My First Love - Books

I LOVE BOOKS!

Anyone that knows me, knows this. I have a collection of 410 books (yes, I just counted them) not including my two shelves of nursing textbooks or my children's collection. I have not read all of the books on my shelves but something I have learned over the years is that there is a certain time and place for each book. For example, it took me three years and two previous attempts before I finally read Wuthering Heights front to back. Classics are a slow boil for me. Once I get into them I generally find them as enjoyable as most. Now you see, I am already begining to ramble. Back to business.

I am very particular about my books. I like them to be in good condition. A few examples of this are as follows:
1)  I try not to break the spine of the book. This means I only open it as far as I have to. I ONLY leave my book open face-down if it is for a very short period of time and sometimes not even then. People who fold their books all the way back in a magazine-type fashion make me sick.
2)  I NEVER write in my books. The closest I will ever come to doing this is to put my name in the front for lending purposes.
3)  I NEVER fold the corners. Doing so would probably hurt me more than the book. I usually just remember which page I am on but I am also known to use a bookmark on occassion. Any random slip of paper will do.
4)  I do eat and drink while reading but I am very cautious about not spilling.
5)  I do take my books in the bath with me but I am very careful to dry off my hands before touching them or I avoid getting my hands wet in the first place.

Please note, the above mentioned items four and five are off limits for those borrowing my books! Needless to say, as much as I enjoy sharing my passion for reading and books with anyone, I don't have too many borrowers. Those who have had the experience have shown me the stress it causes them by bringing the books back in a plastic bag. A great idea! :)

Ideally, I would borrow books from the library to read before deciding if they are buy-worthy so that they will each look pristine in their special place on my shelf, and because I really don't see the point of having a book I did not enjoy on my shelf. That being said, the library has time and selection constraints that I choose not to be hindered by. Luckily, there are not too many books I don't enjoy.

I have one book that I have read 10 times. It is called, A Handful of Time by Kit Pearson. I remember the day I got it - my 10th birthday from a friend. I never tire of this book and I really don't have a particular reason why. I used to open it to a random page if I couldn't sleep or woke up to a nightmare. This book looks very "well-read" and it's the only one I don't mind looking this way because I know it is from my personal extensive use of it only.

The thing I love about reading is the escape. I love entering another time, another place, another world. It is a way of leaving my life for a time and entering that of another. There is only so much one can experience in a lifetime and reading the stories of others assists in creating a virtual reality, if you will, of those things that I will not be experiencing myself. Reading is a comfort to me. There is not a whole lot out there for me better than a book that was so engaging and satisfying that I couldn't put it down and was incredibly disappointed when it was over.

And now, I have some reading to do!