Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share a virtual kitchen table with other readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another. Drop by to talk about music, your weather, your garden, or what you cooked for supper…. Newcomers may notice that many who post in this series already know one another to some degree, but we welcome guests at our kitchen table and hope to make some new friends as well.
Please do not attack Democratic candidates or drag primary fights into our community.
I was thinking about local libraries the other day when Atlas Obscura’s email contained this link: 14 of the World’s Most Charming Libraries. Libraries also came to mind because Mother’s Day is coming up — and books were my mother’s passion. The woman read a book a day — sometimes more. She used to go to every branch of the Huntington Beach library — plus the Orange County library, too. Later, she volunteered at the Friend’s Gift Shop at the new, ultra fancy Huntington Beach Central Library (click here for images — it was designed by Richard and Dion Neutra and is quite different, with its indoor fountains and pools, staggered floors for the book stacks and the reading areas, and walls of windows looking onto the park).
When Mom was in hospice care, she specified that she did not want a tombstone or any special memorial. She wanted a bench where a person could sit and read a book. So that’s what we got in her memory — and it’s right outside the Friends’ Gift Shop at the HB Central Library.
Now, Portland, OR (or rather, Multnomah County) has a great library system, too. The big library downtown is old and quite beautiful (vintage photo here) and there are lots and lots of branches. But I typically use my public library electronically, downloading books or audiobooks anytime, day or night. Mom passed away before e-readers were a thing — but how she would have loved them! Oh, the convenience! Midnight library browsing from the comfort of home is a true pleasure.
Do you have a public library that you love?
Come in, be comfortable, and share your day with friends. Tell us about your weekend plans — and what’s for dinner! This is an open thread.