Since my subscription to the New Yorker ran out last month, I happily have more time to read books. It is a great magazine, but I decided to forgo witty cartoons and fascinating articles about people I'd never heard of because it took up all of my reading time. The pleasure of getting lost in a book one of life's greatest luxuries.
I intend to read lots this year and to keep my imagination and my bedside table full, I've been rekindling my relationship with the library. I love that I can take home a pile of books on diverse topics and ideas. In my excitement I sometimes get a little greedy and bring home 3 or 4 or 5, but as long as I return them three weeks later, they are mine to read, or not. I've been browsing the cookbook selections as a way to try new recipes and learn about techniques. I only have them for a short time so I know that they won't languish on the shelf, neglected, as some of my cookbooks tend to be.
I am delighted by this giant communal bookshelf. I don't always find the exact books I was looking for, but I always leave with something to read and a sense of excitement. Free books! As many as I can read! (also dvds! museum passes!) The only drawback is that often find myself with squeaky shoes as I walk through the quite rooms. I know that some communities have tool libraries, but I wish we had more communal resources and ways to find delight in sharing.
P.S. As I wrote that last sentence I realized that the internet is course it is an incredibly vast resource which is very much powered by sharing information. A library in its own way. I was reminded of this because many sites are blacked out today to raise awareness of SOPA and PIPA. I did not write this post in any way because of these acts and I'm not really qualified to talk about them, but I definitely support our ability to share resources and information through as many ways as possible.
