Books

Yesterday was Sunday. That's usually a good brunch at home, and a leisurely persual of the NY Times. The Times is one of our luxuries.

We had champagne, French toast, bacon, juice...and instead of the Arts section, I grabbed the Book Review first. There are some good books in there this week. A new biography on Humphrey Bogart is out, for one. And the antiquarian book listings are always fascinating.

As I was reading it, I wondered: really, will real, hold-them-in-your-hands books ever leave us? Please God, no!

I can see that a Kindle is useful,especially while travelling, or using a knitting pattern. You can buy/download book texts that would be too expensive to buy in real copies.

But what about the books themselves? Has anyone ever read Helene Hanff's books...on books? 84, Charing Cross Road is not only a love story about people. She discusses the feel of a calf-bound book, its romance, the superiority to "the stiff cardboardy covers" of books in the 1940s. What in the world would Miss Hanff think now?

One of the best parts of my childhood was books. Libraries. Walking out with a stack so tall that I had to balance it with the edge of my chin...the luxurious, dusty, rich scent of books en masse in a building made for them. Will children born in the next few years have no chance to experience that? Life will be duller without those books, touched not only by other minds, but by other hands as well. (And cats. I'm always amused by sharp toothmarks in the corner of a book. Someone feline left His Mark as well.)

We belong to a private library, and spend a fair amount of time in the public library as well. Don't forget about them. If you haven't cash to support them, use your time and ideas. And ideals. Books are a luxury we can't afford to discard.

The Dollar Cart

I love libraries. I always have loved libraries, and my summer vacations consisted mostly of staggering out of the downtown branch in Schenectady, NY with a pile of books balanced precariously under my chin.

My husband and I live right across the street from a branch of the library, and it's an amazing resource...not only for books. We check out magazines, DVDs, and CDs. The request system in Rhode Island is sophisticated; I can search online by key word or title or author...even publication date..and choose what I will.

On top of that, these libraries accept a constant stream of donations and sell many off at a few large sales yearly. But in order to keep things manageable (I imagine) there are also "dollar carts" set up, at least in our branch. $1.00 for a hardcover, .50 for a paperback. Pay on the honor system (which I think is wonderful). Metal boxes with a slit on top sit on the uppermost shelf. Drop your coins or stuff your paper through, and the book is yours.

Yesterday my husband walked across to return some books and glanced at the carts on his way out. He found the books posted at the top. For $1.00 each!

I like the bags book...it's got a wacky sheep backpack that looks like it could become a wonderful kid pillow, and other useful things. But the baby blankets book is great. I found a simple cable blanket that will make an elegant shawl, and a second one, by Norah Gaughan, that will be just right for the aran superwash I bought for the co-worker baby present.

The Vogue Knitting On the Go series is charming, and most books have at least one pattern that I like. The format is good, and there's practical advice at the start of each one. I've got five or six of them at this writing, and I won't pass up the chance to add a few more to my collection.

I was up late last night, working the first pattern set for the shawl. It's going to be lovely.