Bookends are for quitters

I was one of those kids growing up who loved reading. And I mean loved reading.

My bookcase in my room had to be upgraded twice to hold my collection and even the last upgrade couldn’t hold it all.

My ideal house as a kid would have bookcases filled with books from the floor to the ceiling with the ladders that glide along the walls, comfy chairs and a bay window with a view. A fireplace was a nice thought, but I’m still not over the Library of Alexandria to tempt fate like that.

Reading was my kryptonite, from getting in trouble for reading in class to staying up too late to finish a book after telling myself I would quit at the next chapter. Yeah, that exact lie all avid readers tell themselves. “Just one more chapter,” over and over until the sun is up again.

At first, I had to buy all of the books. Discounted book stores were dangerous places, but it sure was fun growing my collection.

My library card was well-used and the search for the book I needed felt like a treasure hunt.

When I got my first Kindle e-reader, it made packing books to read on trips less cumbersome. I was never one to scorn e-readers because paper was better. I saw, and still see, the merit in both.

As I got older, I began to get more and more e-books from the library to read. No money was spent, and I could see if I liked a book before paying for it. Now, my habit has shifted to downloading too many books at once and having just 21 days to read them all. Clearly, I like to live life on the edge.

I still have to restrain myself sometimes from getting more books because there just isn’t enough space or I don’t really need more when my “to read” pile is getting bigger by the day.

My running list for the year of books read sits at 18 so far, with a few more in progress. Not as high as I’d like, but not bad either.