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How 9 libraries 100 books was started

You may remember that we blogged about a lovely project – 9 libraries 100 books – a little while ago that Natasha Pryce is running in association with Lambeth Libraries. We’re really pleased that Natasha has now written us a blog post about how she came to start the project and how she has been getting on:

As a child I used to read a lot. At every available opportunity I would escape to a neglected corner of whatever local library I was living near full of anticipation for the journey I would be taking that day. I was convinced I was Roald Dahl’s Matilda and that I could read every book ever written.

Having a father in the military meant changing schools and homes frequently and often books and libraries replaced friends and loneliness. I experienced countless different libraries over the years, from military libraries to school libraries; I would seek them out wherever they were for comfort, solace and entertainment. When I was 12 I spent three years using an American one that had vending machines and so I was able to combine reading with my other great love-eating! Armed with a variety of Frito-Lay snacks I would bury myself knee deep in Stephen King whilst attempting to consume them without making any noise, for those of you who eat crisps you will know that this is impossible. I devoured any book I could get my hands on, nothing was too big or daunting. The only thing that mattered was what I was going to choose next. Indiscriminately selected, from Virginia Andrews shockingly macabre family saga’s which I read in secret, (too embarrassed to admit I liked them), to Jack Kerouac’s entire oeuvre to impress a boy (which failed miserably but did encourage my favourite teenage phase of wearing a black polo neck for a year and smoking cigarettes that were so strong they made my throat hurt).

Being able to go to a place where you were encouraged to read what sat on the shelves sparked a curiosity in the world around me. Going on their adventures made me want to have more of my own. Hearing about faraway places spurred me to travel. Reading about people and encountering characters leading their lives, whether they were extraordinary or not, has without a doubt shaped the person I am today. Even as a place of study, they would help focus my mind and make an essay with a deadline an opportunity to discover new books but when I finished university, I stopped going to libraries almost overnight.

Reconnecting with libraries and books

It wasn’t until the child was born that I found myself back in them again. Armed with her little library card she would choose the books she wanted and refused anything I suggested (thus the basis of our relationship ever since). It was around this time that I was reminded of how important libraries were to me when I was growing up and I couldn’t help but wonder where my appetite for reading had gone. Why was it that I never borrowed anything anymore and perhaps more importantly, why was I reading vampire romance novels on my iphone with a cracked screen when I was approaching 30? And so that is how it all started. After another embarrassing sing along session with my daughter at Clapham library, which saw me flailing around to 3 little monkeys lying in the bed, I knew something had to change. Over a bottle of wine with a friend, who I now hold wholly responsible for all this, I set myself a challenge, a quest to reconnect with libraries and reading. In one year, and using my 9 glorious local libraries in Lambeth, I decided to read the entire BBC’s Top 100 reads.

As my favourite columnist Lucy Mangan recently said “a little knowledge goes a long way.” With an expensive education system libraries are one of the only free resources available. After all, books aren’t just entertaining stories, they are an insight into the past, can sum up the present and offer an alternative view of the future. Books develop vocabulary; they widen our frames of reference and can offer unique takes on social issues and the world around us. This challenge was also a way to self improve post university without having to incur another huge loan.

It just all seemed so easy…

With all my good intentions and determination I started confidently on holiday in the south of France, reading in the sun overlooking fields of sunflowers. However just as I started, I had a full time job offer and so embarked on a new career nervously wondering how I was going to juggle reading 100 books with working. Since then the challenge has been a struggle to say the least and it has taken me a while to find a rhythm to reading that keeps me on target for finishing in August 2013.

Part of my daily routine

I have had to make it part of my daily routine in the way an avid gym member makes time to lift weights, or whatever else it is they do there that looks so much like torture. The silver lining in all this is vast and bright. Faced with a demanding job and long hours, the challenge seems more relevant. How can we find the time to resist buying or downloading a book when time has become so precious and the amount we have to tackle increases? Well, the answer is that it becomes infinitely more satisfying. I can’t describe how good it feels to get lost amongst the books of a library after working for 8 hours. Finishing a book on your lunch break, on the tube or at 1 o’clock in the morning is deeply fulfilling and each one is like a small victory, an achievement that makes it all worthwhile.

Small acts of kindness

So far I have met people whose lives have been set on course after receiving their library membership card, been heartened by small acts of kindness from librarians, contributed to the library coffers with my substantial fines and have been surprised and inspired by the way in which people use libraries, from children to the elderly and all those in between.

Personally speaking, since starting I have been on the road a lot, journeying to magical worlds near and far, discovering the history of India’s independence, learning about the courts of Kings and Queens and travelling back in time to my awkward teenage years. Somehow I have kept the pages turning and whilst I have to admit I am a little behind, I am confident that it is the journey that is most important here, not the goal, and like any journey worth taking it can be daunting and nerve wracking, but ultimately, worth it in the end.


h2. Get involved

You can keep up to date with Natasha’s blog posts and how she is getting on here.

Take the challenge yourself or with your reading group and reconnect with your local library.

Join 9 libraries and 100 books on Twitter and Facebook.

Discover Lambeth Libraries.

Find a reading group to join in Lambeth.

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