Little by little, we’re poking our masked faces out the door and taking our vaccinated bodies into the world again. One of my greatest joys is that the libraries are fully open again! All these long months of the pandemic restrictions, I’ve been ordering books via the libraries’ “hold” option and picking them up (masked) at designated spots after getting my temperature taken in the lobby and squirting disinfectant on my hands. Mind you, I’m grateful we had those limited services, but I have missed actually being inside, amid all those books.

Now that the libraries opened again, I get to hang out with those generous and helpful librarians (thank you!), and lollygag as I browse the stacks. I can take my laptop and find a quiet place at an unoccupied table, or a comfy chair by a window with a view, I can go to live, in-person readings. And holiday shopping is going to be so much more fun this year now that The Library Shop at San Diego’s Central Library is open for business again.

With a few free hours last week, I made time to visit Central Library downtown. As I wandered around, checking out the New Releases on the main floor, what a kick to run into an old friend and writing colleague. We stood, masked, and talked for a lovely long time about what we were reading, what we were writing, what we wanted to read next. How I have missed these spontaneous sparks of friendship that can happen when you’re out in the world.

Still grinning, I took the elevator up to the fourth floor—fiction. Ever since I read Richard Powers’ The Overstory a few years ago, I have intended to read more of his books. (I’m #180 wait-listed at the library for his newest, Bewilderment.) So amid those rows and seductive rows of possibilities, I searched under his name and came up with several novels to choose among. I pulled out Generosity – An Enhancement, sat down on the floor, and opened it up for a quick review. Look what I found inside!

Yep. A “Hold” slip with my name from almost exactly a year ago. Apparently I had asked to put it on hold, but never picked it up and it got recirculated to the stacks. A sure sign this is the one, among ten other novels he’s authored, I’m supposed to read next. I checked it out along with a two other novels, bought a couple of books from the Friends of the Library shop, and, disappointed that The Library Shop wasn’t open, validated my parking—with still :20 left on my two-hours free—and headed home.

A few of evenings ago, I started reading Generosity and I am enchanted. This is one of those books, as was The Overstory, that I keep both my commonplace notebook and my iPhone near by while I read. I write phrases and sentences and other tidbits in my notebook and look up words and obscure references in my phone; a Richard Powers book offers many opportunities, which makes them my favorite kind of book.

No wonder I love libraries. When I die you know where you can scatter my ashes. Probably wouldn’t be the most unusual thing librarians report finding in returned books.

Meet you among the stacks?