Book lover getting back on track

Just a few of my books.

I’m an avid reader and have been for as long as I can remember. I come from a family of bibliophiles and my mom is a librarian so you could say I really didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. After school I didn’t always go straight home, instead I went to North Myrtle Beach Middle School to help my mom in the library. I checked out books, put them back on the shelf, and when I was lucky I even got to use the laminating machine. For the record, I STILL get excited about laminating signs.

To this day I love roaming the aisles of bookstores. I love the smell emanating from the shelves. I love being surrounded by books. There’s a sense of calm and curiosity that washes over me. If I walk into a Half Price Books or Barnes and Noble I'll probably leave with at least two novels. I can't help myself.

South Dakota. About a dozen books are crammed inside.

When I relocated to Seattle last year I got rid of most of my belongings since I was only able to take what would fit in my car for the 3,000+ mile journey. As I was packing up I realized my car, a Toyota Corolla, was not as big as I thought and I had more stuff than I care to admit to. I parted with most of my stuff pretty easily but when it came to my books I had a mini meltdown. I felt like the people featured on those hoarding shows. It was crazy. I went through the five stage of grief in about 24 hours.

Yes. It was that dramatic.

Thankfully my mother was the only eye witness.

I quickly came to the realization my book collection was not just papers bound together with a glossy cover. I looked at them as a badge of honor.

Look at all the things I’ve read! Charlaine Harris is an amazing author! I can’t leave her books behind.

My bookcase.

But ultimately I had to.

I kept all the ones that I hadn’t read and donated the rest to the church my Mom attends since they were having a yard sale (Skinny Bitch didn’t make the cut though haha). Hopefully they found a home that loved them as much as I did.

Even though books play a significant role in my life they’ve taken a backseat in the last few months. Netflix started courting me and binge watching shows like The Killing won the battle. However, now it’s time to devote more time to indulging into an author’s imagination. For motivation I’m challenging myself to read a new book every month.

Starting right now.

After I’m done I’ll be writing up what I thought of it and posting it here. First up, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling. She's hilarious so I'm expecting to laugh a lot. It will probably be out loud.

Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
–P.J. O’Rourke