Imogen's Rules for Library Trips
18:56
Being the book-loving person that I am, I occasionally visit
this lovely little place called the library. It’s a wondrous building full of
hundreds of books that you’re allowed to take home for free. That sounds pretty
much like heaven. Of course, being a rather strange book-loving person, there
are a few rules that accompany such library trips. Today I’d like to share my
top four rules for library trips, in no particular order.
Rule one: Always bring another book-lover. In my case, my
sister Charlotte. No library visit is complete without cracking a few hundred
book related jokes with my crazy sister. One simply must have a fellow reader
to cringe at cliché romances, giggle at overdramatic book titles, and obsess
over favourite books with.
Rule two: Play the title game. Have you ever noticed that
titles seem to follow a trend? Like they’ll all be about swooning, or blood, or
have the word ‘keeper’ somewhere. The title game involves counting up all the
titles that contain a particular word or phrase. My favourite word to look out
for is ‘Alaska’. Apparently either John Green’s ‘Looking for Alaska’ has
influenced the current crop of titles, or it’s a very popular place to set a
book.
Rule three: Choose books based on random plot elements. Who
to know what a book is about anyway? As long as I know that someone has
amnesia, or that there are fairies in the book, what else do I need to know
about the plot? Admittedly, this method doesn’t always guarantee a perfect
selection of books, but it is highly amusing and makes for a varied stack at
the end.
Rule four: No book is too young. Don’t believe the
judgemental looks the other library patrons might give you. There is nothing
wrong with browsing the kids’ books when you’re in your twenties. Good writing
knows no age limits. Go thou and read all the MG books you like. Be a
book-loving, library visiting rebel.
So there you have it,
my top four rules for visiting libraries. What rules do you live by when you
visit this wondrous place? Have you ever played the title game? And what was
the last book you borrowed from the library?
16 comments
I love this! I usually go to the library by myself but it's always more fun when I bring a pal. I don't normally play games though because I'm too busy scanning for the book that's going to known my socks off. Like... Red Rising. WOW. And it's true, library = heaven.
ReplyDeleteI borrowed 15 books from the library last, and the one I'm reading now is an epic/high fantasy called The Wise Man's Fear. OMGOMGSOGOOD. As always, very entertaining post!
It's always amazing when you find that book that blows you off your feet. I've heard such great things about Red Rising, but I haven't found a copy of it yet which is so disappointing. I'll have to keep my eyes open for 'The Wise Man's Fear'. I love a good high fantasy. Thanks!
Deletehahaha who knew there are rules for visiting library :P
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure we have public libraries with any good books them in Delhi but there are library at school..I borrowed few book when I was in school..there was one which was kind of funny and horror and it was from the ghosts point of view kind of like Casper but I never followed any of these rules :P
I don't think I've seen many books from the ghost's point of view. I love to see things from the viewpoint of unexpected characters though. More people should try writing about unusual narrators, don't you think?
DeleteI absolutely do :)
DeleteI'm so glad I'm not the only one who has a system for it! There's a library about a ten minute walk away from my house, so I go with my brother all the time, and we always have certain things we do. Including the title game. xD One of our favorite things to do, in fact, is wander through the YA section and guess the genre based on the title and the cover. "Ooh, that one has a girl in a black dress, I bet it's about vampires or something."
ReplyDeleteThe last book I checked out was...well, I got 8 books last time I went, but one of them was Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff, a Japanese steampunk. I'm super excited about it.
Wow, it must be amazing to live that close to the library. The nearest one is about twenty minutes away. Actually, the first place I drove to when I got my license was the library. Oh, I do the cover game sometimes too. My sister and I are getting to be pros at picking the vampire books. I've been considering writing a post on how to recognise a vampire book from a distance. Ooh, a Japanses steampunk sounds ever so cool. I don't think that there are enough steampunk books in general, and a Japanese one sounds like a rare gem. Hopefully it's a good book.
DeleteOooh I love this! I recently finished Looking for Alaska...but, um, wasn't such a huge fan of it. I wasn't crazy about TFIOS either...but who knows, maybe he's just an author who's too profound for me anyway haha! Anyway, whenever I go the to library I always have a list of books that I want to get beforehand, so I can finish getting them quickly and get on to reading them! :)
ReplyDeleteI have to admit something terrible. I'm not a big fan of John Green either. I read Paper Towns and I just didn't get it. Obviously he's not the author for me either, though I'm sure he really is an amazing author in his own way. But not everyone can like every book, right? You must have a great library. I never know if my library is going to have the books I want so it's always pot luck what I get.
DeleteI love this so much! It's often so hard for me to check out books because I have so many books on my TBR pile but I always forget what to check out when I'm actually at the library. And I always go into the children's section. People give me weird looks but I'm like, "Books are all so timeless! Anyone can read them." You know?
ReplyDeletexoxo Morning
I agree. Who's to say that children's book are only for children? I know a lot of writers, like Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), write so that everyone can connect with their story. And that's why we ignore those judging stares. Because we know better than to be stopped by these arbitrary labels.
DeleteMy library has an okay selection of YA. Most of the books are known but they're older. I still love them though! There's a lot I have yet to read and I'm excited to do it soon.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with bringing a friend. Usually, I"M the friend but I would love to see what it woudl be like with someone who knows different things than I do. I'm the crazy person going "THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS" and soon my friend has a stack of books higher than her face. It's hilarious.
That does sound hilarious. I normally visit the library with my three sisters, and the young two always end up with a pile higher than their heads as I go nuts giving them all my favourite books. Good books should be shared, shouldn't they?
DeleteWonderful post, Imogen. The library is a glorious place for book lovers. Now if only I could actually keep those "free" books...To add on to number 3, it is also totally mandatory to pick random books because they have gorgeous covers. I pick way too many books like that. Shh...Don't tell anyone I said that.
ReplyDeleteYour secret is safe with me. A fabulous cover makes a great book really special though, doesn't it?
DeleteThis is sweet! I think it's always fun to go to the library and do different things—I usually don't have any rules, except for the one where I go see if there are any DVD's to check out. I actually use the library more for TV, rather than for books. I already have a ton at home! Either way, these are some sick rules—and, coincidentally, they remind me of my best friend so I think I shall go share them with her. *knods*
ReplyDelete