I feel like I’ve reached the point of no return when it comes to books. I know that my library is not nearly as large as many. It occurs to me that when I turn my final page, there will be so many books for someone to deal with. I’ve made a concerted effort to cull my library, and I have a ways to go.
So why on earth did I buy more books this weekend? My ‘to be read’ stack is out of control. Some of them, I have to admit, I’m not going to read. I was more in love with the idea of reading them than actually reading them (evidently).
But visits to bookshops and thrift stores (a favorite thing to do) put me in the proximity of books I dare not pass up. One such place was called The Sweet Read in Woodstock, Georgia. They have the design down ideally. It’s an old house, every room filled with stacks of books. There are comfy places to sit if you find a tome to peruse. And a bakery is inside as well, with treats and coffee. I have no idea how profitable it is on the business side of things, but if I ever went into a business of my own, that would be it.
I bought two books (and no treats) on my first visit. One of those books was by Mississippi treasure Eudora Welty called One Writer’s Beginnings. There are three sections of this book, and I’ve read two. I can’t tell you how much I have loved every page. As a Mississippian born not too far from Welty’s Jackson home, I have been enchanted by this small autobiographical reflection of her life and the craft of writing. I will certainly be sharing some thoughts from this book in the near future. I also bought a very fine copy of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Sweet Read is not a thrift store, but I couldn’t help but bring some purchases home.
Saturday we spent some time at some local thrift stores, sometimes called “antique” stores, more accurately “junktique”. But I enjoy visiting the booths and seeing what is out there. I’m pretty good about resisting anything except … maybe … one more book. So at Transformations Thrift Store, I bought five books. They were all by the same author. I knew I probably had a few of them already but I couldn’t be sure. Now see, this is where it becomes a problem. I’m buying books I already have. In my defense, all five books cost me a total of $1 plus tax - and they were hardbacks!
Transformations is located in an old church building and I love that the proceeds go toward blessing women in recovery. Oh, what did I buy? I thought you’d never ask. Five volumes of books by the brilliant Henri J. Nouwen. I’m willing to read anything he wrote, so this was a happy purchase. I did actually have three of them already, so I passed along my duplicates to our Associate Minister Daniel … who probably wishes I would quit unloading books on him. I also almost bought a mantle clock. It was missing a piece on the back but looked very nice on the front. It would have been a nice addition to some of my newly empty bookshelves. I didn’t because I am afraid I might begin a new collection of clocks! I’m susceptible to new collections. My mother bought me a couple of gnomes for Father’s Day and now I’m looking at gnomes everywhere and actually have bought a few.
While we listened, there at the open window, the moonflowers opened little by little, and the song continued … Music and moonflower might have been geared to move together… I was there in its company, watching the moonflower open. - Eudora Welty, One Writer’s Beginnings.
Here we go already with the Eudora Welty quotes! In the way that almost anything can become a collection that takes on a life of its own, I try to be in the mode of getting rid of things, not accumulating them. I’m going to die one day and my daughter and grandkids are going to curse me and put ‘loveable hoarder’ on my gravestone.
So, the book collection is fluid at this point. I won’t even speak of how many books I have in my Kindle library. I know, it’s not the same as the smell and feel of a real book - especially an old one. And what about leather-covered ones? I can barely resist. But the Kindle books have their place.
I really have one big challenge above them all. When do I find enough time to read?
Before you go, please check out some related posts below. Hit the heart for any post you enjoy. It is a very small effort that encourages the writers in a big way In the comments, tell us which author you will always buy - even if you may already own that book, but can’t remember for sure! Take notice of some related posts below!
Related
Anne Kadet wrote about a man who has a goal to visit every bookstore in New York City. Book Quest Impossible: Visiting Every Bookstore in NYC.
Jacob Ready is the ambitious bookstore visitor. His newsletter is HERE.
My favorite poet, Heather Holland, has taken to writing again after a break at The Daily Rhyme.
Joel J. Miller writes about writing and reading and one of my favorite posts has been Let Us Now Praise Humble Bookmarks.
Another favorite post about reading was from Adsum Try Ravenhill, Leave Your Books Worse Than You Found Them. I follow his advice entirely.
While there are many writers on Substack, you should follow S. E. Reid and Scoot - they are writers who are most engaging on Substack’s Notes.
Most of the books now adorning our shelves have come from our local library. The “Friends of the Library” club hosts periodical book sales and whatever books you can fit inside of a cardboard milk crate are yours for $5! It’s and incredible deal. And the funds go right back to the public library.
AND many of our purchases from there have been books stamped with “Barnesville Carnegie Library” ink from the very first library ever brought to our small town of Barnesville, Ga. My particular favorite is the hardback copy of “Ivanhoe” by Sir Walter Scott and an anthology titled “The Oxford Book of Light Verse” published by Oxford University Press in London. My goal is to begin reading a poem or short story everyday from the anthology soon.
And now I’ve added Welty’s book to my “to purchase” list! I picked up three books last night and thought the same--I need to stop! But like you, I love books, and I am not ashamed!