The reference desk in Spokane that got me out of my reading rut

Last month I was stuck in this loop of starting a novel, getting bored by page 40, and tossing it aside. My wife finally told me to just go talk to a real librarian instead of scrolling my phone for suggestions. So I walked into the downtown Spokane library on a random Tuesday and asked the lady at the reference desk for something that reads fast but isn't a thriller. She handed me a memoir about a dude who spent 3 years repairing vintage motorcycles in his garage, which sounds dumb but the writing was so plain and honest I finished it in two evenings. That got me thinking about how I pick books on my own, I always grab whatever looks serious or award winning, but I actually enjoy smaller, weird stories about regular people doing one specific thing. Since then I've asked for similar picks at my local branch twice and both hit the spot. Has anyone else had a librarian just nail your taste after you described it badly, or am I the only one who needed that kind of hands-on help?

1 comments

1 Comment

sarahh8121d ago

There's something about talking to a person who actually reads for a living, right? My local librarian once handed me a book about a guy who cataloged every sound he heard in his apartment building for a year, creaks and faucets and all. I described my mood as "tired of big plots" and she just knew. That book was 200 pages of pure noticing, and I still think about it. It's funny how we think we know what we want until someone who really listens gives us something else. I've stopped pretending my shelf has to look smart now, which is a relief honestly.