A Little Piece of Solitude

Reading books is one of my most favorite pastimes. I have always loved reading and cannot imagine my life without books. I even have a library in my home. It’s a whole room dedicated to my books; shelves and shelves of books. Except for the continuous ticking of my grandfather’s clock, it’s a quiet room. A peaceful room. I have an over stuffed recliner in there. It’s one of those chairs that seems to wrap itself around whoever sits in it.

My books cover many subjects, from cooking to nursing. In fact, I have five shelves filled with cookbooks, cooking journals, and binders full of recipes I have collected over the years. Most of the books are fictional type books. I have a section of books on the Holocaust (an area of interest) and a section of nursing books. (Mostly obstetrical books)

I have favorite authors, like most, but seem to collect a variety of different genres. I have piles of books I have read, and even more piles of books left unread. There’s the summer reading pile, and the pile to read for school, and even the pile I will read again. I am not a member of any book club, although I do take suggestions from some of them. I typically browse the bookstore shelves looking for whatever sparks my interest. Barnes and Nobles considers me a “great customer”. (Much to my husband’s chagrin) =)

My favorite authors are John Irving, Ken Follett, John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, and most recently Alexander McCall Smith. I have many I have to read, and some I want to read. I usually read two to three books at one time. Many cannot do that, but I cannot imagine not reading this way. I cannot imagine life without books. I cannot imagine my home without books.

“A home without books is like a body without a soul”.