Tag: Ripon Library

Rebecca of Bookish Beck fame has a monthly challenge – Love your Library. She uses her own post to tell us what she has read, what she is reading, what she gave up on or never even started, and what she’ll read next. That’s what I’ll do too.

But first. Why do I love my library? Well, I’m lucky. Our County Council still prioritises books. It’s not often that we have a week when no new stock comes into our branch. New releases; books that have won some literary prize; works in translation; books from small indie publishers; old favourites and non-fiction of all kinds all get a look in.

These days, our libraries run on a mixture of professional staff and volunteers: some smaller libraries are entirely volunteer-run. And I’m a volunteer at our local, bigger library. I love it. First of all, it’s easy to get first dibs on new stock. But the tasks are varied. Processing books from other libraries requested by our own readers. Sending copies of books we stock to other libraries who’ve requested them. Helping the public with queries about books; parking; local clubs; photocopying …. And shelving. Always shelving. But that’s OK. Being shallow, I often judge a book by its cover, and I rarely get through a morning without finding something appetising to borrow. To go with the dozen or more I usually have on reserve.

And anyway, on the morning I usually volunteer there’s a pre-school music group in the children’s section, and I’ll find myself singing along (strictly to myself) to ‘Hola! A todos aqui‘, or ‘Row, row, row your boat‘, as I wander round with my book trolley, shelving. Friends turn up to change their books. We have a quick chat. The morning passes quickly.

So. What have I read during November? Normally I’ll do a mini-review, but this post is quite long enough already, so star-ratings will have to do.

• Magpie Murders: Anthony Horowitz ⭐⭐
• Carte Blanche: Carlo Lucarelli (Translated by Michael Reynolds) ⭐⭐⭐⭐*
• Peace on the Western Front: Mattia Signorini (Translated by Vicki Satlow) ⭐⭐⭐*
• A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better: Benjamin Wood ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The Rich People Have Gone Away: Regina Porter ⭐⭐⭐
• The Dinner Party: Viola van de Sandt ⭐⭐⭐
• The Frozen River: Ariel Lawhon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Run Me to Earth: Paul Yoon⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The Penelopiad: Margaret Atwood ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐*
• The Wax Child: Olga Ravn (Translated by Martin Aitken) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐*
• The Silver Book: Olivia Laing ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Burnt Shadows: Kamila Shamsie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Before you say that seems a lot, remember that 4 (marked *) are novellas, and therefore short, reviewed here. But you’re right. This has been a book-heavy month.

Borrowed and yet to be read, or currently being read:

• A Short History of America: from Tea Party to Trump: Simon Jenkins
• Reward System: Jem Calder
• Close Range: Wyoming Stories: Annie Proulx
• The North Road: Rob Cowen

As I have nine books on reserve, it’s possible some of the already-borrowed books may end up unread. You can never tell. Some books I reserve come straight away. Some take so long I’d forgotten I’d reserved them. One hasn’t even been published yet!

I DID abandon a couple of books, but I forgot to note them down, and they went out of my head the second they got back to the library.

So that’s my month in books … and in my library. I took most of the shots in the minutes before the library opened, in order not to ruffle any feathers. Actually, it’s well-used and should look rather more peopled. But at least nobody’s been upset by being photographed on a bad-hair day.