WHEN, ONE THURSDAY MORNING last winter, I arrived at Battle library in west Reading, the library manager, Terry Curran, was sitting at the front desk writing a quiz. "It's not a hard quiz," said Curran, who was worried about attendance. "Often just the same two ladies turn up, and they don't pay attention." Still, he hadn't lost hope. He'd even put posters up in the Tesco round the corner. The phone rang. "Yes, we have a children's craft session at two," said Curran's colleague Amanda Giles, her voice warm and encouraging. "Just come along." They'd already received an urgent request from the housing team at a nearby council, about someone who had to scan a form by 2pm if he was going to be housed before Christmas. Could the library help? They didn't usually offer scans, but Battle would make an exception - and they wouldn't charge.
A man carrying a plastic bag rustled up to the front desk. He twitched as he spoke. "Do you have a magnifying glass?" he asked. Curran disappeared into the office and returned with a small purple magnifying glass from a children's game. The man thanked him and made for the computers. An elderly gentleman with a courtly air had a question about the library's irregular opening hours. "They're difficult for me to understand," he said. "They're hard for me as well," answered Curran. "This library is a very friendly type of place," added the man, unprompted. "I've written a letter about it."
Another man, in late middle age, took a seat at the quiz table and started reading a Mick Herron novel. Curran turned to me and stagewhispered: "Yes! There's going to be one other person!" In the event there were five: the Herron-reading man, the elderly gentleman and three women, who seemed to be friends, taking a break from errands. Curran began to panic that his questions were too easy. But it was too late to change anything, and at 11am they were off.
Bu hikaye The Guardian Weekly dergisinin July 05, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Guardian Weekly dergisinin July 05, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Why Is The Pundit Class Desperate To Push Joe Biden Out Of The Race?
I am not usually one to offer diagnoses of people I've never met, but it does seem like the pundit class of the US media is suffering from severe memory loss.
High Stakes Dizzying Win But There's No Safety Net If Labour Fails
The asteroid hit at dawn. The seats of four Tory former prime ministers David Cameron, Theresa May, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson - fell in an hour at around 6am on Friday, capping a historically unprecedented collapse for the Conservative party.
Prime factor After nine years, is the Trudeau era nearing a conclusion?
After an electoral upset, the public is growing increasingly weary of the prime minister's tenure and his Liberal party
New voice Victory for reformist candidate
Masoud Pezeshkian's win in presidential election reflects deep dissatisfaction with direction of country
Sword Granny The 82-year-old teaching women self-defence
The pupils are mostly schoolchildren, aged from seven up to teenagers. The teacher is an 82-year-old woman known to all as Sword Granny.
Return voyage This profound novel-a transcendent gift from the author-follows a young Indian woman's quest in Mexico to learn about her mother
Anita Desai's riddling and haunted new novel is set in motion when Bonita, a young Indian woman, meets a tricksy figure in a park in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
A surplus of strawberries? You can use them up by going sweet or sour
'Strawberries are the masterpiece of summer,\" says Ravinder Bhogal, Feast columnist and chef/owner of Jikoni in London.
A force to be reckoned with
Argentinian dance group Fuerza Bruta use hip-hop and high-wire artistry to bring culture to the masses and help audiences soar above political worries
Immunity ruling raises the stakes for Democrats
Supreme court decision and Biden's refusal to step down dim hopes party can win the election and save democracy
'We were so scared' Surprise surge for left alliance pushes far right into third place
A nervous energy rippled through the crowd gathered at Lyon's Place de la République.
