I’ve heard it said that the best writers are also avid readers. While writers don’t necessarily take ideas from other writers, they may glean a phrase or a word here and there that they wouldn’t always come up with on their own.

I’m a big reader. I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t in the middle of a book; be it a novel, a memoir, or both at the same time. I love reading on my Kindle, and have mastered the art of downloading books for free from our own Mid-Continent Public Library. If it’s on the best sellers list, chance are I have it on mine, too.

Recently, Mid-Continent Public Library hosted their annual Legacy Luncheon, held virtually this year due to COVID-19. As part of the ticket price this year, library supporters also received a signed copy of Alex George’s latest novel, The Paris Hours.

Without giving away too much (because if you’re a reader, you should put this book on your list), the story follows four ordinary people in the extraordinarily beautiful backdrop of Paris in the late 1920s. Readers follow along with an artist, a journalist, a puppeteer and a maid during a 24-hour period, each living separate lives, yet all are connected in ways in which the author brilliantly brings them together at the end.

George also happened to be Mid-Continent’s keynote speaker this year, and in his speech, he spoke of coming to terms with having “two first names.” When he was a young boy, growing up in England, he visited his own library often. One day, he lost his library card. After searching and searching, he returned to the library with his mother to ask for a replacement card.

The librarian, who George said was very stern and unforgiving with him previously, looked at him sheepishly and informed him that his card had been wrongfully filed under George Alexander, instead of Alex George. Thus, his first, but likely not last, encounter with having two first names.

George is a masterful storyteller. His writing style is one which takes you on a beautiful journey as he artfully describes each scene in the story. I read The Paris Hours over the weekend; but, if you have the time, I’d recommend reading it in a day, if for no other reason than to go on a little vacation to France with some ordinary people who, at the end, will leave you wanting more.

Though he’s originally from England, George now resides in Columbia, MO, where he owns an independent bookstore, Skylark Bookshop, located on 9th Street downtown. Also an attorney, he runs a law firm in Columbia.

 Slow down. Why are we in such a hurry?

This week, a Grandview resident stopped by my office and let me know that she has seen an increase in vehicles speeding down her street. Bennington Avenue in Grandview, in her mind, has become a racetrack, with cars, trucks and the like zipping and zooming down the residential neighborhood. Signs posted indicate a maximum of 25 mph; however, she said she rarely sees that limit obeyed.

It’s not just on Bennington, either. I’ve seen this on Main Street, down side streets, and on the highways. People seem to be late for something, all of the time. I’ve learned that just to keep from getting tailgated, I have to go with the flow of traffic. Sometimes, that’s a good five or ten miles per hour over the speed limit.

In a time when more people are at home, and our kids are in the middle of an extended summer break before “heading back” to classes in September, I think we all need to remember to have a bit more patience in our daily tasks.

When you get behind the wheel of a car, you are responsible for everything that happens with that vehicle. Slow down. There’s no need to rush. You’ll get to your destination when you get there, safely and securely, if we all just slowed down.