One thing I miss about college is having the world's best excuse to buy expensive and obscure books. The sane thing to do, of course, is to check out the professor and the syllabus before signing up for a class. I do that, but I also look through the required books for that course at the seminary coop. That by itself, isn't odd; it's a good idea to go through the reading list to see if it's inviting. But I don't look so much at the content as the physical feel of the books I'd be getting. I look at the size, the cover, the weight. Then I open up the books and check out the font, how the paper feels, how thick the pages are. And then I try to envision the books on my bookshelf in my dorm and wonder if they go with my other books. Of course the books aren't the sole deciding factor for taking a class and the look and feel of the books are completely irrelevant in a science class (because those books are all so very pretty and expensive anyway), but it does seriously distress me if I decide not to take a class that has such a pretty set of books.
Well, I think I have acquired a nice set of books from college. I've never been rich but I'd never consider selling my books. When in my life will I have an excuse to buy such obscure philosophy or history books? The books record my life and my choices so much better than my many half-filled diaries. Sometimes I open up my books and check out the marking and the notes I left. I love to just stare at my bookshelves and it seems to speak back to me and tell me who I am: the core curriculum I've endured, the topics I love enough to read about, the books that made me cry, and the interests I've abandoned years back.
I always wanted to devote on wall of my bedroom as a library and it always bothered me that my books were scattered everywhere with my bookshelves spread out in random places. It was a revolution last weekend; my room now finally looks and feels different from the room I had in high school. Now I have all my bookshelves on one wall and I even moved my bed so that I sleep perpendicular to my bookshelves. The rearrangement makes the starring at books so much easier and I sleep better with books on my side.
I still have to rearrange my bookshelves. Because of the move, I just took out all the books and put them randomly back into the shelves. I have been arranging my books by subject, size, and side cover. But I actually like the current chaotic arrangement of books. The variations in size and colors, and the juxtaposition of two entirely different subjects seem to represent me better than the orderly arrangements I spend too much energy maintaining. Perhaps I will leave arrangement of books to chance for now.
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