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debm55

(61,074 posts)
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 12:21 PM Sunday

Today is the first day of National Library Week . Can you remember a book/books that you read from the local library?

My first was the Nancy Drew Mysteries. My latest was a book on Abraham Lincoln. And you?

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Today is the first day of National Library Week . Can you remember a book/books that you read from the local library? (Original Post) debm55 Sunday OP
As a kid, and in school, libraries were magical places to me. Polly Hennessey Sunday #1
I'm a retired librarian and make daily use of my local public library in Wisconsin hauckeye Sunday #2
;-{) Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales - 1950's Goonch Sunday #3
100 years of Solitude alfredo Sunday #4
I highly recommend True Dough Sunday #5
I used to love going to the library in school Mad_Dem_X Sunday #6
I always felt like a kid in a candy store Diamond_Dog Sunday #7
I love libraries! Other than Dick & Jane don't remember early books from the library.... electric_blue68 Sunday #8
Garden City Public Library, 1965, my first library card, I got The Witch of Blackbird Pond irisblue Sunday #9
I spent much time in the Garden City Public Library. 7th Street was my paper route as a kid. That c-rational Sunday #19
My favorite was The Boxcar Children SWBTATTReg Sunday #10
Can't remember the books I checked out...but I do remember... MiHale Sunday #11
Did she True Dough Sunday #17
Years ago I read King's unabridged The Stand. discntnt_irny_srcsm Sunday #12
The book that started my life-long love of reading. kairos12 Sunday #13
I get all my books from the library these days JoseBalow Sunday #14
When I was a first grader, ... surrealAmerican Sunday #15
I finished by 20th book from the library this morning LogDog75 Sunday #16
I took out a college textbook on logic. Morbius Sunday #18
Babar the Elephant series Figarosmom Sunday #20
Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants -- John Drury Clark hunter 23 hrs ago #21
The first book, alphabetical, was Flatland Brother Buzz 21 hrs ago #22
Used to spend summer days in the local library. Air conditioned and more books than I could ever read. Nancy Drew, Hardy retread 16 hrs ago #23
Tales of Mystery & Imagination by Edgar Allen Poe nuxvomica 15 hrs ago #24
I didn't visit the local library in my youth Niagara 6 hrs ago #25
Not form the library but in the library. multigraincracker 5 hrs ago #26
My first one was Little Women. redstatebluegirl 5 hrs ago #27
"Death of a President" gopiscrap 3 hrs ago #28
Dr Seuss Easterncedar 3 hrs ago #29

Polly Hennessey

(8,887 posts)
1. As a kid, and in school, libraries were magical places to me.
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 12:34 PM
Sunday

I don’t remember my first books but I remember coming home with a pile of books and feeling as though I had discovered treasures upon treasures. I loved my Nancy Drew mysteries. I am still a reader usually reading three at a time. Currently: Passages by Connie Willis; Henry V by Dan Jones; and, Murder At The Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah (my cozy mysteries just before lights out are my memories of Nancy Drew).

hauckeye

(802 posts)
2. I'm a retired librarian and make daily use of my local public library in Wisconsin
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 12:34 PM
Sunday

Growing up in small town Iowa, I remember a book I checked out many times from the small local library: Borrowed Angel by Marguerite Hamilton. Real life story of a chronically ill child and her mother’s efforts to save her. It’s out of print now.

True Dough

(26,961 posts)
5. I highly recommend
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 12:45 PM
Sunday

'How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack,' by Chuck Sambuchino

Very informative. One can never be too careful!

Mad_Dem_X

(10,209 posts)
6. I used to love going to the library in school
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 12:50 PM
Sunday

It was a sanctuary for me. I remember reading a book on The Beatles; I think it was called The Boys From Liverpool.

Diamond_Dog

(40,782 posts)
7. I always felt like a kid in a candy store
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 01:02 PM
Sunday

when my mom took me to the big library downtown with all the steps. Back then I loved biographies of famous people. Authors Madeline L’Engle and Beverly Cleary were favorites back then, too.



Now my adult son is an IT Specialist at the same library! (newer building)

electric_blue68

(26,989 posts)
8. I love libraries! Other than Dick & Jane don't remember early books from the library....
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 01:18 PM
Sunday

I remember my 2nd neighborhood library. I lugged home a big book on clothing through the ages in my early teens. Lots of illustrations!

In NYC we have the great Lion's library. And the big Mid-Manhattan across the street from that; which now has a great roof top area, and café .

I lived about about 8 blocks away from Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn for about 8 yrs; and the Brooklyn Central library was across from that. Big fancy bronze doors with brass decorations! A big plaza which they redid w cool little water fountains. Big ?2-3 story lobby with display cases for rotating art works!

And now in The Bronx I haven't gone to my 2nd neighborhood local library (went to my first one) bc by bus not too far away I can go to The Bronx Central library. Waaay bigger!

For now since covid I've been getting
e-books from our library. I will get back to the actual library soonish.

irisblue

(37,654 posts)
9. Garden City Public Library, 1965, my first library card, I got The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 01:30 PM
Sunday

c-rational

(3,211 posts)
19. I spent much time in the Garden City Public Library. 7th Street was my paper route as a kid. That
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 08:22 PM
Sunday

is where I found Herman Hesse and Sinclair Lewis.

MiHale

(13,088 posts)
11. Can't remember the books I checked out...but I do remember...
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 01:52 PM
Sunday

The librarian I checked out…we dated for a couple months. The library was my peaceful place…before meditation.

discntnt_irny_srcsm

(18,775 posts)
12. Years ago I read King's unabridged The Stand.
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 02:27 PM
Sunday

I remember reading the abridged version while in college. It was very hard to get through in the beginning. The first 30ish pages took a few days with a bit of rereading to remember all the different characters. the next 90 some pages I finished in an afternoon and evening. The final 700 I made into a 22 hour marathon with a couple bathroom and food breaks.

Haven't seen you for a bit. Started getting worried.

JoseBalow

(9,604 posts)
14. I get all my books from the library these days
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 05:35 PM
Sunday

I'm there every week. I request a hold for everything through the website, either from my local system or the interlibrary loan network, then I drop in to pick-up and return my items, with a quick perusal of the New Arrivals section before I check out.

Lately I've been reading everything written by David Grann. I just finished The Lost City of Z this afternoon. The Wager has been my favorite, so far. I've got two or three more on my list to go.

surrealAmerican

(11,907 posts)
15. When I was a first grader, ...
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 05:54 PM
Sunday

... we had a special section of the library (within the children's section) where they kept the ITA books.

LogDog75

(1,317 posts)
16. I finished by 20th book from the library this morning
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 06:29 PM
Sunday

My local library is about two blocks from where I live so it's convenient for me. Over the past 15 years, I've checked and read out over 700 books in hardback, paperback, of Ebooks.

Morbius

(1,031 posts)
18. I took out a college textbook on logic.
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 07:58 PM
Sunday

I had to renew it; it took me six weeks but I went through that book and taught myself how to think.

That was over thirty years ago; to this day I tell young folks (when I can find those who are willing to listen) that if you choose not to go to college, your public library is the next best thing.

Also, the novels of David Weber, a kind of pulpy military science fiction writer whose works are tremendous fun if not technically literature. There's the Honor Harrington series, followed by the Safehold series. Comes to thirty books or so, perhaps more, and I didn't pay for a single one. Love your library!

Figarosmom

(12,498 posts)
20. Babar the Elephant series
Sun Apr 19, 2026, 09:53 PM
Sunday

I read every book in the kids side and then the librarians let me read all the biographies on the adult side. I don't think they knew how racy The Agony and the Ecstasy or Lust For Life were. But they were biographies and they said I could read them.😊

hunter

(40,768 posts)
21. Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants -- John Drury Clark
Mon Apr 20, 2026, 12:50 AM
23 hrs ago

A wonderful book for a young pyromaniac.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Drury_Clark

Brother Buzz

(40,107 posts)
22. The first book, alphabetical, was Flatland
Mon Apr 20, 2026, 02:44 AM
21 hrs ago

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
by Edwin A. Abbott

I inherited Library Card #2 at my Podunk Carnegie Library from my grandmother and have put it to good use. I have a wonderful relationship with my librarians.

retread

(3,927 posts)
23. Used to spend summer days in the local library. Air conditioned and more books than I could ever read. Nancy Drew, Hardy
Mon Apr 20, 2026, 07:33 AM
16 hrs ago

Boys, Tom Swift, Doc Savage, many others. And then I stumbled on Lord of the Rings and fell into that worm hole.

nuxvomica

(14,141 posts)
24. Tales of Mystery & Imagination by Edgar Allen Poe
Mon Apr 20, 2026, 08:31 AM
15 hrs ago

I had seen the movie Tales of Terror at the Paramount Theater during the Saturday horror show and wanted to read "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar", which had been dramatized in the movie. Waiting for our mom to pick us up, my sisters and I ended up in the lobby of the Queensbury Hotel and I passed the time reading that gloriously horrifying book in the fancy surroundings, which seemed almost a subversive activity. I knew that Poe was supposed to be an important writer but I was tickled that despite his importance his stuff was also fun to read.

Niagara

(11,878 posts)
25. I didn't visit the local library in my youth
Mon Apr 20, 2026, 06:15 PM
6 hrs ago

Most likely because it wasn't in walking distance.


My mom was in the position where she purchased me books and so I became a book reader with my own personal at home library.


I remember having First Time Books, Scholastic and Please Read To Me that were large and paperback for early readers. Some of them included Berenstain Bears, Barbar and Richard Scarry BusyTown type of books.


I remember a book fair in the 5th grade at school and my mom purchased me the set of Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House" yellow 9 book boxed set that was printed sometime in the 1970's. My mom helped me order and buy books from the Scholastic order forms as well.

Of course I used the library at all the schools that I attended.

The last time I was in a public library a few years ago I was returning an almost due book. The book was "The Other Mrs. Kennedy" by Jerry Oppenheimer. I placed the book in the return bin and I was walking towards the shelves. I walked past this guy who was speaking to another guy and he said, "No one wants to work anymore."

Let me say, I wasn't at all quiet about mocking this guy and his idiotic comment. I've never returned to the public library after this incident, it's roughly been about 3 years or so now.

I honestly didn't know that these people visited public libraries truth be told.

multigraincracker

(37,816 posts)
26. Not form the library but in the library.
Mon Apr 20, 2026, 06:34 PM
5 hrs ago

Spend hours there looking up local history and maps. Also newspapers and magazines.
I have a Tribal Card from when I lived in Tribal Lands. Good at many libraries in the state.

redstatebluegirl

(12,854 posts)
27. My first one was Little Women.
Mon Apr 20, 2026, 06:51 PM
5 hrs ago

The local library was my refuge as a girl, and still is as a 70 year old woman. I just checked out the latest David Baldacci book.

gopiscrap

(24,754 posts)
28. "Death of a President"
Mon Apr 20, 2026, 08:24 PM
3 hrs ago

I was nine years old, my nun told me I couldn't read it for a book report my mom argued with the nun and I got to use it for my book report. It was just put out in other languages (German being one of them) so I was able to read it. I was deeply enamored of Kennedy as a young boy, so read every thing I could about him. BTW got an A- on the report

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