Friday, October 29, 2010

Days 301 and 302: Books and the Addition

The dogs sleeping in our warm Addition...



The past couple of days I've had some dog walks. And the grass is starting to turn green. But mostly I'm excited to be fully using our new Addition. After a couple years of not having much extra space, being in the new part of the house (and being comfortable) is a pleasure beyond pleasures.

I've moved all the books for the umpteenth thousandth time. It is hard to part with a book. I've winnowed them down many times before. Like when I moved to Grand Junction, Colorado. Or when I moved to Nevada. I still have a few thousand in my Dad's house in Minnesota.

Is it selfish to hang on to a book? Would it be best to pass them on? Donate them to a library? Send them to the recycling center? I appreciate the work that went into writing a book--even a bad one. Somehow it just seems nasty to toss out a book.

And then there are all the books I wanted to read but just couldn't get through them. Do I hang onto them? Leaves of Grass comes to mind: never could read that. And Gore Vidal's fiction---I try and try to no avail. Should I hang on to them? Will I grow into them? Will I be smarter in the future?

The best arrangement is to have someone come over and "borrow" them---never to bring them back. So come on over. Peruse my bookshelf. Most are available for an indefinite loan. Just don't ask for my Ed Abbey books...

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