Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Re-Reading Books

Recently, Nina, of Nature Remains left me a comment asking if I had read Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. It was a familiar title, but I was having a senior moment, and couldn't remember the book right away. I asked my daughter to bring it to me from the library where she works. She did this, and also reminded me that I had once given her a copy.

As soon as I started to read, I recognized the words as old friends.

I love re-reading a really good book. I cannot understand people who do the read through, and then discard it. I want to see the book on the shelf. Just knowing that it is there and that I can return to it whenever, makes me happy. Put it down to another of my little idiosyncrasies. Books are my friends. I cannot discard them. I solve the problem of overflow by passing them to my daughter, reasoning that they aren't far away when they are with her. I can always visit, or borrow them back.


Gift from the Sea holds charming analogies involving, among other things, some of my favorite things - sea shells. It is a really lovely little book, well worth your time. If you'll excuse me now, I am going to go back and finish re-reading it.

Before I go - One brief quote from Anne Morrow Lindbergh:

"If one is out of touch with oneself, then one cannot touch others."

10 comments:

cestoady said...
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cestoady said...

I am with you -- books are meant to be seen as well as read. Throw them away-never !! On the shelf they help proclaim ,and remind also,who we are.

After all,no one ever listens to a Mozart piece once and never again -- it is to be relished again and again. The same for a good book.

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

My husband has this book downstairs in the bookshelves. It was given to him when he young. It's very difficult for us to get rid of books, too - even paperbacks. We keep them for years, reread them, etc. When we become overloaded with them, we eventually sort through them and donate some to the local library. They will either keep them or sell them in order to buy new books. It's never easy to part with them.

Shelly said...

Oh Bobbie, a kindred soul. I've been called a book-a-holic. My friend calls one wall in my living room the "wall-o-books".

Dianne said...

"If one is out of touch with oneself, then one cannot touch others."

that is so beautiful bobbie ;)

I have a "wall-o-books" as well and love them all. I literally breathe in deep and sigh when I walk into a bookstore.

Minnesotablue said...

I also keep old books. Not only because some of them I have read multiple times but they also bring back memories of what was going on in my life when I first read them

Anonymous said...

Bobbie - Thoroughly agree with all your sentiments, regarding books. When I radically downsized my living quarters and had to part with many of my books, it was a wrench to see those boxes of volumes go (some to a bookshop and most to a public library - which was a good thing) and I wrestled with my King Solomon-like decisions, on who stayed and who left.

I still possess the most cherished books and am in the process of reading all the books left to me by my Dad (another bibliophile).

Thanks for stopping by today and I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day... Deb

brucesc said...

Another person to chime in on books. I don't reread, but I don't throw away either. I like all your other quirks too. Does it grate on you when people say 'for you and I'. I hate it. But I do like emory boards for my chippie nails. And you're spot on about forwarding things that tell you to--into the trash they go.

bobbie said...

Thank goodness I'm not alone in some of my quirks.
Yes, brucesc, "for you and I" really gets to me! Again - not in ordinary conversation with people who may not happen to have language skills. But when those who should know better do it...Yeah! Not that my own "skills" are so great. It just happens to be something that disturbs me.

DianeSchuller.com said...

I treasure books as well. We used to keep them all but we ended up with several thousand and had 3 rooms full. When we downsized it was necessary to finally let some free rather than pay to have boxes upon boxes of them in storage. Now that my time ticks away, we only keep the books we know we'll read again, or were gifts, or have some other sentimental attachment. It's always a struggle to set a book free for someone else to treasure, but I always hope that is the case.

For nearly 6 years I've been meaning to get Anne Morrow Lindbergh's book. A dear friend even urged me (about 2-3 yrs ago) to read it. I still haven't but when I was on this trip to Vancouver Island, I remembered it, wrote the title down, tucked it in my purse and will now be ordering it -- and reading it! What coincidence you should write about it (sorry for such a LONG comment)!! I usually keep them short :)

Diane
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