If you are curious what other people are reading, or want to find some good reading material for yourself, Goodreads is the place for you. Enjoy.
One aspect of living in Israel which really infuriates me - yup, it's Friday the 13th, and I am in the mood for a rant - is the fact that, to the best of my knowledge, there are no English-language libraries that allow you to take out books FREE OF CHARGE. (If anyone does know of such a library within the Israeli borders, let me know, and I will happily make the trek over there.)
You won't often hear me say very positive things on this blog about my hometown of Manchester, England, but it has to be said - the public libraries ROCKED. As a child, I would hand in the coveted library card that entitled me to take out as many books as I had plastic bags in which to carry them, and I used to leave the library about twenty pounds heavier, with a pile of books that were taller than me. And it was free. I mean, I suppose it stands to reason that they would provide such a service - what else is a girl to do in her free time in Manchester? Indoor activities were definitely the way to go in our cold, gray, and dismal climate.
In the English-language library in Modi'in, you have to pay a ridiculous 250 shekel (which is over $50) just for the privilege of becoming a member, and 50 shekel for the first book you take out, and 10 shekel for each subsequent book, and to add insult to injury, you can only take out 4 books.
For that money, I may as well head over to the local Steimatsky, Israel's best-known book chain, and BUY brand new books that are not discolored with coffee and ketchup stains. Okay, I might not actually leave the store with the book I want, but at least it would be MINE, all MINE. Steimatsky may be Israel's largest book chain, but do not mistakenly make any mental comparisons between this bookstore and Barnes & Noble. Unless you are interested in overpriced travel books, coffee table books about the history of Israel, and the odd Steven King novel, you'll be lucky to leave the store with a book you can sink your teeth into. They don't even have their own website. Sigh. I mean, even I have my own website. What is that all about?
What I find myself doing nowadays is heading over to a second-hand bookstore on Rechov Yaffo in Jerusalem, Dani's. I hold onto the books that I like, and those that are in the reject pile I return, and receive thirty or forty percent of the original price I paid. Pretty sweet deal. It just means, though, that I have to head over to Jerusalem whenever I have the reading itch.
Anyway, if anyone has any inventive (and legal) ideas how I can get my hands on some good English-language books in Israel, don't be backward in coming forward.
