Books by Joe Coomer......

I've just finished reading "Pocketful of Names," written by one of my favorite authors-- Joe Coomer. This author used to live in Texas, where he restored a vintage wooden boat that he sailed from Texas to Maine every year. Now he lives most of the time in Maine, and that's where this latest book is set.

Wonderful story..... I've been reading it all weekend and haven't been able to keep myself away from it. There are paragraphs written so beautifully that I re-read them three or four times before moving on to the next. As my dear friend Frankie would have said: "His writing doesn't make your eyes hurt and set your teeth on edge."

I believe that Joe Coomer has written ten books. My favorites, which sit on my shelf so I can re-read them, are: Dream House; Sailing in A Spoonful of Water; Apologizing to Dogs; and The Loop.

I will now add Pocketful of Names to that shelf, and start on another Coomer book called "One Vacant Chair." This author was recommended to me years ago by my sister, who found his novels in a bookshop in Maine. Two of his books (Dream House and Sailing in A Spoonful of Water were based on events in his own life--- renovating an old Victorian house, and restoring a vintage wooden boat. When Mr. Coomer lived in Texas, his books were featured in our local bookstores. Now that he's moved up to Maine, I never see his books prominently displayed. I didn't even realize he had written these last two books till I happened upon them on Half.com while searching for the Faulkner books.

Books....... so many great books out there. I don't know what I'd do if I could no longer pick up a book and read it from cover to cover. I cringe when my husband tells me that one of these days, we will have a paper-less, book-less society where every 'printed' word will be on-line instead of on paper. Perish the thought.