My Reading List

Today was the Grand Opening for the new Des Moines Central Library.

The old, historical library, with its musty hallways and rooms smelling of aging wood, is officially closed. The new building is ultra-modern and fasionably sleek. It was a little crowded for my taste, it being the official opening day, but I look forward to many long hours spent quietly in this building.

Surprisingly, Marshall decided to go with Minao and me. We so rarely have outtings together; it was a pleasant suprise. And afterword, Marshall treated us to lunch at Hu Hot, one of my favorite restaurants, because Minao said he wanted "Noodles!"

At the last minute, I opted not to bring my camera to the library with me. I'm glad of the decision. I don't like carrying my bulky camera bag in cramped quarters. But, in honor of my new hang out, I thought I would dedicate today's entry to my current reading list.

Up until recently, I've always been a fiction lover. However, more and more I have found myself loitering in the non-fiction and reference areas. If you were to look at the list of books I have checked out in the last several months, you would see a long list of:

• Travel (with an emphasis on Ireland)
• Photography reference books, and
• Cook books.

I did pick up one work of fiction, this time, in the form of a book on tape. I'll enjoy listening to this while driving to and from work. Way better than the stupid radio station, and a little something to make driving less tiresome.

I'm excited to find a brand new book on digital photo editing tricks. Not only do I hope to incorporate this new knowledge toward assisting my photography business, but also for improving my scrapbooks.

And cookbooks. What can I say about me and cookbooks? I love them. I sit down and read cookbooks like other people read novels. Which wouldn't be wierd, probably, if I actually cooked. But I don't. I'm not entirely sure if I dislike cooking because my kitchen is so awkward, because my family enjoys a less exploratory palate than myself, or if it's because I'm lazy....but there you go. I rarely cook, because I find the day to day grind of preparing meals to be tedious and unrewarding. So, my love of cookbooks is a mystery to me.

I'm sure I'll return to fiction again some day. But, for the time being, my brain seems to be hungry for new information, not distraction.