Trying to be...
2003-07-29 - 7:58 a.m.
Matilda....
I remember the first time a saw the film Matilda, which I then went out and purchased because I adored it so much, I was captivated. I've always loved Roald Dahl's work, and own most of his books. Several copies of each, in deed -- different editions, with different illustrations, etc. Somehow, I don't remember reading Matilda, though I do remember reading his other works.
There are so many things about that movie that I love that I could write about it for days, but the focus of this entry is the love for books. D and I watched this movie together, and were just beside ourselves when Matilda starts to read. She is so hungry for books that she walks to the library with her little red wagon and loads it up with books. Back and forth she goes to the library, just read-read-read-reading as much as she can.
I love this about Matilda. I love this about myself. When I come home from a bookstore, D often says "Hey there, Matilda! What did you get at the store?". Or he'll say "hey Matilda, where do you want your library books to go?". If I'm totally entranced in a book on a lazy Sunday afternoon, he'll come over and whisper "Matilda, what'cha reading?".
This morning I went to the library's website and put a million books on hold. My how I love technology. The fact that you can just sit and type in the names of the books you've read recent reviews about, or by authors you already know you like, etc...its amazing. Just type it in, give your barcode, and voila! They send you an email when its waiting for you. I love this.
Yes, this takes away from some of those serendipitous moments of strolling through the library, scouring the shelves when suddenly some random book speaks to you. I try to occasionally have those kinds of afternoons too. But I find that I'm less inclined to puruse libraries than I am bookstores. Bookstores, however, are like crack to me. I have a hard time walking in to one without walking out with a baker's dozen of recent goodies. Is it Pavlovian? Are publishers just getting more flashy with their artwork and its sucking us in?
In any case, in my efforts to be fiscally responsible, I now have an alternate plan when bookshopping. I allow myself to buy books that I know I will want to have multiple reads of - resource books, feminist literature, etc. But for the quick-read fiction, I can't allow myself to go into debt over cute-but not substantive $15 one-time-reads. So I go in, armed with my palm pilot, and jot down names....authors, titles, publishers, whatever strikes my fancy. Then I go home and put things on reserve with the good ol' NY Public Library.
Today the library got snippy with me. It told me I had already placed too many holds, and I'll have to empty my wish list before asking for more. It made me feel a little greedy. But c'mon, its not my fault that I'm still number 143 out of 865 for The Lovely Bones, or that I'm still number 76 out of 483 for The Devil Wears Prada. I've been holding those books since mid-April.
Thankfully, the drivel I put on hold today (think things in the Brigit Jones' ilk -- Red Dress Ink has many cute, quick reads about quirky 30-something women and their tribulations...again, the type of thing you read once, on the subway, and think "that was cute...I wouldn't buy it,but it distracted me from the guy next to me who is clipping his fingernails") has much shorter waits. For most I'm the next person in line!
Is it sad that I get excited about this stuff? Well then I shouldn't really mention that its even more exciting to get to renew books on-line. No more rushing to the library just to have them scan it so you can finish that last chapter. Just a little click-click-click and its all taken care of.
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P.S. - D just left again. His last (for now) road trip, so we're almost done w/this nonsense. He's gone until Saturday morning, and then unfortunately I'm at a girl's night thing Saturday night/Sunday morning. Then we have Sunday night together, and on Monday I take my vacation week so I'll be gone until that Friday. I think after that we'll actually get to spend time together -- like, on an on-going basis. That will be very, very, very wonderful
