I am a collector. A collector of words. I collect books, new books, old books, second hand books, good books, crappy books, seductive books, raunchy books, text books, classic books, any and all books. I have known to me authors, recommended authors, unknowns and one hit wonders. Some sit on the shelf years collecting dust, waiting to be read.
I have boxes of books in my attic. All have been read. Each box’s contents have been carefully cataloged, by author and title, in a Word document filed on my laptop and my external hard drive. Each box has a print out of it’s contents displayed on either end for easy reference. I would love to have all of my books displayed but space being limited I don’t have that luxury.
I am a purist. I do not own a Kindle or any such ereader. I love the texture of the paper between my fingers. Holding the next page partially lifted, anticipating the turn when I’ve consumed the last word on the page. The weight of the book the heft of the collection of words and thoughts and ideas and feelings contained within. The sound of the spine of the book being opened for the first time brings me joy and exhilaration…..what journey are we taking today. I could spend hours in a book store, the paper and print perfuming the air. My fingers wantonly caressing the spines…..waiting for the right collection of words to seduce me and draw me in.
Due to limited space I only have one book shelf of my very own. In this case, I collect new purchases that await my consumption. I also reserve space for my old loves, tried and true, must reread yearly books. Some people read a book once and are done….not I. There are some books that I reread and they are still new to me. No, the words don’t change. The author’s voice doesn’t change. I am the one that has changed over the years and the words touch me and speak to me in a different way with every reading.
Today, I surveyed my bookcase and an unread collection of words called out to me. So, Conviction, as I dust off your cover, open your virgin spine and run my fingers delicately over your pages…..what do you have in store for me…..where will we go together?
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Can this be my GPOYW?
