When I was a little kid, we did not live very close to a public library.
The library was in another town, maybe about 45 minutes away from our house, and going there was a special treat that usually occurred only in conjunction with some far less appealing occasion, like a visit to the dentist.
But these days, E. and I go to the library about once a week. We go to story time, work a few puzzles in the children’s room and we each check out a few books. E. knows how to return books into the book slot (or “that big, big hole,” as he likes to say) and he stands on a stool to help me at the self-service checkout terminal. He even knows where to go to look for any books that we’ve reserved ahead of time.
We own a lot of books and I really do like seeing my favorites on the shelves in our family room and bedroom, but I’m also pretty happy to just borrow them from the library, especially since I don’t read most books more than once.
One exception is cookbooks. I really like owning cookbooks so that I can refer to them whenever I want.
Having said that, borrowing cookbooks from the library has exposed me to lots of books and recipes that I would otherwise have never come across, like this one for a hearty, vegan stew with an African vibe….
