Tuesday, December 7, 2010

I feel smarter already

I'll be the first to admit that my local library system isn't the greatest in the world. The book selection--council-wide--is poor, the books themselves are in pretty rough and grubby condition, and half the staff seems to be on a day loan from some sort of insane asylum. 

But today they officially won me over. Do you know what they're doing for the months of December and January? A 'lucky dip' loaner! If you are willing to check out a book without knowing what it is--there is a box full of books wrapped in paper--you get a DVD voucher! I'd go for this even WITHOUT the voucher. What a fun idea! A mystery book! They say it is to get people to branch out of their usual reading and try something new. I think this is fantastic--it's creative, it's unconventional--it's all things a good library should be. I couldn't jump into that blue plastic bin fast enough.

And after much fondling and shaking and weight-testing my dozen options, I picked out lucky number 29.

I got home with my paper-wrapped book, eager to see what the Islington library thought would be a good out-of-the-ordinary read.


Um...alarming start, but maybe The Handmaid's Tale has undergone a recent reprinting or something! After all, the library surely wouldn't be encouraging people to read new books that wouldn't benefit our literary souls? 



I kid you not.

I can't wait to do it again.

11 comments:

  1. You should avoid Ms. Fallon's other book. It is a bomb.

    Cheers,

    Matthew

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  2. I love this - our library does it for grown ups and kids - good fun

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  3. I wonder what that'll do for your literary soul?

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  4. I'm so going to tell my reader's advisory class about this.

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  5. ROFL!!!!! That is fantastic! Ya gotta love it!

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  6. Is that branching out of your typical reading?

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  7. Sharona, that just gave me THE laugh of the day. Great idea, though.

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  8. Love the lucky dip...

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