Friday, March 23, 2007

Leonard #46, 3/22/07

Well, it's definitely been a while. I guess I can only hope that people still check this space...and if you do, thanks for that. Between books that I couldn't wait to read (basically just Day Watch...I mean, come on, it's part of a trilogy, and Night Watch was totally rad) and trips to Connecticut to see my dad, not to mention having a fever for the past week, making people hate me, and a little thing called MARCH MADNESS?!?! Yep, I'd say it's been a busy couple of weeks.

But I finally found time to read a book I got out at the last library, Dandelion Wine. I had the premise only partially right: it takes place in small town America during the summer of 1928, and it is magical, but not in the way I expected from Bradbury. He essentially managed to turn amazing memories from his childhood into a book so beautiful that anyone who reads it feels as though they experienced it themselves. Excellent reading for when you're sick in bed, but probably also for any other time, provided you feel like focusing on the good in the world, which is certainly a change for me. I'd bet it's best in the summer when you're about 12 though. But it makes you feel like that anyway, so...

Oh, and just a side note, the Paul Auster book I got for Dave, he didn't read, and I started it, and it sucked. The first page anyway. So I just returned it. I mean, lets be honest, scriptorium != a word.

For yesterday's selection, I decided to take out a book by Roberto Bolaño, a dead Chilean author who I read about in Believer Magazine, because I am a big fat lame hipster and that is how I find out about things. But I mean...boring train ride...it had a Stephen Elliott essay...fuck you guys, I'm not the one on trial here. Anyway, this was Bolaño's one book that wasn't checked out or in a library that I'd been to. And so, I trekked to what we all know as that nest of hipsters, the fancy part of Williamsburg, and so arrived at the...LEONARD BRANCH.

Branch: Leonard
Location: 81 Devoe St. at Leonard St.
Transport: G train to Metropolitan Ave.
Books: By Night In Chile by Roberto Bolaño; Sinatra: The Life by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan
Date: Thursday, March 22, 2007

There's not much to say about this neighborhood...I mean, you get off the subway and there's a health food store and a bunch of white people. You all know how it is. Thar be hipsters. Anyway...library was very nice, one large room that was half children's and half...you know, regular. The bathroom was easily accessible, and even the groups of kids in there were being pretty quiet. The atmosphere was so nice, I read a whole Entertainment Weekly in there. Partially because I'm lame, but also to kill time. I happened to notice a paperback copy of a Sinatra biography, and since Dave (roommate) has been asking about that, and also because I am all heart, I got it for him.

One thing about the library that seemed odd but I'm pretty sure was my fault: the entrance/exit. If the walkway coming in is a river, and the checkout desk is a large rock that splits the river, than the right hand fork (coming in) is the entrance. But for some reason, I kept trying to go back to that side to leave. First to take my books out, even though returns were on that side, which would make sense. Then I went back to the checkout side, near the exit, got my books, went downstairs to the bathroom, then came back up and tried to leave through the entrance again. The moral of the story is I just made you read a stupid boring story about how I can't follow directions. And now, pictures!



Most of the building, straight on, and in your face.



Perspective! Blocked by a big tree! But that's ok!



I don't know, maybe so you can read the writing?

That's all for now, but this book is pretty short, so hopefully I can be back on a reasonable schedule soon. I mean, don't hold me to anything, but I'm pretty sure...oh, who cares. Keep readin'!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I love the "Scriptorium != a word"! Its like 80 degrees out.