Hosted by Charleen at It’s a Portable Magic.
The last time I participated in Library Checkout was April 2016, right before our library closed for several months to move to a new location. It’s now bigger and more beautiful than ever before (it wasn’t very big or beautiful before, but is now quite beautiful). I’ve been using it a lot since it re-opened in November, but have yet to get back into the habit of documenting it.
The library is now housed in the newly renovated Old Normal College, originally built in 1877.
The new skating rink in front of the library.
At night.
Both ice rink photos courtesy of the local paper.
Library Books Read:
- Lemon by Cordelia Strube (my review)
- Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera (because of Naz)
- The Break by Katherena Vermette (Canada Reads, my review)
- The World More Full of Weeping by Robert J. Wiersema (because of BIP, review to come)
- Even This Page is White by Vivek Shraya (poetry, because of Laura)
- Company Town by Madeline Ashby (Canada Reads, review to come)
Currently Reading:
- Nostalgia by M.G. Vassanji (Canada Reads)
Checked out, to be read:
- Steal Away Home by Karolyn Smardz Frost
- The Wind Seller by Rachael Preston (Halifax Explosion project)
- The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan (Reading Ireland Month)
- Octopus by Patrick Warner (poetry)
- Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine (Doing Dewey’s NF Book Club)
- The Right To Be Cold by Sheila Watt-Cloutier (Canada Reads)
Returned, unread:
- Duke by Sara Tilley
- Arguments with the Lake by Tanis Rideout (poetry)
- Double Talk by Partrick Warner
- a few others that I don’t remember
On Hold:
- After James by Michael Helm
- Baloney by Maxime Raymond Bock
- The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron
- Mitzi Bytes by Kerry Clare
- Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler (Literary Wives)
Have you read any good library books lately?
Consumed by Ink 
What a gorgeous building for a library, and what a quaint name! I hope you enjoyed the Herrera as much as I did, Naomi.
The Herrera was not what I was expecting, but I loved it just the same. (I’m not really sure what I was expecting.)
The inside of the library is also beautiful. They kept the big archways and some of the brick from the old building. And there is so much natural light coming through the big windows.
Which is just what you need in a library. I’m envious.
I still remember vividly that sinkhole opening in the Herrera two years after reading it!
You reminded me to put The Last Neanderthal on hold, thanks!
Looking forward to that one!
Ah, there’s a new host for Library Checkout! Good to know; I’ll add mine to her links.
Your new library is beautiful! I think you’ll love the Donal Ryan book.
I hope I have time to get to it, but it’s not very long, so there’s a good chance!
Your new library is absolutely gorgeous! I’d be there all the time. Haul looks great, too! I’ve got a big stack checked out from my library as well – including my current read, “How to be a Victorian,” by Ruth Goodman (fabulously nerdy!).
I’m at the library quite a bit, but not getting to stay as long as I would like. I’m usually just popping in and out. I’d love the time to snuggle in for a big, long visit. 🙂
“How to be a Victorian” sounds like fun!
From the library, I’m reading Deep Down Dark, about the survival of some Chilean miners following a disaster, which raises some very interesting issues (and Canada has a horrid track-record of international mining endeavors of course, so I have some other reading in mind as well, on this score). I didn’t know you were planning to read Delusions of Gender; I have had that on my TBR for ages! Love the pics too: such a beautiful spot!
I’m *hoping* to read Delusions of Gender. 🙂
Deep Down Dark sounds chilling. And an interesting topic for a new project! Have you read Twenty-Six by Leo McKay Jr.?
I’ve borrowed it, but haven’t read it. Maybe I’ll be more inspired now (or, not). The only mining CanLit I think I’ve read are short stories by Alistair MacLeod and something by Sheldon Currie.
Twenty-Six is about the Westray mine disaster in NS. It happened in 1992 and all 26 miners were killed.
Are you allowed to move into your new library?! It’s GORGEOUS. I’m so jealous. You could totally pretend to live inside a novel while you’re there.
I LOVED Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald so much. Can’t wait for you to read it.
I have considered hiding out while they close up and spending the night. 🙂 If I lived there, I’d also have a lovely skating pond in front of my house.
Glad to hear you loved Z!
An ice rink at the library?! A library with an ice rink!? I’ve got my own skates – am on my way to visit.
Yay! See you soon. 🙂
What a beautiful library. And yay for Donal Ryan, I hope you’ll love it x
It seems to have many admirers!
Am so envious of your library – ours has just been made a volunteer led library so no more council support. Sigh. Hope you enjoy The Spinning Heart as much as I did. Here’s the review I did https://bookertalk.com/2014/07/29/the-spinning-heart-by-daniel-ryan/
A lot of people have read and loved The Spinning Heart – now I’m anxious to get to it!
Hope it lives up to all the praise you’ve seen
Beautiful pictures!!! I’ll have to keep your book list close for my next trip to the library!! Thanks!!!
Thanks, Dawn!
Your new library looks incredible, I love it!
Me too!
That library look gorgeous! Maybe next time you can share some pictures of the interior (if that’s allowed?)
I always love seeing lists of what people have checked out or bought.
I want to read the Yuri Herrera book too, because of Naz! 🙂
Right now I’m reading Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin. I’m really enjoying it!
Maybe I’ll get my daughter to take some pictures with her phone. My camera is a big old clunky one. 🙂
I also love seeing what people are reading, or even just what they’re interested in reading (even if they don’t get to it). Another little peek into who they are.
Oh! oh! Did you like Signs Preceding the End of the World? I loved it so much and I wished that everyone would read it. What a great book.
Yes, I did! I was going to write about it, but it had to go back (it was an ILL), and I thought, well lots of people have already written about it anyway. I might have to request it again sometime and re-read!
What a beautiful library! and a skating rink to boot! I’m “going through” the second library renovation since we moved to our state (one was in my previous town and there’s another one just starting where we live now). It is so encouraging to read about library renewals at a time when many towns are closing libraries down!
I love that I am not the only one who takes out lots of books (and also returns some unread). I am curious how you balance between reading library books and purchased/owned books? I love going to the library and leaving with a bunch of books but then I feel guilty for not reading the books that are collecting dust on my shelves…so I’ve reduced my library-going time even though I would like to spend more time there…
The answer to your question is that I don’t do a very good job at balancing my own books with library books. I always want to read my own books, but other books are too tempting. And then I have to read the library books first before they need to go back. I have a severe problem curbing this behaviour. But there are far worse problems to have, right? 🙂
So true about the library renos – much more encouraging than closures!
I can only echo what others have already said: that library is beautiful! It was worth being without it for a couple of months. I am still reading from my own stacks, although I have checked out a few comic books and audiobooks to listen to in the car. I just started The Spinning Heart last night. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it! And thanks for the reminder to read Delusions of Gender.
It sounds like I might be hearing about The Spinning Heart from you first! My prediction, based on what I’ve heard, is that we’ll both love it. 🙂
It was definitely worth being without it for a few months – it’s even nicer than I thought it could be!
Your library! Wow. So lucky! So beautiful! And an ice rink in front!
Great library stacks!
Seriously, that ice rink out in front has to be the most Canadian thing ever. Love it. I want to go there right now.
I have 6 books currently “On Hold” for me at the library. I’m hoping they slowly trickle in, since I have a significant stack at home I really should focus on! 🙂 (But really, there are a few listed there that aren’t due out until the Fall?) There are probably a dozen more that the trigger finger was hot to pull to throw on hold too – but I showed great strength in just waiting, knowing they will be there at the library soon.
1.) After the Bloom, Leslie Shimotakahara (CDN)
2.) Ferocity, Nicola Lagioia
3.) Himself, Jess Kidd
4.) Women in the Castle, Jessica Shattuck
5.) Edgar & Lucy, Victor Lodato
6.) We Were the Lucky Ones, Georgia Hunter
I always hope my library books will trickle in gradually, but it never seems to happen that way. 🙂
We Were the Luck Ones sounds like a good book!
The best thing was seeing everyone out skating on the rink in their t-shirts the day the temp went up past 10C!
Whoa what a library! with a skating rink too. I think that beats ours hands down but still the library system is great here. Though this week all the books I had on hold or reserve came in at the same time so now I have a pile which I can’t get through at once. Argh I hate to give them back!
That happens to me a lot. Those are some of the toughest decisions I have to make. 😉
What a perfect building for a library. I love fancy new custom-build library designs too, but there’s just nothing like an old brick building.
These days I mostly do e-books from the library. My dad gave me access to his card (shhh!!) and their digital collection is much better than my own library’s physical collection. One thing I miss about the Pacific Northwest!
That’s the one thing that tempts me to read ebooks – I could get an account at the library in the city and have access to their huge collection. On the other hand, I would probably find it even more overwhelming than I already do! 🙂
For me it’s the instant gratification that sucks me in – if I want to read a book, and they have it available I can get it any time of day without having to go outside. However, if I had such a nice physical library to visit I’d have more incentive to get out of the house.
I kind of like the anticipation of waiting for a book, and the pleasant surprise when it shows up on email that it has arrived. 🙂
That is such a beautiful library! It looks rather like a school not far from me. It was a private home of a lord somebody or other, but when he died he willed it to the local council to be used as a school, and so although from the outside it looks like it should be an expensive private affair, it’s just an average school. Lucky kids! And lucky you for that library! My local library looks like a brown glass box.
It was originally the old Normal School, so that makes sense!