No matter how fancy the graphics, searching for books online will never replace the tactile wonder of selecting books from a library shelf. So many different worlds, neatly packaged into rectangles of words and lined up against each other—and all free for the borrowing!
Now that it’s so easy to pre-order library books online, I rarely visit the stacks anymore. But a few weeks ago, on my way to pick up another pre-reserved book, I strode right past the desk and told the librarian I was going to browse first. (She smiled.) Turning down a random fiction aisle, I let my eyes skim up and down the shelves: over to you, serendipity.
Especially under a protective plastic cover, font and colors need to stand out; before I could even start to judge a book by its cover (and first paragraph), the spine needs to convince me to extract it from between its quieter neighbors. What to pull off the shelf, how to find something really good? The uncertain variety was delicious—and an instant flashback to childhood.
My mother was a librarian, and for the year or so that she worked at the town’s main library the bus would drop me off there after school. I was supposed to do my homework, but I also became a regular visitor to the young adult fiction section.
Mom never judged my reading choices, but she did sometimes restrict the number of books I checked out; how many words could I actually consume before the two-week lending period ended? And overdue books were an absolute no-no; my rare late fees always cost more in guilt than the actual penny or two charged per day.
As a 21st-century author, library stacks can sometimes feel overwhelming. With so many books already out in the world, why publish more? And how many great but quiet tales will be drowned out by their louder and more colorful neighbors?
But as I ran my fingers over random adult fiction spines that day, I spotted a title I’d seen a few months earlier, in a different library (where I don’t have borrowing privileges). Bingo! On a different shelf, an author’s name rang a bell—so, after a quick peek inside, I added that to my collection. Soon I held an armful of word-worlds that shared only the first letter of their authors’ last names—and my own curiosity.
I already had four books in hand when I spied yet another temptation. Hearing Mom’s voice in my head (“That’s enough for today”), I considered putting one of them back. Instead, I ignored her for once: a rainy weekend stretched ahead, as well as the luxurious three week loan period offered by Rhode Island libraries*.
The five novels I placed on the checkout desk were incredibly varied in length, topic, and writing style. “I went a little crazy,” I admitted to the librarian—as she added the book I’d pre-ordered to the top of my pile. “Well, if you’re gonna go crazy, do it in a library,” she replied. A few minutes later I walked out smiling, buoyed by librarian wisdom—and the promise of so many books to read.
Because my online browsing is almost always in search of a specific title, I probably wouldn’t have stumbled onto any of that day’s finds without a stroll down that particular library aisle—and only one of my five choices turned into a DNF. The other four all entertained, educated, and inspired right to their last page (though none made my review list).
What I’m most impressed with is this: how ten minutes of serendipitous browsing can deliver hours and hours of reading pleasure. As well as some priceless words of wisdom from another judgment-free librarian: If you’re gonna go crazy, do it in a library.
What are you reading, now that the sunsets are earlier each day? Share your favorites in the comments below; I read every single one, with gratitude. Thanks for being here, and see you next Thursday.
*Even though late fees are no longer a thing, I still return borrowed books on time.