It should come as no surprise that one of the most therapeutic and relaxing things for me to do is play with books. Rearranging, stacking, moving, fondling... It's one of the best parts of moving (because there aren't many great things about packing all your stuff into boxes, carting them up and down stairs, and then unpacking it all, only to have everything now dirty from being in boxes).
With the last move, once everything else was put away, I pulled all my books out of their boxes and stacked them around me in the middle of the dining room/library to try to make sense of how they had previously fit on the shelves. I've got a great picture of me somewhere sitting happily in the middle of a sea of books.
When we got new bookcases (a couple of years ago) I got to go through the whole process again. But today I finally got around to saving the Robert Jordans. With the addition of two new bookcases, it meant that they had to be squeezed in beside the one in the front room along a wall that gets direct sun in the winter. So ever winter, I have to leave the blinds half closed so the spines of my preciouses don't fade. This year, I've had a very ugly system of things propped up closer to the books to block the sun, because I need sunlight and having the blinds half closed just wasn't cutting it.
I just finished rearranging the books on three different bookcases to move the Jordans (and other fantasy books) to the dining room, far away from direct sun, and I moved books I don't care so much about (cookbooks) to the previous Jordan shelves.
In the process, somehow I came up with two empty shelves! They're in the front room, in the direct-sun area, so I can't fill them with new books or fantasy books. I'm at a loss with what to do with that space, but I'm very happy to have all my beloved books safe from the sun.
4 comments:
Are you into ebooks? I'm trying to go digital on everything now (video games, books, music) to save space and I'm giving books away I know I won't read again. I once had a dream to have this grandiose library in my mansion but with technology changing, that's looking like it ain't happening.
I haven't attempted an eBook yet. I don't want to read anything on my computer, and I don't want to invest the money in an expesive eReader. I still hold true to my vision of a grand library (complete with rolling ladders and large leather chairs). Of course, I also thought I'd keep all the books I loved for life, and now I'm realizing that I don't often want to keep books of authors I've outgrown (like Raymond E. Feist or Piers Anthony). So my library is in flux, and I think this year it actually decreased in size because of all the books I gave away.
Having an eLibrary, while very good for the environment, doesn't have quite the same appeal, does it? :)
I agree with you on reader ebooks on your computer unless you have a tablet or that new device Apple's coming out with later next year. However, I think once you try it, you'll be amazed. I've had an ereader for a few years and I love it. Granted, mine only cost $100 (ebookwise.com) and doesn't have wi-fi but it's great. However, I may get a Kindle since my current ereader doesn't have as big a library as Amazon.
What a wonderful world!
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