Tell us a little bit about yourself
Hi, I’m Tanya, I’m the Project Lead Librarian, based in Falkirk Library. I’m quite often a voice in your ear in one of our Library Love podcasts.
My favourite food is possibly my own vegetarian lasagne, or maybe gluten free veggie pizza with pineapple. I’m not very good at picking one favourite thing (which regular podcast listeners will have realised), so my favourite film or music changes from minute to minute.
My favourite place to read is probably in my bed, with lots of pillows and a hot water bottle, with a cuppa tea beside me
Which is your local library (or libraries)
Who knew that this would be a tricky question … Falkirk is my local, but my kids and I like to go to different libraries, so we also visit Grangemouth, Bo’ness, Larbert, Meadowbank and Denny libraries quite often. We’ve only visited Bonnybridge once and have never visited Slamannan (gasp!)
Tell us what your library means to you
I’ve always been a reader and library user, but when I moved from England to Scotland when I was 14, the library became my wonderful safe space where I could enjoy reading, be helped by kind book loving staff, and journey to different worlds in the science fiction section.
Nowadays, my library means that I don’t have to spend a huge amount of money buying books, as all my family read a lot. I love that feeling of infinite possibility in even the smallest library – an adventure, the best recipe you’ve ever tasted, beauty, fun and excitement could be inside the next book you pick up. All looked after by staff who want to help you have a wonderful time.
What book recommendations would you like to share?
If you haven’t tried Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series then you are really missing out – they are police procedurals set in modern day London, but where magic is real
A book to make you think is the wonderful Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race by Reni Eddo-lodge – the title sounds a bit off-putting, but it is absolutely amazing
Craftivism: the art of craft and activism by Betsey Greer is the next book that I’m going to read. I’ve enjoyed a couple of books on using crafts to make the world a better place and I’ve read some fantastic reviews for this book