A few days ago I was talking to my friend about how I grew up with a lot of books at home. My parents made it a point to have a lot of children’s books and educational books that were on shelves in the bedroom and in the living room that my sisters and I could read anytime we wanted. I also had a doting cousin who would buy me books that she would get at their school bookstore so that I could have more to read for entertainment and not just for educational purposes.
Looking back on that I can’t help but think about how much my relationship with books has changed through the years. The books that my parents provided and the books that I could find in my grandmother’s house gave me an interest in reading. Books given to me as a gift or books borrowed from friends helped me to develop my interest in different genres of books. Now as an adult, with access to the rest of the world’s reviews and recommendations, I get to explore more books than I have ever imagined that I would as a child. Not only do I get to read more, but I can also read without all these books cluttering my home in the process.
I love reading and I love books, but I find it stressful to have too many books at home. I love the smell of books, and I love being able to flip a page to continue with a story, but I do not love not knowing where to put them when there is no longer enough space. I also feel bad knowing that while I have the luxury to be able to collect books, these books will just stay mostly unread after I am done with them. I feel like they deserve more than that. That they can enrich other lives in the same way that they did mine. So, except for some favorites, I donated my collection when the opportunity presented itself. I am hoping that those books are being put to better use now at a library than stuck on my shelf at home.
These days, eBooks are my preferred type of book. I avoid clutter because I can fill my eBook reader/Kindle with enough books for me to read for an extended period and I would not have to worry about not having enough space for them. Yes, it feels different compared to reading a physical book, but it feels like the more practical option for me. Despite that, I do think that for me, eBooks do not apply to books that are best in their physical forms such as photo books, coffee table books, or books that are about art. Plus, if I loved a book, I still end up buying the physical version to keep at home. I haven’t bought one in a while though.
In an episode of the Fandesals Podcast, we discussed some of our favorites and pet peeves when it comes to books (episode embedded at the end of the post). We shared our relationship with books, how we take care of them, what types of books we buy, what makes us buy them, and how we take care of them, among other things. The evolution of my love for books in terms of my preferences related to them is shared in that episode.
I think that while there are a lot of book lovers all over the world, we all have different quirks when it comes to our relationship with books. We may have some things in common, but it is still interesting how our preferences reveal a lot about our personalities and the role books have in our lives. Have you ever thought of what kind of relationship you have with books and reading? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
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