If I had an inordinate amount of time and no realistic obligations, I know exactly what I would do.
I would purchase a great deal of book cases. They would be all shapes, sizes, and styles- mahogany and cedar, ones with curling cornices and lions’ feet, even the hidden drawer or two.
And then I would purchase a great deal of books to fill them with- including the ones people spend forever trying to throw away.
Last of all, I would purchase a hulking, high-backed Victorian armchair- bottle-green with gold tassels, to be exact.
Oh, but how could I forget! The next step would be to install floor to ceiling windows, with heavy drapes pinned to the sides with braided ropes.
And then I would settle into the armchair with a book- any book, anything that vaguely smells of stiffening wood, old glue, and the chemical smell of ink would be welcome.
I would never fall ill from craning my neck over the book or wrinkling my forehead from mental exertion, and I would never contract deep vein thrombosis from sitting for hours on end.
And of course, I would never interrupt my attempt at self-enrichment and escapism to procure something to eat or call up a friend. I would never get bored, I would never miss anything- it would be a perpetual daydream, and my enthusiasm would never dry up, and the books would never run out. It would be the infinitely more awe-inspiring version of Twilight, with more quality literature and less amateur writing.
Such thoughts are what they are- a simple comfort, a stanza of lies repeated, my silly answer to a tangible lack.
I thought that I was the only one who really, really wanted to have a private library, decorated in classic Victorian style!
ReplyDeleteI think everyone secretly yearns to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on books, filling a room in their imaginary mansion. It would be a status symbol, loudly proclaiming "I not only have the time to read, but the resources to do it better than you."
Anyway, thanks for voicing a thought I have never known others had.
I was wanted to have all the books in the world on hand - so I could go to read at any hour, at any time. I guess I just need to have another life. But know exactly what you mean in the post!
ReplyDeleteDude. I wish I had the time to even *think* this stuff up. :) Everyone has dreams, yea... I think it would be nice to be able to relax and spend large chunks of time just sitting around reading books. I don't know if that would really be what I would do if I had, say, unlimited resources and a lifestyle free of need. But that's just me. :) Perhaps if you are extremely successful in the first half of your life you will be able to spend a long retirement living this dream. Best of luck ;)
ReplyDeleteSurely that would get boring fast?
ReplyDeleteNo, wait, you covered all your bases with the "perpetual daydream" comment.
Isn't a big part of reading books the opportunity to sort-of-live a fantasy life? So wouldn't fantasizing about reading be like dreaming about dreams? Like in Inception or something?
Sounds so lovely. I sort of imagine this as my life when I retire. But that's a long way off. Maybe this summer...
ReplyDeleteI hope you return to your ER series. I loved the sentence "When I enter the hospital, I cast off the cloaks of my different selves. I am not anyone's daughter, sister, student, friend, or athlete," from the first installment.
This is very nice. I have the same attitude towards bookcases and books as you do. As I grow up, so do my bookcases. First, I had my small one with mostly picture books. Then, I upgraded to a larger one with chapter books. Once that bookcase started to overflow, my mom donated three giant bookcases from her office to my room, and even those are now struggling to hold my massive library.
ReplyDeleteIn my old house in North Carolina, we used to have a balcony inside our house; a little pathway lined with bookshelves that led to a comfy blue chair by the second story window. It was our library, and that was our reading chair. I'm sure you would've loved it.
Interestingly enough, I never really wanted to spend all my time reading. Yes, I have wanted to have an elaborate library, but only to have it hold old books in beautiful leather covers so I could look at them and feel that I could read anything I wanted if I had that wish. I would rather spend my time traveling and exploring than sitting in a chair reading.
ReplyDeleteThis post is full of charm. I think you've chosen some interesting verbs in this piece.
ReplyDelete"I would never fall ill from craning my neck over the book or wrinkling my forehead from mental exertion, and I would never contract deep vein thrombosis from sitting for hours on end."
This is such a vivid and visual sentence and I love the word choices. You gave a very elaborate description of a situation that is full of simplicity, and yet, I was still able the peacefulness of your dream.
I love how you really get us into your mental state. I know I would not do anything close to this under your proposed dramatic circumstances, yet I found myself wishing I had such a library by the end of the post.
ReplyDeleteI really really really want your post to be my life. That would be absolutely amazing. You describe everything very well and you let us in to the imagery in your head. Nice job. :)
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