This weeks Bookworm
Here are the questions and answers from this weeks ThursdayBookworm.
1. How many books do you own (and if you're not a nerd like me and don't know the exact number, guess-timate)?
We have quite a few. The problem is we only have one bookshelf of any substance, and then just another little one. Consequently we have books all over. On tables, in cubbys, in boxes in the attic, on dressers and desks, on the toy shelves and shelves above the toy box, and in my daughters room on some plastic planter tables that we've put together as makshift shelves. But books we have, filling up all those places pretty much to capacity.
I've never counted, but part of me wants to say that we've got over a thousand. But then again, maybe it only feels that way. I would think at least 500. I once visited this guy at school that had one whole wall of his bedroom in the "married dorms" (which were small apartments) filled floor to ceiling with bookshelves---and the shelves were solid full of books. It was magnificent. I would like to have shelves like that all around my house. Someday, maybe.
2. Do you keep books to add to your personal library, or do you trade them/give them away?
I rarely give books away, or trade them or sell them. I'm a bit of a packrat I guess. I think that for most of them it's just a case of not knowing who would want them. Then there is how to get rid of them. I think at some point I may try Amazon or Ebay and see if I can't lighten my load a bit. For the ones I can't get rid of that way, I guess there is always goodwill.
The books that I would actually get something for, of course I want to keep. Those are the treasures. I keep them and hope I can share them with my kids as they get to the age that they can appreciate them.
3. If you keep books, what makes you keep them? What kind of books do you keep?
The books that I really hold onto are books that have been gems. Typically not casual reads. I enjoy a casual read, but I really like masterpiece type writing. Everything from the classics, like Charles Dickens, to contemporary kids fiction like Lemony Snicket. Books that have a real sense of style and seem to have a sense of existence outside of the life of author.
It's like there are books that you read and you can see the toil of the author struggling to craft something. Other books it seems like the story has pushed it's way through the author as simply the most able bodied available portal to come into existence through. It's this last kind of story that I like to save.
I like the opening lines of the really good books. Also first paragraphs, but especially first lines. Sometimes I'll stand in front of that one lone bookshelf where we've put all the most excellent books that we own and I'll just go down the rows, pulling books out one at a time and reading the wonderful first lines out loud to myself. It's like music without notes and it feels nice---relaxing and transporting. The line itself can be wonderful on it's own, but typically it calls back, in that one line, all the fun of the story and some memory associated with that story or author from my life, as vividly as a photo album. I'll read the whole first paragraph if it pulls me in, but usually just the first line.
I like to smell them too.
4. Do you have a guilty pleasure book- something you would never want to admit to reading?
Reading has always been so personal for me that it's never been much about status, so I've never had anyone to be embarrassed in front of with what I read. I have read things that I would be uncomfortable if certain people found out I read, because I don't think that they would understand. Like if some of my church friends found out how much I enjoy Vonnegut. I think they may feel a little confused as to why I would want to associate with a "foul mouthed, pornographic humanist". But I don't judge them for how they feel. And I don't judge Mr. V. for the things he says that I disagree with either, because he is a foul mouthed, pornographic (at times) humanist.
I think that both of them might feel I should be a little more judgmental of the other, but it's just not my way. I have to much to learn from both.
5. Have you ever gone without something you needed to buy a book instead?
I couldn't say that I've ever gone without, but I have bought books when someone could say that I would have been just as well to just check it out from the library. I think I put more money in books than I do into clothes for myself, I'll say that. Not much of a clothes person. Just enough to be practical.
I remember when we were really hard up early in my marriage, we didn't have anything to spare for presents. For my birthday I asked for, and my wife gave me, simply as much time in Barnes and Noble to browse as I wanted. Whenever we had been in there before she would be finished long before I would , and she would have to call me out so we didn't screw up our whole day's schedule. On that day she let me loose and didn't call me out---just let me have my fill. We were there for several hours. I could have stayed longer, but I saw that she was being very patient but was getting very bored. So I sacrificed a little to return the favor. It's still one of my most memorable birthdays ever.
1. How many books do you own (and if you're not a nerd like me and don't know the exact number, guess-timate)?
We have quite a few. The problem is we only have one bookshelf of any substance, and then just another little one. Consequently we have books all over. On tables, in cubbys, in boxes in the attic, on dressers and desks, on the toy shelves and shelves above the toy box, and in my daughters room on some plastic planter tables that we've put together as makshift shelves. But books we have, filling up all those places pretty much to capacity.
I've never counted, but part of me wants to say that we've got over a thousand. But then again, maybe it only feels that way. I would think at least 500. I once visited this guy at school that had one whole wall of his bedroom in the "married dorms" (which were small apartments) filled floor to ceiling with bookshelves---and the shelves were solid full of books. It was magnificent. I would like to have shelves like that all around my house. Someday, maybe.
2. Do you keep books to add to your personal library, or do you trade them/give them away?
I rarely give books away, or trade them or sell them. I'm a bit of a packrat I guess. I think that for most of them it's just a case of not knowing who would want them. Then there is how to get rid of them. I think at some point I may try Amazon or Ebay and see if I can't lighten my load a bit. For the ones I can't get rid of that way, I guess there is always goodwill.
The books that I would actually get something for, of course I want to keep. Those are the treasures. I keep them and hope I can share them with my kids as they get to the age that they can appreciate them.
3. If you keep books, what makes you keep them? What kind of books do you keep?
The books that I really hold onto are books that have been gems. Typically not casual reads. I enjoy a casual read, but I really like masterpiece type writing. Everything from the classics, like Charles Dickens, to contemporary kids fiction like Lemony Snicket. Books that have a real sense of style and seem to have a sense of existence outside of the life of author.
It's like there are books that you read and you can see the toil of the author struggling to craft something. Other books it seems like the story has pushed it's way through the author as simply the most able bodied available portal to come into existence through. It's this last kind of story that I like to save.
I like the opening lines of the really good books. Also first paragraphs, but especially first lines. Sometimes I'll stand in front of that one lone bookshelf where we've put all the most excellent books that we own and I'll just go down the rows, pulling books out one at a time and reading the wonderful first lines out loud to myself. It's like music without notes and it feels nice---relaxing and transporting. The line itself can be wonderful on it's own, but typically it calls back, in that one line, all the fun of the story and some memory associated with that story or author from my life, as vividly as a photo album. I'll read the whole first paragraph if it pulls me in, but usually just the first line.
I like to smell them too.
4. Do you have a guilty pleasure book- something you would never want to admit to reading?
Reading has always been so personal for me that it's never been much about status, so I've never had anyone to be embarrassed in front of with what I read. I have read things that I would be uncomfortable if certain people found out I read, because I don't think that they would understand. Like if some of my church friends found out how much I enjoy Vonnegut. I think they may feel a little confused as to why I would want to associate with a "foul mouthed, pornographic humanist". But I don't judge them for how they feel. And I don't judge Mr. V. for the things he says that I disagree with either, because he is a foul mouthed, pornographic (at times) humanist.
I think that both of them might feel I should be a little more judgmental of the other, but it's just not my way. I have to much to learn from both.
5. Have you ever gone without something you needed to buy a book instead?
I couldn't say that I've ever gone without, but I have bought books when someone could say that I would have been just as well to just check it out from the library. I think I put more money in books than I do into clothes for myself, I'll say that. Not much of a clothes person. Just enough to be practical.
I remember when we were really hard up early in my marriage, we didn't have anything to spare for presents. For my birthday I asked for, and my wife gave me, simply as much time in Barnes and Noble to browse as I wanted. Whenever we had been in there before she would be finished long before I would , and she would have to call me out so we didn't screw up our whole day's schedule. On that day she let me loose and didn't call me out---just let me have my fill. We were there for several hours. I could have stayed longer, but I saw that she was being very patient but was getting very bored. So I sacrificed a little to return the favor. It's still one of my most memorable birthdays ever.
posted by Will at 4:01 PM
1 Comments:
I have/had probably 100 books on my bookshelf but can easily find 20 more floating around the house. The reason I say have/had is that I currently have two boxes of books packed away to go to my grandmothers retirement home, so I can now say, I don't usually keep them, I trade them or give them away.
Old people love reading, who else better to give them too. Even the little guilt pleasure books.
Karoni
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