Bibliographic Obesity

My name is Debbie and I have.....Bibliographic obesity. I have sought therapy in the past, I have given books away (that is REALLY painful), I have thinned and culled the "herd" but it just keeps growing. I promised myself that in the year 2008 I wouldn't buy any new books until I had gotten through some from my TBR pile but.....I lied. I bought two books just today. I went to the library and came back with two other books. I had a book come in the mail today from Paperback Book Swap. I have always loved books. I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't reading. I have always had piles of books here and there. I just can't stop!!!

My reading life has gone through different phases over the course of my life. When I was growing up I usually had my nose buried in a book. I read anything and everything. Most of my summer memories are focused around reading. I could be found reading in the hammock, on the dock, on a raft floating in the lake, laying on the scratchy horse hair couch at the cottage, in bed until 2am, at the breakfast table, wherever. I am sure that it was a pain for my parents when I would rather sit in the car and read than go into the museum. When I was in nursing school and when the kids were little I didn't have much time to read. I read some but it had to be sandwiched into those odd moments when I was sitting in carpool line. But now I can't find enough time to read. My office definitely fits the adage "So many books, so little time". I will, eventually, get through all these books but by that time more books will have taken their place. It is good to know that there are others with the same issue. Christopher Hitchens and I don't see eye to eye on many things but it is nice to know that he is also a prisoner of the shelves.

I have come to realize that there is really no hope of a cure and frankly I am not sure that I want one. When it comes right down to it I love to read. I love to read more than just about anything else in the world. I love the smell of books whether they are new from the store or library books. I LOVE the smell of library books, especially the older ones. I love the way that I can become totally lost in a good book. I don't hear anything, I am unaware of what is going on around me. I am reading. I love new books that I haven't read before and I love to sit down with a well loved and very familiar book. Get the picture! I love reading. I never go anywhere without a book. I always take too many books on trips with me because the worst thing in the world would be to get stuck somewhere and not have enough reading material. Horrors!

I come by my reading gene honestly. My father is a reader and his father before him. My grandpa Pringle was a reader too. It runs in the family. So, I think I will stop now and go and read. It is my birthday and I can do what I want (well not really but I like to think that).