Aging with Grace

In the fast paced, digital saturated, screen-overloaded era we live in, we believe that printed books are a refuge of space and time. It’s OK to slow down and read; it’s OK to fill your home and your shelves with printed books and to celebrate the comfort and meaning they provide in our lives. We think it’s something that we all crave whether we know it or not.

Thatcher Wine

My bookshelves are a work in progress. They are ever changing as I add and edit the contents. Occasionally, I go through the shelves and put aside books I won’t read again. They are donated to the Friends of the Library, where they will be sorted through and sold on Amazon to support the city public libraries. I like the idea of books continuing to fund more reading.

The French word for home library is, bibliotheque de la maison. The French take their home libraries very seriously, as described in, A Library. It is a reflection of who they are. On occasion I do read ebooks, still there is nothing as satisfying as the feel of an actual book in my hands.

Filling my bookcases with well known authors isn’t a priority. I admit to a quirk regarding the books I collect. The majority of the authors are women. Women writers have struggled so much through the years, I feel I should support them. Plus, I enjoy their writing. Not to say, I don’t value male authors. I would imagine most personal libraries are skewed toward books written by men. There are so many of them.

The only reason I keep a book is for reference or because I want to read it again. In November, our bookclub is reading any book we want to re-read. When we meet we will report on our choice to the group. For me it’s a difficult decision. There are so many books I read over and over. Each time I read a book again, I find something new. Something I missed the last time I read it or something I now see differently.