Despite a childhood of practically living in the public library, I didn’t step foot in one for a full year after starting university. I had university libraries to study in, and on the off chance I had enough free time to read a book, I would borrow one online or buy it. However, recently I’ve found that I’m only reading books that were algorithmically recommended to me on social media. These tended to be super popular recent releases that hit all the latest trends and I realized I wanted to try something different.
Stepping into my local library felt a bit like returning to my childhood. The staff were super helpful and helped me set up a library card quickly. Since then I’ve checked out an assortment of popular books I’d been meaning to read, and books I never would’ve picked up without seeing them on the shelves.
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
Having read Cleopatra and Frankenstein by the same author a few years ago and enjoying it thoroughly, I was excited to see Blue Sisters come out. It’s a beautiful literary fiction exploring sisterhood and grief with a really interesting set of characters to explore. Unfortunately, even a year and a half after its publication, the Libby app still displays a minimum 15-week wait for the e-book at any of the libraries I have a card for. Fortunately, I stopped by the library a few days ago, and there it was on the shelf. While at the time of writing this, I’m only about a quarter of the way through the book, I’m already feeling the beautiful writing that drew me into the first one. So far, it’s seeming a bit less “weird girl fic” compared to the first, which I appreciate, though still with a cast of unique characters, and I’m excited to see where it goes.
Sheet Pan Cooking by Jenny Tschiesche
This is my first year living alone, and I’ve been struggling a lot with deciding what to make. Like most of us, my first instinct when trying to make something is to look up inspiration on the Internet, but sometimes the overabundance of choice would give me decision paralysis, and I’d doom-scroll and not come up with any ideas. Then, I got into cookbooks, which often contain recipes that work super well together and share a lot of similar ingredients, making it easy to do a grocery haul and actually finish all the ingredients even when cooking for one. This book has been revolutionizing the variety of food I get to eat regularly, from breakfast hashes to baked sheet pan dinners. I definitely recommend browsing a library shelf and seeing if any styles of cookbooks draw your eye; it can be such a great way to try some new tastes!
Several People are Typing by Calvin Kalsulke
I looked this book up after I finished reading it, and realized that if I’d seen the online synopsis and reviews before opening it, there was no way I would’ve given it a shot. This science fiction comedy has the insane premise of a public relations office worker being stuck in his firm’s Slack server, unable to escape, with only the AI assistant able to understand his predicament and watch with him as his coworkers gradually go mad, sending incoherent Slack emojis. It was a fast and absurd read, with a lot of endearing characters to like, though many an atrocious plotline to dislike, without giving too many spoilers. While this specific books is one that probably appeals to a vanishingly niche demographic, I really recommend taking a look around a library or bookstore, and instead of picking a book you’ve heard of before, literally grab any random book off the shelf and see what it’s about!
Libraries love it when you check out books, even if you don’t think you’ll be able to finish reading all of them. Library funding is essential to allow them to continue providing these fantastic resources and services, and it often depends on how many total items are being borrowed every year. So if you’re looking to get back into reading, this is your sign to visit your local public library!