Tag Archives: Favorite Place

You Know I Love Libraries

Posted on by
4

I picked up this library meme from So Many Books. Of course, Library Lovers month ended on Friday but my heart is filled with library love year round, so get over it.

How do you plan on celebrating Library Lovers month?

I did nothing to celebrate. It’s all I can do to get a daily shower. I was actually going to go to the library two weeks ago. Superfast Baby and I went to Brooklyn to visit a friend and her two kids, and they were off to the library and invited me to come along. But Superfast Baby let me know in no uncertain terms that it was time to go home so that she could have me all to herself. That girl loves her boobie, that’s for sure.

How often do you accidentally spell library as ‘libary’ when you’re in a hurry?

I don’t think I’ve ever been in that much of a hurry. I remember in middle school we used to make fun of one of our teachers for pronouncing it “li-berry.” Nasty kids, we were.

What is the most amount of books you’ve ever had checked out at one time?

Oh, gosh–at least 30. When I was a kid I could check out as many books as I could carry, so I stuffed my bag chock full. I think my love of paperbacks might’ve stemmed from the capacity of my Montessori tote bag. I wish I still had that tote bag, come to think of it.

What is the longest you’ve ever gone without visiting the library?

Well, I have not been to the library in about a year because of Bookmooch–my TBR stack is a little out of control. However, there are a ton of new books, fiction and non, that I’m curious to read, so at some point I’m going to exercise my library loan options.

What is the biggest fine you’ve ever had?

I’m totally compulsive about returning library books, so I honestly can’t remember the amounts of any of my fines. I’ve always kept a special bookshelf just for library books, and when I’ve checked out books for Superfast Husband I end up hounding him to make sure I know where they are at all times. I’m sure that’ll make things fun for Superfast Baby…

When you go to the library, do you plan ahead and make a list? Or do you browse?

I do both. I usually am picking up some interlibrary loan books, looking for new releases, and browsing for books I’ve never heard of before.

Have you ever been shushed by a librarian?

Absolutely not–I’m usually the one doing the shushing.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done to a library book?

I dogear (sorry). I know when I was a kid I dropped more than one book in the bathtub. And then there are the peanut butter and jelly crumbs. I was hard on my library books growing up.

Have you ever had a “favorite” librarian?

In middle/high school, we had two nice librarians and one who was really really mean. In college my best friend worked in the library, so I guess I would count her as my favorite.

If you could change one thing about your library it would be…

More like Barnes and Noble, and more books!

More Library Dreaming

Posted on by
7

I posted this today to a community mailing list, in an exchange sparked by the observation that there are no bookstores within walking distance of our large, densely populated urban neighborhood. We don’t warrant favor from the powers-that-be at Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores can’t thrive. Someone talked about the need for “third places” in our community, and proposed the library. I responded:

Libraries… now there’s a subject I’m passionate about. Libraries are not what they could be. They are designed like municipal spaces, where business is conducted as quickly as possible, not like places to enjoy. Many of our libraries are hideous on the inside. I support the Queens library foundation not because I have a hope that things will improve, but as a stopgap against the total disappearance of the library.

The trouble with the library as a third place (great concept, btw) is that libraries are meant to be quiet. Obviously that isn’t true of the Sunnyside branch, but the space itself does nothing to inspire reverence for literature and the written word. Who can fall in love in a place like that?

Imagine if the library were designed like B&N–large, inviting tables featuring curated selections, walls of new hardcovers, seating throughout, warm lighting, a cheerful kids section, and a cafe that’s attached but somewhat separate so that conversations won’t disturb browsers.

Of course, for this to happen would require a much greater commitment to civic life than can be found in society today. (Which could lead into a discussion about movie theaters, but I ought to see to my baby.)

The Smartest Book Meme in Town

Posted on by
5

As created by Eva, who will enter you in a drawing if you leave a comment on her post. Thanks for the, Sheila! I’m tagging Alissa, Terri, Megan, Rhinoa, and Ian–or Ian’s dad

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. I was in the midst of a horrific breakup while reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and I put it down halfway through and have not Chabonned since.

In addition, he just can’t shake the stink of pretension in my eyes. He’s in the same company as Jonathan Lethem.

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?

Now that I’m a mom, I’m flooded with insecurity and questions about child-rearing. So I’d like to spend a day at the park with Marmee from Little Women, Meg Murry’s mom from A Wrinkle in Time, and Kristin Lavransdatter from The Cross. I’d just sit and listen to them tell me everything they’ve learned from raising such fantastic children.

(Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?

Christian Metz’s The Imaginary Signifier. I hope I don’t have my master’s revoked for admitting that I could never get past page one.

Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?

Um… see previous?

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realise when you read a review about it/go to ‘reread’ it that you haven’t? Which book?

That has never happened to me. I can’t imagine what that would be like.

You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (if you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead of personalise the VIP)

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, because it was an intoxicatingly pleasurable reading experience.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?

Like Sheila, I’m going to go with Russian. My second choice would have to be French (and dammit, at one point I was so close).

A mischievious fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread one a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?

War and Peace… having finally read it, I feel like it’s an imperative to read this book as regularly as possible.

I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?

Booking Through Thursday has been fun. Author-wise, I don’t think I would have read Henry Green or Robertson Davies if it hadn’t been for blogging.

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.

Well, Sheila basically described what would be my dream space, I’m going to also add a touch of magic. Bookshelves that never run out of room. Books that never go missing. Books that are always available to lend out–even if they never come back, there’s always a copy available. And a magic clock, so I can stop the hands of time and steal an hour to read.

How I Feel About the Library

Posted on by
3

Ian from Upper Fort Stewart has a good post about how he doesn’t love the library, and asks how others feel about this venerable institution.

I love the library. It might be my favorite place in the world, in theory if not always in practice. I always feel immediately at home in a library, no matter where I am. I’ve never felt that comfortable in a bookstore.

I have always been a library lover, going back to my earliest days. I lived for those all-too infrequent visits to the Cockeysville Public Library, which used to be below Skateland, then moved to a super-modern, neon bedecked building when I was around 9 or so. I just loved standing in front of the stacks, looking at each book, spine by spine, pulling out those that intrigued me and filling my Montessori tote bag with enough reading excitement to last me for the next few weeks. Back in the olden days, the books had adhesive strips stuck to the back where the librarian stamped the due date. The strips would get built up, then peel off. I could never resist picking the strips off as soon as even one corner got loose. Continue reading →