Addicted to Books

I find the tactile experience of a reading a book, just as enjoyable as the book contents. Caress the cover, crack open the spine, leave through the pages, feel the weight of the paper, smell the ink, admire the font and lovingly trace the pictures. After years of loving books, I do this unconsciously whenever I look at a book. (Much to the shock of book store clerks who can find it quite pervy). Stories and content are lovely, but I have been known to buy a book based solely on the weight of the paper, or quality of the pictures. If the content is even vaguely interesting and I have money to spare, I will most likely buy it. I used to justify such purchases as saving independent bookstores, supporting the economy, or as far as addictions go, I could be buying cigarettes. Of course now the beauty of being in your 40's is that if I want something, I don't need a justification, I just do it... (that should be a motto... Are you in your 40's? Then JUST DO IT!)

All of this leads me to my current bookshelves, laden with gorgeous books in desperate need of my attentions. Revisiting your bookshelf, is like getting to know yourself again. I love food fiction, superheroes, decorating coffee table picture books, software manuals, Oprah style self improvement books, marketing and branding bestsellers, children's stories, crafting books of any sort, gardening books with great photography, any cookbook, coming of age memoirs and any good story that will make me cry, laugh or sigh. I find myself quite impressed by my tastes but more often than not wondering how a woman with so many books on organization can still be such a slob. In looking at my book case, I wonder...

• Which 10 books I would take with me a on desert island
• Which books I could not live without..
• My top 10 stories of all times
• What are my classics
• What would I put on my summer reading list
• What books would I recommend to my daughter
• Why don't I have a copy of To Kill a Mocking Bird and I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings?
• When was the last time I actually cooked something from Julia Child's book. 
• And why someone with a librarian degree does not even bother to shelf books by title or subject

I suspect my revisiting my bookshelves will lead to purchasing more books, but really there are so many worse things I could be addicted to...