My husband and I are renovating our house and in doing so I will realise one of my lifelong dreams: to have my own library. An entire room dedicated to books and reading with custom-built (ie husband-built) shelving and a comfy armchair. Bliss.
Yet despite being more than happy to indulge my library dream, and the floor space, my husband just doesn’t get the whole library thing.
‘But you’ve already read these books, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘So why do you need a library?’
‘Ah, to keep the books in.’
‘So tell me again why you’re keeping books you’ve already read?’
I try to think of a logical answer to that very logical question and come up empty handed. So how about an emotional, non-sensical one:
‘Well, … because … they’re my books.’
‘Okaaaay, riiiight,’ he gives me a look that suggests he’s sizing me up for a strait jacket and backs away slowly.
Now, I’m not completely lacking in discrimination; I don’t keep every book – probably 80% or so.*
I really don’t know why I love owning books and looking at my books, resting in rows on a bookshelf with spines on show. It defies logic.
If you can articulate your love of books please share it here; … actually, even if it’s not particularly articulate that’s okay too.
* The books I turf are the ones I didn’t finish reading; books I’ve reviewed but wouldn’t choose for myself; and books that have been sitting in my unread pile for so long that they’ve actually claimed the land and built on it. The Joke by Milan Kundera, don’t think I didn’t notice that two-bedroom townhouse on my bedside table.
I feel exactly the same way about my books as Karin does about hers. I am a known hoarder of books (I have been known to say that they are my most valuable possession)
I love the feeling of browsing and seeing all of my books shelved tidily (and sometimes a bit untidily due to lack of shelf space!).
I have had a similar conversation with my boyfriend about my books. He is a lover of books, but does not seem to have the possessive-ness that I have. He doens’t find a need to own the books he loves- rather he likes to share them around and doesn’t mind when they don’t necessarily return. Whereas I get a bit cranky if people neglect to return my much loved books.
Is it a boy/girl thing? I read an article somewhere that said that women tend to want to re-read old favourites, whereas men don’t. That is certainly the case with the men I know who read. They never have any urge to re-read books, whereas with me, it’s like curling up with an old friend- it harks back to my school days when I used to re-read all of my Malory Towers books every school holidays.
It seems to me that boys want to keep other things above books, even if they do love to read. My boyfriend loves his DVDs, and will watch (and re-watch) DVDs very happily.
And yes, we’ve also had the conversation about the bookshelves in anticipation of when my boyfriend moves in with me- basically I’ll get run of the shelves in the living area to put my books as long as he can put his DVDs there too!
Thanks for your post Crystal. I tend to think it’s a boy/girl as you say; maybe to do with the nesting that we girls generally like to do.
And I loved Malory Towers too! I’ve never met anyone else who has read them. Ah, the midnight feasts. I may have to reread them
I used to long to go to boarding school so I could have midnight feasts like in the Malory Towers books!!!
That’s one of the reasons why I loved Harry Pooter- it reminded me of Enid Blyton’s books. Like my sister has said, the Malory Towers books were the boarding school story precursors to Harry Potter (only without the magic and more tricks!)
Funny that you should mention that you haven’t met anyone else who reads them- I haven’t either (except afore- mentioned sister of course!). BUT- as I was channel surfing the other day on tv, I happened across the show “The Einstein Factor”- (I’m not sure where you are- Australia? If so you might be familiar with it- you know the show where people have a topic that they are really familiar with and know absolutely everything about, even the really obscure stuff).
There was a woman on it, whose expert topic was- you guessed it- the Malory Towers books!!! She knew stuff like when each book was published, how many books had the word “term” in the title, what the housemistresses’ names were and title of indivisual chapters!!!
I was channel surfing too ! and saw just that part of the Einstein Factor. That’s hilarious. The Malory Towers stars have aligned.
(I wonder if my local library has any of the books.)
We never need to explain or have a ‘logical’ reason for our collections. A fetish is simply a fetish….