I LOVE the library. I remember when my grandma took me to get my first library card at the Arcata library when I was about 6 years old. I was hooked. FREE BOOKS?? I just have to take care of them and take them back at a certain time? DEAL!!
Here in the Seattle area we have 2 great library systems. I have a card for both the Seattle Libraries and the King County Library System but I use the KCLS card most frequently. We have several unique branches, including one (The Renton Public Library) that is built right over a small river!! They make it so easy on their website to get in line for a hold on a popular book and I get an email when it's ready to pick up at my preferred location. I love just popping in and grabbing my book from the hold shelf, it makes me feel like some kind of library VIP. I can also get a bit greedy sometimes. They let you check out 100 items at a time. I've never even gotten close to that but I'll take an armload of 10-20 books home knowing I won't finish them all before the automatic renewals finally expire and I have to take them back. The branch in Sammamish has beautiful views of the Olympics with rocking chairs and a fireplace. The Seattle library downtown is practically an art museum in its own right and a fun place to explore for free. When a friend of mine who is a librarian from the East coast came to visit, I was so excited to spend the day just taking her to some of the most impressive library locations in our area.
When Ira and I moved here we were pretty broke at first. Luckily he's also a huge reader and a fun date for us would be to get a coffee and head to the library for a few hours. Either on the dark rainy days or when it was too hot and we wanted to escape to somewhere that had AC, the library was always a good choice. Which reminds me, I've got a book I need to return....
And I love your library stories! The Seattle library system sounds wonderful. And a library with a fireplace? Yes! In the past when I was a regular library-goer, I had to have a place in my house to put the books I had on loan so they wouldn't get lost in the stacks of my own books, but I haven't established such a place here yet. I've been slow to get the reading habit back, so taking out library books is not something I do often--but I have big plans to change that. What are you reading now, Jenn? And what does Ira read? Love to both of you!
Oh and another fun anecdote, if I haven't shared this already. When we were first dating he bought two copies of "Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson and wanted us to read it together at the same time. He had already read it and while I thought I was a fairly speedy reader I was amazed at how quickly he got ahead of me. I think he wanted to make sure I loved reading as much as he did and that we'd be compatible that way.
Here in the summer time when there's light in the sky well past 10PM, we spend a good deal outside and getting in as many activities as possible. When the weather cools down and the sun starts setting around 4PM, we hibernate. We'll have our dinner fairly early and by 8PM we're usually taking a mug of tea to bed with our stack of books to snuggle down and read until bedtime. We've taken to participating in the Icelandic tradition of "Jolabokaflod" and on Christmas eve we give out bunches of brand new books to immediate family members. The really good books get passed around and around for maximum enjoyment. The stinkers end up in the donate pile. I found a little neighborhood library box when we went to the park a few days ago that looked kind of sad. I think I've got some books I can put in there and see if they get rehomed elsewhere.
I love this! I didn't know you and Ira connected through your love of books--as well as all the other wonderful ways you connect. I've read about that Icelandic tradition, and I know a family who all participate in a family book club. Great ideas! Jeeg was not a reader, but we read to each other in bed every night before we went to sleep, starting with a lot of Buddhist and Tao books and going on to all of the Harry Potter books. We got about halfway through Clan of the Cave Bear before she was too sick to read. It was an important and loving part of our relationship, and those memories are dear to me. I love you too, Jenn!
I just picked up Elie Wiesel's autobiographical book "Night" and consumed it in one day. Such a horrific story but an important one, I'm surprised I hadn't heard of this book until recently. I'm still chugging along on "The King's Curse" by Philippa Gregory. I absolutely adore the Tudor period and historical fiction in general but not always a fan of Philippa's writing style. Part of why it's difficult to keep my attention is because in the story the characters are sitting around fires and having conversations about the happenings in court elsewhere. So it's not really in the action, it's being discussed about what others are doing and who is being arrested and what they should do next. It's getting a little dull and harder to not get distracted.
While I prefer historical fiction especially when based on actual historical events, Ira loves Sci-Fi but based in hard science using technologies that do or could practically exist. He also loves a good long series and if a new book comes out, he will reread all of the proceeding books first to better recall the threads of the various plots. I'm not sure if he's got one going right now, I know he was rereading "The Murderbot Diaries" series by Martha Wells recently. While I take my time with books he can't help himself and he gulps them down faster than his favorite authors can produce new ones. It's part of why I got him a Kindle for a wedding present! He can stay up all night in bed with a book but I can't sleep with the light on. With the Kindle he can read till the wee hours without bothering me and download stacks of books to his hearts content. I like taking advantage of our library's ebook system as well. They just have a much shorter checkout period so I have a harder time finishing them before they check themselves back in.
My favorite author, Ken Follett has another book coming out in the Kingsbridge series called "The Armor of Light". It should be out in September and I'm really looking forward to it!
I've been afraid to read "Night." And I always get Wiesel mixed up with Viktor Frankl. I read "Man's Search for Meaning" a long time ago and it broke my heart. So many things break my heart as I get older, and that has really affected my ability to read certain books. I really enjoy historical fiction too. And tell Ira that I love the kind of Sci-Fi you describe here. I'll check out "The Murderbot Diaries." Love chatting with you about books, Jenn!
I'm glad Night wasn't a very long book. Some of the imagery of his experiences were so vivid I felt like Steven Spielberg used them as inspiration for moments in Schindler's List. Something that sticks with you for a long time.
Yes to everything you said. I have had a library card in every place I have lived and even places I stayed in for a few months (they allowed me to). I, like you, sometimes go to the library to be amongst people without the need to be with them. Where I currently live, none of the libraries are big except in the big city, where the building itself is incredible. I don't drive to the big city. However we do have a system whereby we go online and request books which may reside anywhere in the province (you call them states). They send them to the library I wish to pick them up at. It is a life-saver, otherwise I would have already read most of the books at the tiny library close to home. The closest library happens to be housed in a grand building which has been repurposed to include a public library on the main floor. It used to be a naval academy! Too bad we can't post photos but it is a gorgeous building.
Libraries have come a long way from what I knew as a kid. We have that same ability to go online and put books on hold from any library in the county system. I'm glad you have that option where you are. And I'm sorry you can't post photos in your comments. Maybe that's something that Substack needs to consider. Good to hear from you, Santina.
Verna, this brought back so many memories. Like you, I'm the eldest of seven and desperately needed an escape. Fortunately for me, our town library was only a block away, and I can still remember the welcoming darkness and cool (in summer). I'd walk back home with a whole stack of books and then try and find some time when my mother didn't need me and read as many as I could. The smell and sound of the crinkly book covers is still with me.
Ah, "the whoosh of cold air from the central air conditioning system." I can imagine it, but my childhood library was in South San Francisco, and the only whooshes of cold air came off the SF Bay--nature's AC. You mentioned sheet music--what instrument did you play? I remember going across the street to the Ben Franklins Five & Dime (like a Woolworth's) to look at paper dolls or embroidery floss. The library was at one end of our local downtown. We have this in common, Beth--finding magical worlds to help us through the real one.
I LOVE the library. I remember when my grandma took me to get my first library card at the Arcata library when I was about 6 years old. I was hooked. FREE BOOKS?? I just have to take care of them and take them back at a certain time? DEAL!!
Here in the Seattle area we have 2 great library systems. I have a card for both the Seattle Libraries and the King County Library System but I use the KCLS card most frequently. We have several unique branches, including one (The Renton Public Library) that is built right over a small river!! They make it so easy on their website to get in line for a hold on a popular book and I get an email when it's ready to pick up at my preferred location. I love just popping in and grabbing my book from the hold shelf, it makes me feel like some kind of library VIP. I can also get a bit greedy sometimes. They let you check out 100 items at a time. I've never even gotten close to that but I'll take an armload of 10-20 books home knowing I won't finish them all before the automatic renewals finally expire and I have to take them back. The branch in Sammamish has beautiful views of the Olympics with rocking chairs and a fireplace. The Seattle library downtown is practically an art museum in its own right and a fun place to explore for free. When a friend of mine who is a librarian from the East coast came to visit, I was so excited to spend the day just taking her to some of the most impressive library locations in our area.
When Ira and I moved here we were pretty broke at first. Luckily he's also a huge reader and a fun date for us would be to get a coffee and head to the library for a few hours. Either on the dark rainy days or when it was too hot and we wanted to escape to somewhere that had AC, the library was always a good choice. Which reminds me, I've got a book I need to return....
And I love your library stories! The Seattle library system sounds wonderful. And a library with a fireplace? Yes! In the past when I was a regular library-goer, I had to have a place in my house to put the books I had on loan so they wouldn't get lost in the stacks of my own books, but I haven't established such a place here yet. I've been slow to get the reading habit back, so taking out library books is not something I do often--but I have big plans to change that. What are you reading now, Jenn? And what does Ira read? Love to both of you!
Oh and another fun anecdote, if I haven't shared this already. When we were first dating he bought two copies of "Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson and wanted us to read it together at the same time. He had already read it and while I thought I was a fairly speedy reader I was amazed at how quickly he got ahead of me. I think he wanted to make sure I loved reading as much as he did and that we'd be compatible that way.
Here in the summer time when there's light in the sky well past 10PM, we spend a good deal outside and getting in as many activities as possible. When the weather cools down and the sun starts setting around 4PM, we hibernate. We'll have our dinner fairly early and by 8PM we're usually taking a mug of tea to bed with our stack of books to snuggle down and read until bedtime. We've taken to participating in the Icelandic tradition of "Jolabokaflod" and on Christmas eve we give out bunches of brand new books to immediate family members. The really good books get passed around and around for maximum enjoyment. The stinkers end up in the donate pile. I found a little neighborhood library box when we went to the park a few days ago that looked kind of sad. I think I've got some books I can put in there and see if they get rehomed elsewhere.
Much, much love to you Aunt Verna!!! <3
I love this! I didn't know you and Ira connected through your love of books--as well as all the other wonderful ways you connect. I've read about that Icelandic tradition, and I know a family who all participate in a family book club. Great ideas! Jeeg was not a reader, but we read to each other in bed every night before we went to sleep, starting with a lot of Buddhist and Tao books and going on to all of the Harry Potter books. We got about halfway through Clan of the Cave Bear before she was too sick to read. It was an important and loving part of our relationship, and those memories are dear to me. I love you too, Jenn!
I just picked up Elie Wiesel's autobiographical book "Night" and consumed it in one day. Such a horrific story but an important one, I'm surprised I hadn't heard of this book until recently. I'm still chugging along on "The King's Curse" by Philippa Gregory. I absolutely adore the Tudor period and historical fiction in general but not always a fan of Philippa's writing style. Part of why it's difficult to keep my attention is because in the story the characters are sitting around fires and having conversations about the happenings in court elsewhere. So it's not really in the action, it's being discussed about what others are doing and who is being arrested and what they should do next. It's getting a little dull and harder to not get distracted.
While I prefer historical fiction especially when based on actual historical events, Ira loves Sci-Fi but based in hard science using technologies that do or could practically exist. He also loves a good long series and if a new book comes out, he will reread all of the proceeding books first to better recall the threads of the various plots. I'm not sure if he's got one going right now, I know he was rereading "The Murderbot Diaries" series by Martha Wells recently. While I take my time with books he can't help himself and he gulps them down faster than his favorite authors can produce new ones. It's part of why I got him a Kindle for a wedding present! He can stay up all night in bed with a book but I can't sleep with the light on. With the Kindle he can read till the wee hours without bothering me and download stacks of books to his hearts content. I like taking advantage of our library's ebook system as well. They just have a much shorter checkout period so I have a harder time finishing them before they check themselves back in.
My favorite author, Ken Follett has another book coming out in the Kingsbridge series called "The Armor of Light". It should be out in September and I'm really looking forward to it!
I've been afraid to read "Night." And I always get Wiesel mixed up with Viktor Frankl. I read "Man's Search for Meaning" a long time ago and it broke my heart. So many things break my heart as I get older, and that has really affected my ability to read certain books. I really enjoy historical fiction too. And tell Ira that I love the kind of Sci-Fi you describe here. I'll check out "The Murderbot Diaries." Love chatting with you about books, Jenn!
I'm glad Night wasn't a very long book. Some of the imagery of his experiences were so vivid I felt like Steven Spielberg used them as inspiration for moments in Schindler's List. Something that sticks with you for a long time.
Yes to everything you said. I have had a library card in every place I have lived and even places I stayed in for a few months (they allowed me to). I, like you, sometimes go to the library to be amongst people without the need to be with them. Where I currently live, none of the libraries are big except in the big city, where the building itself is incredible. I don't drive to the big city. However we do have a system whereby we go online and request books which may reside anywhere in the province (you call them states). They send them to the library I wish to pick them up at. It is a life-saver, otherwise I would have already read most of the books at the tiny library close to home. The closest library happens to be housed in a grand building which has been repurposed to include a public library on the main floor. It used to be a naval academy! Too bad we can't post photos but it is a gorgeous building.
Libraries have come a long way from what I knew as a kid. We have that same ability to go online and put books on hold from any library in the county system. I'm glad you have that option where you are. And I'm sorry you can't post photos in your comments. Maybe that's something that Substack needs to consider. Good to hear from you, Santina.
Verna, this brought back so many memories. Like you, I'm the eldest of seven and desperately needed an escape. Fortunately for me, our town library was only a block away, and I can still remember the welcoming darkness and cool (in summer). I'd walk back home with a whole stack of books and then try and find some time when my mother didn't need me and read as many as I could. The smell and sound of the crinkly book covers is still with me.
Isn't it wonderful to have those memories of something precious in childhood that is still precious to us in our 70s?
And to have reading be still so important in our lives.
Thanks for this homage, Verna
Yes. The library as a palace of books --
Ah, "the whoosh of cold air from the central air conditioning system." I can imagine it, but my childhood library was in South San Francisco, and the only whooshes of cold air came off the SF Bay--nature's AC. You mentioned sheet music--what instrument did you play? I remember going across the street to the Ben Franklins Five & Dime (like a Woolworth's) to look at paper dolls or embroidery floss. The library was at one end of our local downtown. We have this in common, Beth--finding magical worlds to help us through the real one.