I have always thought the whole point of owning a summer home or cabin in the San Juans is to have a quiet place to read. That ‘place’ can be the hammock under the madrone, or in that comfortable cushioned Adirondack by the pond; when it is rainy and stormy…it is the window seat by the fire with a cup of tea. Life in the San Juan Islands is all about having the time to finish a book. 

Every home and cabin in the San Juans should have a library that includes a few books, and we are lucky to have a wonderful bookstore (Griffin Bay) in Friday Harbor that has a whole section of books pertinent to this area:

• Marine Birds and Mammals of Puget Sound by Tony Angell and Ken Balcomb
• Birds of the Northwest (I prefer the Sibley)
• Birding In The San Juans by Mark Lewis and Fred Sharpe
• Rainshadow World by Susan Vernon
• Geology of the San Juan Islands by Ned Brown
• Wild Plants of the San Juan Islands by Scott Atkinson and Fred Sharpe
• The New Savory Wild Mushroom by Margaret McKenny 

But my favorite books… the ones that provide the magic and stoke the imagination… are the stories and memoirs of the people who lived here. Our history is rich, and there are several books that capture that essence. The spirit of the island families that homesteaded, fished, and farmed; that were lighthouse keepers and worked on ships. How independent and self-sufficient our early pioneers had to be and how hard the work was. Think about the effort it took to row across Presidents Channel to pick up your groceries! You will recognize their names on our streets, coves, and beaches. Their descendants are still here as veterinarians, excavators, and attorneys; they have children in our schools, and these descendants are a big part of our living history. 

Here are a few that I feel belong in every islander’s library:

• The Light On The Island by Helene Gidden
• Living High: An Unconventional Biography by June BurnEbb
• Ebb and Flow, A Pioneer’s Journey of Life on Waldron Island by Frances K. Lovering
• The Pig War by Mike Vouri
• Island Bush Pilot by Roy Franklin
• The History of Stuart Island by James Bergquist
• The Curve of Time by M. Blanchet
• In Season: Culinary Adventures of a San Juan Island Chef by Greg Atkinson 

And my favorite children’s books include:

• The Summerfolk by Doris Burn
• Andrew Henry’s Meadow by Doris Burn 

Of course, then there are the books that should be in included just because they are wonderful:

• The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty by Eudora Welty
• The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
• Endurance, Shackleton by Alfred Lancing
• These Precious Days by Ann Patchett (Just because I am reading this now and really enjoying it). 

Don’t forget about novels of greek mythology, stories of shipwrecks and disasters at sea, marine plants, wildflowers, a mushroom guide, scary campfire stories and star gazing—the list goes on and on. But inevitably, it all comes back to siting yourself down on the porch and pulling out a good book. 

I know there are so many more that I have left out. The San Juan Island Library has a big list of recommended reads: CHECK IT OUT!