Hello all! How has your week been? Mine was one of those weird weeks where it seems the planets are really out of alignment, especially at the library. We were all running for the door at closing on Friday because we just couldn’t wait to escape the madness. Many of us had a lot of uncomfortable patron interactions throughout the week mostly concerning noise. My branch is fairly small and everything is in one big room. The only area that is somewhat separated from the main library is the children’s room. We have many people who want the atmosphere to be like a traditional library – very quiet with no talking or other noise. But we also have a large number of patrons who want to be able to study in groups, use their cell phones, and socialize. There is frequent conflict between these two groups and, of course, they want staff to mediate. It can get very heated and usually leads to someone getting upset and wanting justice. Exhausting. What do you think a library should be – sanctuary or gathering place?
I finished a couple of books this week and started reading my book group’s February selection, The Chosen by Chaim Potok. I really enjoyed the first chapter, which introduces the characters and themes of the novel during a baseball game, and am engrossed in the story of two Jewish boys in Brooklyn who come from very different backgrounds and become best friends.
I know that the news of author Sophie Hannah being commissioned to write a new Hercule Poirot novel is fairly old news, but it came across my radar again this week and I started to ponder whether I will read the new novel or not. My first reaction is ‘yes’ because I would love to read a new Poirot story and it will be interesting to see what Hannah (none of whose novels I’ve been able to get through) will do with the tale, but we’ll see how I feel when it’s actually released. Will you read it?
I hope you have a really lovely Sunday!
A Certain Fondness 
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