Reader's Fave

I recently interviewed Dayle Olson for our 23rd installment of Reader's Fave, a casual interview with someone who shares their favorite book. Dayle is a poet and short fiction writer, and we met up at her home in Cathlamet and had a conversation about all things books and reading.

As we began, Dayle shared her love of reading right from the start. "If there's a 12-month program for reading addiction, I should be going," she said with a laugh. As Dayle reflected about her young life as a kid and books, she asked, "Who doesn't love being read to at bedtime? We'd go to the library every three weeks. Often, we'd ride our bikes with mom, wearing our backpacks. We'd fill them up and come home. I loved using the card catalog .. loved the smell of the library and of the books."

Reflecting about the power of reading, Dayle said, "It's the greatest gift a parent can give to a child... it will sustain you in difficult times .. it will broaden your world." One of, if not her favorite books as a kid was "Secret Garden" by author Frances Burnett. The book was read to her as a child, and Dayle is now reading it to her mom who is in hospice care. "It's been an unexpected pleasure - with roles reversed – knowing how much stories and books meant to my mom," Dayle said, noting the beauty of reading wonderful books as a family over the years can be powerful.

Our conversation then transitioned to Dayle's favorite book, "The Adventures of John Carson in Several Quarters of the World: A Novel of Robert Louis Stevenson" by author Brian Doyle.

"This book was like a love letter to his favorite author, Robert Louis Stevenson," said Dayle. "It tells the story in the voice of Stevenson in San Francisco as he is waiting to be married. Doyle wrote the book he imagined Stevenson would have written." As she talked and explained about this story, one could see Dayle just simply loved this book and the author.

The story is a wonderful entangling affair of seaman John Carson telling his world travelling sea tales, the other of R.L. Stevenson the famous author listening and talking within the story, and finally the author himself, Doyle, telling/writing the story. It all braids together and works. "It's three storytellers in this one story, and it leaves the reader wanting more," said Dayle. "It was so good I wanted to savor it. There are wonderful insights in this book of how to write a good story. How this thread runs through the book [and] through all the stories in it reminds me of how circumstances might happen. I couldn't see certain circumstances for me in coming to Cathlamet .. but it was like stepping stones leading to home .. in coming to Cathlamet and being a writer that I wanted to be .. and the writer my second grade teacher said I could be .. I had to come to a small place to grow."

Dayle loved this book so much, she gave a copy to her dad. "He just loved it," she said. Dayle is reading it a second time herself to refresh her memory about why she liked it. "It unfolds so beautifully," she said. "I'm enjoying it now, maybe more." She has further found many storytelling tips very subtly woven into the story.

What makes her happy is when she finds others who have enjoyed the book. At a concert, she had the book on a seat next to her. Another woman said, "Isn't that a great book?" With a smile, Dayle said, "Another fan who recognizes his writing. If even one person picks up the book, I consider that a victory."

Another book by Doyle which Dayle made sure to point out is "Mink River." She said of the book, "I was blown away. It was like poetry with a story in it. It has a strong sense of place, based on a small town in Oregon. It's lyrical writing, kinda infused with magic."

Dayle was fortunate enough to be able to go to a reading and book signing by Doyle, where Dayle discovered the strong story-telling within the author's family as he grew up. Doyle shared that he felt he was probably the least skilled of his family in story-telling. His siblings, he felt, were much better than him with the art.

Clearly, Dayle's life has been affected so wonderfully by her mom reading to her as a child, the riding of bikes every three weeks to the library, and discovering Doyle's intertwining, poetic, and lyrical story-telling.

So, wonderful Wahkiakum readers, may you quietly recall, gently reflect, and currently enjoy the power and beauty of storytelling through books in your own life.