Did you know that libraries are full of books?

I've noticed several other friends mentioning their love for their public library systems. I, too, have re-discovered the public library here in Mililani. Now, the library here is nothing special. It has no cool check out system, it has no easy online renewal system (which really irks me), and it doesn't have the greatest selection of books (though you can have books sent from any of the other public libraries on the island for free), and it certainly doesn't have enough parking spaces. What it does have are lots and lots of books to read.

Now, you may be saying to yourself, "Duh, Liz. All libraries are full of books to read. Have you never been to a library before?"

Why yes, I have been to a library before. Many of them, in fact. I've practically lived in a few of them. But the beautiful, wonderful, breathtakingly large libraries I have been frequenting for the past seven years include the BYU library (oh, be still my heart) and the Library of Congress. (GW's campus library was LAME. But again, I could still get all the books I needed through the consortium.) A university/research library is a very different beast than a good old public library. And while I love rows and rows of academic books, anthologies, and research tomes, what a university library lacks are fun, frivolous, and entertaining books to read.

Not that I don't love to read a good academic book. I loved a lot of the books I read in graduate school. On average, I read 2-3 books per week. And by read, I mean skimmed really fast and then read the book reviews/summaries written by other really smart people. Some of the books I read for my courses, I'd recommend to anyone. The Age of Homespun or The Midwife's Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. (Um, anything by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. I really love her. She's my academic hero. Her and Lynn Spigel. Oh, and Delores Hayden. And Amy Kaplan.) The Refinement of America by Richard Bushman. A Traffic of Dead Bodies by Michael Sappol. The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction by Linda Gordon. Make Room for TV by Lynn Spigel and Cold War Orientalism by Christina Klein. There's some seriously good stuff out there in the academic world. And while a good deal of it is poorly written or badly organized, there are a few jems out there that unfortunately don't get the recognition they deserve from a wider audience. It's the rare academic that can bridge the gap between academic books and trade books.

So while I loved a good portion of the books I read in both my undergraduate and graduate studies, the one thing I truly missed was reading a book for the shear enjoyment of reading. There's nothing I love more than getting truly, blissfully, and unequivocally caught up in a good book. I love getting to know new characters, I love rooting around in their lives, taking a piece of their heart and wisdom away with me once the story is over.

And now that I'm not in school and only theoretically employed, I have re-awakened my love of reading by diving into anything and everything. I'm at the public library at least once a week looking for new books. I jump around between historical narratives and biographies, classics of English/world literature, cookbooks, contemporary fiction, and "chick-lit" fiction which are surprisingly satisfying, almost like a good romantic comedy. For the past month, I've been thoroughly engrossed in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Borders labels them as romance books. My library calls them fantasy. I'd call them historical fiction with a science fiction twist. But however you want to label them, they are detailed, nuanced books, well-written and worth each page. (They're extremely long. The series has six books and each is well over 800 pages.) If you've got the time to spare, they're so worth it. I'm on the last book now and I think David will be quite happy once I'm done because I've been staying up late to read.

I love books. I love the way they smell and feel of their heft in my hand. I love their crinkled pages and dog-eared corners and row after row of perfectly sculpted text. Books, as Jonathan Rosen said, are the companions of our soul. Most of all, I love the story within and the way some writers can bend words in ways I never knew you could, the way they can break your heart with a subtle, well-placed preposition. I often wish I had that talent. I often wish I had that way with words. But then again, I've never tried to write anything other than a journal entry, a blog post, or a term paper. I've never been a great storyteller or a creative writer, yet I often dream of writing and being published and taking my words and arranging them in such a way as to be truly beautiful. Maybe someday. But I'm fully convinced that the only way to learn to be a better writer is to read the writings of others until you find your own voice.

And for that, I am glad for the public library and how they are full of books to read.