Sunday, July 20, 2008

Books I Feel I Need to Buy

I know some of you will laugh when you read this. For the past month I've been trying NOT to buy anymore books.

The way I figured it: If I'm really leaving the country for a year, I wouldn't be able to read them anyway. It's just not practical to ship books over. So, why buy books? In fact I've also stopped going to the library, in case I forget to return them and come back with a massive overdue fines.

But for books, it's always more than just about the reading of them. For many of us, there is the compulsion to possess - you guys know what I'm talking about. Last week I've picked up two books I had my eyes on: Wild, by Jay Griffiths (I have been waiting for the paperback after reading about it in The Guardian), and Nancy Mitford's Love in a Cold Climate and Other Novels, recommended by Ovidia. (Can you believe my local library do not have a copy available for this title?)

But I have more. Here's a picture of a small stack of books I have been keeping on reservation - waiting for the day I bring them home:


List of books, from the top:

  1. Stoner, John Williams
  2. Afloat, Guy De Maupassant
  3. The Summer Book, Tove Jansson (NYRB Classics)
  4. A Winter Book, Tove Jansson
  5. The Summer Book, Tove Jansson
    (I'm still of two-minded on whether I should pick up the UK edition, published by Sort Of Books instead of the NYRB edition. Sort Of Books has published Tova Jansson's A Winter Book, The Summer Book and Fair Play, with foreword by Ali Smith. As a collection they make a nice set. But my personal partiality to NYRB is making it difficult to choose. Even with books we have brand affiliation.)
  6. The Italian, Ann Radcliffe (Oneworld Classics edition)

5 comments:

theduckthief said...

It's not weird. I told myself that starting this year I wasn't going to buy any new books. I kept buying them and not reading them, resulting in an unread library.

I cracked one day before five months, splurging on "Little Women" and the "Complete Keats". I cracked again about a month later with four more books but I've been good since then.

I've been nursing a $100 gift certificate and enjoying trips to the library. It's doable; just don't accidentally wander into bookstores.

darkorpheus said...

duck thief That part about not wandering into a bookstore will be difficult - because I work in a bookstore!

That said, I find it a miracle I finally found the time to comment on my own blog! :)

Anonymous said...

A year in Dubai is a good excuse to read all those doorstoppers you've always meant to but never had the time for.

Also, I am insanely jealous of the Anne Radcliffe book - I love her stuff and hardly ever come across it even in the States. Lucky you!

darkorpheus said...

Ella Does it mean I will have no social life in Dubai? Or I have to stay indoors all the time because of the heat? :)

Now, bringing those door-stoppers over will be tough.

Ann Radcliffe - ah...I pride myself on being a student of the Gothic - but I've never read her. The Italian will be my introduction.

Danielle said...

I have one of Tove Jansson's books--the Summer one. I also want to read The Italian (The Mysteries of Udolpho was great fun). Aren't those NYRB classics nice?