and there's something about touching a book. It's like people going through a clothing store and touching cloth.
Do you have a most treasured book?
I have a pop-up Christmas book that my dad gave me. And he gave me Call of the Wild. It wasn't something I necessarily liked, but it's special because he gave it to me.
If you were stranded on a desert island with only one book, what would you want it to be?
Foxfire books. I'd want something to help me survive.
- Cover to Cover is provided by the Monroe Public Library and is published the fourth Wednesday of the month.
What are you reading now?
Right now, I am reading a mystery by Sue Henry. She's a new author that I found on OverDrive, and it's her second novel. It is okay. I'm just waiting for the new Louise Penny book to come out.
Do you tend to prefer mysteries?
I like mysteries a lot but I like historical fiction, too. I like to learn about things that I don't know about. I usually do some research to see if the historical fiction is based on fact, and I've learned more about history that way. I seem to get in a subject area - for a while I was reading about the Civil War, and then I was reading about World War II, and that I had to stop because it was getting a little overwhelming.
What was a book that you really enjoyed when you were growing up?
The first book that I remember really liking was Anne of Green Gables. We had neighbors who had one daughter and I was a kind of adopted sister to her. They had this bookcase with these classics in it and she let me borrow that book. The other one that sticks in my mind was Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. There again, I was learning about a different lifestyle, because I grew up in a small town and we were kind of sheltered from other things. The other two I remember really reading were Nellie Bly Reporter and Escape from Warsaw. Those were both Scholastic books that you bought at the book fair. And, of course, Nancy Drew. Those are some of my early memories.
I've an older sister and my mother was a teacher, and my dad was an avid reader, so I learned to read before I went to school. I remember my mom reading to me and with me. We had Reader's Digest Condensed Books my dad had a subscription to. I remember sitting on the couch along with my mom and we were both silently reading the books together.
Was there a particular book that has inspired you at some point in your life?
I think that changes, as you grow older. I don't know if it inspired me, but Johnny Got His Gun stuck with me. It's a book you read once and you never read it again. It was so well-written that you could feel what this poor serviceman was going through, having lost his limbs and not being able to communicate. It was written by Dalton Trumbo, and it was banned. Another was Gone With the Wind. I remember feigning an illness so I could stay home and finish it.
If you could be a character in a book that you've read, who would you be?
Right now, I think I'd be Myrna in the Louise Penny books. She's a strong woman. She was a psychiatrist and gave it up to come to this town to find relief and to find peace. She owns a used bookstore and people just come in and take books and walk out.
Is there a book or series of books that you think is completely overrated and you just don't get the hype?
Danielle Steele. I don't get it. I've read two or three of hers, just because I felt I should. I think some people feel that way about James Patterson. He and Danielle Steele are just writing them too quickly. I don't always read bestsellers, and I may wait a while to see. I like to find the gems that are hidden.
If we came to your house and we looked at your book collection, would it be bigger than we think or smaller than we think?
Smaller than you think. My daughter's collection and my husband's collection are the hugest in the house.
Tell us about reading to your children and sharing books with them.
I read to them very early on. My son learned to read very early and we read every night. We made up stories together so he could think outside the box. I used to try to find wordless books to bring home for him so we could tell stories, because he depended on the words so much. Now my daughter Lindsey struggled learning to read. She really loved Dr. Seuss. We read Dr. Seuss over and over again, and I still remember the day that she said, "Mom, I can read." I knew she had been reading before that, but it was the moment she realized she could read.
When did you decide that you wanted to be a librarian?
It kind of came upon me. It wasn't something I was going to do necessarily. I went to school to be a teacher, and my mom suggested that I have a minor, so I picked up Library Science. When we moved to the area, I taught for one year but it wasn't a great experience. The job at the library opened up and the rest is history. It was something I found that I really enjoyed. I learned so much from other people, talking to them about books.
What have you seen in your time being a librarian? Have you noticed any trends that have either encouraged or discouraged you?
I think the one very good thing about libraries is that it serves a multipurpose for people. It just isn't about books anymore. Readers are always going to be readers, and I think libraries are doing a real good job now of trying to grab readers at an early age. We also have to remember to try and keep them as readers, because we're going to lose them if we don't.
Here in Monroe, some of the people that are parents now that are bringing in their kids were struggling teenagers, and they're finding that they want it better for their kids. That's rewarding to me. We caught them somewhere along the line and, as parents, they're finding that this is a good place to bring their kids.
As a librarian, you put your hands on a lot of books. How did you keep yourself from wanting to read them all?
You check out a lot of books and you take them home, and then you don't get them read. I still go to bookstores and there's something about touching a book. It's like people going through a clothing store and touching cloth.
Do you have a most treasured book?
I have a pop-up Christmas book that my dad gave me. And he gave me Call of the Wild. It wasn't something I necessarily liked, but it's special because he gave it to me.
If you were stranded on a desert island with only one book, what would you want it to be?
Foxfire books. I'd want something to help me survive.
- Cover to Cover is provided by the Monroe Public Library and is published the fourth Wednesday of the month.