Library statistics

Karin will go back to her job on Monday, leaving me alone with Daniel and Samuel and Jasper and Ziva … and the mice, who seem to have found a passage from the mud-room into the basement, to our dismay. Jasper killed four mice today. Or, I assume, he is killing the fourth mouse; he has it with him under a bed.

The other night, Samuel and I read The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, which is especially bloody. I felt some revulsion. Not so much after today’s infestation.

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The St. Joseph County library system has just one book by R.K. Narayan: Waiting for Mahatma (an e-book). This, despite Narayan’s sales, acclaim, cultural salience, etc.

Not that I’ve read anything by Narayan. But if I ever do, it won’t be thanks to the SJCPL.

It’s not that the SJCPL is oblivious to Narayan. Its catalog includes the following e-books: (a) three critical studies of Narayan; (b) one book discussing Narayan along with three other Indian authors; and (c) four GALE “study guides” on different titles by Narayan.

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I decided to write down the library branches of every book I found through the electronic catalog from March 8 to April 8. (Hard copies only.)
  • Book 1: Francis, Francis, Francis, Main, River Park.
  • Book 2: Centre, Main, Main.
  • Book 3: Main.
  • Book 4: Centre, River Park.
  • Book 5: Centre, German, Main.
  • Book 6: Main.
  • Book 7: Main.
  • Book 8: Centre, Centre, Centre, Centre, Francis, Francis, Francis, Francis, German, German, Main, Main, River Park.
  • Book 9: Main, Main.
  • Book 10: Main.
  • Book 11: Main, Main, Francis.
  • Book 12: Main.
  • Book 13: Main.
  • Book 14: Francis, River Park, Western (my branch!).
  • Book 15: Centre, LaSalle, Main, Tutt.
  • Book 16: Main.
Summary: Centre, 8 copies; Francis, 9; German, 3; LaSalle, 1; Main, 18; River Park, 4; Tutt, 1; Western, 1.

The books that interest me are not kept in the neighborhood where I live.

Of course, I can request just about any book in the system. I simply go to my branch and pick it up after a few days.

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A good blog I found: Down Among the “Z” Movies. Better reviews than mine, though writing about turkeys probably isn’t hard to do. Watching them is hard to do.

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P.S. It turns out, Jasper hasn’t killed the fourth mouse.

Usually he is more prompt.

Karin tired of waiting; she rescued the mouse and took it outside. I don’t believe it will fare very well. It seemed rather dazed.

This week, there has been snow.