For 20 years, Rebecca Alexander was a mainstay of the Elisabeth C. Miller Library staff. Rebecca retired at the end of June 2025, but before she went, I asked about her favorite books in the Miller Library collection. 
I was not surprised that the list of books “that have made a lasting impression” she provided was extensive and quite varied. Many are in her personal collection.
“My Wild Garden: Notes from a Writer’s Eden” is by a favorite and prolific Israeli writer, Meir Shalev, who Rebecca heard speak at the University of Washington years ago. She particularly likes his ability to infuse his fiction with “a depth of knowledge of Jewish texts and history” along with a “wry sense of humor.”
This book is a collection of vignettes about gardening in the north of Israel and includes chapters on cyclamen, anemones, and other familiar plants to gardeners in our region. Translated into English by Joanna Chen, this book is delightfully illustrated by Refaella Shir.
Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on May 23, 2025
Excerpted from the Summer 2025 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin