I live in a danchi in a rather inconvenient area, and there's no library nearby. However, a bookmobile visits our danchi every other week and brings an excellent selection of books. The person in charge must be a serious book lover.
I read pretty slowly, even in Japanese. The bookmobile coming once every two weeks sets the rhythm of my reading. Usually, I reserve one or two books, and pick a few more from the shelves. The photo below shows three books I'm currently borrowing — one about work (programming), another about life (cooking), and the third about art (poetry). These three things are indispensable to me. Probably for everyone, they're ultimately the same thing. Each of them involves the other two.
When I was a child, a bookmobile would come to my neighborhood, so I'm feeling a bit nostalgic. My mother loved reading and would look forward to the bookmobile coming.
Your post is very well written!
Bookmobiles are a wonderful thing. I know there's bookmobiles ('mobile libraries') here in the UK, so it's interesting to read about them in other countries. Does it work the same as a library? Do you need a bookmobile card to borrow things?
Thank you, @crocell ! Yes, it works the same as a library, and one library card is used for both the bookmobile and regular libraries. You can return books borrowed from a bookmobile to ordinary library, and vice versa. In my hometown, there are no bookmobiles anymore, probably because of budget cuts. In Japan, the number of bookmobiles is decreasing, but recently people are appreciating them more again.
I love that bookmobile. I'm interested in the theme of the programming book. Is it about re-kindling a love of programming? Or is it about starting programming again after you've had a break?
When I was little, we had one that would actually park outside the school. I absolutely loved it. They'd let us in two at a time to pick out what we wanted and pay. I have some of those books to this day.
@Ersatzjello Actually, it's about both, or rather it addresses common challenges faced by learners. So I think the title doesn't match its content. It was written by a married couple consisting of a programmer and a clinical psychologist. I found it very interesting. In Japan, it's getting a lot of attention and highly rated.
@CocoPop Oh, those books must be really special to you. It's wonderful to still have books you cherished since childhood! These days I usually just browse the shelves outside, but I think I'll go inside again like I used to when I was a kid.