Attack of the TBR List [Genevieve]

[Nancy Panic]

It was an affliction that many bookworms faced at least once in their lives, but Nancy had really been hoping she would manage to dodge this moment until she beat it by simply dying of old age, preferably with a book at her side.

But sadly no. She was stuck on what to read next, and if anything, the list of Books to Read on her phone was making her decision even harder. She wasn't particularly craving one genre, there weren't any new releases that she was dying to read...and now, as she stood at the doorway of the library, glancing over the multitude of shelves, she pondered whether or not she had made a mistake. For all she knew, this trip might open her eyes to all NEW books to add to her list, because unfortunately, she was only one person with classes and responsibilities, she couldn't very well take out every semi interesting book at once, she'd end up with so many fines or so many renewals that everyone would loathe the very core of her.

With a deep breath, she walked in further, hoping against hope that this wouldn't just make things worse...gods, who would ever think walking into the library would be the cause of momentary stress instead of the solution? Truly, the world was coming to an end.

[Genevieve]

Genevieve's usual corner was occupied.

This was a dilemma she hadn't had to face before, and she wasn't entirely sure what to do. Could she ask them to move? Obviously not, but she had seriously considered it. She had picked that corner very carefully - the lighting was good but not too bright, it wasn't draughty but it was cool enough to concentrate, yet warm enough to be comfortable. There was a table small enough for one, so there was less chance of her being interrupted or people being tempted to join her. The chair was fairly new, so the cushion was still comfortable and firm, and there was a window right by the chair, so she could soak up the natural light. It was perfect.

But there was someone else there. Someone who didn't look like they were planning on moving any time soon.

Which was why she was to be found wandering the stacks looking somewhat lost, instead of burrowed away attracting no attention. She felt lost at sea, trying to find somewhere else to sit - but not only were none of the spots as good as her original one, the library was weirdly busy today. She looked behind her as she turned a corner, hoping to see someone leaving, but no luck.

Plus, she managed to walk straight into someone, causing her to drop the pile of books she'd been carrying around aimlessly.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"

[Nancy Panic]

She had been so focused on her bookish problems that she hadn't seen the other girl coming. She let out a gasp, leaping up and momentarily turning into a bluebird as to avoid further damage...that is, until she realized that the pile of books in the other girl's hands probably faced far more damage than she did. By the time she shifted back into a person she was blushing. "I'm fine, are you?" She then immediately knelt down to help her gather up those books. "I should've been watching where I was going, I'm sorry...I get caught up in my head sometimes and forget that there's a whole real world out there that I need to look out for..."

She glanced up, offering a sheepish smile as she handed over some of the books. "How are these? It's funny, I'm actually trying to whittle down my TBR list...not sure why I thought coming to the library would help there. It's probably just going to add more items..."

[Genevieve]

Genevieve stared for a moment - she could have sworn the girl in front of her had turned into a bird... but she shook her head slightly, figuring she was imagining things in the stress of not being able to sit in her normal spot. She bent down to pick up the books she’d dropped, smiling at the other girl as she helped.

“Oh I know that feeling,” she smiled as she straightened up. “I’m in a world of my own most of the time - today though I’m just a little stressed out that my usual seat is occupied.” She gave the girl another smile. “I’m a creature of habit.”

She looked down at the titles in her arms and shrugged a little at the other girl’s question. “These are a little dry,” she admitted with a rueful look, showing the girl one book which was titled ‘Politics and diplomacy of rural landowning’. “I was planning on reading up on some of the politics so I could help my mother out when I go home. I like to stay involved in the politics at home.” She smiled shyly. “I know, dull, right?”


She laughed at the girl’s remark. “Oh the dreaded TBR list - I think mine is now longer than my lifespan.” She laughed. “Probably not the best place for whittling it down though, I think I’ve added 14 books to mine today alone. And not politics books either.” She smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m Genevieve, by the way.”

[Nancy Panic]

Nancy winced in sympathy. She liked to think she was flexible enough that she'd be okay if her "typical" spot was taken, but that was easy for her to say. She could literally become something small enough that she could find a comfy spot in even the tiniest of places...she would have to try that sometime, if only because she'd love to see the looks on people's faces when they saw a little chipmunk reading any one of her books. Sadly, this girl probably didn't have that option. "Oh that's a shame, maybe I can help you find a second best?"

She took a look at the title and...okay, yeah, that sounded very dry. Still, she could understand her wanting to be informed. "Oh, I wouldn't say wanting to be informed is dull, my godsister's the same way, although she'd probably be impressed that you're determined enough to go through one of those. She usually just...talks to citizens. Makes them tea, hears them out and what not..." But then she realized that might come off as her saying the girl was doing it wrong, and her voice went higher and faster as she added, "But hey, you gotta learn how you best learn, that's why there are those learning style quizzes, right??"

She cleared her throat upon realizing just how loud she got in the middle of a library, and then went back to her typical voice level...but at least the girl, Genevieve, seemed to get where she was coming from. "Nancy. And yeah...but it's hard to stay away from the library even when you know you've got enough books, right?"

[Genevieve]

She smiled at the girl's offer, nodding. "That would be great, I really should learn to be more flexible anyway." She gave the other girl a sheepish look. "I'm being told that a lot recently. What better time to start than now?"

Nodding as she talked about her Godsister's methods, Genevieve agreed. "That is a much more interesting way of doing it." She said with a sigh, shifting the books in her arms slightly to hold them better. "I usually do that at home as well - my mother is a great believer in tea and talk, but while I'm here I just don't want to fall behind on anything." Her mind drifted briefly to Jenny, who, as the heir, should really be the one keeping up to date, but she knew there was little to no chance of that. Genevieve thought that perhaps, if she kept on top of it all, she could help her sister when she needed it. But these books where incredibly dull.

She laughed at the girl's awkwardness, reaching out and gently touching her arm. "Don't worry, I'm not offended. This is an incredibly boring way of doing it." She smiled warmly at the girl. "It's nice to meet you, Nancy. So," she looked around. "What sort of books do you like?"

[Nancy Panic]

Nancy chuckled weakly at the look on Genevieve's face. "Hey, it's a hard skill to master, it's only natural to prefer things a certain way," she assured her. Sure, adaptability was important both with humans and animals, but just because something was important didn't mean it would be easy, and why shame someone for struggling with a difficult task?

Nancy was relieved that she hadn't offended Genevieve, and it made sense, what she said. It was sort of hard to do the tea and talk thing while at school, right? Sure, Tori felt like she could maybe make some alliances while at school, ("Oh is that what the cool kids are calling it these days?" Nancy had asked her, and earned a pillow upside her head for it) but that wasn't a sure thing, not like the people at home. "No, it makes sense...and it's good that you don't want to. I'd say more worlds would be better off if more leaders had that mindset."

And then came the almost dreaded question of what kinds of books she liked. "Oh that's so hard...but I'm big on sci fi. Most people would expect me to be more into fantasy, and like, of course I'm into the staples, and I devour my mom's books and not just because she's my mom, but...I guess I just like the fact that sci fi usually looks forward, rather than dwelling on how things were in the past, you know? Although I do love the classics too." She was almost impressed, she managed to not stammer that much, and she was pretty sure that was all coherent and lacking in new tangents. Yay?

"How about you? Since you said the political books weren't what you'd call fun."

[Genevieve]

Smiling at the other girl, Genevieve nodded, feeling oddly pleased at the other girl's agreement. She wasn't likely to inherit any thrones, she was pretty far down the list even for the Summer Country throne, but she knew that she would want to return home after school and do whatever she could to help whoever was on the throne, as an advisor, or an ambassador, or however the ruler at the time saw fit. And if she could get a head start on that now, so she was fully prepared when she returned home, then all the better.

She nodded enthusiastically as Nancy described her taste in books - she could definitely identify. Her eyes widened slightly at the mention of her 'mum's books'. "Oh, is your mum a writer?" She asked excitedly. "What has she written - perhaps I've read it! Or if I haven't, I definitely want to!" She said with a wide smile.

She nodded at Nancy's comment. "No, they are definitely not fun." She laughed. "I like everything really." She said with a shrug. "It's so hard to define - it's like asking me what my favourite kind of chocolate is." She said with a small laugh. "I do love fantasy though. There's just so much to read and explore - where I come from fiction hasn't really been invented yet, and there's nothing close to the choice of books there are here." She looked around at the library, feeling the familiar sense of being slightly overwhelmed at the sheer quantity of books. "I just want to read everything." She smiled somewhat guiltily.