Ate books like popcorn cont.
Dec. 23rd, 2008 08:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crazyfurriesSometime during college, she worked in the libraries as a page. She found it both heartening and completely frustrating. For absolutely clear reasons, it was a full larder of things to eat and absorb, but it was also full of pitfalls. There was no way of telling a good book from a bad one, since books unlike real food, gave no scent to the contents between the covers.
~~~~~~~~~~~
She loved the days when the books were gone over for conditions, for their problems with age and with wear. So many older books were sent to be put onto sale or free for the taking. Others were simply in too poor a condition to even do for that. It was like bargain hunting at the grocery store on those days of the month, she snuck a tiny razor in with her to slice off a tiny sliver of paper to get a taste sample, for something she had discovered, some books improved with age.
Some did not at all. Among these any copies of Pride and Prejudice were soundly shredded for the library's pet rat to nest in. Which on the whole was a far better use for it.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The children's books were simple sweets and too often many worn-out crayons volumes found their ways into her 'larder' when the monthly renewal came in. But sprinkled amid the mass of plain sweets were rich decadent gems, full of real information and carefully blended with wit. The Narnia series were alright in their own rights, like flavored creampuffs. Sometimes a new author would come in, or sometimes an adult author would write a book for children. She treasured pages from old copies of Terry Pratchett's work, they were like exotic fudge.
It was hit or miss with many adult books, but she could count on a child's book to provide a little cheer and 'empty' calories on a bad day, more so than any sordid romance novel.
~~~~~~~~~~~
She loved the days when the books were gone over for conditions, for their problems with age and with wear. So many older books were sent to be put onto sale or free for the taking. Others were simply in too poor a condition to even do for that. It was like bargain hunting at the grocery store on those days of the month, she snuck a tiny razor in with her to slice off a tiny sliver of paper to get a taste sample, for something she had discovered, some books improved with age.
Some did not at all. Among these any copies of Pride and Prejudice were soundly shredded for the library's pet rat to nest in. Which on the whole was a far better use for it.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The children's books were simple sweets and too often many worn-out crayons volumes found their ways into her 'larder' when the monthly renewal came in. But sprinkled amid the mass of plain sweets were rich decadent gems, full of real information and carefully blended with wit. The Narnia series were alright in their own rights, like flavored creampuffs. Sometimes a new author would come in, or sometimes an adult author would write a book for children. She treasured pages from old copies of Terry Pratchett's work, they were like exotic fudge.
It was hit or miss with many adult books, but she could count on a child's book to provide a little cheer and 'empty' calories on a bad day, more so than any sordid romance novel.
