Libraries

I am currently reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and it is really good. It is melancholic, and I can't say that it is a really happy book (or truly unhappy one either), but I am surprised it didn't make the short list of books to read in any of the English lit classes I took in university. It is profound in the story it is telling, and I look forward to seeing how the story unfolds over the pages.

There is a passage that describes the 12 year old protagonists feelings towards her local library, and it got me thinking. I spent a lot of time in libraries when I was young. In my small town, the little library was an old shack, seemingly parked on the side of the main street. It smelled like old books inside, and the librarians were some of my favorite people around. I remember the summer where you could fill out a yellow, flashy sheet with the goal of reading 50 books over the summer (yes, I easily achieved that at the time). I remember the joys of new books, and being able to take them out, and the routine of bringing them back to pick out more. I loved Bill Peet books, and a few John Bellairs books, and the Judy Blumes... to say the least. I have lots of memories of books, around books, because of books. I couldn't imagine not being able to read.

I just finished another few of Lescroart's books, which are such better law procedurals than Grisham, IMHO, and then a more profound book called The Tenth Gift by Johnson. It was a lovely read. I have borrowed a few books in the last few months from my friend Cher, and I must admit, she has picked out a few winners! This book followed dual story lines in the present and in the seventeenth century during the era of the Barbary corsairs. The common thread was embroidery and the Cornish coast. Well worth a gander.

It is interesting to note that as you talk to your friends that read about what they are reading, and what they want to read, there is a lot of overlap. Even if you aren't a big shopper like myself, spending a lot of time looking at what is new and coming out... I think it is cool that there is an unspoken grapevine in which the books worth reading get talked about.

Well, I am starting to feel like I have been neglecting the kids to write out a few thoughts this morning. Mornings do start out slow around here, this is one thing I will really miss when I go back to work. This first few hours of the day as we all ease in to it... I am sure it will be chaos once I am back to work... although that will make weekends all the sweeter.