The title of this post comes from an inscription from the ancient library at Thebes. Yes, I just got high-brow on your asses. It literally just happened. I also named dropped Marie de France during my sermon on Sunday. You would be forgiven for thinking I went to college, I can sound really learned sometimes...
I love libraries. Perhaps this comes as news to you, someone who posts Britney Spears videos doesn't seem like the type to get all Marion The Librarian on y'all. I'm a multi-faceted motherfucker. When I was 14 I walked two miles each way to go to the library a couple of times.
There is something magical about an entire room full of books on just about any subject you can think of, all for your enjoyment. The library I grew up with in Blain, PA was tiny, it was contained in an old house and the books fit in the dining and living rooms, with the checkout area, card catalog (remember those?) and magazine rack in the kitchen. With working water and everything!
I devoured Nancy Drew mysteries as youngster, then moved on to Agatha Christie novels and celebrity biographies as a teen. I read a Barbra Striesand bio when I was 13 or 14 and fell in love with fabulousness right then. Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell and Reba followed right after, I didn't have a chance in hell of being straight. I listened to Pride & Prejudice on audio book a million times while mowing grass, I heard the brilliant words of Jane Austen before I even read them.
I was 16 when we moved to Potter County. Even more isolated from big city influences, the mysteries of Elizabeth Peters and Lillian Jackson Braun were the link between the world I left behind and the one I had entered. A lot changed in a few months - new house, new neighbors, new family circle and no father. I read a lot, devouring whole books in a day or two. But the library in Coudersport was bigger, it had tons of audiobooks, movies and CDs besides my paper and hardback friends. There were mainstream artists like Madonna and Britney Spears as well as a Gershwin collection that I borrowed repeatedly, and my sisters loved the audiobooks. They even had favorite narrators, and they would try titles they never would have based on the reader.
I also developed an interest in young adult fantasy novels, trying out Artimis Fowl and Harry Potter as well as more adult series like the Acorna and Xanth novels. And the library also had a slew of Star Wars and Star Trek novels and I ran right through the entire collection.
I've been back in Harrisburg for over five years, and my library usage is more sporadic. For one thing, my reading time is more limited. I usually only read on my lunch break at work and maybe a couple of minutes before bed. While my trips to the library as a child and into my teens involved canvas bags full of reading material, enough to keep me occupied for two weeks, now I'm lucky to finish a book in two weeks. Unless it's really good, or really short.
But I get into a groove every now and again, going every two weeks for months on end. I read a lot more non-fiction. A history of Nancy Drew here, a C.S. Lewis religious volume there, Billie Holiday's autobiography, a little of this and a little of that. I also love looking through the audio CDs, they often have boxed sets I could never afford as well as a collection of the 33 1/3 series books packed with the CD. I often find newer indie albums, as well as regular pop and rock CDs, so I can try before I purchase. I'm sampling recent efforts by Morrissey and Sara Watkins right now.
The East Shore Area Library also has a fantastic graphic novel section. I'm not a huge fan of graphic novels and comics, but I've found some really interesting titles that appeal to those outside the traditional comic fan base. I reviewed Skim on the blog a while back, that came from the library. I also read a graphic novel based on The Merchant Of Venice.
I stopped into the library on Monday in search of two books. The first, I read about in an ad the library had placed in The Central Voice. They had a display of LGBT books in honor of Harrisburg's Pride Fest later this month, and one in particular stood out. My Diva: 65 Gay Men On The Women Who Inspire Them looks like my kind of fabulous. I picked it up, and started reading it on Tuesday at work. It's a quick read, each Diva story is only a few pages. I will be sure to post a full review when I finish.
The other book I stopped in for wasn't available. I wanted to read fellow Junior-phile Sam's short story in Best Gay Love Stories 2010, but there wasn't one in the system. So I stopped at Borders and pick it up there. (Should've ordered on Amazon and saved five bucks!) When I finish My Diva, I can keep the gay train rolling! As if I could ever stop it...
I guess the moral to this story is that you should check out your library. Or do you already? If so, tell me what you've read/heard/seen lately that's good. I always want to add to my reading list...
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