There are few things in this world that make me happier than a pile of new books.
I like to own books, rather than borrow them from the library. A borrowed book never has the same feel as an owned book. I worry about library books being somehow damaged, or having tea spilled on them, or simply disappearing under a pile of laundry in our (often untidy) house. I keep the library books in a quarantine, in a neat pile on the sideboard; they can never go on to the bookcase in case they disappear for ever. Even when the boys were young, and I felt a parental obligation to initiate them into the mysteries of library membership, I never enjoyed reading them library books as much as I enjoyed reading them books that we owned. An owned book has the potential to become part of the fabric of home; a library book is only ever passing through.
One thing I do rather like though, is buying second hand library books, either from the library, when they have an occasional sale of withdrawn books, or from Amazon Marketplace. The slightly sticky, translucent, plastic covers, mildly unpleasant to the touch when reading borrowed books, once removed by the new owner, reveal an almost perfect book cover, something of a bonus in a second hand book. I also rather like the thought of the book finally having a permanent home, and becoming part of the general ebb and flow of family life.
The physical presence of books comforts me. I re-read favourite books many times, and get to know specific editions so well that I can picture in my mind's eye exactly where favourite phrases fall on the page. I can't imagine a life, or a home, without books.
The pile of books pictured is a mixture of second-hand, and new.
New is Emma Bridgewater's latest book, 'Pattern' a hop, skip and jump through some of the patterns she and her husband, Mathew Rice, have designed for their pottery business over the last thirty years . I read 'Toast and Marmalade' last year, also by Emma Bridgewater, which was a fully developed autobiography. This latest book also has a lot of autobiographical detail in it, relating to how various patterns were developed, and has a back catalogue of many of the patterns, which makes for interesting reading.
Second-hand is 'Childhood Treasures by Caroline Zoob'. An ex-library book (now denuded if its plastic cover), with lots of beautiful, inspirational photographs and clear instructions for how to recreate the embroidered, painted and patchworked treasures within. Caroline champions the idea that children should be given beautiful, tactile objects to own and play with, proposing that by being trusted with beautiful things, they will learn to love and respect them. A high risk strategy in reality, but a nice idea in print, and I (broadly) applaud the sentiment, with a few caveats.
Another Caroline Zoob book, 'Hand Stitched Home'', new this time, full of her trademark delicate but simple stitching ideas for the home. A book to sigh over.
A recent purchase, 'Hexa Go-Go'. The title makes me wince a little, but I was looking for some inspiration for hand quilting, and this book has some really appealing ideas, one of which I am using currently in slightly adapted form, for a very slow-growing hand stitched quilt which I started just after Christmas, when my fingers were almost physically itching to start some English Paper Piecing.
'About A Village'. This is a curious book, and one that appeals to me very much. It is a photographic essay of a village in England, called Firle. I bought it for photographic inspiration, I like the photographer's style.
My pile of new books for spring time.
