Yesterday, I made the delicious mistake of taking my laptop to my local Barnes & Noble to get a few hours of “work” done. I was met with the best of creature comforts: my pick of big roomy tables to spread my work out on, a steaming cup of holiday tea, and red velvet cupcakes. Yes, Barnes & Noble sells red velvet cupcakes. It may be a seasonal thing because I don’t remember them being there all the time. They get them from The Cheesecake Factory. And they were almost the real thing. You know those fake red velvet cupcakes they try to sell you with vanilla frosting? Â Vanilla? No, these Barnes & Noble cupcakes were dense red beauties with the perfect hint of cocoa and a huge dollop of thick cream cheese frosting and chocolate curls. I say they were “almost” the real thing because real red velvet cake doesn’t have chocolate curls. It has pecans. Lots and lots of glorious pecans, inside the frosting and as a garnish on top of the cake. My life would have been absolutely perfect at that moment if I had the wisdom to carry around a little ziplock bag of crushed pecans in my purse.
Before I could even get over to the cafe side, though, I was compelled to purchase four new books. Four. Seeing as how one of my personal commitments is to read at least one book a month, that means I just bought four months worth. I just had to buy Marianne Williamson’s books, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles” and The Gift of Change:Â Spiritual Guidance for a Radically New Life. They came together in a double volume for just 11 bucks; what was I supposed to do? I’ve been wanting to read Marianne’s work ever since I learned that this quote came from her, not Nelson Mandela as often cited:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. Thee’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
I’ve also listened to Marianne’s MiracleThought podcasts on Oprah.com, which are guaranteed to ensure I begin the day with a happy spirit. So, I can’t wait to tear into her books! I feel like I’m at the right moment in my life when I can really absorb her knowledge and apply it to my journey. Have you read any of Marianne’s books? Did they help make room for more happiness in your life?
The three other books I bought were:
- Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
- How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life
- Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations
I had previously purchased the hardcover Here Comes Everybody and started reading it, but I think I must have left it on a plane or in a hotel room somewhere during my travels. It’s nowhere to be found. So I re-purchased it. Or re-bought it. Whatever. I paid for it again, and good thing it’s in paperback now because it was a lot cheaper the second time around. I told my Twitter friends how many books I bought today, and they said if I’m buying that many books I need to get a Kindle or a Nook.
And that’s where I had to put my foot down.
I love technology, I really do. But I will never, ever get a Kindle or a Nook. I love my books way too much. I mean, I love the physicality of books lined up on my shelves, stacked up all over my apartment like trophies, each one a place to which I long to travel or return to again. I love to feel the pages crisp in my fingertips, the push of my ink pen making notes in the margins. Opening each one is like meeting an old friend.
I fell head over heels love with books when I was four years old. My mom had me when she was in the 10th grade, so my grandmother had to help raise me. Grama quit her job so she could make sure I had everything I needed to grow up great. While mom was at school, Grama taught me how to read with the help of Dr. Seuss and his Cat in the Hat and In a People House. I remember sitting in her lap on our big blue couch as she turned the pages, pointing to the pictures and the words as she read through each story. I remember running around the house chanting proudly:
“Come inside, Mr. Bird,” said the mouse. ”I’ll show you what there is in a People House…”
My grandmother got me hooked on books, on the sweet surrender to a place that would never fail me: knowledge. I loved it when they started having contests at school for how many books you could read over the summer. And do y’all remember Book-It? I got so many award certificates, I must have overdosed on free pizza.
“Bananas, bathtub, bottles, brooms…That’s what you find in people’s rooms.”
Not Kindles.
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I love this post…..but for safety purposes(cause I have learned from my little brother and sisters and their friends and such) that books can have pages torn out of them, colored in, and mutilated by you dog…..so therefore…..as much as I love books also and I love the smell of fresh pages……for safety purposes…..i would buy a kindle. (also cause I forget stuff everywhere so in order to keep all my books safe (there goes that word again) I would buy a kindle. And also because i am like an extreme cheapy…..and books are cheaper to buy on the electronic gadgets than separately.
I JUST had this discussion with a friend of mine the other day. We got my mother-in-law a kindle for her 60th and she was over the moon excited about it. I totally get the convenience of it, but I love books so much – the touch, the feel, the smell, the way the words look on the page. I love cuddling up with an actually book and cradling it in my arms, lol. Seriously I do though.
Yeah, I actually tried to seriously consider getting one…in my mind…I even touched one! But it felt so weird to me. I need to be able to OPEN a book. Totally nostalgic, but totally worth it to me.
Someone named Rosetta would have to love words, wouldn't they? I'm with you on the Kindle. I remember trying to read our very early edition of “Gone with the Wind” before I was old enough to understand that it was printed in two columns! Real books are the best
Someone named Rosetta would have to love words, wouldn’t they? I’m with you on the Kindle. I remember trying to read our very early edition of “Gone with the Wind” before I was old enough to understand that it was printed in two columns! Real books are the best
I am 100% with you on this! No Kindle (or anything like it) for me. I have to have the real thing. I just love books – not only reading them, but also being surrounded by them. Unfortunately for my bank account, I also have to OWN my books – no borrowing from the library for me. The books have to be mine to go back to whenever – and to pile high in my room. I love having my own little library. I need that.
I am 100% with you on this! No Kindle (or anything like it) for me. I have to have the real thing. I just love books – not only reading them, but also being surrounded by them. Unfortunately for my bank account, I also have to OWN my books – no borrowing from the library for me. The books have to be mine to go back to whenever – and to pile high in my room. I love having my own little library. I need that.
I was searching for my friends blog (actually sons girlfriend, but I do now also consider her my friend). I came across your wonderfully enlightening blog. Funny, too:) It made me realize how really close that six degrees of separation amongst humans really is. Your post could have been mine especially the cupcake part. My husband just got a kindle. I told him, word for word, exactly what you said regarding the Kindle. Nothing like the smell, touch, and sight of a real book!! And a real book with a cupcake…fogettaboutit!!! I hear ya girl. Keep up the good work. Kathie PS You may even enjoy Karas blog “Red Velvet Diaries”. I will pass yours onto her too:)
I was searching for my friends blog (actually sons girlfriend, but I do now also consider her my friend). I came across your wonderfully enlightening blog. Funny, too:) It made me realize how really close that six degrees of separation amongst humans really is. Your post could have been mine especially the cupcake part. My husband just got a kindle. I told him, word for word, exactly what you said regarding the Kindle. Nothing like the smell, touch, and sight of a real book!! And a real book with a cupcake…fogettaboutit!!! I hear ya girl. Keep up the good work. Kathie PS You may even enjoy Karas blog “Red Velvet Diaries”. I will pass yours onto her too:)
OMG. I L-O-V-E-D Book It! It was just about the only way I got to eat “fast food” and all I had to do was read? I was so on it growing up.
I’m with you on the kindle. There is nothing better than curling up with a book, turning and bending pages, highlighting and underlining favorite parts. Actually, going back and reading those highlighted/underlined sections in your favoritie books every so often might almost be better.
As far as the Marianne Williamson quote, it’s my absolute favorite. I just posted it on my blog last month. It’s also in the signature of my emails so that I see it all the time.
I hope that you will write about the books you read each month. I’m a book-a-holic, I’ll admit it. I’m starting to cut back on how many books I buy (running out of space); however I love finding new books to read and adding them to my GoodReads.com account. I have enough on there to read every week until I die.
I love this: “I have enough on there to read every week until I die.” LOL that’s how I feel about my bookshelves!
OMG. I L-O-V-E-D Book It! It was just about the only way I got to eat “fast food” and all I had to do was read? I was so on it growing up.
I’m with you on the kindle. There is nothing better than curling up with a book, turning and bending pages, highlighting and underlining favorite parts. Actually, going back and reading those highlighted/underlined sections in your favoritie books every so often might almost be better.
As far as the Marianne Williamson quote, it’s my absolute favorite. I just posted it on my blog last month. It’s also in the signature of my emails so that I see it all the time.
I hope that you will write about the books you read each month. I’m a book-a-holic, I’ll admit it. I’m starting to cut back on how many books I buy (running out of space); however I love finding new books to read and adding them to my GoodReads.com account. I have enough on there to read every week until I die.
I love this: “I have enough on there to read every week until I die.” LOL that’s how I feel about my bookshelves!
I’m with you. I did a little poking around at the Kindle and in the end decided I’m just an ole skool girl…I love physically reading books. It’s a total experience but I can see how if someone traveled a great deal a Kindle or other e-reader could be useful. After all its difficult to figure out what books to bring when traveling.
It is SO hard to choose which books to take when I’m traveling. That’s how I lose books actually. On airplanes and hotel rooms, because I’m lugging so many around. I get a lot of reading done in quiet hotel rooms away from home for some reason, though.
I’m with you. I did a little poking around at the Kindle and in the end decided I’m just an ole skool girl…I love physically reading books. It’s a total experience but I can see how if someone traveled a great deal a Kindle or other e-reader could be useful. After all its difficult to figure out what books to bring when traveling.
It is SO hard to choose which books to take when I’m traveling. That’s how I lose books actually. On airplanes and hotel rooms, because I’m lugging so many around. I get a lot of reading done in quiet hotel rooms away from home for some reason, though.
I totally agree! Ever since I was a little child, I loved having books on my bookshelf, stacked in cute little stacks under my desk, on top of my desk, and always always I had to have one on my night stand. My mom used to take us to this warehouse where we used to just grab all kinds of book – textbooks, childrens books, adult books – and my sister and I catalogued all of our book and created our very own library system.
My dad has a Kindle and I’m not impressed. I like to thumb through books. Since I’ve declared financial freedom in 2010, my hardest challenge is that I’ve decided to limit my purchasing of books only to those I can’t live without. I’m utilizing the beautiful safety net for lovers of books – the public library. One thing I have found is that I read the books a lot faster when I check them out from the library. I have a stack of books sitting on my desk at this moment that I checked out – and I have to be at peace that they are borrowed.
I wish I could be like you with the library books. I don’t read them fast enough, even as I rack up the late fees! I think my problem with the library is that I see so many that I want, I end up checking out way more than I have time to read. And then I read more than one at once and end up not finishing any of them. My dream is to be able to focus on one book long enough to write a series of posts about it. I think that would be my greatest motivation.
I totally agree! Ever since I was a little child, I loved having books on my bookshelf, stacked in cute little stacks under my desk, on top of my desk, and always always I had to have one on my night stand. My mom used to take us to this warehouse where we used to just grab all kinds of book – textbooks, childrens books, adult books – and my sister and I catalogued all of our book and created our very own library system.
My dad has a Kindle and I’m not impressed. I like to thumb through books. Since I’ve declared financial freedom in 2010, my hardest challenge is that I’ve decided to limit my purchasing of books only to those I can’t live without. I’m utilizing the beautiful safety net for lovers of books – the public library. One thing I have found is that I read the books a lot faster when I check them out from the library. I have a stack of books sitting on my desk at this moment that I checked out – and I have to be at peace that they are borrowed.
I wish I could be like you with the library books. I don’t read them fast enough, even as I rack up the late fees! I think my problem with the library is that I see so many that I want, I end up checking out way more than I have time to read. And then I read more than one at once and end up not finishing any of them. My dream is to be able to focus on one book long enough to write a series of posts about it. I think that would be my greatest motivation.
I felt the same way as you until a couple of weeks before Christmas and hubby asked me what I wanted for Christmas. And I told him I wanted a Kindle. Best. Gift. Ever. I absolutely love it. I’m a voracious reader and there were times where I would have 3-4 books in my tote bag. It was getting ridiculous! I don’t read everything on my Kindle. I still go to the library and check out books. I still go to the bookstore and buy books. I, too, love the feel of turning the page of a book. And I will not let my Kindle replace that. The Kindle helps lighten the load in my bag. And you can get a book in less than a minute! You can’t beat that kind of convenienve.
Hmm…I never thought about the dual-usage of books & Kindle. Most people talk about it like they’re giving up their real books forever!
I felt the same way as you until a couple of weeks before Christmas and hubby asked me what I wanted for Christmas. And I told him I wanted a Kindle. Best. Gift. Ever. I absolutely love it. I’m a voracious reader and there were times where I would have 3-4 books in my tote bag. It was getting ridiculous! I don’t read everything on my Kindle. I still go to the library and check out books. I still go to the bookstore and buy books. I, too, love the feel of turning the page of a book. And I will not let my Kindle replace that. The Kindle helps lighten the load in my bag. And you can get a book in less than a minute! You can’t beat that kind of convenienve.
Hmm…I never thought about the dual-usage of books & Kindle. Most people talk about it like they’re giving up their real books forever!
LOL, we may be the last Kindle-less people standing! Seems like everyone I know has one and loves it. I just can’t see myself enjoying a book that way. Maybe between the two of us we can keep the bookshelf makers in business
LOL, we may be the last Kindle-less people standing! Seems like everyone I know has one and loves it. I just can’t see myself enjoying a book that way. Maybe between the two of us we can keep the bookshelf makers in business
Yes, yes and yes. I too love the physicality of my books and magazines even. My love for Biographies, tied to my general love of review life paths and stories, has made this even more enjoyable.
Kindle’s definitely not for me.
Yes, yes and yes. I too love the physicality of my books and magazines even. My love for Biographies, tied to my general love of review life paths and stories, has made this even more enjoyable.
Kindle’s definitely not for me.