book stack

i've always dreamed of having a really expansive library.

with walls lined with bookshelves, and those bookshelves filled with books.

beautiful old books that require a ladder to reach.

but this dream of mine has a stipulation.

(yes, i give myself stipulations even in my dreams.)

the one requirement is that no book enters these expansive library shelves until i have fully & thoroughly read it.

so when i walk into my library it will be personal.

i'll have memories with each & every volume.

and right now we have this particular stack anticipating the day when they can finally join our growing archive.

(a stack, i might add, that accumulated nearly instantaneously on my birthday.)

but for now they sit atop my bookshelf, waiting to be read.

and subsequently added to our shelves.

in the meantime i am quite enjoying the anticipation.
i like looking at them every day and being reminded of all the good reading i have ahead of me.
and i look forward to devouring each & every one!!

a rainy day just craves a good book!

i found both of these absolutely enchanting!

some authors can almost convince you that you are

gazing at a beautiful painting, rather than simply reading words on a page.

i think Per Petterson does this especially well.

as of late i am...

reading:

right now the adventures of tom sawyer is on my bedside table & the four loves is in the bathroom. i'm reading both of them, just at different times & {obviously} in different places. on my mission i read all 747 pages of james e. talmage's Jesus the Christ in the bathroom. it rested perfectly atop a little old fashioned radiator to the left of the toilet with a package of colored pencils used for marking. it made bathroom trips so much more enjoyable. and ever since then i just can't quit the habit. plus it's such a lovely way to capture a little time.

listening:

for some reason i just adore a good melancholy tune. the sadder the better. something really good and depressing gets me every time. and because i organize my music by mood, the folder entitled soft & sad is my largest by far. and lately i just can't stop myself from putting these two songs on repeat. falling slowly by glen hansard & marketa irglova {listen here.} and duet by rachael yamagata. {the best listen i could find was posted here}

watching:

we are making our way through these babies! season 5 came in the mail a couple weeks ago {thanks again for birthday present bliss ry} and that is how we are spending our evenings. could there be a better way?

picture from here.

eating:

peanut butter and jam sandwiches. it has to be chunky. it has to be homemade strawberry. it has to be 12 grain. it's the best thing on the planet right now. i can't tell if i love that it is fast or that it is easy better. but even if it was neither, the taste {oh the taste} alone would win my heart. maybe because i hated peanut butter as a child i am now overcompensating, but i think we've had this for lunch every day for the past week.

*post idea adopted from my friend mercedes here. isn't it a good one?

what are you guys reading, listening to, watching & eating?

David Copperfield.

have you read it? if not i recommend you do.

not only did i love it, but check out all the fantastic words i was introduced to.

1. rubicund - rosy in complexion

2. imprecation - a curse

3. compunction - strong uneasiness caused by guilt

4. phlegmatic - calm temperament; unemotional

5. neophyte - a recent convert; beginner

and some of my favorite parts:

"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show."

"If a man earns twenty pounds a year for his income, and spends nineteen pounds nineteen shillings & sixpence, he will be happy. But if he spends twenty pounds one he will be miserable."

"Never be mean in anything; never be false; never be cruel. Avoid these three vices and I can always be hopeful of you."

"Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do it well; whatever I have devoted myself to, i have devoted myself to completely."

"Oh, hold me to your heart my husband! Never cast me out! Do not think or speak disparity between us, for there is none, except in my many imperfections. Every succeeding year I have known this better, as I have esteemed you more and more. Oh, take me to your heart, my husband, for my love was founded on a rock, and it endures!"

yes, i highly recommend this book.

and i love getting book recommendations too,

so let me know what books you're falling in love with these days!

Twilight

Honestly, I know there is a huge fan base here, and I admit, I've read all the books so there is some appeal. But let’s be honest, it’s that harlequin romance guilty pleasure kind of appeal. No way is there any substance associated with this series.

For some reason I find myself disturbed by the ridiculous ultra-fascination with this book!

Can someone please, just for the sake of curiosity, remove all sections of this book dealing with Edwards’s perfection of form and figure, and Bella’s ever increasing fascination with his flawlessness (how many times is that word used in the book anyway?) then, let’s please continue and cut out all parts dealing with Edwards reciprocating sentiments of adoration and lustful worship.

I’d put money on the table that what would remain after making these alterations could barely qualify as a short pamphlet of literacy.

*disclaimer: many of my all-time favorite people love this book! No judgement if you disagree, I promise.

The Screwtape Letters

There are very few books I have read more frequently or enjoyed more thoroughly than The Screwtape Letters. Currently I am on my sixth read. I was introduced to this book by my aunt Laurel, who gifted me my first copy for my thirteenth birthday. Since then I have accumulated two other copies, and I have kept all three because they get marked up so quickly.

Trying to explain all the reasons I love this book would take too long, but one of the many reasons is because C.S. Lewis exposes, and therefore diminishes, some of Satan’s greatest tools, and I love that!

Let me know what your experiences are reading it; I would love to hear what you think!