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Friends of the Truckee Library: Awesome wolverines

Teri Andrews Rinne
Special to the Sun

TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; No, this is not a sports column, singing the praises of one of our many duly-praiseworthy Truckee High School teams. Instead, this is a column heralding two new praiseworthy additions to our Truckee Library non-fiction collection: and#8220;The Book of Awesomeand#8221; by Neil Pasricha and and#8220;The Wolverine Wayand#8221; by Douglas Chadwick.

Tired of all the bad news out there? Trying to tap into your inner Pollyanna? If you are in search of a book to cheer you up, look no further than the and#8220;Book of Awesome: Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant Things,and#8221; an adaptation of the authorand#8217;s blog http://www.1000awesomethings.com. Pasricha celebrates the simple pleasures of everyday living, which and#8220;reads like a snappy Jerry Seinfeld monologue by way of Maria von Trapp.and#8221; Focusing on both tangible pleasures and simple experiences, he provides a contemporary take on everyday inspiration: and#8220;When you push the button for the elevator and itand#8217;s already there,and#8221; (and#8221;Ding!and#8221;); and#8220;When the boss goes out of townand#8221; (and#8220;Whoand#8217;s up for a three-hour lunch?and#8221;); and#8220;Peeling that thin plastic film off new electronicsand#8221; (and#8220;Welcome to the world, remote controland#8221;). Other items get more substantial discussions, including the other side of the pillow, old playground equipment, hotel lobby bathrooms, the last day of school and the five-second rule.

My personal favorites included his mini-treatises on popping bubble wrap, when someone lands on the hotel you just built in Monopoly, hitting a bunch of green lights in a row, when the socks from the dryer all match perfectly, having a whole row to yourself on the plane, and getting your ID checked when youand#8217;re way over the legal age. Regrettably, the last two havenand#8217;t happened in a very long time.



And especially for those of us living in snow country, Pasricha not only delineates the awesomeness of three different categories of snow days: the Pre-Planned Snow Day, the High-Probability Snow Day, and the Surprise Snow Day (the Mighty King of Snow Days), he also lauds Snow Falling on Christmas Eve and Snow Stepping, which is defined as and#8220;when youand#8217;re trudging through the snow wearing shoes, but someone ahead of you wore boots so you get to step in all the nice and#8216;snow holesand#8217; they made for you.and#8221; Ah, lifeand#8217;s simple pleasures and#8212; awesome! We should celebrate them more often. This book is a good reminder.

Speaking of awesomeness in nature, the three recent wolverine sightings near Truckee were the first in California since the 1920s. To commemorate the local resurgence of this elusive creature, the Truckee Library recently acquired and#8220;The Wolverine Wayand#8221; by Douglas Chadwick. Chadwick spent five years volunteering with the Glacier Wolverine Project in Glacier National Park, sponsored by Patagonia. Wolverines have a reputation as and#8220;demons of destruction, symbols of slaughter, and the mightiest of wilderness villains.and#8221; But much of this reputation is built upon myth and fancy, and basic ignorance. I prefer Jane Goodalland#8217;s description: and#8220;fearless, indefatigable and highly intelligent.and#8221; The cover photo alone of the wolverine is breathtaking, with its key features aptly described as and#8220;big claws, big feet, big heart, big attitude.and#8221; Sounds like the perfect Truckee mascot. Welcome back to California!


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