one of my vices: books

They say the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem.

My name is Donnette.

I am a bookaholic.

When my kids were little I spent more money on books and pictures of them than I did on food. Well, that might be an exaggeration, but if I had the money in hand that I spent on books and curriculum for them, along with the cash from photographs I took of them or paid to have taken of them, I could take a nice vacation.

Lately I have been investing in books for myself. Real books. Books with substance. Frequently. (Thanks to abebooks.com,and thriftbooks.com I have been able to save quite a bit of money. Which enables me to buy more books. It is a vicious cycle.)

I have two stacks of reading material that I can reach from the part of the couch I sit on, without standing up. These are the ones I am currently reading:

This is the stack waiting to be rotated into the pile.

I refuse to show you my full bookshelves. So full they have  stacks too. 

I've discovered, since I'm reading books of substance, that I retain the information better if I read a little everyday rather than trying to tackle it all in a sitting or two, the way I read "fluff" books, ones I read instead of watching movies or doing other mindless things. That is why I have four on the blanket chest in front of the couch.

Andrew and Bre introduced me to Henri Nouwen at Christmas. I bought several of his books and they are in the "to read" pile on the table beside the couch. On a whim I picked up one of the smaller ones this evening. 

His words throughout the first 21 pages spoke to me, over and over again. This passage especially resonated. I have written in the past about how grief is a dance. 

I hope they speak to your heart as well.

All of life is part of the dance.

And nothing in it can separate us from the love of God.