Friday, June 22, 2007

"What I've learned is that if you live long enough, then the things you want most in life will wait for you."

(Veronica Chambers, in The joy of doing things badly)

Today I returned two DVD items unwatched to the library: Freaks & Geeks Vol. 1, and Volver. I never caught F&G when it was on TV and I really enjoy Almodovar's movies (I remember in college watching Women on the Verge of a Breakdown...). But I must off to vacation and there are people who have holds on these items.

I have to trust that when my time to watch them comes around, I'll be able to get my hands on them. As a librarian, I live with the books. So I want to read all of them, RIGHT NOW. I get greedy and add tons of items to my holds list and then when they come, I don't have time to read them. Librarything has been useful for that--I have an entire category devoted to TBR (To Be Read). Instead of putting them on hold, I open my LT account. (Of course, as a WorldCat user, I'm tempted to join their thing-y too, but I don't know anyone else doing it, and most folks I know are using LT. But the WorldCat thing-y already gives you a "tbr"-like designation, which is nice.) (Of course, I can't find that particular aspect now and have wasted time searching the WorldCat site...)

There's a Jorge Luis Borges quote: "I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library." Before I worked at a place where all the books are free and I don't incur fines and there are so many books, I lived by the philosophy that in heaven, all the books I didn't have time to read on earth would be waiting for me. I'm trying to grow up that idea--that the right books will find me, and I find them, and the rest I'll trust Babelbabe to read. (The woman is a reading machine!)

And I've always gone by the philosophy that like the philosophy that says "life is too short to wear uncomfortable shoes," life is too short to read boring books. There is always another book waiting in the wings.

I haven't yet decided which books will go with me on my trip West. Well, the picture books for my Picturebook Picnic on July 5th, copies of my mother/child smackdown books (which, btw, I now have 3 teams!!!) But other than that...

Hopefully Sis and I will have time to watch Mostly Martha, a German movie which is being remade and released in the US this summer as No Reservations.

I'm thinking Eat Cake will go with me, esp. since I haven't read it since February.

Back to writing questions for the M/C smackdown...

3 comments:

Badger said...

I like this post very much.

You will be proud of me -- I actually took the kids to the library yesterday! And it was crowded as heck because, unbeknownst to us, they were having a magic show in one of the big rooms. Luckily my kids had no interest in it. They actually had to turn people away!

I checked out Candy and Me (A Love Story) by Hilary Liftin, which will be coming with me on the plane tomorrow.

I hope you have a wonderful trip! I'm sure it will be more fun than mine. (insert frowny face here)

Iamthebookworm said...

Oh! You have summed up my philosophy on reading nicely! "Life is too short to read boring books." Thats why I end up reading a lot of "trash." It can be so interesting.

Sarah Louise said...

B--I AM proud of you! And Babs and I both fully endorse Candy and Me. I hope you like it too.

IATB--there is a whole librarian discussion on this one, isn't there!?