Simple Pleasures

My simple pleasure for this week is reading.  I come from a family of voracious readers and my parents  always encouraged us and, to the best of my recollection, never censored our choices.  One of my earliest memories is going to the library around the corner from where we live now once a week because there wasn't a branch in our suburb.  I loved going up and down the stairs between the fiction and non fiction sections, poking around, and picking up my allocation of books for the week with the librarian stamping the due date slip in the back on the way out.

Today, one of my favourite ways to finish the day is to walk home from the train station via that same library to see what is available or pick up a book on reservation.  In addition to getting maximum use out of the library,  I borrow from family and friends and also buy far too many books from various sources, including op shops.  While I prefer quality literature, I am happy to admit that I love a good trashy read, particularly when on holidays.  While we were building the new STLT HQ, I acquired 5 boxes of books from the Landlady with the result that even with new bookshelves in the house, I still did not have enough room to accommodate them all (the photo below makes my books look far more ordered than the reality).  Even so, I cannot contemplate buying an e-reader - part of the pleasure of reading a book is the feel of it and having that sense of ownership.