Kate wanted to know the story behind our collection, were there rules for new acquisitions, is the collection complete, does it have to be second hand or a gift, and so on.
(The tote bag in the photo above bears the slogan "When I get a little money I buy books. And if there is any left over, I buy food.")
I don't really collect anything formally. We have a tiny, tiny house, just big enough for the three of us and our two dogs. You'll believe how tiny it is when I tell you that we only have one bathroom! Point is, there's no room for a collection of any kind!
(These could also be Moments photos, as they portray my house with warts and all!)
However, I do have books. Too many books, if you ask my husband (which I never do, I might add). And I have a great deal of difficulty letting books go. I never feel so rich as when I have a stack of books I haven't read. As I mentioned in a previous post, I rise early enough to read for an hour before I have to start my day in earnest. I read in several different genres: murders and spies, biographies and memoirs, classic and contemporary fiction are my favourites. I have e-books from Project Gutenberg on my iPhone; right now I'm re-reading Gone With the Wind. It's a small format, admittedly, but it's great to pull out when I'm in the car, waiting for my husband to come out of the bank or the pharmacy. Still, I prefer the actual printed book over the electronic versions - no Kindle for me! My absolute favourite author is Patrick O'Brian, who wrote a 20-novel series about the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. You may remember the movie based on one of those books: Master and Commander, starring Russell Crowe. These are total boy books, but so well-written and fascinatingly historical. I hardly ever meet anyone who has read them, but whenever I do, we exchange a secret handshake!
(Notice the Values quilt and my old bargello quilt on the back of the rocking chair.)
When I was a young child, my parents were both in university. We lived in the student area of town, so there weren't many children for me to play with. My brother came along when I was five, but he was too young to be interesting. (He reads this blog, so I must state that he is very interesting now.) We didn't have a television until I was nine. So my chief entertainment was books. By the time we came to live in neighbourhoods that were more family-oriented, my habit of reading was set. Fast forward 40 years, and here I am a professor of education and psychology, whose research delves into how children learn to read and why some of them struggle to do so.Maybe my "collection" isn't really a collection, since it doesn't really have rules for new acquisitions or special parameters of any kind. But if having a collection makes you feel like you always need one more, and you can't bear to part with a single one, then my collection makes the grade! People collect all kinds of things - you can go look at some of these linked from Pip's blog. What do you collect?
12 comments:
Love your collection :) warts and all! Really looking to seeing the valours quilt done :)We have a collection of books. Mostly Phil's and now Ollie's... Phil collects CDs. I seem to 'collect' housework. I do have an extensive stamp collection but it's in the attic. That's about it!
PS - our last place was teeny. So small I could vacuum the entire place from one powerpoint!
your book collection is terrific! & the quilts look beautiful.
It is amazing how many books you can fit in a small place huh? lol
I have to say that we have much in common Lesly! My house is chock full of books. Luckily the house came with lots of built in bookcases, so I have just about enough room. Give me a shelf and I will fill it with books!
My chief source of amusement when I was a child was reading. I cannot even remember not being able to read.
I share your love of books. Reading and my local public library probably saved me from a really sad childhood. The library was a charming old stone building with a brilliant host of programs that I could escape to and luckily was within walking distance from home. Love books and can't imagine life without them. Will you try a Kindle or some other device?
I used to collect antique silver spoons.
Oh my word! I seem to be a book collector, too. And it is hard for me to part with any of them, even when the shelves are groaning and threatening to collapse.
Oh, Lesly, I love this post. I can so relate to your love of books. I love the saying on your tote bag. One of my favorite coffee mugs given to me by a friend says "Shhh...I'm reading". I love to be surrounded by books. I could spend hours in Barnes and Noble (which I frequently do), and our house is filled with books. I do have a Kindle....trying to go green...or at least that's what I told myself when purchasing it...great for traveling..you can download books in a matter of seconds...but I do still love the feel of a book in my hands, turning the pages, etc. I am blessed that my kids also love to read. When they were little, they called Barnes and Noble the library...sad, but true. I like to buy the books so I can have them in my home...plus I frequently reread books. How cool is it that you are a professor who researches how children learn to read and why some struggle more than others. I would love to hear more about that....having three children who are all so different...one of which has struggled in school but does love to read. Sorry to reply with such a long comment, but believe it or not, I could go on and on. Thanks for sharing your collection. By the way, your house may be small, but it looks beautiful from these pictures....love the bookcases and hard wood floors.
I love the early morning when I can read for an hour or so before starting my day. You have a wonderful collection and your quilts are gorgeous too.
I think we have books in every room except the bathrooms AND the local library is within walking distance. We want to create built in book shelves some day.
You should meet my daughter. She has a reading delay caused by a traumatic brain injury. Loves books even though they are a struggle for her to get through.
When I was a child I used to sit in "my" apple tree and read :)
A great collection! I read books instead of hanging out with other children when I was little too - alas it didn't turn me into a professor...
I love your collection. i love that you wrote that you feel rich when you have a pile of unread books. Great collection.
We too, are book collectors. Shelves and cases of them. Even a basketful in the bathroom. After all, sometimes you might be in there for a while, and it never hurts to be prepared. Books make a house warm and cozy and inviting. My mother was a teacher. I am very grateful she passed on her love for reading.
Love the quilts too! Great bright colors.
Yay for books! If my Hubby let me, our place would look exactly like that. And I love the comment about never feeling so rich as when you have a pile of unfinished books. So, so true.
Question regarding your research - and so appropriate because this is exactly what Hubby and I have been discussing lately. Which is better to teach first when teaching how to write letters? Uppercase or lowercase?
Post a Comment
Thanks for dropping by - I'd love to hear what you think, so please leave me a comment!