Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

what i'm reading: at the library

Arlington County Public Library’s online catalog has long offered the ability to “hold” a title and have it delivered to the branch location of your choice. Meanwhile, recent renovations to the main Arlington County Government building in Courthouse Plaza included a new library branch. It’s right next to the Metro (and, conveniently, just a few doors down from the Starbucks).

I finally took advantage of that fortunate turn of events this week: On Sunday or Monday, I went into the online catalog system and put three books on hold, to be picked up at the Courthouse Plaza branch. Yesterday, I received an e-mail notification that two of the books were ready for pick-up. And on my lunch break today, I headed over to retrieve the books from the hold shelf.

It was all ridiculously easy — sort of like shopping online, except instead of having the goods delivered to you at home, you walk across the street to pick them up.

Here’s what I’m reading now:

• An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England: A Novel by Brock Clarke
• How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer
• The Ruins by Scott Smith (Borrowed from Dari)

(Only now do I realize that this list tells a curious story in itself. Signifying nothing, I promise.)