February 28, 2013

Reading rooms

I'm in a reading rut. Don't know why or how it happened but there it is. Maybe it's the choices I'm making, I seem to pick up a book and regardless of the subject or writing style or story line I can't find the interest. Sometimes I plod on and finish it, others I just put it down and back on the shelf which is something I hate to do. Maybe it has to do with the change in life style. All those years I commuted into New York and rode the train and subway this is where I would read, sometimes I would almost forget to get off I was so engrossed. Now I drive to work. Not a good idea to read while driving despite all the texting idiots I see around me...maybe because of all the texting idiots I see around me. I hope this passes soon since reading has always been such a passion of mine. Our parents taught us how to read before we were even in school, which meant that I could read at the ripe old age of three

even though in this photo I'm five.

When I was a child our house had a library. It was a room at the bottom of a winding staircase with a small courtyard in front of it towards the back of the house. That part of the house was enclosed in glass so the courtyard had all forms of tropical foliage and the light just filled the space. The library's door however was always closed. You walked into a very cool room with dark wood paneling and surrounded with dark wood built in bookcases filled to capacity. There was a dark wooden desk with a swivel leather chair and brown leather sofas. It would seem out of place in a tropical setting where all was terrazzo floors, bamboo furniture and block glass but it was my favorite room in the house. When I was four years old I had my hair cut; it went from shoulder length to short, probably like the photo above. I remember looking in the mirror and hating it. I hated it so much I wanted to hide from the world. My family looked for me all day long, finally for the third time that day my father walked into the library and had the wherewithal to look behind the door he had just opened and find a whimpering child with an ugly haircut taking refuge in her favorite room of the house. I have always wanted that room so I somehow tried to recreate it. We decided one of our spare rooms would be a library so we painted it chocolate brown and brought in bookcases
and some leather furniture

and lots of books. Not identical but it works.
You'd think I'd be so inspired. Right Max?


Maybe I'll get a bad haircut and hide in there all day!

That should do it.
Suggestions are welcome.

5 comments:

  1. Oh my---your childhood library and courtyard are my idea of heaven. Thanks for a peek into your childhood and early love of books. The picture is so sweet!

    Your library looks so comfortable--a great place to go and forget about work, laundry, and the rest of the world.

    I just read and loved Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore. Right after reading Shadows of the Wind, so I'm in bookstore book mode.

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  2. Your childhood library sounds fantastic, I can almost smell it- I can picture it perfectly, plus I'm crazy about courtyards.

    Just wrote down the name of a book that a journalist friend on facebook says he couldn't put down- Gone girl- by Gillian Flynn, I'm going to give it a try, will let you know.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Karen. I have that on my Wish List but haven't gotten around to ordering it yet so I'll be interested to know what you think.

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  3. I am uber jealous of your reading room and library. I am slowly working at clawing back the space that we originally allocated for this purpose. Your book selections are wonderful and would ceratinly keep me inspired. Happy weekend to all at Amelia Towers.

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  4. Me encantan tus libros Amelia, ahora estoy leyendo a Mari jungstedt "El arte del asesino" y me esta esperando el último de Care Santos, el anterior me encantó "Habitaciones cerradas" ambientado en Barcelona

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