Old...School…Books

Early in my career I worked in a library. This was a perfect fit for me because I have always loved books. And, freak that I am, it’s not just the reading that I love. I love the little “crack” sound that the binding on a new book makes when you open it for the first time. While other kids were sniffing glue, I literally had my nose in a book, catching a whiff of the ink. Aahh…invigorating! If I was lucky enough to get a new book with high gloss paper…well, let’s just say it was a feast for all of the senses.

We now pretty much have book cases in every room of our house. A couple of Halloweens ago, a little trick-or-treater peeked through our door, and his eyes opened wide. “Is this the library?” he asked. Yes, that really did happen!

My love of books often conflicts with my love of clutter-busting, but I just can’t give them up. People have asked me why I don’t just check books out of the library. Well, that may work for novels (which I really don’t read that often), but in most cases, if I’m interested in something enough to want to read about it in the first place, I want to go back and revisit that book again and again. Yep, better to just own it!

I know that there are new-fangled gizmos that will store all kinds of books on one little device. While this would save me all kinds of space, I’m thinking that an electronic screen just would not “sniff” the same as a new book. Are the pictures as pretty? Do they even have pictures? If I’m learning about keeping chickens, I want to see them in all of their glory!

Below is a sampling of just a few of my shelves. I still have my Nancy Drew mysteries that I read as a child, as well as a book on Laura Ingalls Wilder (I grew up reading “Little House” and it haunts me today, leaving me dreaming of a log cabin with a loft and hand-made quilts on all of the beds!):


This is just one of a couple of shelves dealing with self-improvement (I need lots of help):


This is my “dreaming” shelf, full of books I’m reading, getting ready for my “someday” hobby farm:


I’m teaching myself to quilt, so that I will be ready to make all those quilts when I get my log cabin or storybook cottage:


I have several shelves devoted to spiritual and moral growth, too (I need to read them 100 times each!):

 
I’m afraid that when it comes to reading, this sentimental reader will always be old-school. And now that I have the most wonderful grandchild in the world, I am delighted to be able to pass my passion for print along to her. I gave her some “baby” books for Christmas, but I can’t seem to stop buying books for her. I’m getting ready for when she’s a little older. I bought a couple just the other night.

I love this book of poetry because it has a lot of the classics like “Three Little Kittens” and “There Was a Little Girl”:

 
I bought this book for me as much as I bought it for Miss Popper. The puppy reminds me of Molly-Anna Marie and her muddy paws. There is actually an illustration on the inside depicting a white tile floor with paw prints all over it. We have a white tile floor, and yes, there are usually paw prints all over it:


I look forward to sharing the world with Miss Popper through all of the books that we will read together. Whenever she visits her Lolee, it will be “old-school” time!