Almost a decade ago, Lisa C. and her husband were gifted a trip to Portland, fell in love with the area, and decided to become part-time Cape Elizabeth residents. “I just love it up here,” says Lisa, a semi-retired actuary whose home base is suburban Boston. Once she settled in, her first order of business was to obtain her Thomas Memorial Library card and subscribe to the newsletter email in order to connect with the community and the array of programs available.
The TML Community Read program, which this year consisted of weekly discussion groups and concluded with a chance to discuss with the author his writing process and research methods, appeared on her radar in 2020 after she happened to read the New York Times book review of THIS IS CHANCE! The Shaking of an All-American City, a Voice That Held It Together by Jon Mooallem. “Several aspects of this book intrigued me: I remembered the earthquake as a major event in my childhood, and I liked the aspect of the story about a plucky woman rising to the occasion, helping people, and carving a role for herself”. Not long afterwards, when she learned that book was selected as the 2020 community read, she said, “I figured it was fate and I signed right up.”
She also participated in discussion for this year’s selection One Day by Gene Weingarten, She enjoys the opportunities for meeting people that TML provides, and it gives her a chance to be in discussion with Andy, the Library’s Community Engagement Manager who Lisa is quick to praise for his ability to lead and keep the conversation going among participants.