I've been really into my reading at the moment, and also rather weirdly looking over to my various book storage areas on a regular basis. I've been almost drinking in watching the books that are patiently queueing for their turn to be read.
It's the time of year when you can quite legitimately grab a book and sit outside for a while in the warmth of the sunshine, when it decides to show it's face. The forecast for the next two weeks is for much better weather, so perhaps some more of my books will be joining me outside on the patio.
Maybe books need vitamin D too. 😁
Books as ornaments ... hell yes!!
These books haven't been touched for far too long, dusted yes, read no. I will remedy that at the weekend and take the first of the Helen Forrester's away with me. Tuppence to Cross the Mersey is one of my favourite books.
I often wonder which of my books I would choose if I had to pick just my favourite one hundred to keep and have to lose all of the others in some strange book disappearing calamity ... this would be among the ones kept for sure.
The Garden Cottage Diaries would also be on the list.
The last book I read, Chicken Boy was really good if you have an interest in chickens and has earnt it's place on the shelf ... if not on The Top One Hundred List.
I've read all but the Kate Humble book from this little decorative pile. Rather weirdly I don't even remember buying the Kate humble book!!
And that concludes a tour of all my living room books, I could count them I guess and see how many I actually own at the moment ...
... but I'm too busy reading to count. 😄
Could you choose your top 100 books and jettison all the others ... or do you not even own that many?
My eldest son owns one book ... is he even mine, while my younger son owns hundreds.
Sue xx
Bob pointed out a sign in a bookshop in Scotland last week. It said "A balanced life is a cup of tea in one hand, and a book in the other"
ReplyDeleteChange that to coffee and it would be absolutely perfect. :-)
DeleteWhat nice, tidy, NEW-looking books! A contrast with my battered old biographies about Hardy, and antiquarian horse books, botany books I've had 40 years and 2nd hand book about the countryside, snaffled up whenever we had a trip to Hay-on-Wye. Plenty of really good reading there and now's the time to do it. We've had wall to wall sunshine for ages - about 12 days I think. It's SO cheering after a winter that didn't want to stop!
ReplyDeleteI do look after my books ... well on the outside anyway. I am afraid I am a bit of a corner turner, now that really annoys some people. I have been trying to use bits of paper as a bookmark, but I keep writing shopping lists on them and then losing my place.
DeleteA lot of my books are actually second-hand. I choose the 'as new' or 'very good' option when I buy them that way on Amazon, but with reading being a bit out of fashion these days you can find perfect and sometimes completely unread books in charity shops now. There's something lovely about a 'proper' secondhand book that's been read over and over and has that 'feel' about it isn't there.
I have been a reader all my life but I don’t collect books, I borrow them from the library, buy from charity shops or rely on friends to pass on what they have read. Reading the books that friends and family have chosen widens my interests.
ReplyDeleteBack in the day I used to borrow all my books from the library and my eldest son was a library member from 18 months old (WHY doesn't he read now!!). But as soon as I could afford to I would buy books for myself as I love to keep favourites to reread. There's something very special about sinking into a book that you've read and loved before, and occasionally seeing something different in it.
DeleteI rarely keep fiction though as once you've read a story and know how it ends that is completely different. Most of my books are non-fiction, food related or autobiographies.
Oddly enough, my reading has gone completely out the window, excuse the pun!
ReplyDeleteI had been a bit like that over the past couple of years, then at the end of last year I made an effort to read a bit more and now I've really started to build on it again.
DeleteAlways very good to see your book shelves to check out what's new as I usually like much the same as you! But NOT the Helen Forrester - they made me so sad I could never read them again.
ReplyDeleteNot reading outside weather here yet - sun, yes but cloud rolling in too and the north or north east winds are cruel.
I love the Helen Forrester books as they are very similar to my Gran's upbringing in Moss Side, Manchester. And a lot of the stories that she told me back in the day really come to life in the books, even down to her large rented house with lots of steps up to the front door and lodgers living completely in their own rooms cooking on the fires.
DeleteWe had an enormous clearout during the first lockdown in 2020 when people were desperate for books and the libraries were closed. Maybe 200+ books left the house. I have mainly factual books eg sewing, knitting and crafts left but most of my fiction reading is done on kindle/from library. I have just re-read Liam McIlvanney’s book The Quaker for my readers group. I bought this paperback about 4 years ago as I was desperate to read it and we were on holiday so bought it as a treat to myself. Happy reading. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI had my biggest clear out during the second lockdown when we lived in the flat. I put boxes of books out on the wall each day for people to help themselves to. A lot of what was left was sold at our two table-top sales last year. What I have now are the keepers ... and perhaps a few new ones. ;-)
DeleteIt's no life without a pile of books, for sure! Morning, evening, through the seasons - there's always time for a book on the go - or several! xx
ReplyDeleteStrangely I only have one on the go at the moment, I need to remedy that immediately. :-)
DeleteAlthough almost all my reading is done online now I have a handful that will never leave my small bookshelf:
ReplyDeleteThe Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes - a truly shocking history of Australia
All the "Wolf Hall" books
A Fine Balance by Rohin Mistry - an in depth study of Indian life told through a novel
The Worst Journey in the World - the failed Scott Antarctic expedition
The Road to Wigan Pier - George Orwell's first hand account of poverty in Britain
One Novel, a Nevil Shute one, Beyond the Black Stump
I LOVE seeing or hearing about what other people are reading or the books that they love, so thank you for that.
DeleteCoincidentally, my adult reading began when I was about 9 or 10 reading my Dad's copy of Neville Shute's book 'A Town Like Alice'. After that I used to raid his bookshelf on a regular basis, although why he let me read the complete works of Harold Robbins I have no idea!!
I am always interested to see other folks books, they give me an idea what to read next. I probably have around 100 books. I have given lots to charity shops recently. Some 'old friends' will stay with me. I also have many on my Kindle but prefer to have the real thing.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should count mine, maybe on a rainy day ... if I'm not in the middle of a book. :-)
DeleteI have books on Kindle, that I can read on my phone when I'm waiting somewhere, but it's not the same really is it. Maybe I need to use my larger handbag and start carrying an actual book everywhere with me ... just in case.
I have no idea how many books I have, because they are in every room! I'm a paper book kind of girl, and they just make me happy. I can't stop buying them, even when I need to watch the budget. I will always find a few dollars for one more book :)
ReplyDeleteI would love your home then, although you might lose me as I get distracted by books and go off on a wander. Now I have only two rooms, it's even easier for me to be able to say I have books in every room. :-)
DeleteI've gotten pretty heartless about my books in my old age. Truly. I've got hundreds of books in this house. Even if I loved them, I have to accept the fact that I will not read them again. I bring them home, read them, donate them.
ReplyDeleteI should do a lot more of this ... hopefully one day I will get more ruthless. :-)
DeleteI love books but don't buy as many as I used to - it's the storage thing - I use the library and often borrow so many that I have to renew them several times to get them finished!
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
That's what used to happen to me when I borrowed from the library, I could never get through all my lovely choices in time and had to keep renewing them. Then, if I had really loved a book I had to go out and buy it for myself anyway. Libraries are like sweetie shops for book lovers, we see all the lovely books and have to have them. :-)
DeleteA few years back we had a flood in the basement and while my books weathered that catastrophe we needed to put things in storage for a bit in order to redo the basement. Well Harvey said I could have 5 totes of books. As I started going through them and adding books to those 5 totes, I realized I was going to need more totes. I talked him into 7 full totes (some I moved and hid upstairs). That still left many (okay hundreds) of books that I needed to get rid of. Some the boys took, and many others were donated. I still buy books, but now I more or less put them on my ereader. I dread having to downsize when and if we move to a smaller home.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
That must have been scary, the thought of losing all your books to a flood and then having to drastically downsize them for storage. It's amazing the weight of books as well once they have to live in boxes isn't it.
DeleteMaybe you could whittle them down slightly over the next few years as you read through some of them, that way the final move and downsize won't be too traumatic.
I enjoyed the Helen Forrester ones but alas not in my library. I love Nella Last's diaries, particularly the wartime one and reread that a couple of times. Helene Hanff's series about the Charing Cross bookstore have been read a few times here too.
ReplyDeleteYes, I love the Nella Last books too. xx
DeleteYou're right, it's perfect book reading weather! I'm a solar powered reader, too.
ReplyDeleteWe've got books in every room in the house although I claim not to collect them I've probably got enough reading material to keep me going for the next few decades and still I keep buying more but almost always secondhand! xxx
You get some really good books on your regular chazza shop outings, and you do get through them fast so it's a good job you can pick them up so cheaply.
DeleteI could no more live without books than I could survive without air, water and food. As for cutting it down to 100 . . . I’ll think of a polite way of saying “never” when I’ve stopped hyperventilating at the mere thought!
ReplyDeleteIt is a slightly unnerving thought isn't it, but I often think I should plan it in case that type of book rationing emergency should occur, just so that I know exactly which books are my absolute favourites and could be read over and over on a loop. ;-)
DeleteONE BOOK? That's a horrid idea! I have many books! I think I could probably live with 100 but I have no idea how I'd choose! I loved seeing your collection!
ReplyDeleteI know, and yet he LOVED books when he was younger and was reading really early. I should show you my cook books one day ... after all I read those as though they were novels most of the time.
Delete