[This is a snapshot of my bookshelves from my bed. The left shelf is non-fiction: college texts, literary anthologies, language resources, travel guides, magazines, and collections of my own print-outs, writings, miscellaneous whatevers. To the right, you'll see an alphabetized collection of fiction. Yes, I'm a nerd. Yearbooks, old journals/planners, and my Animorph collection are at the bottom.]
Recent revelation - I adore my books more than Average-Joe. For example, Joe doesn't have four books on his nightstand and two journals and a cross-word puzzle book. My co-workers at the pharm are baffled about my literary love. They read. They read, you know, Nicholas Sparks or mystery novels. But they only read one book at a time. What's the deal with reading more than one? Huh?! Is Cora trying to make the rest of us look bad?
No, I'm not. I look at books the way Joe looks at his lunch. Does he want Taco Bell, Zaxby's, or leftover pasta from last night? He can't eat at Subway every day, Monday through Friday, despite its mirage of options. He has to have some kind of variety!
Well, so do I! I can't read Taming of the Shrew every night before I go to bed. Don't get me wrong, I love Billy S. and his witty repartee via Katherine. But some nights I need the PB&J comfort food of books (Ella Enchanted) so that I can survive the next day. I'm on a French kick, but sometimes I'm curious about history (Marie Antoinette) and not culture (My Life in France). Other times, I need to write about my own life before I delve into one (or two or three) books to gain some inspiration and perspective. Think of it as snacking on popcorn and Twisters and Raisinettes while watching movies; you need a variety of taste and texture to appreciate the entire film experience.
You might have noticed (as I just have) my correlation of food and books. Well, I am writing from Panera - favorite haunt of my college years. : )
Plus, I read a chapter of Julia Childs' bio before I got on the web. C'est la vie! Bon appetit!
2 comments:
I'm so glad someone else has as many books as me. I actually have to move to a bigger apartment soon...to accommodate the books.
However, I have not alphabetized them...you've started me on a new project!
Cora, I love your blog! I started The Thorn Birds recently, but my leisurely reading habits have been stifled by articles on Chopin and Beethoven (not quite as enjoyable).
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