Book Fiend

Yup, that's me! I learned how to read quite young as being a writer my mother kept the house chockablock with books. We also had a subscription to National Geographic and Reader's Digest.  I don't know if you remember these but Reader's Digest also used to send out hard-covered books containing condensed versions of fiction and non-fiction books. My brother can remember me at a very young age devouring these books.

As a result I became interested in many wide-ranging genres and would withdrew 4 books from our neighbourhood library 2 or 3 times a week. Our librarian was a wonder. When she would see me veering towards "young adult" or adult books, books by Edgar Allan Poe, Thomas Hardy, D. H. Lawrence, gothic fiction, crime books etc, she would redirect me to shelves filled with more age-appropriate books! I read the "The Little House on the Prairie" books at least 10 times! The day when she stopped re-directing was a wonderful day indeed!

Anyhoo...the problem lies in storage of so many books. I sold/donated about 2/3's of my books when I was planning to move to PEI so that gave me some breathing room for awhile but they have gradually been filling up my shelves once again. I have a sister (in PEI) who saves books for me and sent some home with Kazi when she was visiting there last week. Two friends also give me their books when they are done with them. I always ask if they want them back after but they say no....

The other problem is my proximity to the Goodwill Bookstore. Whenever I go there I never leave without at least a dozen books!! I have come to the conclusion that I have too many topics that I am interested in. Just take a wee peek at my latest purchases and gifts and you'll see what I mean...

I am big on "life is a journey" type of books like "Passage to Juneau".

Anything to do with ancient maps...The Aran Islands where Annie and I went last year...a poetry book by Emily Dickinson entitled enticingly "I'm nobody! Who are you?" As an invisible 61 year old single woman I was drawn to her book!

"The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" is a fantastic "life is a journey travel book" which I will reread a number of times, I'm sure. I read "The Woodlanders" by Thomas Hardy while I was in B.C. (I am allowed to read Hardy's books now! :)

I'm always excited when I can find a P.D. James book I haven't read!! "The Great Hunger" is about the potato famine in Ireland in the mid 19th century. Annie and I walked the Famine Trail last year. "The Highland Clearances" is another devastating  story about people being separated from their land. "Go Tell it On the Mountain", a moving story of black families surviving in Harlem.

...books from my friend Julie

....books from my sister

 

Don't stop giving!!
I just have to find more room for them all! Because this is what my house looks like right now...
Hmmmmm, get rid of the clock and I have another shelf...

Non-fiction reference books - they belong in my bedroom/study....

 ...books holding up a lamp...

 ...this stool is going to give out soon!

Inside my secretary desk - it has a door that hides the mess inside including.....BOOKS!!

I see potential here...

.....I see a theme happening...

 A bit of room...

 Bleh... a dog's breakfast!!

 Another dog's breakfast...

It seems like I recently tidied up my study but you'd never know it! So I am going to sort this all out today so that I can join Lily outside...

Sorry - I need to learn to write shorter posts!! Who are the book lovers out there?