Thursday, July 24, 2008

True Wealth

I've been to the library today. This is an event of singular importance in my life. For three weeks, I have had almost nothing to read except the daily newspaper. The last time I went into our town library I made the unhappy discovery that I had long since read all of the books in English there that interested me - some of them twice.

I suspect that there are other English speaking peripatetics out there who will agree that one of the most challenging aspects of adjusting to life in - still another bloody new country - is finding a source of books in English and conversation in English.

We instinctively adopt a whole range of strategies to deal with these issues: informal lending libraries, weekly dinners, an obsession with Amazon and begging letters to friends and family back in the old country.

I was absolutely delighted then when a few years ago the ambassadress herself came down to open a new American Corner in our local ramatukogu. Indeed this has provided immense amounts of ease during the long dark winter nights. BUT & ARGH by May of this year - there was nothing left - new - to read. I was desolate, to say the least.

However today, Hurrah and all hail - there is new stock. I have a new-ish Harlan Coben 'The Woods', a collection of short stories by Julian Barnes, 'The Lemon Table, and the biography of Willem de Kooning which won the Pulitzer. I feel like Croesus - and on that note I'm going to bed with my treasures. .

1 comment:

spacedlaw said...

Julian Barnes should be nice.