Archive for the 'public library' Category

Nice way to spend a Sunday arvo

Kudos to the Town of Vincent Library (my local public library), which is now open on Sundays. Sunday opening suits me perfectly as I can’t make it there during the week, and my Saturdays are currently rather busy with morning chores and Dutch class.

I had a pleasant walk over to the library this afternoon, enjoying the afternoon sunshine and the sights and sounds of my neighbourhood. It was pretty quiet, apart from the cricketers and the small boys kicking a footy around the oval.

The library recently moved into a brand new building. The new building is far more impressive than the old squat and rather dark building; there’s lots of glass windows, highish ceilings, and plenty of space for people to sit and relax while reading. There is also a lot more shelf space - so much so that there is a lot of empty space, and I think they’ve also run out of book ends, with lots of falling-over books and rather messy shelves. (This is an observation, not a criticism!) I assume all this shelf space means the collection will be expanded over time, which is something to look forward to.

I really liked the mood in the library this Sunday afternoon. On Saturday mornings it always seems a lot more frantic and slightly rushed - this Sunday it felt very relaxed (I wonder if it was just me).

What I borrowed:

Give your dog a bone: The practical commonsense way to feed dogs for a long healthy life by Dr Ian Billinghurst. It’s self-published, and unfortunately complete with messy type-setting (occasional different fonts) and misspellings (it’s instead of its, my pet peeve). Still, it looks interesting. Argues that raw bones should constitute the majority of a pet dog’s diet.

Harry Potter and the deathly hallows by J.K. Rowling. I must be the only person left in the English-speaking world who hasn’t read this book. It happened to be on the shelf.

Secrets from a healthy Asian kitchen by Ying Chang Compestine. Looks interesting: the author states that the six key ingredients to a healthy Asian kitchen are ginger, garlic, soy foods (tofu, tempeh, miso, etc), shiitake mushrooms, ginseng (I don’t think I have ever had ginseng) and green tea. Lots of recipes.

Charmaine Solomon’s Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. The library has a good collection of vego cookbooks, and I usually borrow at least one whenever I visit. Pity I tend to only try one or two recipes from each book. I don’t think I am particularly adventurous when it comes to home cooking…

Harvest for hope: A guide to mindful eating by Jane Goodall. I’m surprised at my growing interest in books about food and eating from a health/ethical perspective. They’re definitely useful for helping me stick to a healthy diet.

Visit to the public library

I walked to the public library on Saturday. The walk there was enjoyable and made me think about how little I walk around these days. There were a few people out for a stroll around the neighbourhood, too. I also enjoyed spotting the neighbourhood cats. I was quite surprised at the number of cats I saw (five of them, in the space of a 15-minute walk) - but no dogs. Maybe the dogs were out with their humans?

The public library was very pleasant. It was very easy to sign up as a member (all that’s required is some ID with your current address on it - that’s my new library card in the picture) and the staff were friendly and welcoming. They were putting up decorations and a display for the Chinese New Year and taking down the Valentine’s Day display, and one staff member offered me some crepe flowers.

I now remember why I enjoy the public library - I get to borrow books I wouldn’t otherwise look at: like the two Inspector Wexford novels by Ruth Rendell (the latest one, End in Tears, and an earlier one Shake Hands Forever, both of which I finished over the weekend), Attracting Birds to Your Garden, and Orchids in Your Garden. I had a look at their small Dutch language selection and was pleased to see Kwade Schuld by Peter Temple. That’s Bad Debts, translated by Paul Witte (De Boekerij, Amsterdam, 2002). It’s a pity their Indonesian language collection is currently around 90% schmaltzy romance novels, though. (The remaining 10% were books on Falun Gong.) I’ll give it some time and see if they get more in - I might ask for more variety otherwise.

What about you? Do you use your public library? Why? Why not?