Books #35

[ordinaryjelly]

You can join any library in England (or Wales/NI, but not Scotland) no matter where you live @LydiaDeetzHat

So sad what they have done to your library. It is bonkers how that is how some are treated. Our local library has been turned into an all singing all dancing hub of the community, although they closed two to 'merge' then. We just got lucky that it was our home library that came out on top.

But yeah, any library, anywhere in the country!

 

[ordinaryjelly]

You don't have to show proof of address to join our library so I would just try my luck anywhere.

 

[LydiaDeetzHat]

I think if you join one of the libraries in The Library Consortium, you get access to all books across the members? https://thelibrariesconsortium.org.uk/ Hopefully one of them is more convenient for you!

That's amazing if I can. I might just join Ealing (a one hr bus ride away) and then hopefully have access to others which will be handy either digitally or in person where i might find work..

 

[LydiaDeetzHat]

This worries me greatly - we have an amazing charity run library service in our county but the council have just voted to take it back in house (despite absolutely no one wanting this to happen other than them) and wouldn't be surprised if this is how we end up.

If you want any support.. sadly we had only a small amount of activism here as most didn't know about this;. The council kept it quiet anddid it behind our backs. I only found out it was happening because someone found out somehow and put it on FB. At the planning meeting which was attended by public, one councillor out and out LIED and said that all local residents and library users they had emails and details of were consulted.. They have my email and i live 1 min walk away. And I was not the only one who was calling BS out loud at hearing this.On the last day before closure some library users were in at the same time as me n didnt even know it was closing.

 

[LydiaDeetzHat]

You can join any library in England (or Wales/NI, but not Scotland) no matter where you live @LydiaDeetzHat

So sad what they have done to your library. It is bonkers how that is how some are treated. Our local library has been turned into an all singing all dancing hub of the community, although they closed two to 'merge' then. We just got lucky that it was our home library that came out on top.

But yeah, any library, anywhere in the country!

what absolutely turns my stomach is for as long as I have lived here.. Our Mayor and councillors have always said oh we believe in libraries, we will never close like other boroughs etc etc. They practically dined out and prided themselves on that claim.. Instead I had to sit there and listen to them claim that its what residents want..as its near the Family hub. Basically a HUGE waste of money.. we never had council services when we were brought up.. you had church mother and toddler groups for that. All the Muslims etc won't go near churches or community halls so they set up this VERY expensive Family hub for them to get their kids to play with other.

 

[veronica71]

If you want any support.. sadly we had only a small amount of activism here as most didn't know about this;. The council kept it quiet anddid it behind our backs. I only found out it was happening because someone found out somehow and put it on FB. At the planning meeting which was attended by public, one councillor out and out LIED and said that all local residents and library users they had emails and details of were consulted.. They have my email and i live 1 min walk away. And I was not the only one who was calling BS out loud at hearing this.On the last day before closure some library users were in at the same time as me n didnt even know it was closing.

Luckily all our libraries have friends groups who quickly grouped together and put in a great effort to get it stopped - but there was no way they would back down. Libraries are so very important it makes me so cross they are treated so badly

 

[LydiaDeetzHat]

Thank you Tattle Book lovers. I have now joined Ealing online and will hop on a bus next Wed as apparently they also have a crochet group at lunchtime. They do seem to have a consortium agreement which means I will have access to a wider range. Pity I have to travel over an hr each way to get there in person at a cost of £1.75 X 2 when there is a "library" literally on my doorstep.,

Love you guys for the support and info..

 

[mindlessness]

Thank you Tattle Book lovers. I have now joined Ealing online and will hop on a bus next Wed as apparently they also have a crochet group at lunchtime. They do seem to have a consortium agreement which means I will have access to a wider range. Pity I have to travel over an hr each way to get there in person at a cost of £1.75 X 2 when there is a "library" literally on my doorstep.,

Love you guys for the support and info..

Glad this has worked (though not super well, given you'll have a bus journey ahead of you!) and how lovely that there's a crochet club!

 

[LydiaDeetzHat]

Glad this has worked (though not super well, given you'll have a bus journey ahead of you!) and how lovely that there's a crochet club!

IKR and hopefully it will be one of those lovely London ones.. I have seen so many much better than ours on socials.. It always used to irk me that a booktuber in Norwich could get the most amazing and relatively obscure books and ours never had the most basic and popular books. I mean what library doesn't stock John Green fgs..

and hey.. one hr bus ride.. If i can find my mask.. more time for reading!!! I bet i can read one on the way home lol

 

[Hannahebee]

I have to say I'm really pleased with myself that so far I have managed to unhaul a grand total of 203 books.

 

[ToolaRoola]

Just went to what is being claimed as our new library, Flagship in the borough. Regular readers of this topic thread may recall this on going saga of how the Council shut down our massive 6 floor library to move to their buildings to save money and so they can sell off the old property.

As i suspected it was utter crap. Outside the Council they have put a canvas sign with X library on it using a brick background so the whole thing just blends into the wall. You walk up the 36 steps to what you think is the library. (so much for the more disabilty access they claimed at the planning meeting) then you see ahead of you CHS (whatever that is ) and registrars office signposted. You look around and see a hidden door marked library. You enter and find a lot of empty broken shelving units , the whole place reeking of damp, and a desk with a man sitting behind who immediately aggressively questions you What are you doing here? When you say looking for the library, he waved an arm distainfully at a door marked something to do with children.

You walk in past a load of cheap desks full of young people dicking about ( so no hoped for crackdown or security guards we suspected the Council would have in their building) and theres a few mostly empty shelves, some uncomfy chairs at coffee tables ( no armchairs etc) and a load of builders materials loose and roped off.The books they do have seem to have been mostly drawn from branch libraries as their non fiction sections have a lot of not new books I have never seen before

It's soulless and stockless as suspected. I mean lets face it who wants to go hang out or sit around or even spend time at the Council. I gave them the books back and walked out.

So sad. I went to browse and get some books and I was in and out in less than 5 mins.My flatmate said I thought you were going to the library.. I said so did I..

Weirdly Slough Council went bust and they still have a fantastic library much better than ours. I might have to look into seeing if I can join a library in another borough

Oh, this is sad, what a shame this is what we get.

I know Westminster library said I could join so hopefully Slough is similar.

 

[ordinaryjelly]

what absolutely turns my stomach is for as long as I have lived here.. Our Mayor and councillors have always said oh we believe in libraries, we will never close like other boroughs etc etc. They practically dined out and prided themselves on that claim.. Instead I had to sit there and listen to them claim that its what residents want..as its near the Family hub. Basically a HUGE waste of money.. we never had council services when we were brought up.. you had church mother and toddler groups for that. All the Muslims etc won't go near churches or community halls so they set up this VERY expensive Family hub for them to get their kids to play with other.

It is disgusting and you can be sure that at local council level someone is getting paid handsomely for this 'restructure'.

Ealing Library sounds fab. Nuisance about the travel, but it is extra reading time!

 

[LydiaDeetzHat]

Oh, this is sad, what a shame this is what we get.

I know Westminster library said I could join so hopefully Slough is similar.

I joined Slough when I was working there quite near to the library.. i don't think i had much trouble. I can't even remember if i had to put my workplace address. Sorry it was 2017... The Curve is really good. or at least was . I used it in conjunction with my local one and spent a lot of time there tbh as my workplace was vile and every lunchtime I'd sit in the Curve and read etc..

 

[murphao]

Has anyone read 'The Favourites'? I'm over half way and still finding it a slog. Can't work out if it's ice skating I'm not interested in, the badly drawn parallels with Wuthering Heights or if I'm just a bit bored!

I thought it was ok. I listened to it on audiobook, though, and it was longer than it needed to be.

 

[anniemouse]

I went to my library today to return Gild (loved it!) and collect these 2. Was The Anomaly spoken about in here or did I read someone speaking about it elsewhere? I got The Last Mrs Parrish as apparently this is one that Freida McFadden had allegedly copied.

 

[Hannahebee]

I got The Last Mrs Parrish as apparently this is one that Freida McFadden had allegedly copied.

I have just looked back and The Last Mrs Parrish is indeed the one that Freida McFadden allegedly copied as @vanilla cupcakes back in April last year said that the housemaid was literally the last Mrs Parrish.

 

[wishiniwasskinny]

I went to my library today to return Gild (loved it!) and collect these 2. Was The Anomaly spoken about in here or did I read someone speaking about it elsewhere? I got The Last Mrs Parrish as apparently this is one that Freida McFadden had allegedly copied.

I enjoyed The Last Mrs Parrish. It’s not amazing lit fic, but it’s a real page turner. The Next Mrs Parrish was terrible.

I’ve started All Fours finally! Only a few chapters in but it’s… interesting

 

[Chocolategoggler]

I can't believe as a VIP tattler and a book OBSESSIVE that I've only just found this thread!!! I've read this whole thread and added the Strike books to my wishlists and looked up a few others so this may be a bad idea!!!! I have over 500 books on my kindle, two bookcases full - one fiction, one non fiction plus there are book cases in most rooms in the house as well. I will read quite a wide variety of books but really into history at the moment and I will NEVER be doing a 'not buying anymore books till I've read all the TBR' challenge!!! I am a trustee for our local library and I find it impossible to even go in for other things without bringing at least one book home!!!! I always think it could be worse....could be drugs!!!

I usually aim to read 52 books a year (one a week ) but have only managed to do it since having kids once but this year I'm on 29 books read already - partly due to deleting tik tok off my phone! So looking forward to chatting books with you all! <3

So nice to hear there's someone worse than me for obsessing over books.
Family think I'm quite weird wanting to read books.

 

[Hannahebee]

So nice to hear there's someone worse than me for obsessing over books.
Family think I'm quite weird wanting to read books.

Tbf I'm very book obsessive as well.
My Mum is a massive book reader like me but My Dad isn't a reader in the slightest.

 

[anniemouse]

I saw 2 Tween/Teens squealing with excitement over Powerless in Asda today, I think it had sprayed edges. It made me smile though.