Things I Wonder About

Thing #4,798: Is there a library book recycle cycle?

I read a LOT of books. Seriously, way more than you would think I have time for. In an average week, I can finish maybe 3-5 books (and I don't mean leaflets, I mean novels.) In a bad week, maybe only 1-2, and in a good week 5+. I read quickly, and I read total crap. I don't read anything "heavy," "thought provoking," "moving," and definetly nothing historical or non-fiction. I read total fluff. I know, I know, I'm one of the smartest people you know, ergo, I should be reading really clever stuff. Nup. My literary vices of choice fit into two basic categories: chick lit, or crime fiction. In one, the guy always gets the girl (and vice versa) and in the other, the guy always kills the girl (and vice versa.) Reading is total escapism for me. I don't have to think hard, I don't have to make lists, I don't have to do ANYTHING but get to the next page, where hopefully Lauren will start to regret sleeping with Tarquin after that night at the nightclub, who is actually her brother's best friend or Detective Jones will suddenly regret sleeping with Celeste, who is now the number one suspect.

I love reading, and I love reading totally crappy novels. I never stoop so low as romance, bodice-ripper novels - nah, those are just not worth my time. The downside to being famous one day (and I will be) is that they might interview me for "what are you reading now?" columns, and I'll have to make something else because my real choices are so terribly, terribly low brow.

So - back to the recycle cycle. At our local library there is a trolley at the end of each row. I have assumed that it's filled with books people have returned which the librarians have not had time to put back. On that assumption, I tend to pick books out of there for my own weekly book shopping. I tend to assume that if others have picked it to read, it must be halfway decent, right? Most of the time I'm right, and I end up with some halfway decent books. However in recent weeks, I've noticed several books I have picked on those trolleys! So this makes me wonder - is there some sort of cycle to this? Am I not alone in my 'trolley surfing'? If everyone only takes books off of the trolley, are the books on the shelves there forever, gathering dust? If we take stuff from the trolley, return it and it goes on the trolley, and so on and so forth - there will be no new books on there, right? (Is this making sense?) In effect we have created a recycle cycle!

...clearly, I have too much time on my hands.

P.S. I treat library books a little like M n' M's: I only pick an even number of them in any one library visit, and I sort them by order of most to least want to read. I'm insane (but you knew that.)