Booking Through Thursday: What’s Sitting on Your Shelf?

Posted on by

btt button

The weekly Booking Through Thursday question for today is:

Okay–here was an interesting article by Christopher Schoppa in the Washington Post.

Avid readers know all too well how easy it is to acquire books — it’s the letting go that’s the difficult part. … During the past 20 years, in which books have played a significant role in both my personal and professional lives, I’ve certainly had my fair share of them (and some might say several others’ shares) in my library. Many were read and saved for posterity, others eventually, but still reluctantly, sent back out into the world.

But there is also a category of titles that I’ve clung to for years, as they survived numerous purges, frequent library donations and countless changes of residence. I’ve yet to read them, but am absolutely certain I will. And should. When, I’m not sure, as I’m constantly distracted by the recent, just published and soon to be published works.

So, the question is his: “What tomes are waiting patiently on your shelves?“

I have Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and a book of Washington Irving’s short stories as well as a biography of Scottish poet Robert Burns that I have not read yet but have had for years. I got them all as good deals, the book on Burns an older used one, the others new. I really would like to get to the Burns’ biography but just don’t usually think of it when I am trolling for reading material. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to Homer’s books. Maybe I’ll skim through them a bit.

I also have a few books that are compilations of family stories that I had thought I would read out loud to the kids, but after we stopped home schooling, we just didn’t read out loud all together any more. I regret that. I have thought about passing them on, but can’t quite let them go yet. Maybe I will some day read them to grandchildren.

I also have several Christian non-fiction books by authors whose other works I have read and enjoyed — Spurgeon and C. S. Lewis, for example — but I just haven’t gotten around to these. Maybe some day…

So many books, so little time!!

6 thoughts on “Booking Through Thursday: What’s Sitting on Your Shelf?”

  2. I don’t know if I should be proud or ashamed — but I no longer have ANY olllllllllllld books sitting around that I have been meaning to read for years and years! Now… there are plenty still on the shelves at the LIBRARY … but they are not sitting on MY shelf at home. A few summers ago I made it my task to get through ALL the old books that I had wanted to read – and I did it! So… while I DO have a stack (of about 30) books waiting to be read — they are all bought within the last year or two. I DO however have a few books that HAVE been read that I keep… for grandchildren… or children… or whoever!

  3. I think Homer would just keep sitting on my shelf. I have a few Christian non-fics on my shelves that have been collecting dust for a while, too. Mostly Max Lucado.

Comments are closed.