I have a thing when it comes to libraries…thanks to my mom. She gave me both a love for them and a germ phobia over the books inside of them. She would always walk us to the park…beautiful Woodland Park…which was just a few blocks away from our house…where the Bookmobile was…every other week during the summer. I would happily check out as many books as I could but I wasn’t allowed to read them until my mom disinfected them with soap and a damp cloth! Once they were to my mom’ s liking…they were all mine! We did this every two weeks all summer long. My mom would situate me on our big screened in front porch with iced tea and windmill cookies and I would happily read my summer afternoons away. Those were the days! Then when my mom trusted me to be three blocks away from our house without her…I would ride my bike…my grand Pink Lady…to the park with either the McGeary girls or Karen Ramsay…and we would get our books and camp out in each other’s yards and read…but of course only after all my books had been officially degermed by my mom.
So…libraries…I don’t actually go to them but I love getting ebooks from them that I can’t get from NetGalley or Edelweiss or books that I just discovered too late to get from a publisher. In my head these books are to be read for pleasure and without any kind of review.
Anyway…I recently discovered The Carnegie Library Of Pittsburgh. Anyone who lives in Pennsylvania can get a free card to this library but you have to visit one of the branches. It’s on my way to my sister’s house so it’s my plan to visit it soon. I want that card. While talking to them yesterday I found out about another great library…The Free Library Of Philadelphia. So I joined that yesterday! It is also a great source for books that are sometimes difficult to get! This library is in the bottom photo. It seems as though users can recommend books to them, too, and they don’t mind acquiring them. I now have cards to five libraries. Some charge a fee which I do not mind paying at all. Any fee just helps support that library. I love libraries but I don’t like going to them…I can never look at a real library book without thinking of library book germs. Sigh!
Books! I seem to be reading second books in series this week.
I finished this…
I am still reading this…
I read the first one and am now reading the second one.
I read and loved the first one, totally missed the second one and NetGalley just sent me the third one so now I need to read the middle one!
New books this week…The Book Of Dreams came from NetGalley, the others are from Edelweiss and The Book Of Delights is a real book from Algonquin. I don’t normally read essays but this one looks interesting and I can pick it up and put it down when I feel like it!
So…that’s my story and those are my books! Whoopsie…I just remembered that the reason my mom didn’t trust us to go to the bookmobile alone was because of a street in the middle of town…Ohio Avenue. It was the busiest street in town and the speed on that street was 25 mph. Usually one police car would always hide on a sidestreet to catch “speeders”…my mom always worried about that street!
Patty
Books, Thoughts and Adventures 
What an interesting “library story.” I’m surprised that my mom didn’t disinfect my books, since she was kind of worried about germs all around us, too. Hmm.
I don’t go into libraries much any more…because of NetGalley, author review books, and well, Amazon.
I like the e-book lending…but lately, the ones I want are taking too long. Sigh.
I haven’t been able to buy any Amazon books this week…my new bank card hasn’t arrived, and I need to update my payment info when it does. It has been a strangely anxious week. LOL.
I enjoyed the Abbi Waxman books…and The Winter Sister.
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Oh no! Your book buying is stopped for a few days? Try joining more than one library. I have cards to five…I wonder if the state of CA has a library similar to the Philadelphia one?
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I got the new card today, so I’m back in “book buying” business! Lol
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Did you know that you build 5% back with the Amazon Visa card? They post points monthly so you can use them right away. You get points from both Amazon and Whole Foods.
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I don’t actually go to the library very often anymore, I mostly borrow ebooks and digital audios.
I’ve been to the main branch of the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh. I love it. It’s attached to the Natural History and Art Museum, which just makes for a fabulous complex.
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I think we will do that and spend the night. It just looks beautiful!
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Because of my upbringing, I ended up at the library a lot because where is a kid supposed to go who is completely unsupervised? I used to walk miles through busy Hollywood streets to get o mine. I forged my mom’s sig to get a card. They used to show movies on Saturday. Even when I was older I visited an old library in Pasadena and they showed movies too. Independent films and sweet comedies of old. I still use the library a lot today but I don’t like to hang out in them anymore. They are all “chat” spaces now, focused on tech and loud. By me, the librarians are not friendly which is why our library club of 23 years is ending now.
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That was both great and not so great. I wish I would have known you then…my mom would have degermed your books too! That is sad that we don’t have friendly librarians any more.
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What a fun story about your mom disinfection the library books! Now that I think about it, I’m kind of surprised mine never did. I never did for my kids’ library books either. Now I have cards for 3 libraries and mostly use them for ebooks, digital audiobooks, and hoopla. The library here in Sanibel is a great place to browse or just hang out and read – they have a wonderful screened in ‘reading porch’ with rocking chairs! Plus, I love riding my new bike there… reminds me of my childhood, lol. Your books have such pretty covers… I’ve been wanting to try Other People’s Houses.
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I had wondered if my mom was the only one who degermed library books…she just might be. I love the idea of riding a bike to the library and reading for a few minutes on a porch in a big rocking chair. Enjoy. I now have 5 library cards and I really only use them for ebooks.
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Maybe collecting library cards is like collecting baseball cards?
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Ah yes libraries are wonderful places – in spite of the germs! Places of wonder and mystery when I was a child. You have lots of books on the go. I thought the Lori Foster book looked promising but didn’t request it as don’t want to over reach! Oh – love the pink bike!
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I need to stop over reaching. Yes…libraries are truly places of wonder!
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I used to use the library a lot but hardly every go these days. When I went to my gynecologist earlier this year she told me she doesn’t use the library because someone else might have been in the bathroom with the book, if you know what I mean. That kind of ruined it for me. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill looks like fun!
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What a beautiful memory; made me smile. I like pokin around in the adult section of the library to see what’s out while my teenager is upstairs browsing manga and YA.
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Libraries are fun! Especially virtual ones…
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What an amazing library! I’m with you (and your mom) on the germs. These days I’m on the hold list of audiobook downloads I want. I rarely stop at the actual library unless its to drop off book donations for the library sale.
I read the first Waxman book and hope to get to the others. She’s fun. I also have to get a galley of Linda Lael Miller’s new book. I remember when she was writing it and filling fans in on her blog. I love to read about that era.
The Ohio Ave. story made me laugh!
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I know…Ohio Avenue was seared into my brain as a very dangerous road with cars whizzing by at 25 MPH!
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How does one degerm a book, asking for a friend 🙂
I’ve finished translating Holly Black’s Wicked King, now I’m of to translate Cassandra Clare’s shitty book Queen of air and darkness.
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With a well well squeezed soapy paper towel…books here have that weird plastic covering so it works…I have still been watching Shadowhunters but I am not in to any of her new stuff…you are very funny! You can use wet ones, too and just wipe the books off. I think my mom needed the illusion that the books were germ free…
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I can understand the germ worry. I work in a library and we do wipe off and disinfect books all the time (though I am at a school and kids have no problem just coughing directly on me- lol). Especially books that have been returned by kids who aren’t feeling well. I have always gone to libraries, but I tend to only read my library books away from bed. I read every night before I fall asleep- so those are non-library books.
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I knew it made sense in a strange way…OMG…when I taught second grade I was sick all of the time!
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Patty, a fascinating piece- nothing beats picking up a book… the feel, the smell, the adventure. Let’s hope libraries are around for future generations!
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Thank you! I hope so, too!
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My pleasure. Fingers crossed…
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Thank you again, Lance.
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You’re sincerely welcome, Patty.
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