My sister was right - who can resist writing a post about books on "B" day?
Wednesday we went on a shopping trip for some sister time and found our way to the local Salvation Army. We did not find what we went in for, but there was something calling us, inexorably drawing us to the back of the store. You guessed it - the book wall.
We spent a while browsing, reading, picking through. Love, love, love books. :D
Between the thrift store and a recent trip to the library and the advance reader copies I got from my job, I got all of these lovelies in the last week for under $5! Sweet muffins!
This is to show you how very deep and dangerously my book psychosis runs. Here are some pictures of my books:
This is my big book case.
This is the pile of books in front of the big book case that do not fit on the shelves.
This is the pile of mainly children's picture books that are stacked in front of...
... these shelves, which are packed to bowing point.
Then of course there is my special Lost bookshelf.
And my audio books.
And my notebook/how-to books.
That doesn't even count the books I have in boxes - all my anthologies from college, cookbooks and other children's books I know I don't need out right now.
Dear husband-to-be, wherever and whomever you are,
please understand that my books will be coming with me. That I love each and every one of them and that I have already sorted through and gotten rid of as many as I probably ever will. Also please know that we have not yet met and therefore I will probably have about twice as many as this by the time we someday wed.
Yours truly,
Rebecca
I'm sick I tell you! Sick! Oh, but what a blissful sickness. These books can take me pretty much anywhere I want to travel, inspire so many emotions. It's mah-velous.
I've read a couple of really good books recently and I just wanted to share one of them here.
Little Bee by Chris Cleave.
Oh, what a gorgeous book. You will laugh, you will cry. It will move you. Little Bee's voice is so authentic and vivid and lovely. I did not want to put it down. If you love a beautiful, bittersweet story, then you must read this book.
Books have always been such a blessing in my life. Maybe that's why I want to write books myself. I'm beginning to feel the flame of writing passion flare up again. For a while I was so stagnant about it. Being around all of you people, whether you write about your life, your writing, your owls (I'm talking to you, Joan!) or whatever else your passion is, is so inspiring! For this reason I will forever be grateful to LOST. Because without it I doubt I would have discovered this marvelous online community. And now the thought of never having met ya'll is just distressing! Lovelies that I want to keep in touch with for as long as we both shall blog :)
and that brings me to my final little note for tonight.
Today is Good Friday. This week has been such a mad rush for me. Manager on vacation at work, trying to do twice as much with half as much, writing, blogging, reading and trying to keep sane in the midst of it all.
Tonight was such a wonderful moment. We had an evening service at our church, but we did it differently than we ever have before. We sat around a long table and sang and meditated on the wonderful history that led to the Passover and to Jesus telling his disciples to take and eat and then sharing the matzah and the wine (well, grape juice) with each other, passing it around the table. It was such a beautiful moment to take a breath and remember what this day and what this coming Sunday represent.
It will never cease to amaze me that God himself became human just so that he could die. Now there is some crazy. The marvel of it is that he didn't stay dead. He's alive now and He did it all so I could be with Him forever. That gives me chills.
We sang a beautiful song tonight and I wanted to put up a YouTube video or something of it, but couldn't find a version I liked so I'm just going to leave you with the lyrics...
I Stand in Awe
by Mark Altrogge
You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom?
Who can fathom the depths of Your love?
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty enthroned above
And I stand, I stand in awe of You
And I stand, I stand in awe of You
Holy God to Whom all praise is due
And I stand in awe of you.
You are beautiful beyond description
Yet God crushed You for my sin
In agony and deep affliction
Cut off that I might enter in
Who can grasp such tender compassion?
Who can fathom this mercy so free?
You are beautiful beyond description
Lamb of God Who died for me
And I stand, I stand in awe of You
And I stand, I stand in awe of You
Holy God to Whom all praise is due
And I stand in awe of You
16 comments:
Thanks for your post. I too am a lover of books and my beloved hubby keeps wanting me to part with them. Not an easy task, but I donate them to the library where they can be with other books and I can visit them. Of course every so often I have to go to a bookstore just to breathe in the bookstore ambiance. Husband thinks I'm crazy. Ah well
Glad to have found you as well. Looks like we have a lot in common-
a passion for books, writing and God. Have a great Easter!
We sing that song at our church sometimes as well. It's funny seeing this thing about books and spouses. I have a lot of books around the house and would love to have a whole library room if I could. My wife would love to get rid of our books which I find ironic since she's far more educated than I am and she's a teacher. I don't know-- maybe she see's enough books and work and doesn't want to see them at home. She's not going get rid of my books though.
Lee
Ahhhh, books.
wow. that's... a lot of books...
I walsy shop at Ikea for bookshelves. they have the best ones (so nice and tall!) for cheap prices
I share this compulsion for buying and keeping books as well. My shelves look an awful lot yours. I also git a huge kick out of your husband letter! Have you read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society? There is an episode where the main character—who loves books and owns fair number—comes home to find that her husband-to-be has taken all of the book off the shelves and replaced them with his sporting trophies. "What have you done with my books?" she asks him.
"I boxed them and moved them to the basement," he says.
She then promptly kicks him out and dumps him.
That was my favourite part of the book, and it made me go, "OMG! That's me!" Haha.
@Jenn: Oh my goodness. I was so cheering her on in that scene. Guernsey was probably my all time favorite book for last year. SO fantastic. I recommend it to people constantly.
@Everyone: Yeah for other book lovers - at least we are not alone in our psychosis!
That's one thing I loved about homeschooling my 5 children. I got to buy books, lots of books. That's probably where Rebecca started her love of books. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree :-)
vw:conse - the opposite of prose
Wow..I thought I was a book lover but you have me beat with all the brimming bookshelves.
Oh my, I think we certainly share an affnity for book, but your obsession is a bit larger than mine. Maybe? Your home must be bursting at the seems with all your books.
Loved the note to your future husband. My husband knows that when I run out of space for my new books, it's time to get another bookshelf.
The lyrics to that song are lovely. It sounds familiar.
My hubby rolls his eyes at my collection :) I've got most of them at school though so that helps - at last estimate, the kids at school decided I had 2100 in the classroom that are just mine :)
In addition to the stack of books on the shelf that is my bed's headboard, there's a shelf in my kids' room, one in the living room AND an entire library downstairs (a room whose walls are lined with bookshelves! I love it!) My husband and I both brought a lot of books into our marriage. And over the last 8 years, we've probably doubled our collection! Just can't help ourselves...
Little Bee looks good. I might just have to check it out.
Happy Easter, Rebecca!
(and Jenn... I LOVED that bit in Guernsey! LOVED. IT. It is such a wonderful book)
So lucky to have so many books! I hope to one day have a house packed so that it looks like a used book store. Well, part of it anyway. At least one room. Yes, a study! And I will grow bonsai trees and polish brass elephant figurines (for that is what one does in a study) when not reading.
One day I'll post all my books...you won't feel so bad, not so bad at all.
Suppression breeds obsession.
Wow... These pictures really capture your crazy book-lovin'ness well.
I recently was given a reason to count, and discovered that I had 85 shelves stretched across 15 bookcases filled with books and DVDs in my house so, clearly, I share your affliction.
Hopefully, your future husband will be understanding. I lucked out and found a woman who is, so I was able to drag all my books along with me when we got married.
And I will grow bonsai trees and polish brass elephant figurines (for that is what one does in a study) when not reading.
Oh, Joan...that's just awesome.
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