We all knew this was going to happen, didn’t we? I mean, real talk. I got a library card in my new system. It was a total accident, I swear!

As I mentioned in this post, I have been sans library card for months now and, to be honest… kind of loving it. At the beginning of the pandemic, I had a stack of books checked out from the Alexandria library. I read through those, but figuring out the vagaries of curbside library pickup just felt too overwhelming with all of the other adjustments I was working through at the time – transitioning to working from home all the time, juggling a full-time job with homeschooling, searching for a new place to live after our lease expired. So I just didn’t deal with it. I read and returned the books I had checked out at the time, and then I read from my own shelves. Once I pushed through a pandemic-induced reading slump, I found myself really enjoying my own books. It turns out most of my book-purchasing decisions have been good decisions.

Then we moved from Alexandria to the exurbs – new county, new library system. And I decided to hold off – not forever, just temporarily – on getting a library card in the new system. Partly, that was due to a reluctance to go into any public buildings if I didn’t absolutely have to; partly, it was due to still really enjoying reading from my own shelves. So I set up my bookshelves and a cozy reading nook in the living room, and I kept on making my way through my own collection. I figured I’d probably get a library card in 2022, maybe?

It’s been a nice routine. Tuck kids into bed, light candle, toddle to bookshelf and choose whatever speaks to me, flop down on couch. Lather, rinse, repeat. I guess all good things have to come to an end?

Here’s what happened: I was killing time by scrolling through book recommendation lists online (tell me you do that, too), and I wanted to make note of some books to borrow when I did eventually pick up a library card in the exurbs. I like to keep my Goodreads to-read list limited to books I really want to get to sooner than later. And a lot of the books I wanted to get to, I didn’t necessarily want to buy. So I navigated over to the online catalog in my new county’s library system, just to look, y’all, I swear. And – oh, you can create custom lists and add books. What would be the harm of opening an online account? I can just use it as a running list of books to borrow when I do eventually get a library card. I opened an online account – which doesn’t get me a card; I would have to stop by the library for that, and the libraries are all closed, so I thought I was safe – and started adding books to my new online TBR. What fun!

I’m sure you can guess what happened next. I was doing really well, cruising through the catalog, adding books to the TBR list when… muscle memory kicked in, and instead of “Add to List” I accidentally clicked “Place Hold” for That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story. I really did want to borrow that one, and it probably would’ve been one of the first up when I got my card, but – I didn’t mean to reserve a copy. So I quickly clicked “cancel” and added the book to my library TBR instead. But I guess I messed that up, too, because a few days later I got a text message and an email. My hold was ready! Ummmmm…

I guess that’s that, then. I called the library and verified that I could get my permanent card at the same time I picked up the hold, and I drove over to the curbside pickup, snagged my book and my card, and I’m now a card-carrying (see what I did there?) member of my new library system. It really was only a matter of time.

HOWEVER. I still plan to do most of my reading from my own shelves for the foreseeable future. Somehow, I am going to resist the siren call of the library holds queue. I MEAN IT THIS TIME. There are so many books on my shelves that I am really eager to read, and I’m going to create some self-imposed rules (like, maybe only one book on hold/checked out at a time? if I can stick to that?) to keep to reading my own books as much as possible, at least for awhile. I’m just having too much fun with my shelves – but I know myself, it’s so hard to resist the siren call of the library. I swear I’m going to try though, and I want you guys to hold me accountable.

Have you ever accidentally gotten a library card? Maybe don’t answer that.