Pressed pages
Photo by Majamom
Since just before moving, we have been battling with the concept known as minimalism.
We are not good at it.
Correction: I am not good at it.
Despite freecycling and donating enough clothes to fill several wardrobes, I still have what can only be termed as a lot of clothes. I am also rather fond of shoes. And yarn. And paper.
And books.
I think The Boy is coming to realise that the rest of the stuff is going to be a long war for me. I like repurposing and moving things around a little too much to just get rid of it all. I am taking baby steps and I have to get a little credit for that. But the books stump us both.
Our combined library entails books from four university reading lists in four different subjects (maths, computer science, literature and gender studies…plus some music theory for good measure), enough cook books to make sure we never really have to invent a meal ever for the rest of our lives, more craft projects than we could ever complete, a fair chunk of novels for both grown-ups and secondary school children and pretty much every book written on teaching English in the secondary school in the last twenty years. We also realise that technology is on the brink of us being able to scan all of these books into a computer and do the book equivalent of turning all our CDs into MP3s, releasing oodles of space and making one giant leap toward minimalism.
But I will have you know that we haven’t gotten rid of our CDs, despite having our entire music library in digital format. And I really like turning pages, so I can’t say that I will be first in line to scan them all then release them to the recycling.
Especially the old books. They are too precious. I love how the pages cling to one another for dear life and how the spines develop perfect creases, and how different pressings take the same book and make it look so different that I am compelled to read it again, just to see if the ending is the same.
Because truly, if I own six different editions of Through the Looking Glass, I am incapable of ever being a minimalist.
Click for print-sized card.
I do find hearing the favourite books of others to be so inspiring, for I shall never be without a non-minimal reading list. Do share yours, pretty please.
xlovesx
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22 February 2008, 08:44
Glad you are back online – was beginning to worry about you. Stay safe.
22 February 2008, 12:58
So glad the prompts are back :) Loving doing this. My favourite book of late has been “the Time Travellers Wife” although I do still have a big soft spot for my childhood fave “White Boots” by Noel Streatfield
22 February 2008, 14:06
Yay,back up and running! Thanks for all your hard work getting it sorted, it must’ve been a mammoth task.
One of my favourite books was (and still is!) Black Beauty…I use to check out this one particular version from the library about once a month. LOL. It was so old and pretty… and it looked like a grown up book with gorgeous sketch illustrations.
Apart from that, I enjoy Christopher Brookmyre, a hilarious Scottish writer.
22 February 2008, 14:24
So glad to see the prompts again. Sorry you had to go through all that! I just finished reading Geraldine Brook’s new novel People of the Book and can recommend it without reservation. Am reading Allegra Goodman’s Intuition now and it is also great.
22 February 2008, 16:46
You’re back, you’re back, you’re back! HOORAY!
This topic I can totally do!
22 February 2008, 19:09
glad to have you back :)
I would love any suggestions on how to reteach grammar and especially in the context of writing to a 14 year old who apparently never learned it or forgot EVERYTHING!!
23 February 2008, 07:33
So sorry for all your demons, glad to have you back.
My all time favourite book is To Kill A Mockingbird. I read it for O level Eng Lit and have loved it ever since. I was really chuffed when my daughter had to read it for her GCSE. We had great conversations about it.
23 February 2008, 18:56
I agree, one can never have too many books. Plus there is just something relaxing and satisfing about holding a book in ones hands and getting lost in it’s pages.
24 February 2008, 03:30
Hey
I’m another teacher – Drama and English and I love your prompts. My favourite books at the moment are Knowledge of Angels which I read back when I was doing A Levels – such a thought-provoking book about what makes us human. And Purple Hibiscus – beautifully written novel about Nigeria. Enjoy!