Book Sale!

Periodically, my public library, Boone County Public Library (that’s the Boone County in Northern Kentucky of the Greater Cincinnati area), has a book sale.  My guess is that the books that they sell are the ones that have gone through the reading cycle and now don’t have a huge demand.  Since my reading typically doesn’t depend on what’s currently popular, I almost always find something of interest to me when I check out the sales.

This past weekend, the Scheben branch held its sale.  Yesterday afternoon, I wandered over to see what I might find.  It’s interesting that the books for sale are not necessarily in any specific order as the other books in the library.  I think they had them grouped roughly by genre.  I thoroughly enjoy walking up and down the rows of books seeing what might catch my eye.  My two middle kids were with me.  They looked briefly at the teen section then went and sat in a corner with their iPods.  They knew Dad might be a while, but they’re used to it by now.

Here is a rundown of the books that I found:

– The Reef by Edith Wharton:  I have yet to read anything by this author; however, one of her short stories is on my Deal Me In list.  That particular card has not yet popped up in the deck, yet.  I don’t think this novel is as well-known as her novels Ethan Frome, House of Mirth, or Age of Innocence.

–The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck:  I will probably read this very soon.  I’ve gotten a sudden interest in Steinbeck.

–Nights At The Alexandra by William Trevor:  I’ve discovered Trevor’s short stories this year and have greatly enjoyed them.  This novella will probably get read in the near future, also.

–A Passage to India by E. M. Forster:  Forster’s novel A Room With A View has been a favorite of mine for a long time; however, I’ve never read any of his other works.  This one and Howard’s End seem to be the other novels of his that pop up on my radar from time to time.  I think all of his novels have been made into Merchant/Ivory films.

–Anchored In Love: An Intimate Portrait of June Carter Cash by John Carter Cash:  The fact that this book was written by Johnny and June’s son made it difficult to pass up- which reminds me that I have Johnny Cash’s autobiography on my shelf somewhere.  I need to read that, too!

–Song Yet Sung by James McBride:  My wife just read McBride’s autobiography The Color of Water for a book group.  I’m not sure what she thought of it.  Something about this novel sounds intriguing even though I was a little disappointed with his World War II novel, Miracle at St. Anna.

– And finally, I found a short story compilation that I am sure will get used for my 2014 Deal Me In project.  Bernard Malamud, Dorothy Parker, James Thurber, Anton Chekhov, to name a few of the authors included.

The great thing about this book sale was that I got the above books for free!  Each summer, BCPL hosts an adult reading program where adults read books, listen to music and watch movies from the library for “Library Bucks”.  Over the past four summers, I have accumulated an entire drawer full of these.  I can use them at the book sales or to pay fines (which I admit I occasionally have).  It’s looking like I might not ever spend the Library Bucks as fast as I get them.  I only spent five of them for these books!

Check out the website here of a great public library!

A Heartfelt Thanks…

As April 14 – 20 is National Library Week, I wanted to once again give my heartfelt thanks to the Boone County Public Library of Northern Kentucky.

Thanks for the great selection of books both new and old.

Thanks for the friendliness and willingness to help that characterize all of the library staff with whom I interact.

Thanks for the programs conducted by BCPL such as Money Matter Meals (the meals are free!), the Friday Night Concert Series, the tons of programs for kids of all ages (my kids especially enjoyed “Dr. Who” night),  movie nights.

Thanks for bringing local authors to my attention through discussions with the authors, book signings and the One Book One Community of Northern Kentucky.

And last but not least, thanks for all the great bookmarks!

Check out the website of a wonderful public library right here!

Library Memories: Boone County Public Library of Northern Kentucky

As this is the current library I visit and utilize, I don’t know whether the word “memories” is appropriate as it implies something in the past; however, my experience at BCPL over the last few years is what has prompted me to recollect the libraries that have had an impact on me both as a child and an adult.

As the most recent recession hit my family and others rather hard, I’ve come to fully realize and appreciate that the vast education and entertainment resources available at BCPL (and many other libraries) are FREE!  That may seem to be stating the obvious but it can be easy, especially when such a top notch library like BCPL is available, to sometimes forget that fact.

In addition to all the books I’ve read from BCPL (still the first and foremost reason I utilize the library), the movies, music and games continue to attract me and my family.  I’ve come to enjoy the live concerts that they sponsor (usually on Friday nights).  Various kinds of music and, many times, local artists headline the concert series each season.  One of the more memorable concerts for myself has been Jeffrey Foucault, a folk singer I had not heard of before seeing him on the BCPL concert schedule.  He’s now one of my favorites.  I also saw the Louisville band The Muckrakers along with Brigid Kaelin (who has played the musical saw while performing with Elvis Costello).  I’ll mention one more time – all of these concerts are FREE!

(Brigid Kaelin)

The Main Branch of the library in Burlington, Kentucky had just started construction when I moved to the area.    At the entrance, patrons are greeted by a statue of Mary Draper Ingles, best known (at least by me) as the heroine in James Alexander Thom’s novel Follow The River.  I believe the river in the title references the Ohio River – only a few miles away from BCPL.  While I haven’t read this novel yet, I’ve read Thom’s novel Sign-Talker recently.

(Main Branch view from Highway 18)

(Mary Draper Ingles statue at entrance of Main Branch)

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the small but mighty Lents Branch here.  This is the branch that I visit most.  The friendliness of the staff continues to make it a pleasure to walk into every few days (that’s about how often I visit).  If an item is at another branch, I can request it online to be sent to Lents and it will be there usually within 24 hours, saving me a trip.

BCPL is a fitting end to my library trip down memory lane.  As most libraries are, BCPL is a significant contributor to the culture and education of it’s community.

Here’s to the Boone County Public Library of Northern Kentucky!

In honor of National Library Week (April 8 -14, 2012), I wanted to give a shout out to the Boone County Public Library of Northern Kentucky.  This library more than holds its own when compared to some other larger libraries.  I’m able to get almost any book I’m looking for in addition to movies and music.  Occasionally, they may not have a book I’m looking for, but they can get it for me through interlibrary loans.  Last year, they got a book for me from a Florida library within two weeks.

They also have a concert schedule that I would recommend to anyone interested in live performances of various types of music – free!  I saw folk singer Jeffrey Foucault about a year ago.  It wasn’t just one of the best free concerts I’ve ever seen.  It was flat out one of the best concerts I’ve seen, period.

In the age of eReaders, they haven’t fallen by the wayside, by any means.  eReaders can be borrowed and many eBooks are in their collection, instantly ready to download to your own eReader.

They have numerous activities and programs for both kids and adults.  In connection with The Hunger Games movie, they provided several activities for teenagers with the movie as a theme.  They also conducted a class to teach people how to plan a Disney vacation.  Anyone who needs to brush up on their Microsoft Office skills, they periodically hold classes on Excel, Word, Access, etc.

I thank BCPL for being such a vital part of the life of my family!