The Library

I think of the library as the great equalizer. There are not many places where you can see a family choosing a movie and books for a night at home, a homeless person whiling the time away and a county official picking up books he put on hold. The library is that place.


I enjoy going to the library. When I moved to my current place of residence, one of the things I loved was that the library was three or four blocks from my soon to be home. The library near my old home was at the bottom of a nearly mile long steep hill. The bus did not run near it so getting there was okay, but getting back with a small child and any books I might be carting with me was a horrible experience. I hated it. It was one of the main things I felt sucked about that city I lived in. The lack of access to books and other media was killing me.

When I was pregnant, I was on bed rest... There wasn't much I could do, so on the days I had my prenatal appointments, I would go to the library, pick up 10 or so books, go home and read my books until my next appointment and repeat. I think the trips saved my sanity. When everyone you know works, goes to school or has too many kids to be able to hang out with you, it can be very isolating.

Now, me and my daughter go to the library often. I pick up my audio books or whatever. She is on a World Record book marathon and loves telling the goriest facts from the books. Yay.... at least she is reading.

Audio Books

I have discovered the joy of audio books. It was by accident. I just wanted to knit but I also wanted to enjoy a good book, I never figured out how to do both at the same time without something falling to the ground.  So I checked out a mystery novel and downloaded the book onto my computer. I sat down in my comfy space and started the book and picked up my knitting. 

I was hooked.

I went back to the library and picked up a few more, including a horror novel. I didn't think it would scare me, but there were a few scenes that made me question every single creak I heard in the house. Needless to say, that became my daytime book.

I even have my favorite audio book artist, Kevin R Free.  His readings make me forget that it is a single person reading and I can hear each character's distinct personality in his readings. My favorite so far is "Bling" by Erica Kennedy.  The combination of his reading and the author's story made me laugh out loud a couple of times on the bus. That is a good way to ensure you have a seat to yourself.

My favorite author isTananarive Due.  I listened to The Good House and that book scared the mess out of me. I have Joplin's Ghost and I will start that when I finish Duma Key by Stephen King. I also have listened to Brandon Massey's books. He is often compared to Stephen King, and that is fair. I just finished listening to Thunderland which was a very good book that i finished knitting my winter slippers listening to.

I feel a little guilty about listening to rather than reading books, and when I told my daughter that we were reading for the night instead of watching TV, she told me that was cheating.  I cringed a little, but told her to can it. But when I think of all that I can do while listening to a good story, knit, clean, cook, fold clothes, I don't feel so bad.