You Could Call it an Eclipse

 

I finished New Moon last Monday (i.e., over a week ago), and all I can say is that I really enjoyed it (after the first couple of chapters) and couldn’t wait to read the third installment. So, on Tuesday I went to the mall to buy Eclipse. I was shocked to find it was only available in hardcover (costing about twice as much as a softcover) until MAY 2009 (this is where I show how much of a late-comer I am to the Twilight saga). Anyway, I had two options:

1. Squander our Disneyland fund on a book that would last me only a week (and which would be followed by another similarly priced hardcover that would also only last a week)

Or

2. Wait until May and buy the softcover.

Option 1 was looking inevitable since option 2 would be impossible, but then I began to draw upon my background in postmodernism—which says that when there is an option A and an option B, there is always an option C as well.

It didn’t take long to come up with it . . . the Library.

I was on my way when I started picturing the lady at the circulation desk—who sees us every week as we attend story time and check out our stack of children’s books. Did I want to tell her about my Twilight addiction—or . . . um . . . interest? No.

So, I came up with another idea. I could request the book online. Of course, I’d have to pick it up, but I could act casual about it and pretend it was for “a friend.” On the library’s online catalogue I found that Eclipse was due back in the middle of January. I thought I’d better request Breaking Dawn at the same time, since it was checked out and already had another hold on it (just a casual interest, I swear!).

Before you start thinking about how clever I am at finding this solution, I have to admit that I’m still not sure how it’s going to work. I haven’t requested a book from our public library before (as far as I can remember), and have no idea how I will find out when my books have arrived. Will someone call me when they come in? Should I be checking the reserve shelves weekly . . . or daily? (I’ve seen these shelves—they have the requestor’s name printed on a white paper cover—maybe Eclipse is sitting there right now with LISA across the spine . . . ). Or, maybe my request for the books was lost in cyberspace.

Anyway, I am learning to be a bit more patient—after all it has been OVER A WEEK!