“The Christening” by Paul Renault

I heard footsteps on the stairs and looked up. It wasn’t the librarian . . .

“Idle Hands and the Devil You Know” by Paul Renault

He wanted to talk, and you know me—I’m no psychic. I didn’t know what he was thinking, and Jerry didn’t come out and say he was going to crawl into a garbage bag and off himself . . .

“Ain’t Living Long Like This” by Robert James Russell

“Do you understand?“ the man asked as he looked from the driver’s seat to the empty parking lot to the gas station at the other end. He couldn’t believe how quickly night had fallen. “Do you understand that this is a necessity?”

He waited for a response but got none. He looked at the large black duffel propped up in the passenger seat and sighed . . .

“Up in MIchigan” by D.S. Levy

He sold the Ludington townhouse at a loss, bought the cabin east of Manistee for a steal. Bankruptcy. Someone’s loss, his gain. He was a wheeler-dealer. Also a ladies’ man. When women discovered he was single, they pouted their lips, batted their eyes . . .

Simon’s Cat in Good Company: Andrew Carnegie Jr., Jackson District Library (Michigan)

To celebrate the release of Simon’s Cat vs. the World, Akashic is featuring some of our favorite bookstore and library cats. Today, meet Andrew Carnegie Jr., former reference librarian at the Jackson District Library in Michigan!