Library Loot: Creativity, Flowers

The library is a great place to shop for a single book, then cruise around the shelves for whole bunch of books on a single subject.

Let's say, for example, a reader sees a reference to a book on creativity and writing by one of her favorite authors. She trips over to the library website and discovers, quite to her dismay, that the library doesn't have said book.

What's a girl to do but shop around the shelves to see what other tender morsels are available for the plucking?


It started with Ray Bradbury, whose Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity wasn't available in print or electronically at my library. It was, however, available on Amazon. (I will have it by Tuesday.)

However, for fun, I clicked on the library database button "what's nearby on the shelf." I found Natalie Goldberg and her two titles: Thunder and Lightning: Cracking Open the Writer's Craft and Old Friend from Far Away. Then there was Will Write for Food and Writing Life Stories by Dianne Jacob and Bill Roorbach, respectively.

However, when I was searching the stacks, I somehow thought 808.066 came after 808.81 — and stumbled into a couple of doozies: The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century (which is similar to my book on the best time-travel books of the 20th century) and a new-to-me poetry book: Good Poems, American Places, edited by Garrison Keillor.

As we were leaving for the library, my husband David asked me what a particular flower was in our garden, and I shrugged. Since I was in the library, I figured I'd find the Audubon book on flowers; I loved my Audubon books on birds and the night sky, so I knew I couldn't go wrong. While I was in the  582 neighborhood, I figured a crash course on trees was in order.

I am not sure where to start, aside from taking my flower book into my garden to see if it's a yellow Jessamin or trout lily. Poetry? Alternate history? Creative writing? And here I am reading the latest Dan Brown! Too many delicious books for a single set of eyes!

What have you checked out of your library lately? Do tell!

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