When I visited the Grande Bibliotheque on Sunday,
I wanted to find two books I have read much about,
especially on some of the Brit book blogs,
The Haunted Bookshop and Parnassus On Wheels,
by Christopher Morley.
I couldn’t find either of them.
I looked in the English language novels and in the mysteries.
Couldn’t find them.
So I waited my turn and looked them up on the computer,
**side note : I love the digital age but, I really miss card catalogues, I believe it is more esthetics than practicality, the beautiful wooden drawers and typed cards- Gorgeous. **
they were there,
in a one volume compilation.
Cool,
so I scroll down to get the call number,
and then I notice the notation which roughly translates as,
in storage.
I walk over to the information desk,
and ask the young lady if I can take it out.
Of course, she says, as long as my file is free of fines,
it is.
I can fill out a form and in approximately fourteen days,
I will be notified of the book’s arrival and,
have four days to pick it up.
So we filled out the form and,
I should be reading them sometime in January.
I was a little bit disappointed,
I had hoped to read them over Christmas,
but, January is probably better,
all bookshops are sort of haunted in January,
mine is no exception.
The point of this story,
and there is one,
in the many years that I have used libraries,
this is a first.
I have never had a book brought out of storage.
Does this mean I am hopelessly out of style?
Perhaps.
But, what I really think it means is that,
I have become more picky about my reading and,
more patient.
A few years ago,
I would have skipped the waiting,
and picked it up at a bookstore or ordered it online.
Spent too much money.
Now I prefer to wait and,
chance picking it up used or borrow it from the library.
I no longer have the ambition of owning thousands of books,
been there, done that, moved them too many times.
I want to read them.
Part of the fun has become anticipation,
book foreplay.
Kinky.
Well…
Later girls
BB
