February 12, 2026, by Dreamland Staff for the Seward Folly

“Never Let Me Go” 

By Kazuo Ishiguro

This past Sunday, Seward Parks and Rec brought back one of my favorite community events – the Sip and Swap! This fun celebration of reading took place at Resurrect Art, and local book lovers were encouraged to bring a wrapped book, something they loved and would recommend to others, and to choose a mystery book from the pile to trade for. Attendees then sat around the crowded-but-cozy cafe and sipped warm beverages while comparing their bookish treasures.

I had one problem in the lead-up to this event. I have done a really good job this past year of passing along books I enjoy rather than hoarding them. And so I found myself desperately scanning shelves and digging through piles and coming up empty – these were all to-be-reads! Finally, at the end of one shelf, upside down and underneath some non-book clutter, I found it: “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro. Despite the imperative in the title, I knew I could part with it to give someone else a chance to read this haunting, beautiful book.

The novel is narrated by Kathy, as she reflects on her life and her childhood friendship with Ruth and Tommy. The trio grew up at Hailsham, a boarding school in the English countryside. Ishiguro perfectly captures the feeling of nostalgia for childhood – the important trinkets and collections, the playground politics, the strange fixations and rumors that spread when kids aren’t given accurate information. “Never Let Me Go” is a sad book, but it’s beautifully written and I highly recommend it for a book club or a buddy read. You will definitely want to discuss it with someone!

Because it’s hard to say much more without giving away the slow reveal at the heart of this dystopian story, I will instead end with a broader list of community recommendations that came out of this gathering. While this is not a comprehensive list, these are some of the books I saw traded at the Sip and Swap event: “Lab Girl” by Hope Jahren, “The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki” (a medieval Icelandic legend), “Run With the Horsemen” by Ferrol Sams, “Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon” by Mizuki Tsujimura, “The Secret Lives of Puppets” by TJ Klune, “Works of Mercy” by Sally Thomas, “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius, “The Sun is a Compass” by Caroline Van Hemert, “Roadside Picnic” by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, and “The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart: A Poetry Anthology.” A few participants brought children’s books for the younger attendees to swap as well!

Keep an eye on the SPRD event postings – there are some fun things happening in our community, and hopefully this bookish bonanza will be coming around again in 2027.