A Library-ish Year

Something that I started doing last year, but stopped without meaning to, was to keep a list of things I have borrowed from the library, and how much they would have cost me should I have bought them full price, or on amazon. By the time I had lost track, it was April, and I was up to over £300! I really could not afford to keep myself in books if I had to buy them. One of my new year's resolutions is to resurrect the project...so here we go!

Moonraker, Ian Fleming
£7.99/£4.98
I was leaving work one evening and needed something to read for the bus. I had put another Bond novel on display, as it had been republished with a really feminine cover, and was not going to issue where it should live. Running out of time before the bus, I picked it up, and discovered that I love James Bond novels! So to take me over the new year, I chose another, and was pleased to discover that I enjoyed this one as well. I don't think I would want to buy them, unless I was going to collect vintage editions, so I am glad I borrowed rather than bought.

Goldfinger, Ian Fleming
£7.99/£5.99
Another instance of leaving to go home and wanting a book for my handbag (its funny, I think of a book as a handbag essential, along with a hairbrush, tissues, lipstick (or two!), keys, purse and phone! Oh, and a mirror!) This time I wanted something I knew I would enjoy, so picked up another in the Bond series. So far, I am only 10 pages in, but I am enjoying it.

Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Meals In Minutes
£9.99/£6.62
We are not vegetarian, but do eat vegetarian meals quite often. I don't think that we need to eat meat or fish at every meal to be healthy, and I like to eat seasonally, so books like this help give me new ideas. Plus, a book that offers meals in minutes is a definite advantage when you work and get in not long before a hungry husband on some days! This is one book that I am going to keep an eye out for in charity shops, and maybe even think about buying on amazon one day.

So, one week into 2011 and I have already saved £24.97/£17.59...not bad! What I need to do now is get into the habit of using the library like a normal person. That is, going to the library. There is a lot of serendipity about working in one...you get exposed to an awful lot of books you might not have known about. But it does mean that you tend to fill your library card in the manner of a magpie feathering its nest! Lots of books left on your desk by friends, recommended by readers, that you noticed while shelving...but there is something about purposefully browsing, going into the library with a list of books to find, or just to see what there is....so I am going to try and get out there on my lunch hour every now and again and browse properly. A whole year of reading...new authors to discover, old favourites to revisit... I can't wait!