I am like a child discovering a stack of hidden toys. Every time I visit the library because a hold came in, or because I need to return a book, I cannot help but browse a few of my favourite sections, and I keep coming home with stacks of books that I cannot possibly read in the time I am allowed to keep them home. These are the books I have out from the library at the moment:
The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue came in from the hold I had put on it when the Orange Prize Longlist was revealed. The Submission by Amy Waldman also came in for that same reason: I had put it on hold for my longlist reading. Away by Amy Bloom was a random selection out of the available English audiobooks. I don’t expect a lot from it, but it was one of the few unabridged audiobooks available that was not a Jane Austen. And as I’m almost finished with listening to Wuthering Heights while running, I desperately needed a new audiobook.
The following two are selections for projects I’m participating in during May. For A Year of Feminist Classics I will be reading Jane Eyre combined with Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. I got The Color Purple by Alice Walker for the May readalong of the novel over at Liburuak.
I am so happy to have discovered the teens and children section over at the library. This is where I got Matched by Ally Condie from, because I felt in desperate need of a YA dystopian trilogy type of book. I put in an inter library loan request for Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan. In a strange twist, my library (which is the largest of the province) does not own any of Lanagan’s books, but there appear to be some copies scattered across the smallest libraries. Yay! I also took out the Dutch version of Jostein Gaarder’s The Orange Girl, simply because I enjoyed his Through a Glass, Darkly last year, and I want to read more by the author of one of my childhood favourites, Sophie’s World. And last but not least, after discovering Eva Ibbotson by reading her One Dog and His Boy, I could not resist borrowing The Dragonfly Pool when I came across it on the shelves.
Library Loot is a weekly meme co-hosted by Claire (The Captive Reader) and Marg (The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader) that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.
Nice haul! I really must start using the ‘Reserve’ option on our county library network website instead of just going for the ‘Pot Luck’ approach every time I go in. Staking my claim via holds is probably the only way I’ll ever see any of the most recent books to hit my wishlist! I, too, have a tendency to overdo it on the numbers and many of my books do end up going back unread (though I sometimes go back and take them out again later) – but I figure at least it helps curb my need to BUY them… I’m looking forward to seeing what you think of THE SUBMISSION and THE SEALED LETTER!
Im just like you. i have a srack of library books here at the house and yet i always bring home more than ive turned in so i’ll never read them all!
I loved The Colour Purple! I remember reading it in my teens. I tend not to visit the library so much now as I know I will just come out with 20 books I will never read. *sighs*
I love the stickers on those library books – that alien is very cute! I’ve been going overboard with the library holds recently. The library is a wonderful thing!
Nice selection, Iris. I read and enjoyed Away so I hope you will enjoy it too. The beginning wasn’t so great (for me) but it turned out to be a good book in general.
I am delighted that you are enjoying the library so much, Iris! And I’m so excited to see that you picked up The Dragonfly Pool! It is my favourite of Ibbotson’s children’s books (and I love them all); the perfect cross between a boarding school novel and The Prisoner of Zenda. Enjoy your loot!
I also continue to bring home large amounts of library books that I will never be able to read in the time allotted to me. I mean, with the audios, I can download them to my computer and send them right back, but these print books are clearly overwhelming me!
I do exactly the same thing when I visit the library…. I go in “just” to pick up a book on hold but end up browsing the new release shelf and end up with a few more to check out.
The Submission is excellent, by the way.
Great books. Lucky that you’ve got a library that stocks such beautiful and interesting books. I’m creating my own library in an absence of one.
The Sealed Letter is a great read. I read it back in December and it was an emotional book in that I suffered reading it, especially knowing it is based on true events!
Wow nice library loot! I loved The Submission and The Color Purple, though it has been awhile since I’ve read the latter.
I have the same problem bringing home too many library books – it’s compulsive! Hope you will like The Sealed Letter which I have on hold too.
Enjoy your loot!
a nice selection I recently brought my wife a copy of the colour purple as she ;like the film and I got another Jean Rhys recently second hand my self ,all the best stu
Great loot! I always bring home far more books than I can read in time too. I hope you’ll like The Sealed Letter which I also have on hold. Happy reading!
I liked Matched and recently read Crossed too. I can’t wait for the third book to wrap it all up
I love Jostein Gaarder and The Orange Girl is very good. Hope you enjoy it!
I loved Matched, it may not be completely credible (then again it is a fantasy world) but there is so much to take away from it, and it brings a completely different look at how things can deteriorate compared to Delirium. Looking forward to your thoughts on The Sealed Letter, too!
I am so glad to see your Library Loot post! You have some good looking books on that pile.
I wouldn’t like to actually show you how many books I have out from the library at any one time!
I have the same problem with bringing home extra books; in fact several of my kids now appoint themselves my library wardens to help contain the masses of tomes I try to take out. Our family rule is not to check out more than your age, but somehow I keep exceeding even that generous limit (in my case, it includes music CDs and picture books, so it’s not quite as insane as it sounds).
Nice photo — I love seeing pictures of people’s books! I see you’re enjoying Eva Ibbotson, so I have to recommend her young adult books. They’re sweet and romantic and old-fashioned, which is what I love about them; they’re great comfort reads!
I have AWAY and THE SUBMISSION on the TBR list – eager to hear what you think!