During years when I lived alone, and during my first marriage, I collected books - but never as a performance. I only bought ones I thought I'd like though some I never touched. Several years ago I moved to my new wife's home about 60 miles distant from the house where I raised my two kids. No room for a "performative" library, so the bo…
During years when I lived alone, and during my first marriage, I collected books - but never as a performance. I only bought ones I thought I'd like though some I never touched. Several years ago I moved to my new wife's home about 60 miles distant from the house where I raised my two kids. No room for a "performative" library, so the books went to Goodwill (and, when I ran out of time, on a 1-800-GotJunk truck) along with much of my old furniture. Now, what I buy is what I read. My new stepdaughter (she is 47 and I am 67 so I'm not quite used to the term as I associate it with child-rearing) gave me a Kindle a few years back, and I've downloaded some great vacation books. She is also known to give me Barnes and Noble gift cards which, due to my frugal nature, I use for softcover editions. They become like all my most-loved books: quite dog-eared and with lots of folded pages (a habit my parents and teachers failed to break in me). My most recent: The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. Anything by Erdrich is a modern gem.
During years when I lived alone, and during my first marriage, I collected books - but never as a performance. I only bought ones I thought I'd like though some I never touched. Several years ago I moved to my new wife's home about 60 miles distant from the house where I raised my two kids. No room for a "performative" library, so the books went to Goodwill (and, when I ran out of time, on a 1-800-GotJunk truck) along with much of my old furniture. Now, what I buy is what I read. My new stepdaughter (she is 47 and I am 67 so I'm not quite used to the term as I associate it with child-rearing) gave me a Kindle a few years back, and I've downloaded some great vacation books. She is also known to give me Barnes and Noble gift cards which, due to my frugal nature, I use for softcover editions. They become like all my most-loved books: quite dog-eared and with lots of folded pages (a habit my parents and teachers failed to break in me). My most recent: The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. Anything by Erdrich is a modern gem.