Support Your Local Library!

Support your local library!!! It is an excellent place to pick up audio books on cassette, CD, or even online books! The cassettes and CDs may be gently used, but they certainly read the same. Better yet, they're free!

I just finished listening to the unabridged version of Pride and Prejudice. And I loved it! After Mansfield Park I wasn't sure I would enjoy this much longer book by Jane Austen. However, the characters, the setting, the mood, they were all very different. And though I may be one of the few who has yet to see a movie version of a Jane Austen book, I can easily see why the movies are so popular.

The characters. Oh, the characters. They translate across the generations. Mrs. Bennett is the ever upwardly mobile, interfering mother who can't keep her nose out of her daughters' lives let her mouth shut. Lydia is the impetuous younger sister who is the wild thing. In the 21st century, she'd be the one getting tattooed and pierced well before the legal age. Jane is the quiet, complacent oldest sister. Dutiful in her responsibilities. Mr. Bennett is the well-meaning, but hands off father who realizes a little too late that dads are necessary to get the children to toe the line. And Elizabeth? The level-headed sister, younger than Jane, who knows her place yet doesn't let that keep her from expressing herself most eloquently.

Lest we forget, there are Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Collins, and all the others. But, to me, the book is about the Bennett family. Fairly well off, but with no male heir to inherit the homestead, the family faces the very real possibility of an uncertain future should Mr. Bennett keel over. Not that he will anytime soon. But I gather that in the late 1700's and early 1800's, this was a primary consideration as the life span was not as long as it is now.

I think what I enjoyed most about this book was the sense of what leisure was like 200 years ago. They took walks, they read, they played games, they talked, and they just enjoyed the passage of time. Granted it wasn't representative of the typical person of 200 years ago, and it was fiction so the daily strife that truly occurred wasn't discussed. But even so, just reading the courtships of Jane and Elizabeth was relaxing. LOL. I now want to read some non-fiction to find out how life really was in Jane Austen's time! That is the danger of enjoying books that occur in a different era. My curiosity is piqued and I want to learn more.

That is how I came to read The Little Ice Age, His Excellency, George Washington, 1215, the year of the Magna Carta, The Great Mortality and many others. It seems that for every 3 or 4 fictional books I read I add another 1 or 2 non-fiction books to my 'To Read' list. Right now I have 5 hard copies (paper and hard backs) and 13 soft copies (ibook, Nook, Kindle) ready to read. And since I've joined Book Rooster and Book Bub I have received 7 more soft copies via email! (Sigh) So many books, so little <free> time.

So, now I can mark Pride and Prejudice on my bucket list as read. That makes 62 books on my bucket list that I've read. As of today, that means I have 123 books to go. At least until I add more books to the bucket list. I want to listen to another of Jane Austen's books. I have finally gotten used to the verbiage which makes listening much easier. And I prefer to listen to Jane Austen. I've been reading The Count of Monte Cristo for a bit now, and it's been tough going. I'm enjoying the book, and I don't mind reading it, but it is more relaxing to listen to the books as opposed to tripping over the extreme wordiness. That and I can listen while I'm driving to and from work, which is much more pleasant than listening to the same 5 songs played over and over and over and over ....

Unfortunately, recent budget cuts have made getting to the library rather tricky. They are closed Sunday and Monday, and they are only open now between something like 10 AM through 6 PM Tuesday through Saturday. Which makes it difficult to get to the library any day but Saturday, if you work something like 9-5 and the drive takes about 45 minutes. So, I probably won't be able to get to the library until Saturday. But the good thing is I can reserve any books I'm interested in online. That includes audio books, DVDs and music CD's. See? The library is full of all sorts of free entertainment!

Take some time this week and visit your library. See if they have online services, and if you can, make use of them. You'll be amazed at what they offer.