Travel and Books

I have always wanted to travel.

I have been to a few places in the US and stepped outside to Puerto Rico and then in the complete opposite direction to Victoria, Canada and Prince Edward Island. I have a whole list of places and sites that my heart and eyes demand to experience.
Someday I will travel to every dream destination and soak up every moment.

Until then I must content myself with my fond memories of other worlds. These worlds are contained in every book I have ever read. My books have been a means of magical transportation since I was a little girl.

As a child I can remember living with orphaned siblings in a boxcar and solving crime with a girl named Nancy. I was friends with twin sisters in Sweet Valley and helped Miss Rumphuis plant lupines all over the countryside. On Rass Island I cried jealous, angry tears with another twin sister while we struggled over our insecurities of adolescent life. I was guided to a strange world by a tiny private detective named Lewis O. Ladybug and later I greedily ate Turkish Delight with a little boy while we rode with the White Witch.

It was a turning point in my life when I traveled to a small village in England to watch a small boy, by the name of David Copperfield, grow up. From then on the classics took me to Pemberley, Barton Cottage, Uppercross, Hartfield, Thornfield Hall, Limmeridge House, The Shire, and Green Gables. I ran with the likes of Lord Henry Wotton, Lady Chatterley, Dr. Jekyll, Mrs. de Winter, Jo March, Sir Percy and Giovanni and Beatrice. I became obsessed with Poe and his morbid, mysterious world. I let Christie take me by the hand and show me how crime was manipulative and evil, but in the end it didn't matter whether you were a French man or an old woman, crime would be solved.

Once I exhausted myself on traveling in the classics I decided it was time for a more modern era. From this point on I went on adventures where I was an amateur bounty hunter from New Jersey, a British beauty who has a major addiction to shopping, and a ruthless heiress who wanted land more than anything in the world. I witnessed the majesty and tragedy of King Henry VIII's court and gently walked through the life of a Geisha. My letter came from Hogwarts and I spent seven amazing years in a magical community. I found out that I was a demi-god and learned to outwit even the most cunning Gods. And lately I've sat in the great hall of Winterfell, grieved when my Khal died and rejoiced when my dragons helped conquer cities.

I may not have travelled to actual physical places, but through my precious book I have travelled to many places that maps and roads cannot carry you to.

I have never understood how people do not like to read. I love it with a passion. Reading is a magical conduit to great and beautiful experiences. You can join the characters in their adventure or you can become the character for an even more emotional experience. In my humble opinion, if you don't like reading then you are most assuredly doing it wrong.

There are cities both known and unknown and far away worlds waiting for you to explore and all you have to do is "take a look...it's in a book..."



"But you don't have to take 
     my word for it..."

Save a bookcase, buy a book.

Tomorrow Nate & I are going to a used book sale. If you know anything about us then you know that the words "used book sale" make us very happy and excited! It's going to be at the Blossom Athletic Gymnasium. The whole gym is covered with tables (front to back) and on those tables are tons of books. They have every book imaginable! Sigh. It's amazing!

Anywho, I was thinking about all the books we are going to be bring home. And then I started thinking that all the bookcases we have are already filled with books. Which means that we'll need to buy another bookcase. And then I'm going to have to figure out where to put our new bookcase. Upstairs? Downstairs? I'm thinking upstairs because Nate has a bad habit of taking books upstairs and never bringing them back down. So I'm hoping that if there is a bookcase up there than our bathroom and his nightstand won't be overrun by piles of books (and yeah, I said piles.) We love to read.

Someday when we get the chance to build our own home there is definitely going to be a library room. There will be one big window and a window seat. And then every other wall will have built-in bookcases. Floor to almost ceiling bookcases with a sliding ladder (just like in Beauty & the Beast!!). I say almost ceiling because we want molding up there that has famous author's last names going all the way around the room. And in the middle of the room comfy furniture that invites you to curl up and read all day. Oh! And blankets are a must. We even want to spice up the door! We to make the door look like the Tardis. Everytime you walk up to the door to go inside of the library you'll have to open the Tardis doors. The idea that you'll be transported to any world you want is so perfect for us!

The Tardis doors. When we do it, it won't be a cutout. It'll be the legit thing!

Thinking about bookcases makes me think about other people's bookcases. I've seen bookcases filled with books. Old books, new books, famous books, and books I've never heard about. I've also seen bookcases with a mix of books and decorations. But the ones that confuse me the most are the bookcases that don't have any books at all. They usually just have pictures, vases, etc.

Like I said, this confuses me! Why do people use their bookcases for things other than...books?! Haha! Our bookcases are filled with books. Before we moved they were overflowing with books. Since the bookcases were in a different room we didn't care about that, but now that they are in the living room where everyone can see them we thought it might be nice to keep it a little organized. :-)

It makes me sad when I see a bookcase without books. I literally want to go buy some books and sneak them in so the bookcase won't be "lonely". Poor bookcases. There should be a refuge for bookless bookcases.

Save a bookcase, buy a book.