Late in 2010 and during the early days of 2011, I started seeing posts and comments about being smarter about reserving books at the library. Cool. It’s nice to know that it isn’t just me and Sassymonkey who’ve been thinking about this and struggling with having too many books checked out at once.
When I started struggling with this in October, I thought it was just because the library had been closed for so long – I hadn’t been able to read books I wanted to read and I over-reserved. But, I think that was only part of it. There are just too many good books and not nearly enough time to read them. And living with TW who reads twice as many books as I do just makes it harder. If I pick up 10 holds and she plucks 20 or 30 off the shelves, every week, there’s just no way I can manage that kind of load. So. I’m reserving fewer books at once, trying to stagger them as much as possible, reserving what I really want or need to read rather than just any thing I’ve heard about that might be interesting. I can always supplement the reserved books with TW’s stash or with books from my own darn shelves. Right? This is what my library cart looked like on Thursday. (All of the library books that TW and I check out for our own use, not for the kids or her mother, are placed on the top shelf of the library cart. Books we’re finished with go into the tote bags hanging from both sides.)
Normally that top shelf is overflowing with books – double and triple stacked. On Friday morning, we went to the library and picked up some holds and of course other books that we just pulled from the shelves, and this is what it looked like when we came home.
That’s about half of what we’d normally have put on the cart after a library trip. It makes me a little nervous to see the almost empty shelf. But, I’m not finding myself having to return unread books and I haven’t had to dip into my own stacks – yet. (And neither has TW.) Let’s see how long before we’re overflowing with library books again…any bets?
Until I finish Cybils reading the only thing I’m getting from the library are cookbooks and DVDs. Oh and books for the fake husband if any of his are ready.
Also, I want a book cart. Hmph!
But I only haven’t read three of those and as much as the full cart made me uncomfortable…the empty is scary.
Sassymonkey–no you don’t. The wheel fell off years ago. We need an industrial one. I do hear Ms. Stone has one or her parents do though. Levenger doesn’t carry them anymore last time I checked.
I can’t wait to read some of what you have listed here….I have gotten away from fiction for far too long and need some ideas! Thanks!
I’m almost done with one book. The library just left a message yesterday. I feel proud. 😉