Why books should just be books and how to store them
I’ve been browsing through some blogs about how to decorate with books.
A lot of bloggers cover their books with matching paper. I must admit, it’s very attractive. Others group books by their color. Also attractive.
Some people use books to stack things on.
I use them like this as well.
But even with all these great ideas, I prefer my books to just be “books”. I like having books lying around. I like having a stack of unread books wherever I sit. Here’s what this adorable three-tiered tray from Idea has become. It wasn’t supposed to be a rolling library but that’s what it’s become.
Then there’s my pantry where one is supposed to store food items, right? Well, it does but then there is this bin.
I have a wonderful old antique cupboard that stores lots of different things and, of course, books.
And then there are the books in an antique wooden tool box. This thing is big and I’ve had it for years. It’s been in every room in the house and stored countless different items.
When we built our bunkhouse, I had to have a”library”, of course.
If you’ll notice, the books in my home are all non-fiction. I learned a long time ago that I never re-read a novel so I never buy fiction books. That’s what the library is for. But up north there are no libraries nearby so I have fiction and non-fiction books.
And I”m sure you’re wondering whether or not I have a mobile device for books as well. Yes, I do. And, of course, there are dozens of books on muy NOOK, as well. But I only ready from my nook at night.
In other words, I like books. I like books because they are never changing. Their words never change. They’re stable. They don’t judge me. In most cases, they are the words of those who have gone before me, Charles Spurgeon, A, W, Tozer, Oswald Chambers, Hannah Whittall Smith. Some are contemporaries, Andy Stanley, John Ortberg, Beth Moore, and others. I don’t always agree with all of them but they inspire me, encourage me, and cause me to think.
I think it’s perfectly fine to use books as decoration but for me, books are much more than that. They are a window into other worlds and other minds. They inspire me. They challenge me. They educate me. They transport me.
How about you? Do you read a lot? How do you store your books?
That’s it for me today.
God bless and have a good day.
(My mom is about the same. I wake up wondering if today is the day. I go to bed wondering if a phone call will wake me up. One day a time but God is sustaining me.)
