Library Love

When I move to a new city, one of the first items on my to-do list is: get a library card. This is partly because I am a nerd and I feel at peace among stacks of books, but it’s also because having a library card is like having a superpower. A library card’s most obvious benefit is the ability to borrow books. But there are other, less obvious benefits, too. You can borrow newly released movies at most libraries. In the city of Berkeley, you can borrow tools, including a 28-foot ladder, an electric cement mixer, a plumb bob, and a cordless impact driver. The Berkeley library will also lend you cooking equipment. Need a roasting rack for Thanksgiving dinner? They’ve got you covered. How about a Disney Frozen Elsa cake pan? Yep, they even have that. All this borrowing is available to you, a citizen of your fine city, at the low, low cost of free.

As an author, I am of course in support of buying books. I would very much like for you to buy my cookbooks—did I mention lately that my newest books, Boards, Platters, Plates and One-Bowl Meals, are now available? Please go buy them! And I believe wholeheartedly in supporting independent bookstores. (These are some of my favorite shops.) However, I also think using the library to borrow a new cookbook is a terrific way to find out if you like that book. You can try a few recipes and, if you love them, then you can purchase a new copy of the cookbook from your local indie bookstore. Everyone wins! I love libraries and I often wish that when it came time for paying federal and state taxes, you could check a box to direct all your hard-earned funds toward libraries.