The Beauty of Books

"Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house."~Henry Ward Beecher       I love this quote and couldn't agree more.  I'm taken aback when I see a house with no books; it just doesn't feel like a home to me.    

  

   

  

    Those of you who regularly read my blog know that I love books.  I just love to read -- magazines, novels, cookbooks, classical literature, history, home decorating, gardening.  I love bookstores and libraries.  Have I told you my husband and I first met in the bookstore where I worked part-time for four years?  It's true.  Mr. Forest Manor came in to ask about a book and found Yours Truly working behind the Information Desk.  We still like to go to the bookstore on Friday evenings after dinner and browse.   

   Our son gave me this book for Christmas because he recently read it and I had expressed an interest in reading it myself.  John LeCarré was pretty popular back when I was working at B. Dalton Bookseller in the mid-80's.  It's funny to me when I look back; many of the authors that people came in and requested the most, I didn't read until years after I left the bookstore.  James Herriot is another of those authors.  I'm so glad I gave his books a try; I would hate to think I might have missed out on them entirely.  He truly is one of my favorites.   Back to John LeCarré; I enjoyed The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, so I downloaded Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy on my Kindle, and I enjoyed that, as well.  In fact, when I finished that one, Hal and I watched the movie on the Starz channel; it came out in 2011 and had an all-star British cast.   

   So that's my first, new-to-me author for 2019.  Thanks for the book, Will!  :)  Aside from these two John LeCarré books, I'm not sure what I want to read this coming year.  I think I'll read some more of Mr. Dickens' works; I still haven't read Bleak House or Pickwick Papers.  When I was in high school, my favorite Dickens book was Great Expectations, but after reading A Tale of Two Cities as an adult, that has remained my absolute favorite.  I also love a good Cozy Mystery, but it can take awhile for me to find one of those series I like.  I enjoy seeing what other bloggers are reading; I've found some good things that way.  Thanks to Lorrie at "Fabric, Paper, Thread" I discovered Canadian author Louise Penny. I have so enjoyed her "Inspector Gamache" series and still have a few of those to read.   

  

   I love books so much that I swore I'd never want a Kindle.  Never say "never" --right?  A co-worker gave Hal one that he found on an airplane, and since Hal already had a Nook, he gave me the Kindle.  It took me awhile to try it out, but I have to admit, they're quite convenient.  I even updated to the Kindle Paperwhite a few years ago, and it's even better.  So I go back and forth between real books and my Kindle.  This year, one of my goals is to use the public library more.  We have one about ten minutes from our house, and there's just no excuse not to use it.      

   We have some more bookcases in our house, but they're messy and not worthy of photos.  😏  Yet another reason to use the library more -- we've got books running out our ears, and it saves money to borrow books rather than buying them all the time.   I'd love to hear what you're reading.  I need some suggestions so I'll know what to reserve at the library.  😃  Thank you for your visit and I hope you have a wonderful week!