via House Beautiful
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Sharlene from Real Life Reading that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.
My library is slowly starting to reopen. They’re hoping to have most branches open with some level of service by September but until then are offering some creative options.
Phase One of reopening saw them piloting a take out service. Here’s how it worked: patrons completed a short survey online (or by phone) to indicate the type of books they liked. This was very high level (do you like: fiction? fiction – fantasy? fiction – mystery? memoirs and biographies? non-fiction?) and had only a limited ability for patrons to provide more detailed information about their tastes. You then indicated how many books you wanted (up to a maximum of 10) and the library would put together a selection of titles for you to pick up. Only 5 branches (of the usual 21) were open and offering this service and they quickly filled their capacity, closing it after more than 800 people signed up almost immediately. Luckily, I was one of the 800.
I was a bit skeptical about how this would work. Given how much I read and how limited the survey was, how likely was it that the library staff would be able to select books that would interest me and which I hadn’t already read? In the survey, I noted that I was interested in gardening books (narrative rather than how to), travel memoirs, nature writing, and history books focused on Europe and the Middle East.
Honestly, I’m pretty impressed with their selections, not a single one of which I’ve read so far. But I’m still very excited for the library to move on to Phase Two of their reopening plan later this month, when they’ll open five more branches (including my local one) and start allowing people to pick up holds. We’re still waiting for further details on this (will you be allowed to place new holds? will they be processing ones already in the system? or will you just be able to pick up the ones that have been waiting on the shelves since the beginning of March?) but it is progress!
Here’s what the library gave me:
Yardwork by Daniel Coleman (Book Depository)
Mister Owita’s Guide to Gardening by Carol Wall (Book Depository)
The Secret Wisdom of Nature by Peter Wohleben (Book Depository)
Bullets and Opium by Liao Yiwu – I’m a little disappointed that the only history book they gave me is focused on modern China rather than the regions I am most interested in but I am intrigued (Book Depository)
I Might Regret This by Abbi Jacobson (Book Depository)
Curiosities and Splendour (Book Depository)
A Journey to the Dark Heart of Nameless Unspeakable Evil (also published as The Worst Date Ever) by Jane Bussman (Book Depository)
Ten Years a Nomad by Matthew Kepnes – this has been on my radar for a while so I was very excited to see it in my bag! (Book Depository)
The Amazing Story of the Man Who Cycled from India to Europe for Love by Per J. Andersson – another one I’ve had my eye on (Book Depository)
White Sands by Geoff Dyer (Book Depository)
What are you reading this week?
Posted in Library Loot | 6 Comments »
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Sharlene from Real Life Reading that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.
Okay, the library e-holds have officially gotten out of hand. I’m trying to impose order but in the last week I’ve had more than 20 of them become available. Even I – and even off work, as I am this week – cannot keep up with that kind of volume. Bless the Overdrive feature that allows you to delay holds!
Here are the ones I did check out:
Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui (Book Depository)
Love, Unscripted by Owen Nicholls (Book Depository)
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow (Book Depository)
Always the Last to Know by Kristin Higgins (Book Depository)
Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks (Book Depository)
In Praise of Paths by Torbjørn Ekelund (Book Depository)
We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders by Linda Sarsour (Book Depository)
A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison (Book Depository)
500 Miles From You by Jenny Colgan (Book Depository)
What are you reading this week?
Posted in Library Loot | 7 Comments »
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Sharlene from Real Life Reading that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.
What a week for books! I had so many exciting e-holds come in all at once, several of them brand new releases. I’ve got some holiday time coming up which, given our current circumstances, won’t be spent spectacularly but it will give me lots more time for reading all of these.
The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah – Sharlene featured this in her Spring TBR post back in March and it immediately caught my eye. (Book Depository)
Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner – This memoir from one of Princess Margaret’s ladies-in-waiting looks fun and light and altogether like the perfect distraction. (Book Depository)
I’d Give Anything by Marisa de los Santos – I only discovered Marisa de los Santos last year but, after falling in love immediately with Love Walked In, I quickly read all of her adult books and adored them. I can’t wait to read this new release. (Book Depository)
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel – Like everyone in the world, I loved Station Eleven so have been looking forward to seeing what Mandel would do next. This sounds far more mystery/thriller-like than my usual fare but that should make it perfect for vacation reading. (Book Depository)
Star-Crossed by Minnie Darke – I will usually run in the opposite direction of anything featuring astrology (which is apparently now cool? Am I oblivious to yet another key hipster millenial experience?) but this romcom sounds cute and the first chapter is definitely promising. I’m counting on it to balance out The Glass Hotel (Book Depository)
Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson – I saw this in NPR’s May round-up and thought it sounded cute (Book Depository)
This is Happiness by Niall Williams – The FT review of this last autumn was so enthusiastic that I immediately placed a hold. And then I had to jump into an entirely new hold queue for the e-book but such is life right now. (Book Depository)
Humankind by Rutger Bregman – This was just published on Tuesday so I’m delighted to have my hands on it already. Bregman’s thesis is that people are essentially good, which is a hopeful message that I’m more than willing to accept – especially this week. For bonus reading, the FT had an interesting lunch interview with him in the weekend edition. (Book Depository)
Leave Only Footprints by Conor Knighton – With limited horizons, I’m even more on the lookout for travel memoirs than usual and this chronicle of Knighton’s visits to every American national park looks ideal for me. (Book Depository)
What are you reading this week?
Posted in Library Loot | 6 Comments »
Reading Directory
A Century of Books
Completed: 55/100Reading Barsetshire
Currently Reading
Archives
Categories
Blog Stats
- 1,237,034 hits
