I purchased a book today because the dust jacket was pretty. I looked at the book and said, that is so beautiful and it will look lovely on my shelf. The Watchers by Jon Steele was a used book in our library's book sale and it only cost $1.00 but I honestly don't know if I will ever read this book. Its not that it isn't a good book. The dust jacket blurb seems interesting enough and I am not discounting it completely, but I really only bought it because it was pretty and now I am shaming myself because of it. I have only done this once before. The book was Styx by Sherrilyn Kenyon. The dust jacket on that book was simply beautiful, I had purchased a ticket for a book stampede during our annual trivia night and it was the most beautiful book on the table, so I grabbed it. This situation with The Watchers is a bit different. I was under no pressure to select it or any other as I was during the book stampede. I am not familiar with the author and I am familiar with Kenyon and I usually don't impulse buy outside of my genres of choice, but I do love books. Old books and new, pretty and shiney, tattered and torn; all the books I do choose find a loving home where they need no longer worry over dog eared pages, spills or the recycle bin.
Maybe this book needed me.
It called to me with its beautiful blue cover and satiny designs.
Yeah, that's what I will tell myself.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Monday, June 22, 2015
The treasure hunt known as book sale.
Today begins our summer book sale. Now that term really is misleading because it suggests that we have a book sale every summer. The truth of the matter is, we take in donations all year round. Boxes, crates and bags of books get stored here, happily awaiting their return to the light. When the storage area gets full, we pull everything out and have a book sale, no matter what time of year it is. Sometimes we will get such a large donation that it forces us to hold another book sale within mere months of the last one. When the storage is full to bursting we pull all the books out of hibernation and display them on tables and spin racks for our patrons to browse through and select.
The selection part is my favorite. I love book sales. I love used book stores. I love online shopping for used books. I have found some really wonderful treasures in book sales. My first real find, the book that made me voracious for book hunting was a 1st edition Carrie by Stephen King. I purchased this much loved volume years ago from my high school library's annual book sale. It was in less than mint condition but I only paid 25¢ for it. That book also began an almost obsessive love for collecting books. Where better to hunt for items to fill in the gaps of your collection than a book sale?!
I now collect not only Stephen King but also Anne Rice and Michael Crichton to name a few. I collect books in specific genres too. I have a nice collection of books on tarot, numerology, astrology and the like. I love books about witches and their histories, real and imagined. I love books on the Titanic & the Bermuda Triangle. I have a love of the classics. I would love to have a collection of all the books one thinks of when one thinks of the classics. This may be reaching a bit, but hey, ya gotta have a hobby, right?
With that said, our book sale is going to run this entire week. Hard covers are $1.00 and paper backs are 50¢. The money goes to the Friends of the Library who buy things that are outside of the reach of our regular budget. E-books, audio books, and things of that sort. We appreciate them for all that they do, and I appreciate the book sale. =)
The selection part is my favorite. I love book sales. I love used book stores. I love online shopping for used books. I have found some really wonderful treasures in book sales. My first real find, the book that made me voracious for book hunting was a 1st edition Carrie by Stephen King. I purchased this much loved volume years ago from my high school library's annual book sale. It was in less than mint condition but I only paid 25¢ for it. That book also began an almost obsessive love for collecting books. Where better to hunt for items to fill in the gaps of your collection than a book sale?!
I now collect not only Stephen King but also Anne Rice and Michael Crichton to name a few. I collect books in specific genres too. I have a nice collection of books on tarot, numerology, astrology and the like. I love books about witches and their histories, real and imagined. I love books on the Titanic & the Bermuda Triangle. I have a love of the classics. I would love to have a collection of all the books one thinks of when one thinks of the classics. This may be reaching a bit, but hey, ya gotta have a hobby, right?
With that said, our book sale is going to run this entire week. Hard covers are $1.00 and paper backs are 50¢. The money goes to the Friends of the Library who buy things that are outside of the reach of our regular budget. E-books, audio books, and things of that sort. We appreciate them for all that they do, and I appreciate the book sale. =)
Friday, June 19, 2015
To Kindle or not to Kindle
Since the library joined the consortium we have introduced many many patrons to the joys of e-books. Whether it is on their tablet, smart phone or computer, this has become a popular way for many patrons to expand their reading options. As with every new technology though, there are the purists who reject it. I find myself asking 2 dozen times a day, "Do you have a tablet?" or "Are you interested in E-books?" The responses are as varied as the patrons themselves and some have surprised me.
There is the lady who's daughter gave her a Kindle Fire for her birthday. Not wanting to seem un-savvy to her technologically advanced offspring, or ungrateful for the gift, she came to me. I sat with her and walked her through the uses of the device and explained how the e-book consortium worked and she left the library with 4 digital tomes loaded onto her device and a spring in her step. She couldn't wait to get home and call her daughter. In direct opposition to her is the lady, who absolutely detests the idea of reading a book from a screen. "If I cannot hold the book in my hand, turn the pages myself and smell the paper, I would rather not read it." Her friends have all told her about the options to zoom the text to a larger readable size, and the convenience of electronically marking your page or highlighting and making notes, all of which she poo-pooed.
Who's right?
Should paper books go the way of the cassette tape?
Are e-readers a flash in the pan, to be eventually forgotten like Laser Discs?
I think we will meet somewhere in the middle. I believe the book industry isn't going anywhere just yet. People still love having and holding the physical copy. They also enjoy the convenience that comes with the digital copy. Most people have embraced the place of both and the role both options play in society. I personally love books. I am an admitted bibliophile, but I also love reading books on the go. I can carry hundreds of books with me and it weighs less than a pound. How else would I be able to carry so many titles in my purse. I collect the books of several of my much loved authors. Collecting does not feel the same on an e-reader. the organization and OCD of book hording feels so much less satisfying if your collection is just in digital form. I love both forms and all that both forms can bring to my life.
So don't toss out those hard bound beauties or those tattered and loved to death paperbacks in favor of just going digital and don't turn up your nose to all the wonders modern technology can bring to your literary world either. Find a happy medium. In the end it's all still reading and books, no matter the form, are keys to the universe.
There is the lady who's daughter gave her a Kindle Fire for her birthday. Not wanting to seem un-savvy to her technologically advanced offspring, or ungrateful for the gift, she came to me. I sat with her and walked her through the uses of the device and explained how the e-book consortium worked and she left the library with 4 digital tomes loaded onto her device and a spring in her step. She couldn't wait to get home and call her daughter. In direct opposition to her is the lady, who absolutely detests the idea of reading a book from a screen. "If I cannot hold the book in my hand, turn the pages myself and smell the paper, I would rather not read it." Her friends have all told her about the options to zoom the text to a larger readable size, and the convenience of electronically marking your page or highlighting and making notes, all of which she poo-pooed.
Who's right?
Should paper books go the way of the cassette tape?
Are e-readers a flash in the pan, to be eventually forgotten like Laser Discs?
I think we will meet somewhere in the middle. I believe the book industry isn't going anywhere just yet. People still love having and holding the physical copy. They also enjoy the convenience that comes with the digital copy. Most people have embraced the place of both and the role both options play in society. I personally love books. I am an admitted bibliophile, but I also love reading books on the go. I can carry hundreds of books with me and it weighs less than a pound. How else would I be able to carry so many titles in my purse. I collect the books of several of my much loved authors. Collecting does not feel the same on an e-reader. the organization and OCD of book hording feels so much less satisfying if your collection is just in digital form. I love both forms and all that both forms can bring to my life.
So don't toss out those hard bound beauties or those tattered and loved to death paperbacks in favor of just going digital and don't turn up your nose to all the wonders modern technology can bring to your literary world either. Find a happy medium. In the end it's all still reading and books, no matter the form, are keys to the universe.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Introductions
Hi, this is Amanda. I am the Special Services Coordinator for the Bonne Terre Memorial Library. This is the first post on this blog. We always post what is going on at the library in main section of our webpage, but this is to be a bit more personal. I would like to keep you up to date on our goings on, what's being read, and what books are being talked about.
Next week we are having a book sale! Come in and get a book or two... or a bag or two! Hardcovers are $1.00, paperbacks are 50¢ and if you like Harlequin, Silhouette or Love Inspired romance novels boy, have you come to the right place!! We have a bunch and they are ONLY 25¢. The book sale will run through Saturday the 25th, but don't wait that long. You don't want to miss out!
We also have the SRP coming up next month. If you would like to sign your kids or grand kids up to participate in the fun, come by the library.
The buzz around here lately is the new "Grey" book by E.L. James. Everyone wants to find out what Christian's point of view on the situation is. We have it ordered and it is on the way. Call and get it reserved now!
We also have the SRP coming up next month. If you would like to sign your kids or grand kids up to participate in the fun, come by the library.
The buzz around here lately is the new "Grey" book by E.L. James. Everyone wants to find out what Christian's point of view on the situation is. We have it ordered and it is on the way. Call and get it reserved now!
And what am I reading you might ask... I am currently reading Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Why did I wait so long to read this book. It is really quite good! Suspenseful and fast paced with sci-fi time travel and a bit of history, there is some mild language in the book, but otherwise I believe otherwise this is definitely parent approved!
As you may know, I like to read more than one book at a time. I usually have a new book, a patron recommended or popular, a teen or young adult and a pleasure read going at the same time. Ms. P fell into 2 of those categories. A young patron told me "You have to read it! It's the beast!" Now, social media and working with the public being what they are, I am usually up on current jargon, but I can only assume this meant I would enjoy the book immensely, which I am.
I am also reading Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. This is a bit out of the box for King, but I am digging his version of the mystery novel. It of course has King's swing on it. I would recognize his writing even if it was a cook book. Lord knows what a cook book Stephen King wrote would be like, but I digress. So far so good is all I can say about it, considering I am not even halfway through. This is my pleasure read, and when I have finished it I will start the third Deborah Harkness book in her All Souls Trilogy. It is called Book of Life. I can't wait to dig into it, and as soon as it returns I plan to do just that, even if I haven't finished Mr. Mercedes. I am a multi-tasker. I got this. This brings me to the fact that I am not currently reading a new book. I will pick up Finders Keepers after this as it is the sequel to Mr. Mercedes, and that will suffice for a new book soon enough.
As you may know, I like to read more than one book at a time. I usually have a new book, a patron recommended or popular, a teen or young adult and a pleasure read going at the same time. Ms. P fell into 2 of those categories. A young patron told me "You have to read it! It's the beast!" Now, social media and working with the public being what they are, I am usually up on current jargon, but I can only assume this meant I would enjoy the book immensely, which I am.
I am also reading Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. This is a bit out of the box for King, but I am digging his version of the mystery novel. It of course has King's swing on it. I would recognize his writing even if it was a cook book. Lord knows what a cook book Stephen King wrote would be like, but I digress. So far so good is all I can say about it, considering I am not even halfway through. This is my pleasure read, and when I have finished it I will start the third Deborah Harkness book in her All Souls Trilogy. It is called Book of Life. I can't wait to dig into it, and as soon as it returns I plan to do just that, even if I haven't finished Mr. Mercedes. I am a multi-tasker. I got this. This brings me to the fact that I am not currently reading a new book. I will pick up Finders Keepers after this as it is the sequel to Mr. Mercedes, and that will suffice for a new book soon enough.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)