Yes, you read that title correctly. This is true confessions time. I feel like I've been harboring a deep, dark secret for too long. It's time to let it out and move past it....if I can. And you, gentle readers and dear friends, are the comfortable place I have chosen to unburden myself.
Here is my true confession: I am a book addict.
Yes, some of you might think you are also addicted to books...and reading. But you must understand: I have it bad. Really bad.
First of all, I don't read one book at a time. Oh no. I have at least 4 books going at the any given time. You'll find these books strewn throughout my house. Right now I'm reading Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John LeCarre, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Witness by Karen Hesse, and The Green Book by Elizabeth Rogers.
Oh dear. That's 5 books, isn't it. See how bad I am?
Other life problems that arise from this, my book addiction: Laundry. Oh, I can start a load of laundry just fine. Sometimes I even remember to put it in the dryer. But then I see a book just lying there, and I pick it up. And I start reading. And reading. And pretty soon I realize that hours have passed. And the laundry in the dryer? Oh I've forgotten all about that. I told you. I'm addicted to books.
In addition to the 4 (or 5) books I have going at the same time -- in my house -- there is usually a book in my purse too. In fact, I had this really great purse I just loved. Then one day, the strap just broke. I was pretty bummed, and started considering whether that purse was poorly made. But then I looked inside. I had 3 books in there. I'm thinking now that was too many for the little purse strap to bear. Now I just carry one book in my purse. But I've got one in my car trunk and a few under my desk at work. Just in case.
Sometimes I get so caught up in a book I forget to sleep. True story. A few weekends ago I reread Nina Sankovitch's Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, which just happens to be the featured title of this year's One Book, One San Joaquin. I started rereading it around 7 pm. At 3:45 am my stomach started to growl. I wondered for a second whether I had eaten anything in a while. And then I looked at the clock. Darn. I was going to have to get some sleep. But I couldn't stop reading. So I let myself have another 30 minutes and then I went to sleep. Compromise is good. And so was that book!
Lastly. In preparation for this soul-bearing confession, I thought I would count the books I own. So these are all the books in my house, not counting the ones borrowed from the library. Just the ones I own. Total count? 896. Seriously. That's not too many, is it?
But you know what? Despite the lack of sleep and the problem with finishing laundry that this book addiction causes, I wouldn't give up my books for anything!
I love books. And I'm not too proud to admit it.
Happy Reading.
P.S. I just remembered. There's one more book I'm reading: To Stir a Movement: Life, Justice, and Major League Baseball by Jeremy Affeldt (of the San Francisco Giants). I love my Giants!
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