I recently finished what I think right now is the most wonderful book I’ve ever read, even though the final two chapters are uncharacteristically dark. The book is called “Life Among the Lutherans” by Garrison Keillor, creator of radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion” heard on NPR each Saturday afternoon.

    If you’re unfamiliar with the program you’ve missed one of the true pleasures in life, and may not enjoy the book as much as I did.

    The book has 28 short chapters, and took me four weeks to finish. OK, so I’m a slow reader, but not THAT slow! I took my time from the very beginning because I knew I wanted it to last as long as possible. I limited myself to one chapter a day, and usually read it the moment I woke up each morning, savoring every word.

    I find myself reading books at the speed that the author would have used if he were telling the story instead of writing it, and Keillor talks slower than the average storyteller. Much slower. (I try to write somewhat the same, too, writing as if I were speaking the words instead of preserving them for posterity.)

    Anyone who tries to speed-read Keillor’s writing isn’t someone I care to know.

    For those unfamiliar with the program, Keillor spends fifteen or twenty minutes each Saturday talking about the folks in the Minnesota town where he grew up, the mythical Lake Wobegon, “where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.” It’s one of the very few shows left which are still broadcast live.

    In Lake Wobegon, just about everyone in town is a Norwegian Lutheran. Oh, a few Catholics worship down the street at Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility, but in Lake Wobegon “even the Catholics are Lutherans.”

    The humor is lovingly gentle and warm and touching, not ill-spirited or done so at someone else’s expense. It reminds me of one of my favorite humorists from the ‘30s and ‘40s, Robert Benchley. But where Benchley’s characters were often caricatures, Keillor’s are about people you know. Or are related to.

    Many of the stories are about the pastor of Lake Wobegon Lutheran, David Ingqvist: stories about his family, his thoughts and, yes, even his doubts. As an example, he became depressed and wandered into the local watering hole, The Sidetrack Tap.

 He wonders if Jesus would do the same, and figures He probably would, seeing as how He often associated with the downtrodden in life. But “he wasn’t sure if Jesus would have had a couple bottles of Wendy’s beer or if He would have had a Perrier, or if He would have ordered a Perrier and turned it into a Wendy’s.”    

    Also included is the piece that’s become a classic, the hilarious tale of 24 Lutheran ministers crowded onto a small pontoon boat on Lake Wobegon.

    Is the book readily available? Well, the Timberland Library System doesn’t list a copy in its catalog, but you can order it at Amazon.com, or PrettyGoodStuff.com, but much easier (and usually faster, too) at Book ‘n’ Brush in Chehalis.

    If you prefer your humor to be one-liners such as Jay Leno delivers each night, this book isn’t for you. But, if you want to find yourself with a smile on your face as you read, if you chuckle at times, and if it gives you joy to occasionally break out in a full belly laugh, even when you’re by yourself, you’ll do no better than reading “Life Among the Lutherans.” But only if you read it slowly.

    Bill Moeller is a former entertainer, mayor, bookstore owner, city council member, paratrooper and pilot living in Centralia. He can be reached at bookmaven123@comcast.net.