Library Finds

In my effort to read more, I thought it might be nice to take myself on a weekly "library date" each Friday. I could swing by the library (about 5 minutes from my office), return the books I've finished, pick up some new ones, and have a leisurely lunch. Since I had finished 2 out of the 3 books I checked out last Friday, I decided to give it a try yesterday.

It...did not go quite according to plan. I found the library with no problem and was excited to see that it was a beautiful two story structure with squishy chairs for reading, open staircases, and lots (and lots) of books. I returned my books quickly, headed to the computers that now act as catalogues and wrote down the Dewey Decimal digits for the books I wanted. All three were supposedly on hand. I say supposedly because none of the three were. After consulting with three different librarians, we eventually found one of them in large print and put holds on the other two. The one I had most wanted to read? The kindly gentleman helping me said it could be up to a month before I would see it. So I headed back to the catalogues, looked up more books and (thankfully) they were all located exactly where they should be. Almost an hour after arriving, I left with a stack of 4 books, two light science and two fluffy fantasy.

The lesson of the day? Pick out the books I would like a few days or the night before and put them on hold. That way, I can quickly come in, drop off the books I have, and pick up the new ones. It eliminates the serendipity of wandering the stacks and spotting something you absolutely *must* read, but it also saves you from running up and down (and up and down) the staircases chasing books that have gone missing. And that time you save not running around? You can spend blissfully browsing the stacks looking for new friends.

In other, related, news, I have added a Books tab at the top of my blog which links to my goodreads account. If you want to see what I am reading, want to read, and what I thought of the books I've read...this is a good place to check. (Or follow me on goodreads directly, if you are on there.) I've signed up for a 52 book challenge at goodreads, meaning my target is to finish at least 1 book a week. At the pace I read, this should be imminently doable. The trick is to fold reading back into my daily life and to remember to pick up new books as I finish the first ones. We'll see how this goes.