Year: 2005


You’re The Catcher in the Rye!
by J.D. Salinger
You are surrounded by phonies, and boy are you sick of them! In an ongoing struggle to search for a land without phonies, you end up running away from everything, from school to consequences. In this process, you reveal that many people in your life have suffered torments and all you really want to do is catch them as they fall. Perhaps using a baseball mitt. Your biggest fans are infamous psychotics.
Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

I’d finished reading all the books and listening to the CD, I borrowed from the library during my previous visit. So last night, I went back to return all of it and get more. After dropping off my returns at the circulation desk (slightly hampered by an old lady’s cane hanging down over the return slot), I wandered over into the fiction section to look for Temple of the Winds (Sword of Truth, Book 4). I first started down the wrong aisle (Goodkind, not Jordan you dolt!) but managed to eventually get myself sorted out and going down the right one.

I got about halfway down the aisle and started to walk around a young lady looking at the shelves when I realized she was standing directly in front of the section I wanted. I excused myself and started looking for Temple of the Winds but it was not to be found. I decided to go ahead and grab a couple of the following books (SotF, FotF and tPoC). As I was turning to leave the aisle, the young lady held up a book (WFS) asked me if it was the first book in the series and if it was any good. I reassured her that it was both the first book and an entertaining read. She then asked if the rest of the series was any good. I replied that of what I’d read (the first 3 books) WFS is the best.

This seemed to disappoint her somewhat and I was going to explain that the other books weren’t bad, when a scruffy looking fellow walked up to me asking for help. He told me that he works for the carnival1 and then went on to explain that he’s not familiar with the Coralville library. I tried to tell him that I wasn’t really familiar with it either2 but he interrupted me saying that he could just tell that I knew libraries and could help him locate a book by Dean Koontz called “Fireball” (he thought). Since the young lady didn’t appear to want to talk any further and I knew Mr. Koontz’s books would just be an aisle or two over; I helped the scruffy guy to find the right section.

When I recounted this story to my wife later that night; she didn’t seem to understand how odd an experience this was for me. After all, I’m 6 foot 5 inches tall and most people don’t talk to me unless they already know me. To me the whole trip to the library had been surreal; but as I started to explain this to her, she interrupted and said…

Oh honey, you just look like a book nerd.

*sigh*

1 Coralville brings in a small carnival every year as part of our 4th of July celebrations.
2 This only being my 2nd visit to check books in probably 6 months to a year.

When I was in elementary school; I used to get in trouble for talking to the other kids during class. Eventually, this got bad enough that the teacher called my Mom in for a parent-teacher conference to discuss the problem…

Teacher: Mark keeps talking during class and it’s very disruptive.
Mom: When is he doing all this talking?
Teacher: After he finishes his assignment.
Mom: Did you give him something to read?
Teacher: Yes, but he finished that book.
Mom: Did you try giving him another one?
Teacher: Yes, but he finished that one too.
Mom: *glare*
Teacher: In fact, he’s already read all the books in the room.
Mom: Why don’t you get him another one from the library then?
Teacher: I did but he finished it already.
Mom: *glare* Then why don’t you let him go to the library and get another one?
Teacher: Wha…. I can’t do that!?! He could get into all sorts of trouble walking down the hallway.
Mom: *glare* If you let him go to the library; he’ll stop talking in class.

Eventually, I was allowed to walk those halls, wander the shelves of the library and seek out new books to read. As Mom predicted, once I had something to read; I was quiet in class. This is a habit that has stuck with me over the years and I ended up spending much of my youth in school & public libraries. I bring this up today because for the first time in a long time; I went down to CPL and checked out some books. This sudden trip to my local public library was prompted by their advertising of an adult summer reading program. The basic idea is you have to read 6 books, turn in a log and then you’ll be entered to win a gift certificate to a book store. I never could turn down free books; so I decided to go sign up2.

As I wandered around the library looking for some books to read; I felt a sense of nostalgia and loss. There were entire summers in my youth were I barely went anywhere else besides the library. These days, the rarity is when I do go. I miss those fabled days of yesteryear when life was simple and I could relax with a book in my hand all summer long. *sigh*

So why haven’t I been going? Partly because I’m an ornery cuss who doesn’t like having to wait and if the library doesn’t have the next book in a series I’m reading; it irks me. Partly because I can afford to buy more books for myself than I could when I was younger. Having my own copy of a book means I can read it whenever I like 24/7/3653 and the copy of the book I’m reading is likely to be in better condition (plus it’ll stay that way). *shrug* Not sure what else I have to say, except that I hope to be making visits to my public library more often. It’ll let me relive parts of my past (and beat some of this summer heat).

1 For some reason, employers don’t like it when you read books all day instead of testing their software.
2 Besides, money has been a bit tighter of late and borrowing books from the library is cheap entertainment. 😀
3 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (366 in a leap year).