Blue Willow Bookshop, owned by Valerie Koehler, is a lovely oasis of a store, a secret garden of books nestled in the teeming metropolis of Houston, Texas. They've offered me so much support over the years that when I learned (in Shelf Awareness) of their nationwide book drive to restore the libraries of several Hurricane Ike-ravaged schools, I really had to jump at the chance to help.
The folks at Blue Willow hope to collect more than 1,000 books by December 1st to help rebuild the libraries of Anahuac High School, Alief Hastings 9th Grade Center and Brazosport Intermediate School. These schools lost more than 75% of their collections.
I know that, like I am, you're all book lovers. And for most of us that love affair started in school. So, help me see to it that these libraries get their collections restored and that the students have all the books they need (and more).
I'll just say one more thing -- these days money is tight and there are so many in need. But, I always feel like literacy and education are wonderful places to focus effort, because books change lives and open doors. Educated people with nourished imaginations make better world citizens, who in turn make the world a better place. I'd hate to think a child didn't read just because he or she didn't have free and ready access to the world of story.
It is so easy to help Blue Willow reach their goal. To find out how, visit the store's Ike Relief Page
What I'm reading:
BLACK FLIES by Shannon Burke
Favorite Book for Ocean:
BIG WORDS FOR LITTLE PEOPLE by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell
My other favorite independent in Houston (among many wonderful bookstores):
Murder By The Book
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