Reader's Fave

I recently interviewed Abigail Tsybikova for our 41st installment of Reader’s Fave, a casual interview with someone who shares their favorite book. Abigail is a resident of Skamokawa and works in Cathlamet.

Abigail shared how she came down to two books to choose from, leaving the other book in her car, she chose to share about “The Bible,” where she uses the King James Version but usually reads it in the Russian language. “The Bible is my favorite because it’s the only book that I believe to be completely true,” said Abigail. “It’s full of many great parables and examples for us to learn from and apply to our lives. It is trustworthy and gives many wonderful insights providing us with, as I believe, the best perspective on life. It is an instructional formula to guide every one of us through life and brings with it many blessings. My favorite verse is Proverbs 3:5-6 and my favorite story is about Job. He lost everything; his kids, his health, his reputation, his fortune, and even his best friend (his wife). She told him to curse God and die, but he stayed faithful to God and proved to be unwavering under any circumstance. Instead of cursing God, he blessed him saying, ‘God gave, and God hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ I don’t always understand everything written in the Bible and it can be difficult at times, but you just have to trust the process, for God is always faithful and fulfills all his promises. We may not understand why something happened in the moment, but often, when we look back many years later, we can see that it made us who we are today. You grow through what you go through. There is so much chaos in this world. We often don’t know what to trust or who to believe, but I can be sure in the Lord.”

Reflecting about how she became a reader, Abigail said, “My mom would often read books to us in the evenings when we were kids. Books were considered a way to get different perspectives on life as well as useful insights. It’s a way to grow as a person and learn from past experiences of those that were before us, for history repeats itself. When I was younger, I used to read a lot of mystery and fiction books. Now I enjoy reading something which is helpful for me. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I read from a physical book. Once in a blue moon, I’ll listen to an audio book; maybe when I’m travelling. I feel more present in the moment when reading from a physical book. It helps me focus.”

The book left in the car, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” is a self-help book written by Dale Carnegie in 1936. “It was my grandpa’s most liked non-religious book, and my mom often mentioned it to me,” said Abigail. “I first read it about a year ago and, to this day, I enjoy the many great lessons I’ve once extracted from this book.”

May you wonderful Wahkiakum readers hold close to a book which brings comfort, guidance, and a perspective on life which you can find helpful.