The pandemonium only exists in between the pages. There is an intense, thunderous battle on the page, the husband strikes his wife, with what sounds like a uninterrupted clap. In the corner, a child is whimpering with a low hum, unable to move her limbs to stop them.
I lift my head up, the clank of books grabs my attention. I look up, flip the page, the musty smell of dust grazes my nose and I sneeze with a quiet focus. The rhythm of people moving about the bookshelves, whispers of little kids tugging on their moms clothes and the beep of the scanner vibrate through the library.
My eyes gravitate toward muffled giggles at the corner table. High schoolers are studying in-between shuffling of papers and chatter of their boisterous day. The information desk is buzzing with questions, an older gentleman’s cane taps against the floor, his question loud so all can hear.
Its a place where you can consume yourself with a vast array of emotions, resounding sadness and raucous laughter, sparkled with nuances of disappointment, anger, contentment, and most importantly, escape.
I return to page thirty five of my book. The women is sobbing, her hands weaves a mask around her eyes, while her husband tries to console her. His loud voice bellows and he repeats that he won’t do it again. The young daughter is inching toward their battle, the lightness of her feet make the sound of pitter-patter.
I don’t finish this book, but lay it down. I sip a drink of my coffee, and pick up another book, hoping to throw myself in a world of another’s pandemonium.
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Do you like immersing yourself in a book to escape reality? What are your favorite book recommendations and why? What is your favorite part of the library? How do your children react to the library?
Image by Horia Varlan
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
I love the library! I love that everyone tries to be quiet, but occasionally there’s a giggle or an outburst and I try to eavesdrop.
I love books. So much. I have a whole page on my blog dedicated to books. I have a word file of all my faves if you want it!
We are definitely big on books. (They’re everywhere in our house. Stacks and stacks.) With time constraints and interruptions, I find it’s easier to read short stories or poetry. (And there’s nothing juicier than a date on the floor in the aisles of a great bookstore, with coffee in hand, and swapping favorite passages.)
I am a book worm, always have been and always will be. I also love libraries and love your description here of one.
We are library fans. The kids will do anything I ask of them if the reward is a trip to our county’s little offering. I used to spend hours there as a young teen. Love your spot-on description.
I love reading, but haven’t had as much time to do so lately. On our trip I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett on the plane…it was a fabulous time spender. I was so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to escape the fact that I was on a plane VERY high in the air! I enjoy libraries and book stores.
I get inspired and energized by the memories, connections and completely new ideas that I get from falling into another book and another world. I love Haruki Murakami (“A Wild Sheep Chase,” “Kafka on the Shore,” “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle”) for his surrealism – it’s a very strange escape. On the other hand, for something really real, about this time last year I read Jane Smiley’s “A Thousand Acres,” which quickly became one of my favorite books of all ti
…time! (which just sped up as I typed.)