There is something new and novel about Lititz. Literally.

There is a new novel set in Lititz--of all places.

Warwick High grad Ruthie Amadon--who writes under the pseudonym Liz Curtis Higgs, has written her second novel, "Bookends" and made the setting Lititz, PA in 1999.

Born and reared (Miss Itzoe taught me that cattle are raised and people are reared) in Lititz, the author uses her extensive knowledge of growing up in Lititz and being Moravian to give the book a solid base.

I haven't finished it yet so it would not be fair to write a review. So I thought I would explain the pains that were taken to make the book as accurate as possible.

She took a subscription to the Lititz Record Express and followed the weather reports so that when she talks about going sledding it is on a day that Lititz actually had some snow. She also referred to the calendar of events at LititzPA.com to add references to events and organizations.

About half way through the book I was remembering the events that I attended and what I was doing last year. I keep finding myself wondering why I didn't run into Dr. Emilie Getz, the Lititz native and professor of history at Salem College. I am also continually trying to remember Jonas Fielding, in charge of building the new library and the adjacent golf course.

That's right, golf course! That's why "Bookends" is a FICTION book. Fiction books either ignore or modify the truth to make their points. That's why, until recently, I couldn't read fiction. I knew some of what was in the story was a lie. I was fifty before I could appreciate the plot and the characters in fiction--but I digress.

For those who lived through 1999 in Lititz, there will be pleasantly familiar scenes along with the jarring reality that the Carter's Run Municipal Golf Course just isn't there. For me it is an altogether exciting read because in the Barbara Streisand movie "What's up Doc?" my favorite scene was part of the obligatory chase series. As the chase traversed Lombard Street and its 160 degree turns I was remembering driving my orange Toyota Land Cruiser down that tourist "must see".

I was priveledged to have been able to provide some assistance to Ruthie (or rather, Liz) and I appreciate being listed in her acnowledgements. The comment gave my ruddy complection an additional reddish tint.

As far as I know, there is no other book or novel that uses Lititz as the background for its plot. It's got to be a must read for everyone in or from Lititz. It should be available now in most bookstores and you can make a direct link to it at Amazon.com by going to http://LititzPA.com. I buy most of my books from Amazon because I enjoy having my books delivered to me at my home by a uniformed representative of the United States government. They usually ship via USPS.

Liz Curtis Higgs is no W. E. B. Griffin but then Count Zinzendorf is no John Beck and General John Augustus Sutter is no Saunders Lovington. I have no idea what that all means except that all but one of those names is directly related to Lititz history--wanna guess which one?