Yesterday, we finally got bookshelves built and in place and all of J's books unpacked. Don't they look nice? It is really starting to feel like home around here. It's funny, because when we got married and moved into our first apartment in Northwest Portland, (pictured below) I could not stand J's books. There were so many of them - and they took up so much space!
When we moved to Zurich, J insisted on bringing what I considered way too many books along. And of course while we were there, he increased his collection even more and we wound up moving all those books, as well as the ones that had been in storage in Portland, to Minnesota. J managed to fill all of the built-in bookshelves in our gigantic house with his books. It was incredible. Thank goodness he decided to pare down his collection before our move to Spokane because we no longer have built-ins for miles and we are back to living in a tiny house.
Now, I'm happy to say that I truly love the sight of J's books. Without them, our home wouldn't feel complete. It's sort of hilarious that the very thing that I despised and found so bothersome in the beginning has now become one of my favorite things about living with J. What a nice surprise!
I'm much more of a library lender, or passer along of books to friends; I don't feel the need to have a collection. I'm curious, do you have a library of your own? How many times have you moved it and where?
My heart goes out to you and I am so curious how you are feeling now about your move. I moved from New Orleans back "home" and we have been regretting it. I see another move on the horizon but I don't know when and the life we've tried to build here is just not working. Anyway, just wanted you to know you touched on something there.
ReplyDeleteI love the bookshelf! Although I don't want to accumulate books there is something so comforting about having them all lined up like that. I have seen bookshelves organized by color and it's so beautiful!
I know just what you mean! It's hard to feel motivated to settle in, find friends and put down roots when you wonder if you'll be leaving again. Yikes! xo
DeleteI am a combination of both of you -- I love passing books along to friends and family, but I also have a collection that I'll never part with. I have been living back-and-forth between the US and India for the last 10 years, and the most difficult part of my packing is always the books. I am a compulsive book-buyer, so I have a never-ending pile of books that need to be read, and I hate not being able to carry all of them with me. Kindle has made my nomadic lifestyle a little easier, but I love curling up in bed with a book and flipping the pages. I would love to one day have a collection like J, but I think I need to settle on one place in order for that to happen! :)
ReplyDeleteMoving books is insane, isn't it?! They weigh SO much. My cookbooks nearly killed me this time around. I realize the only books I really like to have are cookbooks. They are huge and heavy. Do you think you'll ever settle in one place?
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