Dear Reader,
“Too many books to choose from,” Word Raccoon said this morning before the gym. It wasn’t too difficult to get her to go because she earned her badge for her 50th rowing session yesterday. Silly raccoon doesn’t get that it’s just a virtual badge. (She just hissed and said she’s “just” an on-the-page creature and is that all the more I think of her, too?)
Books. We were talking about books.
Friday we went to the library to see if the museum pass was available for checking out. It was not, but WR left with an armload of books that were. Pile number one.
The next day, the son asked if we’d like to meet up for dinner. Obviously! So beforehand we went to a used bookstore in the town where he lives and WR found three books she would not leave without. Pile number two. (Is it just me or does “pile” sound suspect when referencing something belonging to a raccoon?)
After the movie (fine, I’ll tell you, we saw Minions & Monsters and while WR chortled a couple of times, we prefer the ones with Gru), we had half an hour before dinner time, so we went to a discount store we hadn’t been to before. And they had a book section!
While there were the expected gift books, the religious novels, and bagged comics clearly no one wanted, there were also classics, and a few books I didn’t know existed but had WR wild with curiosity.
Finally, I had to tell WR that even though the books were less than $5 each and even though we were getting a 15% discount, we had to set a cap. I gave her a modest one, reminding her that these books were not library books, but by buying them, we were inviting them to live with us or we’d have to find them a new home. She groaned and retracted her arm after she counted the books she was holding.
Thus was born pile number three.
On this too-busy weekend, that is nevertheless full of good things, we have only been able to read a few pages. Here’s our dilemma: now we don’t know whether to go back to the book we were reading from the library, or turn to the other two stacks of new friends.
Library books have a deadline. But aha, if we return them, we can check them out at a more convenient time. (We never do read all of the books we check out anyway. Our eyes are bigger than our clock.) But what if they reshelve them and we forget they exist? What if a poem was hiding in one waiting for us to write it?
Then there are the other books I bought. My mind is blocked by the buffet. It doesn’t make sense to sample them all at once. Or does it?
I like my new books to stay close so I can get to know them better. I like to gaze at them, maybe brush my hands across their jackets. I like to thumb through them and consider the possibilities. Because until I read a book, I don’t know if it’s going to be a member of the family or not.
One thing I am noticing is that I’m getting better about choosing the books I care most about, releasing those I don’t. My shelves are becoming more curated.
But these purgatory books, WR, what are we supposed to do with them? (That’s too harsh a word for them because they are so welcome to audition for shelf space.)
Normally, when I get more than two new books, I put them on the table beside me and choose one and read for a few minutes. If it captures my attention, there we go, it’s first. If not, I pick up the second. Simple enough. But what to do when I have a table full?
Maybe I should just put the titles in an online randomizer and let it choose for me.
Word Raccoon is always curious as to how her readers choose. Perhaps you will share how?
Avaunt, threat of rain.
Drema
