We recently visited our local Barnes & Noble on a dreary day with every intention of stimulating the economy. Not long ago, we could spend $50-75 on a trip to the bookstore with barely an “aren’t-we-bad-yes-we-are” grin on our faces.
But on that particular visit, we walked out empty handed. I couldn’t justify a single purchase. None of the new fiction looked interesting, and our shelves runneth over with classics we have yet to read.
Which, of course, is the other problem. I did a very rough count this afternoon and determined that we have a library of—conservatively—a thousand volumes, plenty of which are unread. With a move to Virginia looming in about a year, it’s time to start thinking about paring that number down some, at least to the point that all the books actually fit on the shelves. Right now we have errant stacks on every available flat surface.
In addition to the dearth of interesting new fiction, and the overwhelming number of books already in the house, there is the fact of the public library just a few blocks away. When obtaining any book in the entire Rhode Island Public Library system is as easy as going to their website, searching for the book, clicking “Request,” and picking it up at the local branch, it makes one wonder why he should ever buy another book ever again.
Almost.
3 responses so far ↓
1 NanMel // Mar 12, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Because Tom, library books smell like old people.
2 tlitchfo // Mar 12, 2009 at 8:57 pm
If, by “old people” you mean “strangely seductive,” I couldn’t agree more.
3 pr9000 // Mar 15, 2009 at 8:11 am
When I’m at my local library – it’s amazing, by the way – I often play the same “paradox of thrift” argument in my head … Unfortunately, my library doesn’t purchase the books I really want to read in a timely manner, so instead of waiting, I will make the occasional bookstore run.
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