Sometimes one must do more than recommend or encourage the reading of a favorite book, or wait to give as an occasion gift. A fond memory is of a day when a friend and I made a journey to all the B.Dalton bookstores in the metro area, purchasing every remaining copy of Jon Hassler's "Staggerford" that we could find. It was with great joy that we gave them to colleagues and relatives, a wonderful way to share a favorite novel by a fine Minnesota author.

(If such a venture were possible today, I would choose Leif Enger's "Virgil Wander!")

Gretchen Heath, Plymouth

Quarantine Reads are recommendations of soothing books during fraught times. Send your suggestion, with your name and city, to books@startribune.com