Big Stone Gap/Big Cherry Holler [antikvár]

CHAPTER ONE This will be a good weekend for reading. I picked up a dozen of Vernie Crabtree's killer chocolate chip cookies at the French Club bake sale yesterday. (1 don't know what she puts in them, but they're chewy and crispy at the same time.) Those, a pot of coffee, and a good book are all 1 will need for the rainy weekend rolling in. It's eariy September in our mountains, so it's warm during the day, but tonight will bring a cool mist to remind us that fall is right around the corner. The Wise County Bookmobile is the one of the most beautiful sights in the world to me. When 1 see it lumbering down the mountain road like a tank, then turning wide and easing onto Shawnee Avenue, I flag it down like an old friend. I've waited on this corner every Friday since I can remember. The Bookmobile is just a government truck, but to me it's a glittering royal coach delivering stories and knowledge and life itself 1 even love the smell of books. People have often told me that one of their strongest childhood memories is the scent of their grandmother's house. 1 never knew my grandmothers, but 1 could always count on the Bookmobile. The most important thing 1 ever learned, 1 learned from books. Books have taught me how to size people up. The most useful book 1