Tuesday 4 ~ Books

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

Books are such a big part of many people's lives. Maybe we should talk about that.

1. Do you have some books in your home? If so what subjects are they? Which is
your favorite?

Oh my, do I have books! Yes, I do. My husband says I have books all over the place and on every corner and surface. Even though I got rid of at least 100 books just before the Covid pandemic and very seldom buy a new one, I still have too many books to accommodate well in our living space. 

Subjects are wide ranging. I have all kinds of novels from classic to contemporary, novels from authors around the world, art books, history books, science and self help books, Christian story books, Christian bibles and study books.  I also have a lot of self help books, cooking books, DIY books, children's books, craft books and so much more.  Based on the statistics produced when I log my reading material, I found out that my favourite genre is historical fiction.

2. Do you enjoy browsing around in bookstores ? Do you have a favorite you like to go to?

I really love browsing in bookstores. I used to make an afternoon on weekend specifically to go to a favourite bookstore and browse the aisles. My favourite book stores always had seats and tables to sit at and examine a book more closely before buying.  In those days there were many great bookstores large and small. These days they are fewer in number and they no longer have comfy seats and tables.  I realize in answering this question, that I haven't
actually browsed in a bookstore for many years. Mainly it's because I stopped buying new books and magazines many years ago already because I always got carried away with too many purchases.  

If I do purchase a 'new to me' book, it's usually something I've purchased on line or in  used book or thrift store. That way I don't feel any regrets when I finish reading them and want to gift them to charity.  It also means I don't contribute to my already plentiful book library.

3. Do you think real books are clutter or do you just love having them around you?

I love having books around and it's hard to discipline myself from buying them. Since most of my book purchases these days are gently used, I sometimes go on a bit of buying binge.  I even stop at the mini book libraries in the neighbourhood when I'm out for walks. Not too often though because with the sheer number of books I already have, and the number of books I borrow, I no longer feel such a great need to have them around me. I do feel that what I currently own is largely clutter and I'd like to whittle down the number of books I own.  I've given away a lot of books and I need to get better organized so I can add some to the mini libraries in the neighbourhood. Does your neighbourhood have a little library box where you can drop off books or take books for free?

4. What is the oldest book you've read and what is the newest book you've read or are reading.

I guess the oldest book I've read is the Bible and also Shakespearean works. Believe or not my English 12 teacher introduced our class to Chaucer and other writers of old. He even covered the history of the Bible. He was a wonderful English man and I felt like I was in a university class. The newest book I've read was published in February 2024. It was a very poignant story which I reviewed here.

Weekend Work

Hello friends and fellow bloggers, 

I hope you are well and enjoying the weekend.

As mentioned in my last post, I was spending time to declutter over the weekend.  I've been doing this off and on for quite some time but there is still quite a lot of 'fine tuning' to be done. I was spurred into action again due to a leak a few floors above me. 

It was 'deja vu' as I'd gone through this several years ago.  Back then we had to move out for several months while restoration took place. This time the damage is more contained and doesn't affect the entire apartment. Nonetheless we'll probably have to move out while the demolition and reconstruction takes place because the damage in one room is quite extensive.

While looking at other people's decluttered items is not so exciting, it sometimes motivates us to do some decluttering of our own.  I love watching others on You Tube declutter their spaces and I'm really trying my best to do a major decluttering job.  I can't believe it's taking me so long but at least I'm making progress.  After I'm done it will expand our options.  Either we can plan a move to a new place or we can remain and do a bit of home updates here and there.  I'm not certain about any move but I want to have things in a state of readiness just in case.  

I'm documenting my decluttering efforts so later I can look back on it all.  What follows doesn't cover everything that has been decluttered recently.  It's a bit of work to take photos of everything and count every item. I try to count the big stuff and not the papers as there are just far too many of them.
 

Apron, mask and various cloths

Lotion, Empty Bottle, Emergency food

Papers

In between decluttering, I found a bit of time to knit with a 'new to me' yarn. It's cotton yarn and it's a little thinner than I'd like. I really should learn to read labels before I purchase something.  
 

Even though it's a bit thin, I think it will still work for a cloth. I like to make and give these as gifts and my friends seem to appreciate them. As you know, wash cloths need frequent replacing so if I gift someone more than once with the cloths, they generally need to replace the former ones I've given them so I'm not adding to their clutter.

After knitting one cloth, it was back to decluttering efforts.  In case, I have to relocate temporarily, I'm trying to get rid of as much as possible so junk doesn't go to storage only to have to be disposed of later.

Let's hope I can get a lot done this week.

Take care.