Thousand_years_l2 One of the things that I enjoy about where we currently live is the easy access to our local library. I have no idea why it took over a year since our exodus from the Middle East for me to join the library. I guess it is because I am used to buying books without thinking twice, as I’m one of those that feels like a kid in a candy store when surrounded by books. I used to buy and buy, then I end up hating most of the books I own and eventually I give them away.

Lately, things have changed. Thanks to the encouragement of Rob and Jenny, I finally managed to drag myself down to the closest library, which turned out to be less than a mile away, and I got myself a free membership. Life was no longer the same after joining the library.

I’m hooked! I go there every other day. I check out books and DVDs like there is no tomorrow. The most fascinating thing for me about our local library is the on-line catalog. I was blown away when I realized that I could browse an on-line catalog of all the libraries in our county, put books on hold, and pick them up from our local branch! It’s that simple! During the past two days I’ve checked out: The Namesake, The Haunted, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, Let It be Morning, The Edukadors, Lucia Lucia, among others. When it comes to due dates, I really like having a deadline. It makes my reading more focused and more efficient. And if I ever fail to meet my deadline, I simply go on-line and click the "renew" button.

I never thought of checking out books from the library when I was in Jordan. I don’t know why. Maybe it was because there was only one major library back then and it did not have many of the books I wanted. So I gave up and started spending a big chunk of my money on books. Today, I only buy the books that I really want to own.

I hope that Jordan can one day establish top-notch local libraries. I know many in Jordan who crave good books but cannot afford them or can never find them. Having access to a local library would make many Jordanians happy!