- novels that I have read and can't part with yet (eg Good Night Nobody by Jennifer Weiner)
- novels that I want to read, and will, sometime, in the hours of 8pm and 10pm when I'm not working on my blog (eg Blindness by Jose Saramago. This one, however, is very smart and I am afraid I may not be ready for it yet. This is a book for when I have nothing smart going on in my life, and now is not one of those times. Books like this win every time right now.)
- borrowed books that I plan to read (like The Careful Use of Compliments by Alexander McCall Smith. My mother and I are huge fans of his. We have this great system where she buys the books, then passes them to me and I read them. See the symbiosis? It's poetic and lovely.)
- books for school that make me feel very smart (beside me right now is Global Public Goods for Health, edited by Richard Smith and colleagues. Totally never been opened. But v. pretty picture. And seriously, if you saw me poring over this in the coffee shop would you not be breathless with the spectacle of my smartness?)
- the cookbooks! Oh, the cookbooks! They make me so happy. This may even be another "thanks" entry. Thank you, oh muse, oh 30 Days of Thanks! My latest: Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Saran and Junior League Centennial Cookbook. My current favorite: The Cheese Board Collective Works, because oh my wonderful recipes (Corn Cherry Scones? Don't get me started). And because this is my backup plan if I can't find/don't want a career in research. Just bake.
Books remind me of who I am and where I've been. They make me feel safe. They are full of potential. They are better than computers. They make me want to be a better person. All the companies trying to make books all electronic and read on a computer screen and such? I hope they all fail. And if I were alive when women could only become teachers, librarians, or nurses? Totally librarian.
2 comments:
Ahh, very nice. I am thankful for my books, too. I hadn't even thought of them until I read your post. Thanks for making me think :)
Ooh, I agree with you about printed books. I can't imagine any electronic book device ever taking their place. Exactly how comforting or transportive would it be to curl up in bed with a good light-emitting handheld device?
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