Whatcom READS! program takes readers on armchair journey

By Meg Olson

Get out your old maps and grab a copy of “The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison. The Point Roberts Library is celebrating the 2017 Whatcom READS! book selection with an armchair road trip.

Whatcom READS! is an annual program organized by the county’s public and academic libraries in concert with Village Books to get the whole county reading, and talking about, one book.

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving follows a recently trained caregiver and his first patient, a teenaged boy with muscular dystrophy, on an unscripted road trip to visit the boy’s father. Described by the New York Times as “so poignant yet improbably funny,” the book takes readers on a wild ride across the American landscape with plenty of stops for roadside attractions.

The book is available at the library, and can also be borrowed as an audiobook or downloaded from the county website.

The Point Roberts event, scheduled for February 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. will be a chance to “talk about the book, snack some and trip a little,” said librarian Kris Lomedico. She encourages everyone to bring their maps and road trip memories.

Leading up to Evison’s visit to Whatcom County in March there are plenty of other events at other libraries looking at road trips and the themes explored in the book, from weird roadside attractions to living with illness. For more detail visit whatcomreads.org.