Loving my Library

I love my library. With money being tight I can't afford to buy too many books. Also, with my ongoing attempts to declutter and have less stuff I can't justify having lots of books around.

I used to use the library a lot when I was younger, however, with moving around into different areas I got out of the habit. In addition, the last area I lived in charged for reserving books which kind of put me off.

However, I have got back into the swing of using my library. I tend to use it just to reserve books rather than browsing the shelves. I have to sometimes be careful with how I manage my holds as I had few times where I had a couple of books out at the same time and had to read very quickly to make sure they were back on time. If somebody else has a hold on them you cannot renew the item so have a deadline of 3 weeks to work to. Also, you need to be prepared for sometimes a long wait for a book. I had one book that I had to wait 10 months for - thankfully it was a good read so I wasn't too disappointed!

My library also operates a system where you can create a wish list of books that you want to read. This has been great as I am trying to work through Oprah's book list so whenever I need a book I can just request it from my wish list.

It's also been great for B now that he is into chapter books. I can pick up books at the library that I think he may enjoy to test the waters. This way we have been able to find out what authors he loves. Usually once he enjoys one book he is keen to read other books by the same author.

As I was preparing this post I was watching Tim Winton being interviewed. Prior to the show I placed a hold for his new book and was 27th in line (and they don't even have the book yet). Another one I may have to wait awhile for!

So as long as I return the books on time my library is free so it's nice and easy on the pocket. Also, if I get a book that I don't enjoy I don't need to worry too much as it hasn't cost me anything except time.

I would love to hear any suggestions for good reads to add to my list!