MY LIBRARY IS ALIVE!

Lately it seems to me that my library has become a living, breathing thing. A monster really.  You see, earlier in the spring I did a major clean up; I'm talking serious culling.  I got rid of so many books it was a little terrifying.  Books I would never read again, and books I didn't like.  And then there were the books that at one point I thought I would read, but then my reading tastes abruptly shifted and I realized they weren't the kinds of books I wanted anymore.  That's sort of what I mean by my library being alive.  It seemed like all of a sudden, my books decided they weren't for me.  It felt like a totally unconscious decision.

And that's the other thing that makes me think my library is its own sentient being.  In the midst of this purging, I had started bringing home books that I never would have dreamed of reading.  Except now I couldn't wait to get my hands on them.  Non-fiction, books in translation, short stories, graphic novels- all stuff that would not have been in my house a year ago.  And sometimes I look around at these piles of books with no small amount of surprise, and wonder how the heck all these strange books got here? My library has a mind of its own.

I guess all of this is to tell you that during the culling and the subsequent rebirth of my library, I have unloaded tons of books at Third Place.  All good books, but just stuff I'm not interested in anymore.  And that's the beauty of used books; buy them, read them (or in my case, don't read them), sell them back, and buy all new books with the credit.

And this weekend is the perfect time to give your library a face lift because it's the Used Book Sale!  40% off all used books at both stores!  Come buy some used books, maybe even some of my old books.  Give your library a rebirth, but be careful, it might take on a life of its own.

Just a reminder, the Lake Forest Park store will continue to buy used books during the sale.  However, the Ravenna location will not be buying books again until Monday.  Heads up!