Saturday, February 24, 2007

In Denfense of Book Buying

I love to read. Growing up, I used to read hunched over in this old pink chair my parents had in the living room, my legs draped over the side, my shoulders slumped into the book. I read everything and anything, including medical books, classic literature, dictionaries, my parents' crime novels and the Babysitter's Club series.

There are several things in this world that, money permitting, I would shop for nonstop: shoes, underwear, makeup and.....you guessed it, books.

My mother worked in a library growing up and we had unlimited access to the library. My mother is a staunch believer in using libraries and is horrified by my book purching penchant. However, what she fails to take into account is my obsessive habit of reading and reading the same books over and over again. I have read Bridget Jones's Diary at least 20 times. The Harry Potter series? Probably 7 readings each. Ann of Green Gables? Like, a billion since the age of seven. Almost every single book I own has been read at least twice.

Favorite books are like old friends. I love that when I'm under stress or nervous, I can pick up and old standby and merely open the book to any part (beginning, middle, or end) and know exactly what is happening. It's comforting to know these characters inside and out, to feel like they are part of my family.

4 comments:

Megan said...

You're forgetting the sharing of books. I love passing my books on to my friends.

Anonymous said...

I know what you mean... if I don't own the book, then it's not "mine" and I'll never love it as much as I could if it were. I have a huge, huge book acquisition problem. My apartment looks like a library threw up in it.

leslie said...

i am totally with you on this. in elementary school i was the only kid in the class who would get free gifts from scholastic because i had bought so many books. needless to say it didn't end when i graduated from 5th grade.

Anonymous said...

ppphhhhhhttttt!!!!! books suck. i prefer reality tv. but i do luvs me some KITTENS!!!!!