I went to the Riverside Main Public Library a couple of weeks ago and checked out a handful of books on baking. I was looking forward to escaping amongst the library shelves to seek whatever baking books piqued my interest. Unfortunately, the library was understaffed and, therefore, closed to the public. Library staff, however, were still checking books out to patrons outside of the library as long they provided the call numbers and their library card.

I gave the library staff my call numbers and waited in the California sun. Fifteen minutes later, they struggled as they walked back out of the library with my five books in hand.

These books I found at random as I scrolled the library’s online catalog. Although I was hoping to gaze through the entire baking bookshelf, I found these books good enough in the meantime. Here is a list of them in alphabetical order by author:

• Pan Baluard by Anna Bellsolá
• Baking by Dorie Greenspan
• Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri
• Hand Made Baking by Kamran Siddiqi
• Naturally Sweet Baking by Carolin Strothe & Sebastian Keitel

I had not heard of any of these bakers except for Dorie Greenspan who I only recently found out about. It was through the Food52 YouTube channel that I discovered her teaching viewers how to make a Parisian tart. She was so quirky and stylish that it excited me to find her. Plus, I liked her glasses.

In a Sea of Books.

I am the type of person who likes surrounding herself with books, whether or not she reads them. They are sources of inspiration, the stacked titles serving as reminders of what I love or what is getting my attention. Back in Boston, I remember going to the Central Library at Copley Square and checking out an armful of books about palliative and end-of-life patient care; it was a topic I had discovered at work and one that was growing more curious about.

I never fully read those end-of-life books, but I did read snippets, probably enough to get me through the day. Those were difficult days back then.

Now with years past, baking has caught my attention, and I don’t intend on letting go. I’ve surrounded myself with books, started taking notes on recipes that I’ve tried, and even bought a stainless steel kitchen rack and deli-grade containers to get my things organized.