Although right now the heat where I live makes my brain melt, it also does something amazing - it chases almost everyone else away. Mwahahaha!
No, seriously. Come summertime all the snowbirds fly on back to wherever they live when it's not covered in snow. For full time residents here, this means all kinds of things, like less traffic on the roads and discounts to restaurants and . . . way less waiting for books at the library!
Yes, I am letting my geek girl flag fly because few things makes me happier than coming home with an armload of books from the library. New books that normally would've been plucked up by those pesky snowbirds are just sitting on the shelf as if waiting for me. Bestsellers and big to-do books I'd request then have to wait forever for, I now get the week they come out. (Who needs a vacation? This is my vacation. No sunscreen or bug spray required!)
I am fortunate that I can - and do! - buy lots of books. (The Barnes and Noble Cafe should name a drink after me.) But the library is a fantastic place to try out the work of new-to-you authors and explore different genres. As you can see from the tower on my nightstand:
This does not include the other stack of library books on a different bookshelf. Or the stack of books I recently bought. Or . . . Never mind.
How often do you go to your library? (I'm there once a week, pretty much.) How many books do you have right now sitting on your nightstand or on your Kindle? Does the population where you live change with the seasons or is it pretty much the same all year round?
One of the things I love about libraries is that you can try out all sorts of books, genres, authors etc. at no risk. If you don't like it, stop reading, return it and you haven't spent a cent.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! And if I discover a great new author at the library, I'm more likely to go out and buy his or her next book.
DeleteSadly, I no longer live close enough to a library. To save money, I wait for sales, garage sales, and nearby friends who loan me books.
ReplyDeleteGoing to the library was a favorite date night activity for us too. :)
The library was never a date night activity for us, but going to Barnes and Noble? Definitely. :)
DeleteThose pesky snowbirds...
ReplyDeleteHate to say it, I haven't been to our library in years. If I'm unsure, I'll download an eBook sample. I like it, I buy it. Of course, that means I have a huge backlog of books to read as well.
If I read more ebooks, I'd probably do the same as you, Alex. I'm still more old school than not. :)
DeleteI'm at the library about once a week, and I have three books checked out plus one movie. Our library has a summer reading program, so I'm signed up for that. The library is also giving out glasses to view the solar eclipse that's headed our way next month.
ReplyDeleteI love when the library has a summer reading program for adults! I participated in ours a few times, even won a prize or two. :)
DeleteI looooove the library. I go often and always bring home an arm load.
ReplyDeleteI usually bring home an armload of books, too. I use my husband's arms as well. :)
DeleteI have so many books in my TBR closet and desk that it's shameful. I really need to go on a book-buying diet, but then I meet all these writers at conferences and I join a book club....
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to my library for a long time. I used to love it, but then I found something a lovely patron left in a book that made me want to puke. That significantly killed my enthusiasm.
Oh, ugh! I have a system for checking the "cleanliness" of a library book. I usually only take out new/newer books, and I won't take it out if it's old or looks really old/beat up, stained. At home, I check through the pages, wipe the book down, etc. No guarantee but it makes me feel better.
DeleteI visit my library nearly every week. In the summer I have to get creative with my books on hold because the popular books are definitely picked over during this time of year - there's a great summer reading program for preschool through adult ages. I love the library!
ReplyDeleteI have at least 8 books in my library "to read" box (kept separate from purchased books), 4 from a recent used bookstore run being held for a road trip, and 2 by my bedside. I don't know that I'll read all of them because I like to grab whatever looks good from the library and try it out and I don't always like what I get from there. The purchased books are usually keepers which I finish.
Happy Reading Vacation!
During the "season", I have to put popular books on hold waaaaay in advance in order to get them earlier rather than later.
DeleteI usually go to the library to pick up books waiting for me that I requested, but I do wander the new fiction and new nonfiction shelves. You never know what you'll find. :)
Unfortunately, since my hubs mobility has become limited, visits to the library have fallen off sharply. For him, thank God for Kindle. As to books waiting to be read, OMG, there should be a 12 step program. But I wouldn't go. I love having books in queue. Speaking of, I just left a review for Garden of Lost Souls, because the power went out Sunday, and I read it. Love it!
ReplyDeleteCan you borrow ebooks from the library? Maybe your husband would like that?
DeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed Garden, Lee! And thanks for leaving a review. :)
Perhaps once I am home full time, living on my "trust fund" (next spring!!!!). Right now, facing some cognitive issues, its just too frustrating. Personally, I always loved our library visits, especially when our daughter was young. Quiet, cool, and the intoxicating smell of books. Amazon can't replicate that.
DeleteI take the kids to the library once a week in summer. Once school starts back up, we only make it on school vacations since they both have libraries via the school. My TBR pile is so huge right now, I'm only getting a book if it really catches my eye. Enjoy your freedom from the snowbirds!
ReplyDeleteYeh for school libraries! I loved when our class would go - my favorite part of the week. :)
DeleteI have two stacks of books on the table by my reading chair, one from the library and the other by Colorado authors I need to read asap. And more books on the coffee table and the one remaining bookcase I kept when I cleared out my library. I visit the library at least once a week.
ReplyDeleteHere in Northern Colorado we have population changes with college students and with tourists, and we lose some residents in the winter as they move down to Arizona and other warm spots. As far as I can tell, it doesn't affect library book availability much.
I have one small bookshelf for library books, a medium one for bought books still to read, and my main bookshelves that hold "keepers."
DeleteSounds like you live where the snowbirds fly away, south for the winter. :)
Lucky woman! I agree, let your geek girl flag fly high and proud. I have a lot of reading to catch up with. Don't hate me, but I don't go to my library. I buy books at used bookstores and online. I just like having my own books. Plus, the library freaks me out for some reason. Our town is always busy. There is less traffic when it's school holidays though. Enjoy your reading.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand wanting to own books! I borrow and I own. I also pass books on to other readers and I donate. And I recommend. It's all good! :)
DeleteI'm at the library a few times a month—sometimes, a few times a week. I love browsing the shelves to see what I can find.
ReplyDeleteThere's also a few hundred books on my Kindle, and way more paperbacks in my house. I'm just a book addict, in any way, shape, or form.
I hear you! Some women are "addicted" to shoes and clothes. I'm into books and office supplies. :)
DeleteI tend to visit my library's Overdrive source more than I peruse the physical shelves. With my current life and obligations, physical books are a luxury I just can't handle. But woot for getting more options!
ReplyDeleteYeh for more book and reading options!
DeleteI think the snowbirds come up here when they leave you. And although I visit the library twice a month, it's more for my writer's group than for books. I'm such an egirl. hehehe
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
I like when meetings are held in the library - cuts down on my errands. :)
DeleteI'm a complete library bug! I could live there.
ReplyDeleteDamyanti
I hear you! Especially if they have comfy chairs to curl up in. :)
DeleteSince I got Book Bub on my email suggesting cheap Kindle books, I haven't been to my library as much, which is a shame since it's so close I could walk to it.
ReplyDeletePopulation is steady where I live. We're not a tourist or retiree destination.
I would love to be able to walk to the library! Although, with as many books as I take out then have to return, I'd probably have to load up a donkey or a wagon or something to help. :)
DeleteI'm a total book nerd. When we lived in Maryland, I was a card-carrying member of something like six different libraries, every one of which was fantastic. When we moved to GA in '71, our local library was in a little bitty old house, and they didn't even use the Dewey decimal system to shelve the scant number of books in there. Honest to goodness, when I saw it, I cried. And right after that, I joined three mail order book clubs to keep me supplied.
ReplyDeleteNow, we have a really nice library. I used to go every week or two to get a nice big stack of books, but I'm more inclined to buy e-books for my Kindle nowadays. Currently, I have more than 900 books on my Kindle, and they don't take up NEARLY as much room as all of the books filling shelves throughout the house.
I hear you about the tiny libraries! One place I lived, the library was so small and had hardly any books. And this was at a time before ebooks and when I really couldn't afford to buy new books. Garage sales were my friends. :)
DeleteI know what you mean about garage sales. Flea markets, too. I once picked up a book at a garage sale and was looking through it, when my exasperated hubby said, "Another book?
ReplyDeleteDon't you have enough of them by now??? Blah, blah, blah..." Okay, true, we DO have floor-to-ceiling book shelves in two rooms and one long hallway, and yeah, there are several other smaller bookcases in other rooms, and there's a distinct possibility that there are additional books stored in the attic... but still, you know... I said, "Yeah, but I haven't read THIS one." The gal running the sale laughed and gave the book to me for free. :)
You want to know where all the snowbirds go? They come to where I live and get in my way! LOL
ReplyDeleteYes, but then you have some peace and quiet when they all come here in the winter. We suffer through the summer heat but then have to share the good weather! :)
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