Just Another Irritation...

Can someone explain to me what would make someone think it is okay to cut pictures and pages out of library books? There is not a single decorating / window treatment book in our library that has not had something removed from it - either pictures have been neatly - and some not so neatly - cut out, or entire pages are missing. And, not because the books have been censored, either. But, instead, because some selfish twerp couldn't be bothered enough to make a copy of that page or idea - thus denying the rest of us from the benefit of seeing whatever it was. I have zero respect for "those" people, whoever they are! Copies at the library are FREE!!! What home is without a color printer/copier/scanner in this day and age? You couldn't somehow get a copy of that page or picture and instead, arrogantly and pathetically removed it from a book that doesn't belong to you?

If I was in charge of our library, I would hire some little worker to go through the books - the cookbooks, the decorating books, the sewing / quilting books - whatever books have beautiful glossy photos and colored pages... Each book would be checked out to a patron in its pristine condition, and when returned the little worker would turn every page looking for missing pages or pictures. Regardless of whether or not you admit to the damage - removing a page or photo - your library privileges would be suspended for three months and you would be required to pay for the replacement of the book, and an additional sum as a penalty or fine. If it happened a second time, your library privileges would be revoked forever.

We have a very nice library. I would be lost without it. Seriously. It is not like you can go to a bookstore here and just get any book you want. Out of the question. Jarir - our largest bookstore - has a decent selection. Not great, but decent. The library has a good selection. It constantly has a selection of the newest books. Admittedly it leans far left, so that are many books that I would like to read that will never be available to me from the library, but I can almost always find something there that I know I will enjoy reading.

Yesterday I went to get books on window treatments, because I know I want to do something with my living room / dining room windows, but I am just not exactly quite sure what I want to do. I checked out eleven decorating books and have turned every single page of all but two of those books. It is just beyond my comprehension that so many parts of pages and entire pages are missing. This is not the first time I have checked out books that had pages that had been "altered," or removed. Honestly, I just do not understand the mentality of some people, here. I am irritated that the library does nothing about it - when I think they could.

Oh well...

A few days ago I finished reading The Last Patriot by Brad Thor. It was very, very good. I'd be willing to bet that it is a book that will never been seen on the shelves of our library - and I doubt very much that Jarir Bookstore will carry it, either. I rarely read non-fiction, but the book was highly recommend on a blog [and I would credit that blog if I could remember which one it was, but I can't] so I purchased it in the States and hand-carried it back to the Sandbox a month ago. It is not only the first non-fiction book I have read in quite sometime, but it is also the first book by Brad Thor that I have ever read. Brad Thor has written quite a few others, and it came as a pleasant surprise to find three of them on the shelf at the library: The Lions of Lucerne, State of the Union, and Blowback were available. I checked out The Lions of Lucerne and will read it this week while I am "working."