Volunteer Ruth Leno, a cashier at the Monroe BOOKtique store on Wednesday and Friday mornings, has lived and traveled throughout the world. The daughter of a US Navy serviceperson, she has resided in Guam, Cuba, Hong Kong, Japan, California, and Arkansas, among other places, and she continues to travel widely.

When she’s not globetrotting, Ruth has an abiding love of books that she says, “give me a sense of wonder about the world.” After relocating from Hong Kong to Oregon for her husband’s work and to be closer to family, Ruth discovered a community of like-minded bibliophiles at the BOOKtique.

Although “I always enjoy mysteries,” she notes, her reading tastes are eclectic. She’s currently making her way through The Secret, Book and Scone Society series by Ellery Adams. One recent book she loves is The Women by Kristin Hannah.

Asked what books she would recommend, Ruth points to Warren Easley’s Oregon-based Cal Claxton mystery series, The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, and The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.

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