My Bookshelves

Ever since I was a kid I’ve kept my books. From Lord of the Rings to James Bond, to Chomsky, Rushdie and Kundera I still have them all. Actually, my James Bond books were lost but that wasn’t on purpose. Even as recently as this winter, when I find a book that I think I will be interested in reading I will buy it instead of taking it out from the library. I guess I have some kind of romantic idea about books which goes back to seeing foreign flicks like Blue, where some dude would have a small apartment packed with books from floor to ceiling. I thought it was the coolest thing to have that many books. However, the reality of it is that I almost have never read the same book twice. I still like looking through my shelves and seeing what I have. Sometimes I get to lend a good book out to a friend. Lately I’ve been wondering if it’s all worth the effort. Books take up a lot of space in the house, and there’s no purpose in storing them in boxes somewhere. Box storage is the kiss of death. Moving forward, I’m resistant to purchasing new books because of the cost involved. As well, there is the whole notion of eBooks which are a lot less expensive and really don’t take up any space at all.

For the time being I plan on keeping my books. I think there is some intrinsic value in owning them, and maybe one day my kids will want to read them. Whether or not I continue to purchase books (instead of using the library) or purchase ebooks, remains to be seen.