Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader 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
All my fears from the past few months that I may have learnt restraint as far as my library habits go have now been laid to rest. I came home from the library with a glut of books and it was (and is) marvellous. Inconvenient when trying to carry two very heavy bags of books on a very full bus, but marvellous nonetheless. I went down to the main branch of the library on Saturday with a very modest list of eight titles. Then I got a bit distracted. I came out with only two of the books that had been on my list, having had to make hard decisions along the way when it became apparent that I simply couldn’t carry everything I wanted. Things really went off the rails when I got to the gardening section. But I regret nothing! How could I, considering all the wonderful things I picked up?
Garden People: The Photographs of Valerie Finnis by Ursula Buchan – I saw this on the shelf while browsing, instantly recognizing the title and cover image without remember where I’d seen it. A bit of quick Googling once I got home and I found my source: Jane Brocket wrote briefly about it last summer, calling it “one of her favourite gardening books.”
Dear Friend and Gardener: Letters on Life and Gardening by Beth Chatto and Christopher Lloyd – This has been on my to-read list since well before I developed an interest in gardening books, ever since I read Simon T’s review of it. Loving both correspondence and gardening, this seems like the perfect book!
A Gentle Plea for Chaos: Reflections from an English Garden by Mirable Osler – In this book the author describes the way her garden evolved and how, without meaning to do so, she let it take over her life. She suggests moving away from planning, regimentation and gardening with the mentality of a stamp-collector. Frequently funny and always stimulating, she writes of the alchemy of gardens, of the 19th-century plant-collectors and plant illustrators and of the gardening philosophers, all fertilizing great thoughts along with their hollyhocks.
My Natural History: The Evolution of a Gardener by Liz Primeau – most of my garden-related reading has been focused on England. This memoir from Primeau, a Canadian, should make a nice change:
Liz Primeau has been gardening for nearly fifty years. In her twenties, as a mother of four small children, she would often escape to her tomato patch for horticultural therapy. Gardening became a satisfying hobby that grew and eventually became a career when she became the founding editor of Canadian Gardening magazine in 1990.
In league with Michael Pollan’s Second Nature, My Natural History describes how gardening has been Primeau’s therapy, obsession, and reward. Primeau first caught the gardening bug growing up in Winnipeg, when she and her mother used to steal green onions from her father’s vegetable patch for a late-night snack. Later, her Uncle Ren, famous for his prize-winning flowers, became her gardening mentor. Since then, Primeau’s own gardens have protected and sustained her. Full of fascinating gardening lore and practical insight (including what to do when your son grows funny tomatoes among your seedlings), this wonderful memoir will be savored by readers who share Primeau’s passion for the earth and all the good things that stem from it.
Laughter on the Stairs by Beverley Nichols – It’s taken me a while, but I’ve finally picked up this sequel to Merry Hall, which I read and enjoyed last summer.
A Force to Be Reckoned With: A History of the Women’s Institute by Jane Robinson – Yay! I am so excited that this finally arrived. I’ve been on the hold list for months and, until late last week, the book was still showing on order. Then, suddenly, miraculously, wonderfully, it arrived at my local branch! This was perfect timing, since Hayley’s review last week has made me even more anxious to read it.
A Castle in the Backyard: The Dream of a House in France by Betsy Draine & Michael Hinden – a Nancy Pearl recommendation from Book Lust to Go(also known as That Book That Made My To-Read List Explode).
Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature by Linda Lear – I always enjoy a well-written biography and this one is supposed to be excellent. I remember seeing it everywhere when I was touring the Lake District a couple of years ago. In the hardcover edition, it’s dauntingly large but I’m really looking forward to it.
Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal – I added this to my TBR list after Eva mentioned it last summer in one of her Library Loot posts. A fantasy novel set during the Regency era, I knew I had to try it. The wait list was long but well worth it. The book came in over the weekend and I had a lot of fun reading it Saturday night.
I read and enjoyed both Miss Bunting and Peace Breaks Out by Angela Thirkell last year and really felt like rereading them now, having recently encountered Miss Bunting in an earlier book, Marling Hall.
Mrs Milburn’s Diaries: An Englishwoman’s Day to Day Reflections, 1939-1945 edited Peter Donnelly – I checked this out once before, many moons ago, but never got around to trying it. I’ve heard it mentioned as one of the best volumes of wartime diaries, so of course I want to read it! 
Elaine was talking about Katie Fforde last week, reminding me how much I love her books. I had no intention of picking any up when I went to the library but found myself coming home with Wild Designs, Thyme Out and Restoring Grace.
Every time I feel the urge to complain about my library (why do you catalogue some paperbacks without author or title fields? Why!?! ‘Adult Paperback’ is not sufficient information!), I try to remember all of the things they do amazingly well. For instance, they never fail to delight me with the variety of their materials – who would have thought that they’d have a subscription to the absolutely amazing Slightly Foxed? I picked up four back issues (no 21, 27, 28 and 29) and am having a marvellous time reading through them.
What did you pick up this week?
The Captive Reader 
Ooh, I enjoyed Jane Robinson’s Bluestockings (which I heard her talk about), and so I’ll be interested to see her treatment of the Wi – it would be fascinating to read a history of that.
And Mrs Milburn is VERY good, I think you will enjoy it!
I still haven’t read Bluestockings, despite having been given it for Christmas the year it came out. It seems I’m always more likely to read my library books than anything I actually own! I know so little about the WI (aside from its Canadian origins) that I’m sure I’ll learn a lot while reading this.
So glad to hear you’re a fan of Mrs Milburn!
I never got around to Shades of Milk and Honey, but from your comment it sounds like I should get it back out again!
Shades of Milk and Honey is enjoyable. It’s not wildly original or creative but it was a perfectly absorbing, entertaining read with a sensible heroine who I grew rather fond of (though she is conveniently oblivious at times). I’d fallen into a bit of a reading funk and it was just what I needed, reminding me how fun reading can be. The sequel is coming out soon and I’m already looking forward to read it.
Oh good to know! Sounds like a comfort read, so I’ll turn to it the next time I’m in need of one.
I read a couple of Fforde books a few years ago but then haven’t got back to her yet.
Enjoy your loot!
I love Fforde. Her books provide the perfect escape from the real world without feeling dumbed down (like so much chick lit). I especially enjoy that she features more mature heroines in a number of works who, with ex-husbands and teenage children, feel so much more sympathetic than most 20-something protagonists!
I came home with a pile, having raided two area libaries in one day. Sigh. My self control has escaped and I’m not sure I can contain it. I picked up the very same Beverly Nichols as you.
So many good books in your loot there, Claire. I must try to find that Beatrix Potter book.
Don’t sigh, Penny! Rejoice! Self control in libraries is vastly over-rated.
I love your stash! Mine this week was full of professional reading that I feel I have to do… interesting (I guess) but not exactly fun. I’ve read the Linda Lear biography, and the Katies, and I’m going to get back to reading Angela Thirkell. I am! I mean it! I read some Beverly NIchols a long time ago, and remember enjoying him. I’m going to search out Shades of Milk and Honey and Mrs. Milburn, too, if I can find them.
I love my stash too! I really, really, really hope you do get back into reading Thirkell because I’d love to read your thoughts on her books!
What a loot! I’m definitely working on restraint with the library books – I get a little anxious when the due dates start getting closer and closer :-0)
For me, the main argument for restraint is that I physically lack the space to store all the books I want to check out! My current organizational system has all library books piled on the floor of my office. It sort of works but won’t if I try to bring home many more!
Love the garden books and can’t wait for a spring garden myself!
I’ve discovered a passion for garden books and cannot get enough of them!
What a great bunch of books. I just searched my library’s online catalog for several of them and struck out. I’ve decided this summer we are going to try a bigger library not so far away and ditch our own. It is so pathetic. Happy reading to you!
Sorry that you didn’t have any luck with these books in your library catalogue, Susan. However, the prospect of a new library is very exciting!
Goodness, Claire! I hope you’re not planning on breaking an ankle or something, but you’ll be all set if you do.
Mrs. Milburn’s Diaries. Oh yes, Very “you are there.” The historic raids on Coventry. Wondering and waiting for the son to come home. It’s a gem.
What I picked up this week: Farthing, by Jo Walton. A very disturbing book. Not sure if I can take the next two in the series; nonetheless, the next one, Ha’penny, is on hold.
I would be well set for the sick bed, wouldn’t I? Ironically, I’ve picked these up just as I’m scheduling all sorts of commitments and eliminating all the free/reading time from my days! So pleased to hear that you’re another fan of Mrs Milburn – I’m really looking forward to her diaries. Walton’s Small Change trilogy is definitely disturbing (the third book is the most troubling, to me at least) but I do hope you continue on to Ha’penny and Half a Crown since I think it’s very interesting to see how Walton ‘progresses’ the society she’s established. I have my issues with the books but I think they are cleverly done.
You know, I have the same problem as you…going to the library thinking of just getting a few books and then coming home with loads of them. Isn’t it awesome?! 😉
Great loot, though! Enjoy!
It is totally awesome, Leya! Glad to find someone else who feels the same way!
A Castle in the Backyard sounds delightful. Enjoy your loot.
I really cannot resist stories about people buying and restoring homes in foreign countries and attempting to settle in with the locals!
What a wonderful selection of garden books. I love Beverley Nichols. and have read most of his. You’ve given me lots of good ideas for books to read. I have just read “Old Filth” by Jane Gardam and it was excellent.
The gardening section at the library was overwhelming. I wanted to bring everything home with me! Still, I’m quite excited about the handful I did come back with and am really looking forward to reading them, especially Dear Friend and Gardener.
Old Filth has been on my To-Read for far too long without me ever having come close to reading it. Everything I’ve heard about it has been excellent so I really must try it!
Awesome selection . You add so many books to my list and – happy days – I checked the library catalogue and the Beatrix Potter and Mrs Milburn’s Diaries are both there.
Happy reading!
Oh, well done library! There’s nothing more frustrating than reading about a book (or books) you really want to try and then finding out your library doesn’t have them.
I’m always glad to see Angela Thirkell in your loot 🙂
I found a used paperback of the Lear biography last year – it’s been sitting on my desk ever since, in the “read soon” section of the TBR stacks.
I’m always glad to bring Thirkell home with me!
Just to explain why libraries don’t always properly catalogue all paperbacks… (there is a reason!) In the Calgary library, those ones were on spinner stands and would get beat up pretty quickly, so all the extra money and time that it takes to catalogue them wasn’t thought worthwhile. They could just order a bunch of new paperbacks, slap barcodes on them, then put them on the shelf without having to wait months for them to be catalogued properly. And then when new ones came in, some of the really old ones could easily be taken off the shelf and discarded (sold or recycled, not thrown out!) right away. As well, they wanted to have an extra copy or two of potentially popular books on the shelf, so that if all the other copies were on hold and checked out, there was still a chance that you could find a hidden copy on the spinner stand if you checked carefully. Usually libraries try to organize these books by subject at least (our library had a classics spinner, a few teens and kids ones, etc) and I always saw them as a place for unknown treasures, but customers always looked very put out whenever I showed them to them and said they’d actually have to look for what they wanted!
Anyway, rather long comment just for that! Your library might do it differently, but I had to at least try to defend them! 😉 Your books, especially the Beatrix Potter biography, look interesting, I wish I had more time to read (says the girl who’s currently on Reading Week)…
I do understand the logic, but it still drives me nuts 🙂 If the books were duplicates of ones in the catalogue, maybe I wouldn’t mind so much. However, a fair number are purchased only in paperback so there is no evidence at all that the library even owns them.
I’ve read the Beatrix Potter biography and really loved it. I remember visiting Potter’s house in the Lake District. I have also read Lear’s biography of Rachel Carson – another good one.
So glad to hear you enjoyed the biography, Joanne! I didn’t get a chance to visit Potter’s home when I was in the Lake District but clearly that just means I need to go back! I’m sure I’ll appreciate seeing it even more after having read about her life.
Just stopping by thanks to a comment from Bookish Hobbit ( http://bookishhobbit.wordpress.com/ ).
Wow, what a selection of books. I don’t know if any are really my scene.
I’ve just started (today!) a regular post called “In My Library Bag”. I’m glad I’m not the only one using the library.
http://sharlenesmith.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/in-my-library-bag-1/
Hi Sharlene, it’s always great to come across another library lover! Part of what I love about hosting Library Loot is getting to see the amazing variety of things everyone brings home. There’s very little overlap most weeks between participants’ loots and its always interesting to read about titles I would have otherwise never have known existed. They may not be my taste and I may never read them, but it’s fascinating to at least know they are out there!
Hi Claire,
I just found your amazing blog through Stuck In A Book. I linked to my most recent library love, but next week I’ll put together a post that is properly linked to what you are doing. I adore the library. Our family would be lost without it.
Welcome, Michele! I’m thrilled that you found your way here and am always happy to hear from another library lover!