I got rid of a healthy amount of books, which I plan to take to Half Price Books and sell (and get $20...I think they only give you like 25 cents a book).There's a quote by Henry David Thoreau that says "Read the good books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all." It's always stuck with me....and it's been running thru my head lately when I look at my collection of books. I think to myself, would I want my daughter's reading these? Sometimes I find myself not completely sensoring anything in my life when it comes to books, TV or movies. I don't mind watching what I watch or reading what I read...but I don't want it to affect my children's minds. It's easy now, since they are little and I control their lives (insert evil laugh here). The time is fast approaching when I need to reign it in. Of course, it's not like I have a bookcase full of Harlequin Ü haha...but even though I love Anne Rice, doesn't mean I want my girls reading it when they are 12.
So, I went thru them...picking and choosing. The top shelf is a double layer of Louis L'Amour paperbacks handed down to me by my Grampa. I will keep and treasure them forever....I pick one or two up to read every once in awhile. They are a great reminder of my childhood.
Another thing about cleaning out a bookshelf...you are reminded how many GOOD books you DO have and need to read....like asap. Such as The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Which I started yesterday (after finishing Harry Potter! which I LOVED....and plan to read book #2 after The Princess Bride). And even after cleaning out all those books...and seeing the list of to-reads....there are SO many books coming out that I'm excited about, such as The Undaunted by Gerald Lund , Diane Chamberlain's new book Secrets She Left Behind, Charlaine Harris' book 9 of Sooke Stackhouse Dead and Gone, and Anita Shreve's Testimony. So many books, so little time!What are you reading? Hmmm...... Ü
5 comments:
I'm so glad you liked Harry Potter! Don't go too long in between the books though;) I'm reading Angels and Demons right now. My bro let me borrow that and The Davinci Code. I figured I would finally see what all the hype was about;)
What I great moral compass “would I want my daughters to read this”. I’m going to start asking myself the same question. I came across a quote recently that’s made me think . . . The saying about a frog in boiled water. How – if you put a frog in boiled water – he’ll try to jump out. But if you put him in cold water and slowly raise the temperature, he won’t notice and will stay in the put until he dies. Same could be said of how we come to “accept” certain things in our society. Stuff just creeps in slowly and we become “tolerant” of more and more until we’re at a place we would have never thought we’d be. Man – I need to blog this stuff on my own blog and stop taking up so much comment space!
Krista – not sure if you come back to re-read all of Sarah’s comments, BUT . . . I’ve read and loved that series too (Davinci Code, Angels & Demons, etc.). I’m sure you know this – but I feel compelled to tell you anyway . . . Even though those books are fiction, the Catholic Church doesn’t like them much – and the reason why is because they feel that readers read the text as “truth” of what the Catholics believe. This simply isn’t true. While the books to talk about the “true beliefs” of a group that is very loosely tied to the Catholic faith, the Catholic Church itself does not agree with many of that sects practices, etc. Just thought I’d let you know. I’m interested in many religions (Mormonism too), and believe that one must be careful in determining what texts are true representations of a faith and which are not. Okay – off my spiel now. :-)
I try to keep my books "PG-13" as well.
I just finished reading all the Harry Potter books again and loved it just as much as the first time(s) through.
OH yeah, I don't take fiction as gospel;) Our religion has a ton of other ones that have similar names as ours and I always cringe when the media talks about it. I always hope that people realize that we are not affiliated with them.
I have a hard time parting with my books. I just buy more bookcases! I like to keep my books pretty mild. I haven't read anything in awhile but I did go to Half Price Books today. I got Jane Eyre, Crime and Punishment, Catch-22, and Cold Sassy Tree.
Post a Comment