Have you ever kept a book from the library instead of returning it, paying the missing fee just so you could keep it?
This is the question asked today by NaBloPoMo, keeping with the September theme of Return.
My short answer is, no. No. I have never intentionally kept a library book and simply "bought" it because I wanted the book.
Now. I have paid for a large number of books that have disappeared while in the possession of my assorted family group. Some of those books did later turn up around here. Some we kept after we found them, because we'd already paid the full amount and it was a loved book. Others we took back even though we paid the fine or cost just because it wasn't a book we really wanted. Some books we never did find. I'm hoping they're being happily read where ever they were found and continue to have a long roaming life.
Most of the lost books in our home are found in beds or in the van. It seems every time we get in the van to go anywhere, even a 5 minute trip, everyone has to bring a book. It sounds like complaint, but it's really not. We're a book family. The majority of our clutter piles involve books, magazines and believe it or not, real printed newspaper. And that doesn't even touch what we read online.
We read stuff that jumps out at us. We read stuff we know we're supposed to read, like classics. We read our Bibles. We read stuff that other people recommend. We read what the teachers and schools ask us to read. We read what other family members read just to get to know that person a little better. We read things that are dull and boring and predictable. We read things that are safe and acceptable. We also read things that shake it all up. We read things that excite and frustrate and spark controversy in our circles.
Why?
Because we can.
It's a freedom. It's a right. It's a privilege.
I have a brain that's designed to be used for thought and so I like to read things that make me think.
What do you read and why do you read it?
