Adventures in Library-ing

Early each calendar year I look back on the previous year’s expenses to discover areas in the family budget where I can trim. The price of food, gasoline, and other “have-to-have’s” always seems to go up, so I search for items that are not so “have-to-have” to balance things out. A good example is books. I read two or three a month on my Kindle e-Reader. At say, $14.99 a pop that’d be over $500 I could carve out of annual expenses… if I could only get those same books at no cost. But where-oh-where could I possibly find books for free?

You bibliophiles out there (and the rest of you, for that matter) are laughing as I’m about to describe going to the library as an adventure, but here’s the thing.  I’ve been e-reading on my Amazon Kindle for so long that the idea of holding a book and turning its pages – let alone checking one out of a library – has become, well, novel again.

I wouldn’t have reached this crossroads were it not for a particular book.  Amazon described Frank Delaney’s The Matchmaker of Kenmare just the way I’d hope: an intriguing WWII-era work of fiction.  So I went to “try a sample”(where Amazon allows you the first several pages of the book for free) and – horror of horrors – it’s not available in digital format.  WHAT?  No e-Version?  You’re saying, Amazon, I have to shell out $24.99 for the hard copy if I want to read it?

A book for $10 doesn’t make me pause but one for $25 sure does.  Hence began my library adventure.  The last time I spent meaningful time in one was in college (and I don’t want to tell you how long ago that was).  The library experience is probably different in every way now, starting online. When I “checked out” my library’s website (ha) I discovered I could get a digital library card almost immediately.  With the digital card I could reserve and check out books from the comfort of my home computer.  Hurrah, free books here I come!

Oh how I wish it were that easy.  Turns out, my library’s software is not compatible with an Amazon Kindle.  No digital books for me, sigh.  And besides, physical books – like the one I wanted – require a physical library card.  So with no other excuse to avoid it, I got in my car and headed off to my local branch.  Guess what?  Parking at the library is free.  Entering the building itself is free (no cover charge!).  Getting a library card is free.  Even the library bathrooms can be used without having to check out a book first.

Our main (and modern) library branch

Yes, this is my tax dollars at work of course, but the illusion of all this free stuff is fun while it lasts.  And boy howdy, libraries aren’t what they used to be.  Ours has all these rooms and services and people, as if the surrounding shelves of books are merely a carry-over from past generations.  You can sit down to public-access computers, attend a lecture, host a meeting, rent DVDs, buy coffee, and even spend time in a room of books dedicated to the history of the surrounding county.  Maybe this is all review for you, but it’s a little overwhelming for an e-reader who’s navigating libraries of the new world.

Our secondary (and ancient) library branch

There’s more to this adventure in library-ing than I have time for today (including the over-the-river and through-the woods visit to a different and decidedly ancient branch in my library’s network), but let’s close the book on this topic with a “laugh’s on me” conclusion.  As I was researching for this blog post I went to the Amazon page for my Matchmaker… novel again.  Go figure; it’s available in digital format after all, and even in paperback.  How did I miss these options the first time around?  Must be the library gods telling me to go old-school and get a physical copy for free.

LEGO Notre-Dame de Paris – Update #4

(Read about the start of this “church service” in Highest Chair)

Click the photo for a more detailed view

As Notre-Dame de Paris rises slowly from its foundations, I often picture a congregation of parishioners down there at ground level, sitting quietly in the pews.  Startled by the snap of a LEGO block above them, they gaze skyward, see my giant fingers, and wonder, “OMG is that the hand of God?”  No, no, little ones, it’s just Dave, working through Bag 7… of 34 bags of pieces.

The little devil was still in the bag

Today almost included the long-awaited moment where I realize with mock horror that LEGO left a piece out of one of their model sets.  I churned through my piles of pieces, endlessly stirring and turning them over and over, but to no avail.  A piece was missing, and that sick-to-your-stomach feeling settled in deep, the way you reach the end of a jigsaw puzzle minus one piece.  Then, to my utter amazement, I spied it out of the corner of my eye.  The tiny traitor was still in Bag 7.  Wow.  Good thing that plastic bag wasn’t already relegated to the trash, huh?

“Underfed” buttresses

On the other hand, with more excitement than it probably deserved, today we began construction of Notre-Dame’s signature flying buttresses.  At first I was disappointed in the LEGO pieces, because I thought they looked a little, well, “underfed”.  Then I remembered; we’re only beginning the structure of the buttresses.  The finished look you see on the outside of Notre-Dame is supported by a complex of arches and columns well below it.  Here I thought my “God’s hand” was already working at roof level but in fact, we’re only about halfway up the structure.

Running build time: 3 hrs. 32 min.

Total leftover pieces: 16

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Author: Dave

Five hundred posts would suggest I have something to say… This blog was born from a desire to elevate the English language, highlighting eloquent words from days gone by. The stories I share are snippets of life itself, and each comes with a bonus: a dusted-off word I hope you’ll go on to use more often. Read “Deutschland-ish Improvements” to learn about my backyard European wish list. Try “Slush Fun” for the throwback years of the 7-Eleven convenience store. Or drink in "Iced Coffee" to discover the plight of the rural French cafe. On the lighter side, read "Late Night Racquet Sports" for my adventures with our latest moth invasion. As Walt Whitman said, “That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” Here then, my verse. Welcome to Life In A Word.

31 thoughts on “Adventures in Library-ing”

  1. Love this tale of real-life library adventures! I read on an Amazon Fire Kindle… but I also gather books at used book stores and thrift stores and yard sales. Cheap but not free. I have not been to a library in ages. I used to love spending time there. ~Ed.

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    1. I had no idea how married I am to my Kindle until I had these hard-cover library books in hand. It really is a different experience reading from the printed page again. As for the library itself, I reserved a second book at that second branch just for the excuse to go see it. Unlike the main library, this one looks like it probably did decades ago, including the lonely librarian very happy to see me walk through the door.

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      1. Hahaha, yep. “Lonely Librarian.” Just last night we were watching a movie – a new movie set in modern times – and one of the scenes was in a library; the characters wanted to use an ‘anonymous’ public access computer. I commented to my wife, “there’s too many people in that library; the director goofed.”

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    1. No “Matchmaker…” in my library’s network and I was aware of this early on in the adventure, since I could search the inventory without even applying for a library card. But I was invested enough in the process to continue, and picked up two other books I’ve been wanting to read. My free Amazon “try a sample” samples were starting to pile up on my Kindle 🙂

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      1. Ah. You probably said that and I missed it or forgot immediately. It sounds familiar now. That’s too bad, but I’m glad you picked up a couple of other books. I, personally, get tired of looking at a screen and am happier to hold a dead tree. 🙂

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  3. Interesting fact: 15 years ago I worked for Lab126 just as it was being sold to Amazon. At first I thought this could end paper books, but in time I realized that some people aren’t going to give up their physical books. Like my wife. I got her a Kindle and she read a number of books there, but then the cost of Kindle books started to approach real books … and she likes going to the library. She goes two or three times a month now.

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    1. Admittedly I’m already struggling as I read from the printed page again. It’s so much easier to hold the Kindle (esp. held out above you as you lie in bed), and the perfect light source is right there in the e-Reader. But I’m determined to give “old-school” a try for the sake of saving a few bucks. Surely I haven’t moved on from real books for good, have I?

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  4. I’m with you about the price of books: A book for $10 doesn’t make me pause but one for $25 sure does. That’s why I like to shop at Half Price Books when I can. I’m in library limbo right now, the biggest one near us with decent parking is closed for remodeling. I am crossing my fingers it’ll be open by the spring.

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    1. Another library benefit I failed to mention: browsing for new books to read. I don’t necessarily trust reader reviews on Amazon, not to mention Amazon itself saying “since you’ve read this, you might like this…”. Browsing the shelves in the library is unrestricted and almost meditative since it’s wonderfully quiet around you.

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    1. Seriously, without that “Matchmaker…” oversight on Amazon this entire adventure wouldn’t have taken place. If nothing else I have a newfound appreciation for the library as an option. As for the LEGO project, if that little Bag 7 piece had a face it’d be mocking me and saying, “Made you panic! Made you panic!” 🙂

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    1. Browsing books online doesn’t hold a candle to the same in the library. It’s so peaceful among the shelves, and you don’t have all of those pesky e-distractions of reader reviews and other efforts to force the book down your throat.

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  7. I have not been to a library in many years, but I used to go on a regular basis when I was a more avid reader. My mom and I would see upcoming releases by authors we liked advertised in the newspaper or various periodicals we subscribed to and we would put in a request at our library – one request for each of us. So, once the book was released, then acquired by the library, we got it for back-to-back weeks, usually brand-new. If it was a “hot new release” that meant you only had one week to read the book, or you’d need to return it and request it again … well, that would be no fun. So my mom read the book first and as she didn’t work and was a fast reader, it gave me more than a week to read the book. So if you routinely peruse the Best Sellers List, ask your library if you can reserve a book. We did that for years. I generally only buy hard-cover books from authors I really like, but seriously the last two Nicholas Sparks’ books, I wish I’d waited for the paperback version. Kudos to your progress on the Cathedral – patience is a virtue!

    Most of the libraries here (and probably yours too) are part of a library network, so you can request a book and your library will get it from another library and you just go to your own library to pick it up. We did that too sometimes.

    Also have you ever visited the Little Free Library as a free book source? I will put the link in a separate comment.

    ***On social media today, I saw Lego has a second Van Gogh masterpiece design (2,615-pieces). It is the bouquet of sunflowers called “Sunflowers”; the first was “Starry Starry Night”. This might be a fun Summer project for you Dave. I will put that link in a separate comment for you.

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    1. Clever way to extend the library check-out time frame, Linda. On that note, I’m having to read more often than I would with my e-Reader so that I can finish these books before I have to return them. Yes, our library network moves the books between branches as requested, though this time I deliberately chose books at different branches as an excuse to visit both branches. The contrast between the facilities – as shown in my photos – was striking. As for the LEGO sets, I’m only interested in the Architecture series, and only in a handful of those. We did get my daughter the LEGO Plum Blossom for Christmas, and I sent my brother a link to the LEGO Bouquet of Roses for his wife for Valentine’s Day. It appears just about anything can be made out of LEGO!

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      1. Yes, that was a good option for my mom and me for many years. We used to donate all our paperbacks to the library and if they were duplicates, they used them at the used book sale. I have not visited other branches of our library system. Back then nothing was online so you had to physically go into the library to put in a request and they did the rest of the work. I have books that my mom/I bought and I have not read yet in Rubbermaid tubs downstairs, not to mention books I have bought the last few years and not gotten to yet. I should have realized that you just preferred the Architecture series. I saw this Van Gogh Sunflowers Lego Kit in the article hot off the press. I had no idea Lego made so many kits! That will be a nice and unique Valentine’s Day gift for your sister-in-law!

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  8. Dave – here is the Little Free Library link. Scroll down to find a free library located near you. Some of the free libraries are located in homeowner’s front yards; others are located in free venues, like parks. Heritage Park has one, the Botanical Gardens has another one (but just for children’s books). A woman in my City has one in her front yard, so occasionally I drop off books on her porch and she replenishes the box when it is empty.

    Take a Book. Share a Book.

    Here is the Lego-Van Gogh set mentioned in my other comment:

    https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/about/news-and-press/press-releases/20250128-the-lego-group-and-van-gogh-museum-unveil-lego-set

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    1. Yes, the Little Free Library is a great concept and I’ve seen several in the places we’ve lived. We have a big one – in a sense – in the private clubhouse of our community. It’s not out there for all the world to see and use, but it’s a pretty good-sized room of shelves of books donated by the neighbors who live here and pay their HOA dues. Like the LFL, it’s an honor system. Take, read, return.

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      1. I think it’s a great idea too – many of the LFLs around here are just children’s books. That’s great your HOA neighbors share their books … books should always be passed along in some way after you read them.

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  10. We are still real book readers! When we are in Alberta there is a ‘take it or leave it’ book section at our recycle center. Free Books! In Arizona, there is a library room at the Rec Center. More free books plus the daily newspaper and a coffee machine AND comfortable chairs to sit in!

    A missing piece would be the worst news ever! Like you, I keep the plastic bags until the build is over. Some of those tiny pieces are very easy to overlook.

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    1. It sounds trivial but reading from a hardback book takes getting used to again after reading from screens for so long. The weight of the book, the turning of paper pages, the lighting around you – all different. Not to mention, I need to read faster because the clock is ticking on my library check-out period! Ah, you are a LEGO builder so you know the rule of thumb. Never throw out a bag until that part of the construction is complete!

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      1. Who would have thought that today there are so many factors to consider to just read something!! I find a book (vs my iPad) is easier to read when I am sitting outside in the sun. Digital books would be a good option if I was away from home longer than one ‘read’!
        My other go to source for cheap books is Goodwill Stores.
        Yes, I am a LEGO builder. My focus has been Harry Potter sets.

        I mentioned where I get free books. My cheap book source is at Goodwill stores.

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  11. My local library is affiliated with an app called Libby, which I use sometimes for accessing audiobooks. It is free, but sometimes there is a wait because of a limited number of licenses. I believe you can read e-books on it too.

    I scratch my head at library mission creep, which has gotten into the now-obsolete DVD rentals and coffee shop. Your tax dollars at work.

    A missing Lego piece would indeed be a catastrophe in my world.

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  12. Libby seems to be the app of choice for libraries, even though ours uses something called cloudLibrary. When I attempt to connect with my Kindle, cloudLibrary returns “incompatible – ask Amazon to add this app” (as if Amazon would listen to me). And yes, DVD rentals remind me of old-school Netflix, but a good portion of our community is seniors so perhaps streaming is a little much for them.

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  13. I’m another who loves to go to the library, with a TBR list (all highly recommended by others) tucked under my arm. But I also keep my eyes peeled for the orange stickers that say “Historical,” my favorite fiction genre. Our library also features “Librarians’ Choice.” I’ve picked up some of these as well and am rarely disappointed. For nonfiction I often find intriguing titles at a local thrift shop. Books don’t have to be new to be relevant. The Frank Delany title that started your library adventure, Dave, sounds interesting. I’ve put it on my TBR list. P.S. Congratulations on the fine progress of the Legos Notre Dame!

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    1. I like your tip of “librarian’s choice” books, Nancy – thanks. Otherwise I’m just scanning the shelves in search of something new. It’s going to take me a few visits to get back into the library swing of things again!

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    1. I never really made the transition from childhood library to modern library; hence, I’m ignorant of all a library has to offer in today’s world. The adventure of finding these books opened my eyes to the tremendous resource right in front of me. I look forward to my next visit already!

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