There's nothing in it, really, apart from Large Print crime novels and slightly smelly old men sleeping in corners - oh, and the state of the art machines you borrow your books from - but it's a fabulous place. It smells of half hospital, half crematorium, half second hand bookshop. Everything in it is entirely grey, including the staff. The staff is a gallimaufry of oddities - as you would expect. The book selection is piteous. They didn't have any Dennis Lehane, Patrick Gale, Sara Paretsky or Donna Leon so my plan to borrow a week's worth of slightly guilty pleasure was entirely thwarted. I did, however, come home with a couple of novels for 'research' purposes (seriously) and a biography of Leni Riefenstahl which I'm hoping is going to make me feel better about myself.
As they have free wi-fi I could take the miracle machine along there, hole up in a corner and work without interruption all day when the builders next door are playing with their pneumatic drills.
I loved it. Is that weird? I'm going to go back with a packed lunch and make myself comfortable. It's a good walk, so I get some exercise, they have all the daily newspapers, it's quiet in the morning - it's like Soho House without the twats. And it's FREE!!!!
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i haven't used a library for years - isn't that terrible? but i have been in the one on charing cross road - is that the same one? i thought they were supposed ot be all trendy now with electronic stuff and dvds.
ReplyDeletei have a biog of leni riefenstahl i'mnot so sure she didn't know anything. tell em when you're done and we can compare notes.
NB when we are retired we will spend a lot of time in the library.