This week's library run: 18 Nov 2008

I thought it might be fun to start writing a weekly post featuring the books I received in my regular library run. Whenever I hear about a book I might want to read, I check my library's online catalog to see if they have it. If they do, I usually put in a request to have it sent to my local branch. On Monday or Tuesday of each week, ABM stops by the library and picks up whatever has arrived. Some weeks there are a lot of books if I have requested older titles; other weeks, I barely have any books because I'm in a queue for certain books. For instance, I am still waiting for Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist.

Because I rarely check my running request list, opening the library bag when ABM brings it home is sometimes like getting a present. This week is one of those weeks because the books I thought I was getting first haven't come in yet. Here is what did arrive:

The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer
I found this book on Felicia Day's Goodreads list. The title intrigued me, as did the idea of reading something that an actress I like is also reading. The neo-Victorian storyline seems like something that I would enjoy because I like the combination of old and new.







Everyday Fashions of the Forties as Pictured in Sears Catalogs
This book doesn't qualify as "reading", but pretty pictures make me happy :-). I borrowed the 1960s version of this book last week, and I was surprised by how much M and C1 enjoyed it. They are both trying to figure out their personal styles, so I thought that a little fashion history might help. I loved retro clothes when I was their age, and I hope they are developing a taste for them, too.





The American Boy's Handy Book
I like the idea of books that teach my kids old-fashioned ways to amuse themselves. This one may turn out to be more of a curiousity than a practical guide since it is a reprint of the 1882 original and not a modern adaptation. Still, I couldn't help checking it out.






Grandma's Wartime Kitchen: World War II and the Way We Cooked
This book is part of my quest to get back to basics in my kitchen. My theory is that simple cooking in the style of our grandmothers will be less expensive and more filling than what I am producing. I didn't learn to cook at my mother's knee, so I rely on cookbooks to teach me the kitchen skills that other women learned in their youth.





That's it for this week's library run. Next week, I expect to have a larger stack because I am trying to request enough books to hold the kids over during the long Thanksgiving weekend.