'Lost in a story': Columbia book nook builds community

By Mike Christen

The Daily Herald

When Carolyn Duncan and her daughter Brooke Duncan missed being a part of community, they opened their own neighborhood library.

Due to the coronavirus and the health conditions that make them vulnerable to the virus, the two have remained confined within the walls of their home in a Columbia subdivision.

Unable to attend church and take part in other community gatherings, the situation led the two to establishing a sense of community from a distance. Offering an escape from the harsh realties of the world, the two decided to create a neighborhood library.

"I just wanted everybody to be close knit," said Carolyn Duncan, after checking in on the fully-stocked mini house-shaped library balanced on a stake that now stands in her front yard.

Seven years ago, she and her daughter moved from Hohenwald where she spent 12 years as a member of the Lewis County Board of Education.

The two live in Canterbury Gardens, a planned development located west of downtown Columbia off of Trotwood Avenue.

"It is just a little bit of Mayberry in Canterbury," Carolyn Duncan said. "That is what I want it to be. We love reading. It is not just for our neighborhood, it is for everybody."

Constructed by Eddie Scott and painted by local artist Lawanda Parent, the project gained added momentum with a donation from the Columbia bookstore Duck River Books and Common Threads, a local thrift shop.

Now the library is open to all in the community who are looking for a convenient way to borrow a book.

"It has just taken off," said Brooke Duncan.

"This keeps us connected to the community and lets us do something to give back. You can get lost in a story if your life is hard or you are struggling. I think you can pick up a book and you put yourself in it.

"It seems like all your troubles go away. That is what it has done for me. It has kept me uplifted and made me realize that, yea it is hard, but there are better times ahead."

Visit the Canterbury Book Nook along Lady Diana Drive in Columbia.

Those wishing to make a donation should leave the books at the front entrance of the home.