I’ve always had a special relationship with books, for at least as long as I can remember. My very first books, The Poky Little Puppy and a set of children’s encyclopedias were treasured as no other toys were. Through the years, I also dreamed of having my own built-in bookcases.
Through the years, I have had many substitutes for these imagined bookcases. First there was the headboard on my twin bed at home which held library books and a row of paperbacks I got for free through the library’s Reading is Fundamental program. Later, in college, there were a series of purloined red milk crates to hold my pleasure reading. As an adult, I graduated to wood and particleboard bookcases, purchased cheaply at Caldors (remember them) or Sears.
When I married my husband, he came with some larger bookcases, still wood and particleboard but heavier and of better quality. His books somehow mostly migrated into the basement and mine mostly took over. To be fair to myself, my books greatly outnumbered his and his gave up. This arrangement sufficed, although the shelves were always in danger of overflowing.
Once we moved to our current home I envisioned those built-in bookcases, along with side of the family room window with perhaps a window seat for some stolen moments of reading. My husband put a computer desk and a filing cabinet there. I managed to sneak in two very small bookcases along side, but..well..sigh. He also told me that he would add a library on to the house for me, but well again, there are no immediate plans.
Today my books are mostly in boxes in the basement, with the exception of those two small bookshelves. Up in our bedroom, my husband laughed at me when I opened a clothes cubby to reveal stacks and stacks of not-yet-read books.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog and caring for little ones in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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