Hobbit House

The H and I have discussed the book hoarding in this smallish condo for the last decade. Where can we put those books what can you do, he used to ask. I would wave him off, "I'll get to them." 

Book hoarding is so common these days that I don't even feel guilty for getting to the shelves, piles and such. I really don't want to go back and dust off my entire collections of Atwood, Hoffman and DeMille. I know these books should be passed on but they seem like siblings of sorts. Why get rid of the books that brought me through this world, educated me and simply were there when things got rough? 

Especially when people sucked. (haven't they though?) I turned to my hardbound/paperbound village for comfort.

What does he mean "what can we do with those books?!" They are family! Friends! Acquaintances you fell in love with for five minutes, surely he is right out of his mind. 

The other day I thought about this issue for a long time. I sat on my bed contemplating. If I get rid of all these old books I can put all my TBRs on the shelf and never trip over a pile of books again! I could get rid of these books and make someone else happy (never guaranteed) OR ... I can keep them. And not feel shame but for the love of God ORGANIZE THEM!

The people of our generation are huge collectors, we were the people who had parents that collected all kinds of things Just go on eBay, that says it all. My mom collected antiques, books, dolls, and other things that always made the home seem like a little Hobbit House filled with friends. Different kinds of friends. From what I read, the Millennials are not keen on taking up their parents "clutter" collections (shudder) as most of them are into minimalism, streamlining with their techno gadgets and organizers. Who needs a bunch of dusty old books lying around? I envy their simplicity and views on their "space." 

But really?

 I can visit  them online, I can see their cute streamlined abodes, apartments, condos, whatever and still come back to my Hobbit House and not feel so badly. Not feel shame, I can enjoy them and live through them vicariously... virtually.

What I came up with is to get rid of one of the PC desks in our bedroom and put the third shelf up. With the stipulation that every book MUST fit. No floor piles. The bookcase in the hallway that was my Gan's will house the classics. I can surely slim those books down!  "It's time", I said to myself, "to get to them, time to make life a bit more clean, organized yet keep your Hobbit House, yes! I can do that!" 

And all was well in the Hobbit House after I started sorting. 

Not ready to hand over my beach reads just yet...

Photo taken by me at Pt. Pleasant NJ 5am. 

When the corn is man high, as my mother explained to me as a child, summer is over. Some say it's over on July 4th, which I find to be an insane notion. August and September can be the most summer-like months of all.  But it is the end of the "beach read." The last of the summer books and sometimes it's hard to say goodbye. The thought of darker covers, bolder print, judgmental titles, and thick plots are mind numbing prompting me to drink more iced tea and slap more suntan oil on. Not to mention characters that wear a lot of wool sipping on endless cups of coffee while enduring a Shakespearean tragedy of their own. 

I looked at the rest of my summer TBR pile and most of the covers are blue. Blue as the water in the ocean or a swimming pool. The other books I have started ticking off for the Fall are dark, foreboding and ready to be read when I have my woolies on sipping my own tragic cup of coffee. 

Am I excited for these Fall books to come into my life? Yes, but I really want to get through the rest of these fine summer reads that have been bought or given to me while the temp still soars. I want to sit in my favorite chair while the sun now slants differently on my walls and read a good yarn about beach life on Nantucket. Or a murder mystery at Loon Lake. Whatever it is, I just want to hold on a bit longer. The sun can move each day on my walls at a cold pace but I do believe there is time left for summer beach reads.