Kim Kovacs, BookBrowse reviewer
Once again I begin my New Year's resolutions with the promise, "I will not buy more books than I can read" (followed by the corollary, "I will buy just one book at a time"). Once again, I suspect I'll fail.
Ever since the fourth grade (don't ask), books have been a refuge for me. Each one represents a new world or adventure, my own little escape pod from the traumas of the day. Books call to me as I stroll the bookstore aisles, unable to resist their alluring covers and captivating premises. How can I possibly leave one of these unexplored worlds sitting, unread, on a shelf at my bookstore?
I very nearly achieved my goal last year, but that was the result of another New Year's resolution: "I will not buy books; I'll get them from the library." This worked well for awhile. After all, the public library is a book hoarder's dream! All those books, just sitting there waiting patiently to be read! It's kind of like having a massive, unlimited book shelf. Of course, this only worked for so long. As my on-hold list continued to grow, so did my frustration. I found myself waiting months for a book I really wanted to read, only to have it become available at the exact same time as five or six OTHER books I just "had" to read. I eventually decided I had enough frustration in my life, and went back to simply buying books.
My family refuses to enable my habit. Every year they ask me what I'd like for Christmas. I always reply that I'd adore a gift certificate for a book store, yet somehow I never find one in my stocking. While I love my relatives and appreciate their thoughtfulness, I'm never sure what message they're trying to send by giving things like cook store gift certificates. (I know how to use my can opener. Mostly. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to get a fancier can opener, or if they're hinting I should take lessons, probably the latter. But I digress...)
My new toy hasn't helped matters, either. I purchased a Sony eBook Reader earlier this year, promising myself that I'd stick to my one-book-at-a-time rule. That lasted about a month. (Could I help it that several of the books on my "to be read" list went on sale?) The really cool thing, though, is that although I'm back to my old ways, no one knows it! I now have the technology to smuggle hundreds of books into the house without detection.
Oh well. I suppose there are worse addictions.
