29.7.09

I'm a Reader! Who Are You?

While visiting potential colleges with my eldest daughter, I dragged her along to visit a few things of interest for me. My literary side-trip.

While in Salem, Massachusetts, we visited an old graveyard to inspect the headstones as well as attempting to visit the House of Seven Gables. Unfortunately, we spent too long in cemetery and didn't make it into the Seven Gables. But some of those headstones were remarkable in their detail and design.

In Amherst, we made the very last tour of the day for Emily Dickinson's house. Yes, she was a recluse. But a brilliant recluse with a love of baking, gardening, and reading. Over 2000 volumes in the family's library.

Upon returning home, I found a stack of children's books by the back door which my youngest culled from her bedroom bookcase. No doubt taking up space that she wanted for books in her current level of reading.

It's so easy nowadays to treat books the way we treat most other things, as disposable. Cheap enough to own and cheap enough to toss when we're done. Gone are the days of a family being lucky (and wealthy) enough to own more than the Bible. Other than travel books and genealogical research tomes, I can't think of the last book that I borrowed from the public library.

But walk into any room in my house and you'll find shelves and shelves of books. Even the kitchen. My own private library. Most fortunate. But never a recluse.

4 comments:

  1. Sadly I have reached the point where I have accumulated a truly astonishing number of books, which recenty has led to my sad decision to ration the purchase of new books for space reasons.

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  2. Love books. My daughter does too. Even her baby books have a place on our shelves. I do go to the library a lot lately to borrow ..... otherwise I would have no money left.

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  3. My oldest niece is a librarian, so we all support our local library!!LOL I'm such a fast reader, I can break my budget in less than a month! Sounds like a great trip..
    hugs,
    Jean

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  4. My pulse races when I hear or read the word "library" as I flash back to making-out with Billy Joe Gregg between the stacks of books in the high school library. *sigh* He couldn't read worth a dern but he sure could kiss. Ha!

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