Comments on: I’m moving my books http://www.thiswomanswork.com/2005/04/18/im-moving-my-books/ dawn friedman's blog Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:31:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: cathy b http://www.thiswomanswork.com/2005/04/18/im-moving-my-books/#comment-12874 cathy b Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:09:50 +0000 http://thiswomanswork.com/?p=1510#comment-12874 Not a boring entry, I read every word. But, I'm working on similar stuff right now: we're remodeling the basement so we can later remodel the kitchen, and other parts of the household--each containing a bookshelf or two--will need to be shifted to deal with temporarily altered spaces. I have a 1960s Readers' Digest condensed book in my shelf of writing books. Every few years I forget why the hell I would keep a RDC, pick it up, open it and find the inscription my adored grandmother wrote when I was 10 and she gave it to me for my birthday. I had been reading it at her house and she thought I'd want it. I wish I could take her writing off the page and put it into one of the other lovely books I have from her house after she died--the first edition of The Yearling, or the lovely illustrated Poe or Shakespeare. But nope--the one she gives her love to me in is a weird old RDC. I'll keep it forever. Not a boring entry, I read every word. But, I’m working on similar stuff right now: we’re remodeling the basement so we can later remodel the kitchen, and other parts of the household–each containing a bookshelf or two–will need to be shifted to deal with temporarily altered spaces.

I have a 1960s Readers’ Digest condensed book in my shelf of writing books. Every few years I forget why the hell I would keep a RDC, pick it up, open it and find the inscription my adored grandmother wrote when I was 10 and she gave it to me for my birthday. I had been reading it at her house and she thought I’d want it. I wish I could take her writing off the page and put it into one of the other lovely books I have from her house after she died–the first edition of The Yearling, or the lovely illustrated Poe or Shakespeare. But nope–the one she gives her love to me in is a weird old RDC. I’ll keep it forever.

]]> By: landismom http://www.thiswomanswork.com/2005/04/18/im-moving-my-books/#comment-12873 landismom Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:14:44 +0000 http://thiswomanswork.com/?p=1510#comment-12873 Gee, your house sounds like mine. My mom once asked me if there was any room in our house that didn't have a bookshelf, and I was like, duh, the bathroom, the water is bad for them! That was before we moved the cookbooks out of the kitchen, though. I go through the same questioning about books all the time. Why am I hanging on to a copy of "Goat Brothers", a way-too-long book that I didn't really like the first time, and will never read again? I wish I knew. My favorite excuses for hanging onto books are: 1) I'll want the kids to read that one day, and 2) but it's a first edition! Now mind you, most first editions of contemporary fiction will be lucky to regain their own original purchase price in value in my lifetime. Still, I maintain this fiction as if it's some kind of investment strategy. Hmmm, now I'm feeling the need to go reorganize my books... Gee, your house sounds like mine. My mom once asked me if there was any room in our house that didn’t have a bookshelf, and I was like, duh, the bathroom, the water is bad for them! That was before we moved the cookbooks out of the kitchen, though.

I go through the same questioning about books all the time. Why am I hanging on to a copy of “Goat Brothers”, a way-too-long book that I didn’t really like the first time, and will never read again? I wish I knew.

My favorite excuses for hanging onto books are: 1) I’ll want the kids to read that one day, and 2) but it’s a first edition! Now mind you, most first editions of contemporary fiction will be lucky to regain their own original purchase price in value in my lifetime. Still, I maintain this fiction as if it’s some kind of investment strategy.

Hmmm, now I’m feeling the need to go reorganize my books…

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