I was going through my bookcases last night, pulling out a
book here and there, reading a paragraph and then moving on. Browsing through
my own library is like visiting with old friends. Each book represents certain
times in my life and this little ritual brought back a flood of memories.
Harry Potter is winking at me from the third shelf down and
instantly it is summer time, my lips and nose are sunburnt and I’m scouring the
book section of Wal-Mart. There are some sordid romance novels, a Family Homes
cookbook that I bought on my last visit to town, Harry Potter and the Bible in
Spanish.
Harry Potter it is then.
I bought the first two books in the series along with
spaghetti, pop tarts, 12 cans of Bacon Bean Soup and Dr. Pepper. I am
officially set. On returning to my truck I find that my dog has decided to come
in search of me and has jumped out of my pickup. I retrieve her from the
friendly Canadians RV-ing their way through the United States and off we go.
We read the first Harry Potter book out loud as a family
when I was about 13 and then we were told we weren’t allowed to read any more.
Standing in the aisle at Wal-Mart I am 19 and have been living on my own now
for a grand total of 4 months…if I want to read a book that was forbidden in
childhood, I’ll jolly well do it. Guilt prickles at me the whole way back to
camp. But soon I am devouring those books every spare minute, during lunch and
late into the night…I can’t wait to finish the rest of the series and the
guilty conscious is forgotten.
I pick up The Diary of A Farmer’s Wife next. I found it in a
thrift shop in Bath, England when I was 11 and bought it with my allowance.
Some lady had found the diary and had it published, old English way of talking
that was common in the 1700’s, misspelt words and all. Leaning against the door
I read a page and instantly it is winter-time in Tuscarora and there is a crock
pot of spicy beef stew bubbling on the counter and 4 loaves of fresh bread I
made the night before. We’ve been feeding heifers all morning and the house
smells amazing when boss and crew troop into my house for lunch. Most days
everyone has a lunch packed but today we all just tuck into what was going to
be my supper and I think that it tastes better because it is shared. The Diary
of A Farmer’s Wife is sitting on the kitchen table where I had left it from
breakfast that morning and the boys tease me mercilessly about it. I don’t
care. I like reading about her day to day struggles and her recipies and one
day I will try her rabbit pie.
Food and books are clearly linked in my mind
Last night as I flipped through the pages, stains and pieces
of dirt fell from the leaves of many different books, and each one had a
different memory associated with it. I spent a good hour, going back through
time, visiting with old friends as it were. As I shelved the last one I
couldn’t help but wonder what memories I will have for the new books that will
join the ranks of my ever increasing library and what foods I will think about
when I read them.
Speaking of which….I’m hungry. J
xo xo Liz
I Love books. I have totes and totes! Everytime I move (which is generally quite often) I'm cussed by my friends for having so many. No one understands the need to keep every book bought or given to me. But I can't bare the thought of throwing them away (which has been a popular suggestion). Youre not alone with memories. In highschool I used to listen to music when I read. And to this day certain songs will take me back to my favorite Louis La'Amour books! I love big bookstores, but used shops are even better, because they smell. Old books smell, and I know it's weird but I like it. The thought of who elses hands thumbed through the books I hold are like an entirely new story itself. Libraries are Seriously underrated too. in fact, I just checked out 2 books wednesday before I headed out on my trip.
ReplyDeleteI am a book fiend too, I'm forbidden (I imposed this on myself) to buy anymore until I finish the backlog that I currently have. I have always felt they were friends too and a profound sense of loss when I finish one with really great characters. My bookshelves are more like trophy cases. My aunt gave me a Nook, not sure how I feel about that - no book smell, or textured pages. Hmm, we'll see.
ReplyDeleteDon't you love sitting on the floor with your books, journals and notebooks around you? It's such an intensive experience to remember all sorts of things as you see underlined passages, dog-eared pages, remember the first time you read the book and then laugh as some old concert ticket/receipt bookmark falls out of the middle.
ReplyDeleteI was beginning to do a little packing last night and came across some journals and books that I haven't seen in upwards of a year. It's so funny/wonderful/strange how you can be transported to an entirely different time as soon as you start reading. Cheers and happy weekend memory-visiting to you!
I to am a book addict. NO kindle for this girl. I love to hold them and read them and then I do keep them forever and ever. I am like you that each one brings more memories than just the book itself:) I can't wait to find a different house so that I can unpack all the totes and totes of books and put them out so that I can see them often:)
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