books and children....

Last night i decided to tidy some of my books shelves as i needed to pack away the books that i bought on Monday. For those who have not been to my home i have a entire wall of wall to floor shelves and numerous other shelves around the place. Does this mean that all my books are neatly ordered, lined up alphabetically on the shelf? Not at all. I still have piles (mounds in some instances!) of books all over the house. So i guess what i am trying to say is that I, Allison, have an addiction, a literary addiction! Since a child, nothing enthralls me, excites me, comforts me, like a good book. I read them all... fiction, biography, history, psychology, crafts, cooking. I have a special passion for cooking books. Who can resist the promise of taste, the fantastic meals of the mind, represented by a soft couch and a pile of cook books. (All completely kilojoule free! The best kind of meal!) So last night i was diligently packing these books away when suddenly i wondered how many books i owned. I did a rough count and with my kids books i have an estimated 1600 books in my house! Is this normal? I fear not! Can i rectify it? Absolutely not! I cannot bring myself to sell my books, discard the stories that have become part of my consciousness. Instead i will happily drown in paper.

As i mentioned yesterday i love the fact that this addiction seems to be hereditary. I love that my kids beg me to read to them. I love the experience of having the middle seat (or bed space) while two little heads crane their necks in wonderful silence while we have word adventures. I cant wait for them to be able to read to themselves, only so that we can read together alone. Nothing speaks to me of domestic bliss more then mutual but alone reading. Everyone in their own spot, book in hand, only speaking occasionally to offer items from the kitchen or to share something from their text that is just to sad, funny or unbelievable to be kept to yourself.

So friends, my paper addiction seems to have no end in sight. Perhaps i should see if there is a book on that?

Have a wonderful Wednesday!


Books are not made for furniture,
but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.
~ Henry Ward Beecher ~