I think there is a separate Murphy's Law which applies to books, and more specfically to library visits. This weekend I went to the library to drop off several books and pick up (I thought) one which was waiting for me. Since there was just one lone book there, I thought this would be the perfect time to grab Colette's My Mother's House (this being an older edition which is paired with The Vagabond rather than Sido, which they did not have) after reading this enticing post about it from the fiction shelves. And what the heck, why not snag that copy of The Claudine Novels along with it as I heard these are quite good too. Happily I go to check out letting the clerk know I have one on hold as well, when he comes back with a stack of books and DVDs. What happened. I had just checked my account the day before and these were certainly not waiting for me then! Alas, who can complain about getting more books than expected. I also came away with Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (another recommendation), The Last of Her Kind by Sigrid Nunez (I checked this one out before, started to read it and then had to take it back as I couldn't renew it--now to try it again!), and finally Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky (I have heard many good things about it!). The Nemirovsky book has been published posthumously--64 years after the author died in Auschwitz. One of the DVDs I brought home is the Masterpiece Theatre movie Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen, which I only caught part of when it aired earlier this year.
Now that the long weekend is winding down I feel like I really haven't accomplished much of what I set out to do, but that is what happens when you make your to-do lists too long! I finished one book, and I hope to finish another today, but I didn't spend nearly as much time reading as I had hoped. I also didn't get hardly any needlework done (and I had been working on a gift, that still sits unfinished). I did, however, get my book room cleaned out. I have yet to get the new bookcase--hopefully next weekend. I spent this afternoon cleaning out the closet in that room, which was filled with four plastic bins full of books. I was pretty ruthless in weeding these out as the books are older, and it is unlikely they will get read again. I now have the equivalent of five shopping bags with handles full of books ready to go out into the world and find new owners. I am always a little apprehensive when I do this, but it really had to be done. I only hope there is not something in those bags that I will kick myself later after having got rid of it. I am quite pleased with the room now. Even though the books still need to be organized on their shelves, I can at least have room to walk around in there and can see wide (well, as wide as that small room allows) of carpeting once again!