I have a lot of books. They stare at me from my bookshelf accusingly. I’ve had some of them for years and have yet to crack the spine. Others have felt my touch but were returned before I finished. The privileged few have been read and read and read again, lovingly picked up each time. Despite my collection, I scour the local library for new literary temptations. With the advent of the Kindle, I can get inexpensive (or free!) books daily. It is an avalanche of reading material.
My big comfy reading chair is in the corner of my bedroom, next to the bookshelf. Rarely, though, is the book in my hand one selected from my stockpile. Often, it is a new find on a bargain e-book site or a fresh pick from the library. I somehow feel guilty that I’ve neglected what I already own in search of a novel shiny and new.
So, I am (temporarily) eschewing e-book offers and the siren call of the library in favor of the books I already own. My goal is to read through my entire collection in the next year. I always have the option of giving up on a work that I just don’t click with, but the book cannot be returned to the shelf, only given away to a good home. Finally, I will be able to answer honestly when someone asks how I liked the book they loaned me or bought for me. My bookshelves will be less cluttered, eager to be filled with new companions. No doubt, I will fall in love with new authors and learn lessons I didn’t know I needed.
Come join me on this journey as I tell you about the book I select to read, discuss how the book and I met for the first time (if I still remember), and tell you what I loved (or didn’t) about each volume.
Book number 1 is Jerusalem, which is billed as a biography of the holy city. I bought this book in Manchester, England when my flight home was delayed. I selected it in part because you could buy three books for the price of two. The other two books were “Thinking Fast and Slow” (which is still unread) and a Sophie Kinsella work that was devoured in under twenty-four hours.
Jerusalem is a fascinating read, and I am almost half-way through. I’ve arrived at 700 AD/CE as Islam is growing and developing. Because of its location and longevity, a biography of Jerusalem serves as a history of the world, to some degree. My husband, who I think should read the book to better appreciate his Jewish heritage, is turned off by its length (700 pages more or less without the bibliography or epilogue). I am not discouraged in the face of hundreds of pages. More to enjoy.