terrshee's Diaryland Diary

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Books!

I started putting my books on the shelves last night. Ah, bliss! It made me remember a compliment once paid to me by some one in the SCA. She said, "When you die, I want first crack at your library."

I like my books. On the whole I have chosen them carefully because I am conscious of how much space they take up and what an investment they can be, and what a weight to move! I like the way they wait patiently for me to rediscover them as I do from time-to-time.

I used to have the bad book habit. The one where you buy without descretion and keep without thought. That was when I was much younger and moved more often. One day I realized I was carting around cheap SF book club editions of stuff I didn't particularly like and would never read again. So I did a major purge and decided to buy only books that I would use as reference or read again. Mostly I've kept to it.

And now my library is an object of pleasure and satisfaction. I know pretty much what I have, can find what I want and can share my enthusiasms. I don't quite buy into the cult that all books are sacred, but I respect them and couldn't live without them.

6:58 a.m. - 2005-01-28
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