Books Make a Place Feel More Like Home

Between a launching a new side blog, enjoying a busy July 4th weekend, ending up sick with a bit of a bug, and preparing for a presentation on social media at work... my new apartment has ended up more disorganized than unpacked. It's one of those apartment-wide monstrosities where I hardly know where to begin, so I'm just trying to pick up stuff and put it where it goes... as I go.

Last weekend my parents brought up a few bags I couldn't fit in my SUV during the move. Mainly: bags of books. Oh, was I happy to lift those heavy bags and catch a glimpse of their lovely spines! Tonight, I put them all up in their rightful place on the bookshelf.

Having all my books on display really contributes to a place feeling like home. I grew up surrounded by books (thanks, librarian Mom!). There were always bookshelves packed with books around our house. And I always had a tall bookcase packed with books in my bedroom at home. (Some of my books are still at my parents' house since I don't have enough shelf space!)

The lower shelf is mostly fully of decorating and do-it-yourself tomes... with a few ancient Pompeii books thrown in there for good measure. The upper shelves are mostly novels that I've read. There's only a few I can spot that I have yet to read. 

But why I do keep the ones I've already read? Well, I just can't seem to part with them. Just a glance at the striped spine of Water for Elephants reminds me of how many years I waited for the movie. A peek at Abundance's lovely spine calls to mind the nights that Sena Jeter Naslund transported me to Marie Antoinette's court at Versailles. The bright yellow spines of a couple Nancy Drew mysteries inspire a little urge in me to flip through one of those fast-paged, spunky mysteries that I devoured as a young girl.

I loved reading on my Kindle and now on my tablet using the Kindle cloud reader, but I'm still often caught with a tangible book. They do things that e-books cannot. Like calling to mind memories of reading that story. And never running out of battery. ;)

I LOVE decorating with my books. Wherever I go, wherever I live, I will always have a shelf (or two, or three, or more...) full of them. 

How 'bout you?