This is one shelf.
Out of six in this case.
Out of four cases of six.
Of that style.
It doesn’t include the shelves in my office, a wall of built-in shelves in one room, a half-wall of built-in shelves in the basement, a metal cupboard of shelves in the garage.
Full of books.
Not counting the stacks of books on my desk, the kitchen table, an antique high chair, on the floor next to my bed, and in baskets.
I. Love. Books.
I love to bask in color and run hand lightly over spine.
I love to sit on the floor with book in lap.
(Yes, that was me in Barnes & Noble. I was lost in reading novel first lines. Sorry you had to step over me.)
I love the feel of the page.
The fragrance of new.
The musty of old.
How I sense ghostly fingerprints.
And a closeness with generations gone before.
But . . .
In the spirit of letting go and freeing up.
In the pursuit of simplicity.
So I can more simply pursue God.
This is my new bookcase.
My husband got it for me for Christmas.
Well, I got it, wrapped it, and wrote his name in the “from” space.
Much better than the smoke alarms he gave me several years ago.
I never thought I’d say it.
I. Love. It.
Why?
1. It holds thousands of books.
2. That I can organize into collections.
3. Free books and inexpensive books (not just classics.)
4. The ability to highlight and take notes.
5. That miraculously jump into a file called “My Clippings,” and automatically add references (that include the book name, author, page number, location, and even date and time added.)
6. The ability to bookmark. No more pencils, dog ears, Post-It notes, traditional bookmarks, or torn napkins.
7. No sun glare. (I can’t even read my Droid.)
8. The ability to carry an entire library wherever I go.
9. The ability to do a word search.
10. Easier to read in bed.
For starters.
Though I will never give up traditional books totally.
My Droid and I are still fighting.
But my Kindle and I are best friends.
I have the hard copy of this book. It’s in tatters.
In pursuit,
A simple life in the Fear-of-God is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches. ~Proverbs 15:16 (Message)
I’m letting go of more stuff on my Lenten journey.
Stuff that steals my focus.
So far I’ve let go of:
A set of shelves.
A floor lamp.
Three boxes of books.
A bin of miscellaneous household items.
A box of miscellaneous household items.
A treasured crockpot. (Granted, this was forced when its frayed cord poked me.)
Letting go with Ann.
Remembering Lent with Cassandra at the Moonboat Cafe
Not there yet.
But wavering.
You’re not helping. 😉
The Kindle is easier to dust. 😉
Who dusts?
Good point.
obviously my hubby and i are so last year with our new built in bookshelves. how embarassing 😉 the plus side to that is we scored some great deals on ebay this Christmas on regular old books!
a kindle will be mine one day…until then I’ll try not to be envious. ironically – we spent more on the shelves than a kindle would cost. so i’m not sure why that’s an “out there” dream for me and the shelves weren’t. i’ll leave you alone and quit thinking outloud on your blog now. 😉
Think away! I’ll bet the shelves are beautiful. I love built-ins. But once they’re filled up . . . 😉
You’ve helped convince me! I think I’ll cross over here soon 🙂
😀
An interesting take on Lent. I’d like to link you up at the Moonboat, in spite of how I feel about books and Kindles!
(You do make a compelling argument here)
How *do* you feel about books and Kindles? 😉
I was given a Kindle for Christmas.
I thought I’d hate it.
I was wrong.
🙂
🙂
Wow, Sandra. The more posts I read, the more I think we are “kindred spirits.” I love books, but I absolutely love my Kindle. And I didn’t think I would. 🙂
Kindle spirits? 😉
It is probably no surprise, to you, that I love books! In many ways I resemble this post only my Kindle has skin & a jacket 🙂 (Including the book which I also have a tattered paperback copy of)
We are sisters indeed. So loving the need to dust less as it gives me time to read more.
Hugs!
I have a pocket on my planner that it slips into quite nicely. Yes, I have not yet converted to an online calendar system. I’ve tried. So far without success.
I would like one of those jackets things with the light so I could read in the car at night.
Down with dust.
Last year during Spring Cleaning, my husband decided to redecorate our “TV’ room. He removed book cases and books and packed them all away in boxes and boxes. His remark was, we never read these anyway. I managed to snatch a few favorites and place them in our guest room. Come to think of it – – I must write a post on this! 🙂
I wish my husband would have an urge like that.
And couldn’t resist – wrote: De-Clutter
🙂 🙂
I get this. All of it. Well, except the part about having a Kindle. That’d be Peter, not me. Yet.
Yet. 😉