Friday, February 21, 2003

An old habit:

Wow, I haven't done this in a while. I finished a book in a night. I took a break from the Quark and the Jaguar to read About a Boy by Nick Hornsby. It was great to do some "blow-off" reading. Especially since the Quark and the Jaguar is so... umm... I believe boring is the correct word.

Next on Jen's extracurricular "Being a More Enlightened Person" booklist: A Room with a View by E.M. Forster and Northanger Abbey by the inimitable Jane Austen. Slowly, but surely, I will turn into a well-read English major. My American lit professor started listing all of these authors that wrote about California, and I was happy to say that I've read books by all of them. Did I like most of the books? Not particularly. Joan Didion just isn't my cup of tea. Neither is Steinbeck, to tell the truth. But I'm going to continue with this extracurricular reading bonanza. It makes me feel better about my semester.

There's nothing quite like going to a good library. Doheny Memorial Library at USC is a good library.

Whenever I walk into the bookstacks, I feel like I'm entering another world. And to be quite honest, it's rather daunting. There are so many wonderful books out there to read - and here I am, stuck with the task of trying to decipher the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. I like this challenge. I've gotten rather proficient at manuevering through the stacks - I know where specific authors are located, as well as the sites of many different call numbers. Sometimes, when I'm in a hurry, I check the catalog to see if the book's available, run down to the appropriate floor, grab the book, and check it out without bothering to write down the call number. Surprisingly, that saves me some time - although I can't do it all the time. At other times, I just go and linger in the bookstacks or in a reading room. It makes me feel "academic."

I recently visited the LA Central Public Library. I think I'm going to make this place part of my library routine. I was only there for about forty five minutes, but that was enough to become entranced by the magic of the place. I want to live in the children's section. Do you think that's possible? Perhaps not, but I understand the draw to be a librarian. My mom's experience has convinced me that I never want to be one... but I think I know why she loves it so much.

Basically, I'm glad I'm an English major - this just means I have even more opportunities to read.