By Mark Squibb
In The Neverending Story Bookstore in Mount Pearl, nestled between romantic fiction and books published here in Newfoundland and Labrador, is a corner dedicated to Stephen Dinn and his love of reading.
Dinn passed unexpectedly at the age of 34 in January 2022.
“He was an avid reader from probably the age of 10,” said his mother, Karen. “And he read the thickest kind of books.”
A rotational worker, Dinn was always on the lookout for books to bring to Alberta with him, and over the years amassed quite the collection. Like many enthusiasts, Dinn might buy multiple copies of the same book. If, for example, he owned a softcover edition of a title he enjoyed, he would buy a hardback copy whenever the opportunity presented itself. When reading a hard-back, he would remove the dust jacket so as not to damage it.
One of his main sources for books was The Neverending Story Bookstore in Mount Pearl, owned and operated by Patricia Short, a relative of his on his father’s side.
“After he passed it took us a couple of years until we were able to go down into his room and clean it up, and I was shocked by the number of books he had,” said Karen. “Instead of selling them, I decided to donate them to the bookstore.”
Short, upon receiving the donation, said she never had the heart to put Stephen’s books on the shelves to be lost among the hundreds of other books. Instead, she decided, with Karen’s bless-ing, to set up a special section of the store just for them, in memory of Stephen, and thus, Ste-phen’s Corner was born this past January.
Karen said it’s a warm feeling to know that her son’s legacy lives on through the bookstore.
“There’s still people thinking about him,” said Karen. “He’s not been forgotten. And that’s the important thing for my husband and I.”
Dinn read a great number of authors, but was particularly fond of Stephen King, the best-selling author known largely for his horror tales such as Carrie, Salem’s Lot, and The Shining, as well as his more grounded works such as the novellas Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and The Body.
Karen said when her and her husband donated the books, they held onto the Stephen King books.
“I couldn’t part with the Stephen King books at the time we gave away the rest of the collection because I knew how important they were,” said Karen.
This spring, the Dinns decided it was time to donate the King books, knowing that they would be lovingly shelved with the rest of her son’s collection.
“It was very emotional, to be honest,” said Karen, adding that if not for the establishment of Stephen’s Corner, she would likely have never been able to part with the King books.
Monies from the selling of Stephen’s books will be earmarked for local charities and those in need.
“Stephen just wanted to help people,” said Short. “He would sit down and talk with you, or my-self, or the King of England. Everyone was equal to Stephen. And I wanted to keep that legacy alive.”
Though not set in stone, the first donation will likely be made to the St. Kevin’s food bank in the Goulds, where Dinn grew up.
“Stephen truly loved the Goulds,” said Karen. “He could not make roots in Fort McMurray. He came home every trip. It cost him a fortune, but he would not live up there. He came home every turn around.”
