I haven't had much of a home library to speak of since I moved out of the family nest for university, finally severing the continuity from all those communal childhood annuals and only taking along a few essentials to supplement my mandatory course books (those mostly in the form of library books or ephemeral eBays as needed).
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An example of one of those 'essentials,' apparently worth holding on to for 20+ years |
When I left the country a while later, I shed the surplus I'd gathered again and put a few cherished volumes into storage (which doubles up as my mum's home). I'd mainly gone digital by this point, but still swapped backpack books as I went, eventually settling down in the Philippines with the two books I happened to have on me when I stopped moving. These mostly sat in a drawer for seven years, forming the entirety of a collection I didn't see the point of adding to, since there are ebooks and audiobooks these days, granddad.
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Left behind to lighten the baggage, they served me well. One's already been upgraded in the collection. |
The decade of extreme minimalism came to an end when I started my 2020s UK Reboot by going a bit mad on eBay. This started as a noble quest to fill my daughter's bookshelves, from fun picture books extending unnecessarily far in advance with other prescribed childhood favourites we can get around to in the next decade or so (she should enjoy at least a few of them).
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Precocious toddler's bookshelf (+ oversized overflow) |
Once the basics were covered, I could get on with filling Dad's shelves with more indulgent favourites (she should enjoy at least a few of them). My fantasy bookcase would make space for a Sandman Omnibus, Tartarus Press first editions and other extravagant things, and maybe one day it will, but for now I'm content with what my eBay budget allows.
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Fiction + family reference. Though we'll probably just use Google. |
As satisfying as it's been to fill a bookcase with the economised pick of a lifetime's reading, I didn't want my library to be just for show, or to get too out of hand (I bet this statement ages well). That's why I'm only adding books that I can actually see myself dusting off and reading or flicking through again a few more times before my grandchildren are burdened with recycling them again in the literary circular economy.
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When you prise it from my cold, dead fingers |
So, to get on with that, 2021 will be The Year of Proper Books where I go back to paper after a decade in the nethersphere, celebrate old and less old favourites, and generally stop skimming or distractedly listening and give worthwhile books the tactile attention they deserve. Though many of these will be somewhat less rewarding and have flaps. Hurry up and get to Narnia already.
This week, I have been mostly re-reading:
Stewart Lee, The Perfect Fool
