Does reading taste run in families?

My daughter was an avid reader from an early age. But pretty early on, she decided that fantasy was the only genre she wanted to read. I read some fantasy and enjoy it, but I also read mysteries, literary fiction, memoirs, science fiction, and anything else that grabs my attention.

I used to always hear friends talk about exchanging books with their mothers, and thought to myself, "That would be nice." But unless the book was written by Terry Pratchett (who I do love), Piers Anthony, or any other fantasy writer, my daughter never seemed interested in the books I suggested. That all changed, however, when I gave her my old Kindle. Since I already had a boat-load of books archived at Amazon, she discovered hours of free reading. She also discovered that Mom had read some pretty interesting books. It's so exciting now to be able to share books and talk about them once we've both read them. And I must say, the sharing goes both ways. I probably would never have read The Hunger Games if she hadn't read it first and encouraged me. Likewise, I'm pretty sure she would never have read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

So maybe reading taste isn't an inherited trait, but, as with shrimp and mushrooms, it's possible to develop a taste for different things as you age.

Beautiful Libraries

Flavorwire posted a list of the 25 Most Beautiful Public Libraries. (See link below.) I love finding lists such as this, although I don't always agree with the choices. In this case, they definitely found some beautiful libraries. Some of them are so white or stark that they make my eyes hurt. (Stuttgart, Germany and Lisses, France) Others, however, seem so inviting that I want to go sit there and read. (Stockholm) In some of them, I can't seem to see any books -- though it may just be the angle from which the photo was shot. The Norway and Bangkok libraries intrigue me, and I don't understand the Villanueva, Colombia picture.

Isn't it wonderful that the world values books and knowledge so much that they build these magnificent structures?

How about you? Which of these buildings appeals to you? Do you know a library that you would add to this list?

25 Most Beautiful Public Libraries

Lucky Day

I visited my local library yesterday -- a very small library in a very small town. In fact, the library is located in the elementary school, so it's only open between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. But I discovered a great feature that my little library offers -- a bookshelf labeled Lucky Day. I asked the librarian what that meant and she explained that these were popular new titles designated for this library alone; they had to stay right here in town. In other words, they couldn't be requested from other libraries via inter-library loan.

These books can't be renewed and they can't be put on hold. When they come back in they get put on the Lucky Day shelf for the next lucky person to check out.

I was so excited that I checked out more books than I should have. Inheritance alone is 850 pages! I should be reading that on my Kindle. Maybe if I don't work or sleep I can get through all three -- plus the other two books I checked out. Ha.

Here were my Lucky Day Books:

Bored or Scared?

My previous post posited a question about what I should read, Blink or "Unwind."  Thyrkas left a comment suggesting that, altough she hadn't read either, it sounded like a choice between being bored or scared. (Thanks, Teri) She said she'd choose bored. I, on the other, prefer scared. So, I chose "Unwind," and scared I was ... not Psycho-shower-scene scared, but more like that-is-too-creepy-to-think-about scared. It was a quick read, and certainly gave me lots of ideas to ponder. I'm still thinking about it days later.

I still plan to read "Blink," but, continuing on the scarey train, I think I"ll slip in The Haunting of Maddy Clare somewhere along the way.