The library and thoughts about snuggling up with a good book.
I want to tell you something: I’m very slow to trust a new book from a book store. It looks too shiny and new and not loved…you know what I mean? I turn it over in my hand and stare at the cover image, I read the jacket excerpt, I read a review or two about it on my iphone and I always read page 100 daring it to be everything it promises to be. I can’t help it. I can’t. I think it’s a genetic flaw because the second hand books…the second hand books are like sad little orphans needing saving and just even the look of the yellowed pages makes me snatch them up in my hot little hands and declare them to be mine forever.
Either way, new or used, I always mean for them to end up here in the library, but they usually end up all over the house. Actually, books to be used for art and beautiful old books to photograph are in my studio book shelves, on the desks and tables, in the steamer trunks and generally all over the place up there. Current reads are in my bedroom, on end tables, on my bed, under my bed, under my pillows…ok, no idea how that happened.
And I reread my favorites…all the time. Do you do that? I usually write “V” and a date on the first page to keep track of the rereads. And I spend my time here cuddled under saved blankets and quilts like this wild handmade granny square blanket saved from a garage sale.
This room has a door so no one has to know you’re in here. This room has the only TV in the house but no one ever watches it. (That reminds me, why am I paying for the cable anyway?) This room is half way in the basement so the cats, and occasionally our neighbourhood family of raccoons, come knocking on the windows. This room has shelves full of Terry Pratchetts and Agatha Christies (I really have to stop trying to save every Agatha Christie book I come across) and Diane Ackermans, Carol Shields, Nick Bantocks, Naomi Wolfs…just a wonderfully eclectic collection of books…even the occasional guilty pleasure, like Katie Fford.
I love having my lunch here when I’m at home. But now lunch is over and I must put down this good book and finish up the rest of my work for today and also be the good housewife and put in a load of laundry…(Morgan’s such a poser)
Barbara F.
I love your dish of rocks, they are beautiful. How long have you been collecting them? xo
Veronica
Hi Barbara! Thank you so much. Those rocks are a bit of an impromptu gather except the cricket one which chloe painted about 10 years ago, the amathyst cluster which belonged to may late father and the black rock with the hole in it which belonged to my late aunt. My aunt would sometimes put a tiny bit of water in that hole and some small flowers, like a tiny bunch of violets. we sometimes do that too. 🙂
Rebecca Barray
So beautiful, and so many books! I love it. <3
Veronica
Hi Becca, thank you. 🙂 Yeah, I might have to consider taking some books down to my friend who runs the best little used book store in the world. Wall to wall, floor to ceiling books shelves with barely enough room to squeeze past a person. I love her job! (Hey, I should ask her permission to photograph it!)
Carole
Veronica, I LOVE the rocks and the library is totally awesome! What a great place to hang out, thanks so much for brightening my day.
Veronica
Hello Carole, my new friend. 🙂 Thank you so much. The rocks are our little Zen garden and I love having doors on every room to shut the world out, do you too?
Carole
Veronica I had to return after I read your comment on my blog. Ooooh the Dream Catcher you spoke of would have been beautiful. When we lived in Victoria, BC, I had a beautiful Willow that I would use the branches to make wonderful wreaths. I LOVED working with as many natural elements as I could find. Today we live in a condo in White Rock that overlooks the water, lots of wonderful scenery but no Willow Trees. So now I’m always on the lookout for anything that summons me. And yes, I often shut the world out too.
Michelle V. Alkerton
Hi Veronica
Thanks for stopping by my brain and introducing yourself. I’m a book lover as well, though I’ve had to pare down my library and yes I will often reread a favourite. I’ll be following along with your art :).
Stay inspired!
Veronica
Hi Michelle, thank you so much. I just know we’ll be friends. 🙂
Sara v
Hi Veronica–love the old books! Yours are so neat, ours are all over the place. (whoops, did I say that out loud?) I have saved books for years and I do love to re-read them–some words are just meant to be read over and over, they make me laugh, like old friends. Then I found a second hand book store that gives me credits for books I bring back–it’s like a library, only better!! (btw love to walk into libraries and just smell that “book” smell…). Totally makes my day. And so did this post–smiling, smiling, smiling–love the books 🙂
Veronica
Hi Sara, I swear my darn books have little feet and secretly walk thru the house when I’m asleep. 🙂
Joanne
Veronica, I absolutely LOVE
and am exceedingly jealous of
your bookcases FULL of books…
As you know, ours are scattered around the house
But the new house will be better
And I think we will be having
a set of bookshelves like yours!!
Veronica
Hi Joanne, those are those ubiquitous Ikea shelves, aren’t they great? We had them from the old house so cut them down to size with a skill saw and screwed them together and now the plan is to put a nice piece of wood as a finished shelf on top of the cut down ones under the window and maybe add some decorative moulding so it looks more “built-in”, you know. But as long as some of them are in some sort of order I’m happy. 🙂