When you read about the terrible things some people do to others it's lovely to know that on the whole most people are good people. That's what everyone agreed after yesterdays post. Thank you again Lisa.
The grandchildren were here yesterday and very excited to visit the library van with me - except it didn't turn up! Later I found out that due to illness it was off the road. They had emailed but the connections were so bad yesterday morning that the email didn't get to me until late afternoon. I should have been collecting 15 books - aaaaagggghhhhh .....NOTHING TO READ!
(Poor connection might explain why the French Open tennis on TV wasn't working properly most of yesterday too)
But as Granddaughter said "Nanna you've got about 5,000 books at home!" - she's exaggerating........... ..................fortunately or unfortunately?!
However there are four more than there were a week ago as these were the books I found at the charity book sale at Sibton church last Saturday.
Top of the pile is book by local author Olivia Laing it's all about her new garden and other gardens. I could borrow it from the library but then I'd probably not get round to reading it as there are usually so many crime to read and I have to be in the right mood for non-fiction, so it will be waiting for when I'm ready.
Pleased with the copy of Seal Morning by Rowena Farre as I wrote about re-reading her other book in March, its years since I read this book and the library don't have a copy.
From the cover Eve's War looked like fiction but it is a genuine WWII diary - another to add to my collection.
Someone somewhere - probably one of the book bloggers - mentioned The Far Country by Nevil Shute quite recently and I checked the library but they didn't have a copy. I read all his books way back in my early library days but that was 50 years ago. I looked on abebooks and even put a copy in my 'saved for later' list. It was £4 plus postage and I thought I'd wait a while and what a good thing I didn't buy it.
The book at the bottom I picked up as it has photos of hundreds of small metal things found by Metal Detectorists - Bronze age through to Tudor times, I though Son might like a look at it - it might not be something he wants or he might have seen it already. (He hadn't seen it before so was very interested to take it home yesterday)
After conversations with someone in the library office in Ipswich I'm hoping that my 15 books can be put on the delivery van and dropped at Stowmarket library for me to collect. Otherwise it's going to be a long wait until the end of June.
Back Soon
Sue
As I was extremely annoyed with my husband, he is taking the new laid floor up yet again, I treated myself to the first six Caroline Graham books. As I read on a kindle my husband won't notice! But they will give me something to take my mind off the flooring.
ReplyDeleteOh good grief, re doing the floor for the umpteenth time - mad. Enjoy those books, that's Midsummer murders books if I'm remembering correctly
Deletemost people are good, we just don't give them the recognition they deserve most of the time.
ReplyDeleteWe hear so much about the tragic, dangerous and just real nasty that we forget that's really the minority
DeleteOh, I hope they can drop the books off for you. Nothing is an everyday fright to me as much as thinking I’m out of books to read. I just spent $6.00 of my Mother’s Day money on a secondhand copy of Phinn’s “The Other Side of the Dale.” Excited for it to arrive.
ReplyDeleteIt's been many years since I read those Gervase Phinn books, they were so good. Schools are so different now.
DeleteIndeed, most people are good. I think everyone in our little town comes under that banner - they are do friendly and helpful.
ReplyDeleteSome interesting books there. Like you, I read all the Neville Shute books - some 50 years ago now. I wonder if it has aged well? I found a copy of Seal Morning on the Tesco Charity bookshelf earlier this year and sent it to my friend in Dorset.
If I was to go back and read all Nevil Shute, Catherine Cookson, Dorothy Eden etc etc then I'd never need to read anything new!
DeleteSome would seem very dated now I think
I remember reading Nevil Shute as a teenager. I think of them as rather bleak, wasn't there one about everyone dying after a nuclear war?
ReplyDeleteI'm the same on the memory - especially the Nuclear War thing. The Far Country may not be quite so dreadful - I'll see.
DeleteI have to be in the right mood for a Shute. His novels are (very) bittersweet with a hopeful open ending.
DeleteI'm glad you weren't left bookless, Sue. My Daddy served in WWII as did most of my uncles. One did not come home. ~Andrea xoxo
ReplyDeleteThe library books were mainly crime fiction and many that I was really looking forward to, so hope I don't have to wait until the end of JUne.
DeleteI'll be interested to hear how you get on with the Olivia Laing book. I've read a few of her articles, and find her very intense.
ReplyDeleteI read an article about her and wasn't sure that I'd want to read the book but as she lives in Suffolk I feel I ought to make an effort
DeleteI enjoyed the Garden Against Time - it is about the rejuvenation of her garden but covers all kinds of other subjects too.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping I'll enjoy it sometime.
DeleteI've been reading so much crime fiction recently that I need a break. Some non-fiction would be a refreshing change.
ReplyDeleteI have to be in the right mood for non-fiction because I prefer crime fiction but do like a bit of variety now and again.
DeleteI am curious as to why you must have the books delivered to you via van. Is it not logical or possible to just drive to the library and pick them up? I am lucky to have a library here about 5 minutes away, but should I wish to drive further, the next towns' librarys are only about 15 minutes in opposite directions. If you call ahead, would the library staff have the books collected for you?
ReplyDeleteThe mobile libraries (3 in Suffolk) travel around all the villages so that people can go on and choose books or collect books they have reserved on line, especially useful in villages that are many miles from a physical library building and especially useful for elderly who can't drive. We can reserve books on line and ask for them to be sent to any Suffolk library or to the mobile library. I have read so many books in my 70 years that most of what I read are new books by favourite authors and I rarely find books I want actually on the shelves.
DeleteIf the books go to a library building they have to be collected within one week of arriving there whereas the mobile saves them up to bring all at once. Also I can keep books for up to two visits (that is 8 weeks) where as people borrowing from town libraries have them stamped for just 3 weeks.
Yes I could drive to a library but it seems silly to do that when I can stroll up the road once every four weeks to collect my books. If I was to use a town library I would need to drive to town (10 miles or 20 minutes) every week to collect my books.
The mobile library service is always under threat of stopping as it is gradually used less and less. When I worked on one we had 5 mobile libraries covering the whole County (several 100 villages) and visiting every two weeks. Now there are just 3 visiting every 4 weeks.
The mobile libraries have depots in 3 different parts of the County where they park and where all books waiting to go on the various routes are stored so my books are not actually somewhere where I can go and collect them at the moment. Hence hoping that the delivery van (a small van that takes reserved books and new books around to all 40 libraries in the County) will bring my books to my nearest library before the next mobile visit at the end of June.
For the last 20 years I have been using the mobile libraries as it's a case of use them or lose them.
I realise the concept of normally not using a car to get my books is strange for many people in countries where cars are used even for the shortest journeys.
Please know I was not implying anything negative about your situation.
DeleteHere in the States, there is little public transportation unless one lives in a metropolitan area, so people who live anywhere else are often dependent on their cars because shopping, doctors, or libraries are beyond walking distance. When I was younger, I used to walk to the store and library (4.50/5 miles round trip) but at 84 those days are over.
Sorry, I was a bit rude with that.
DeleteYour library van delivery is a wonderful and reliable service. This is just a one-off situation. i suspect, 15 books are finding their way to you before June.
ReplyDeleteOverall, people are very good, and Lisa proves this very nicely.
Several of the books I have reserved have long waiting lists so I'm hoping I'll get them to read and back in circulation quickly.
DeleteIt was illness of the library lady driver and no relief driver available that caused the hiccup in what is usually very reliable
Love Nevil Shute! He has a very readable style, and yes, some things are "dated", but The Far Country in particular is very interesting for the stark differences in "buying power" or "supply shortages" and ensuing results for the characters, depending on country of residence in post WWII. I am too young to have read any of his books close to when they were first new, but they are very intriguing even as historical (once contemporary) social commentary and the differences or similarities to today's world and situations.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see what you make of it!
We used to have a mobile library here, too, a "Bookmobile", but it got nixed after Covid...I think the Board was happy to have what they felt was a strong reason to get rid of the service (germs and close quarters, though the real reason was cost). It's very sad, as we are similarly far from a physical library location, too, and as you say, there are hardly any books on the shelves that you haven't either already read and they tend to buy in "themed" big swathes, so if you aren't interested in a particular topic or certain author or genre, you can wander aimlessly and leave with nothing to read, other than a good looking cookbook. The local library group has also been really ruthless the last few years in purging, only stocking books that have a publication date in the last 5 years, and not having that many physical books on the shelves...lots of wasted space in the building. Luckily for us, we have a Books By Mail service, which gets us access to the whole province's stash of books, plus interlibrary loans from across the country, if need be, or from other institutions' stacks (eg. universities, etc.), and all mailed to us in book bags, with a longer check out period and return labels included. As the post office is a 5 minute walk from my house, this is a fabulous situation...we can order the books online, by paper book form in our returned book bags, or by phone, and it means checking the mail is so much fun! (Of course this option is no good when your Postal service goes on strike, but anyhoo...)
Have read your blog for years, but don't think I've commented, so "Hello"!
Jen in NS
Hello! and welcome to commenting, good to hear from you.
DeleteThe connections to modern day with shortages etc must be why a book blogger had mentioned The Far Country. I'll see what its' like.
Your Books by Mail sounds like a wonderful service
Sorry that you could not get the books you ordered, but how wonderful that you have a few picked up to read until you can.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I've got several dozen on my shelves to read - so never really short of reading - just feels like it without my library collection!
DeleteIt doesn't matter how many books are at home -- there's always a bit of a panic if you can't get to where you are expecting them. But a book sale is terrifiic -- I think they all sound wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHow disappointing for the van not to show up with so many of your books awaiting you too. Oh well, you have the new ones, and a few more available on your shelves. ;-)
ReplyDeleteSorry the van didn't show up. It's a bit of a let down when you've been looking forward to it coming by. Who doesn't love new books even when there are lots to read!
ReplyDelete