Everyday Canvas

Books

Prompt: "When it comes to books, the only thing to apologize is for the lack there of." Author Unknown
Do you agree?

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I wouldn’t apologize either for the lack of, or in my house’s case, for the overabundance of books. My house is my house, and I can have whatever I wish in it, as long as it is legal.

I understand, however, what the quote means to say, even if it says it in a quaint way. Yes, I do love books. I always bought books for myself more than all other things combined.

Instead of the print books, nowadays, I keep downloading e-books, and my e-book readers have filled up, which doesn’t mean I stopped buying books in print. The problem is, I don’t have that long a life left to read even half of what I have. This is one area that I can’t help but think, “Greed is good!”

In the same vein, the closing of a bookstore means an emotional trauma for me. I still keep a Borders plastic bag for the memory and still mourn over that chain. My relationship with books is such that, even when the local library cut down its hours, it gave me a bad feeling. All this happens, despite me knowing that the trend of book purchases has shifted from conventional stores to web, due to huge discounts and convenience.

Still, I miss walking around Borders and feeling the books in my hand. Luckily, we have a Barnes and Noble’s nearby within five miles. In addition, I love my lightweight e-readers--with more than a thousand books in them--that I can carry in my purse. I just wish I could finish reading all my books and we could have both the print books from the bookstores and the e-books.