Reader's Fave

I recently interviewed Jen Milliren for our 38th installment of Reader's Fave, a casual interview with someone who shares their favorite book. Jen is employed at Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services.

Jen shared "At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom" by author Amy Hempel. "I probably first read it around 2013," she said. The book is a collection of 16 short stories about various stresses which threaten the stability of women. "It's helpful for me to read short stories," she said. "I get more out of them sometimes. I liked how the author describes a particular scene and how it's pertinent to where they want to take you in the story. I found these short stories devastating and truthful. These little moments, little details, where the author drops these truths, these ironies. It's like a enjoying a six-course meal; it's so rich, so simple, but when I finish, it's like 'I wasn't done with that plate!' The author presents these ordinary problems in ordinary settings but in different ways. Something I really love is that she sticks these interesting perspectives within each story, how the characters talk about boring things in a boring way, yet so richly with these profound experiences and perspectives."

Jen is currently reading the novel "After Dark" by author Haruki Murakami. "It creates these slightly strange worlds where fantastical things happen," she said. "It plays with time and the sequence of the story. It's a cool way to tell stories. I've also read '1Q84 and Norwegian Wood' by the same author, where the plot and characters roll out very easily. I enjoy the focus and style of the stories."

Jen's personal favorite book is "Cosmicomics" by author Italo Calvino. The book is a collection of short stories about the evolution of the universe. "I read this around 2018," she said. "I really like how he uses these metaphors. It's a perspective of the universe since its inception. He uses atomic-sized beings to develop the plot and explore with dialogue. The best short story in the world is 'Distance to the Moon.' It reads like a nursery story. It's childlike; a story you'd tell your kid. It explores the dynamics of the characters where they're out hunting for moon cheese, and there's these love triangles going on. The author really explores why each character would do its thing."

Jen also reflected back about becoming a reader. "I remember the first time realizing I could read and what it meant," she said. "This is weird, but I realized I could read the label on a Pepto-Bismol bottle. I was blown away by this. It was a source of joy because, now, I could connect and understand the world around me by getting this information, by reading, and by reading books." Today, Jen enjoys reading from physical books and usually gets her books through borrowing from others.

May you wonderful Wahkiakum readers find a book - maybe some short stories - which provide you with some pertinent thoughts and interesting perspectives about our universe.