Card-Carrying Member

Like many families, J and I are making efforts to reign in some of the extraneous expenses incurred in the knitty household. I love to look at, browse through and ultimately purchase (too many) books. In Portland, I had become fairly good at going to the library as opposed to purchasing my own copy of a book that I would most likely only read once. My sisters and I have also started a chick-lit exchange and will frequently put together care packages that include several of the latest from Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella and a few of our other favorites to try and off-set the cost of our obsession which has been really fun.

In remembering the good ole days in P-town when the library was a walk (a longer walk granted, but a walk nonetheless) away, I realized with shock that I didn't even have a library card for any of the Massachusetts public libraries! I've not taken H to a story hour here! I've been buying every book I've read here thus far, and there has been A LOT of reading when you consider not only the ones I read on my own but my monthly book club books. Those are getting to be some costly care packages!

Ashamed of myself, I decided to drive to the labyrinth that is downtown Worcester in my quest for the public library as I'd heard it had a wonderful children's room. After about thirty minutes longer than it should have taken me to get there, thanks to failed leadership from my friend google maps (thirty minutes filled with H asking "What did you say to him, Mommy?" after I'd used yet another of my not so polite terms and phrases that inquire as to another driver's intentions on the road) we pulled into an empty slot and I fed the meter. I swear, I should be thanking my lucky stars that the dreaded Gd phrase is all that he's repeated after witnessing my road rage for three years.

I wrangled H inside, C securely in the sling, and proceeded to the membership desk. After walking away with my shiny new card, I headed toward the end of the library said to house the illustrious children's wing and expected something like the Iowa CityLibrary's Children's Room all shiny walls, high ceilings and toddler play centers. While it was certainly a nice space for elementary aged children, I have to say I didn't love it for H. There was a very small table with some Lego's on it, which had older kids playing at it, but there weren't many things that felt geared toward pre-schoolers. Darn. H must have been expecting the same, as he continually asked when he'd get to play at the train table...which are only at the IC library and every Barnes and Noble we've ever been to. Double Darn.

After reading a couple of books to H, we headed out and I saw a display of current fiction which included several of Jodi Picoult's books. I checked out My Sister's Keeper, secretly hoping it would be as much of a Debbie Downer as Nineteen Minutes. While Ms Picoult is phenomenal at character and plot development, they're pretty much suicide on a stick; do not read if you're feeling melancholy or are experiencing "the baby blues".

Speaking of card-carrying members...and the baby blues