It's a bit like gardening

One of the unintended consequences of not buying books for a year is that I have not kept up with the books I currently own.

When I am actively adding to my library, I constantly shift and reorder my books to make way for new items or to highlight emerging themes. Without adding books, however, my shelves now sadly occupy a nearly forgotten corner of our apartment. I still read individual titles quite often, but a sense of maintaining them as a collective has suffered.



I noticed this afternoon that my modest collection and the shelves it rests upon have started to atrophy. Several shelves featured slanted books (bad for the spine) where gaps had not been properly closed, and every shelf was covered in a layer of dust (bad for the paper) that suggested neglect.

To that end I spent the evening listening to a truly atrocious Brewers game while I dusted, reordered and reshelved my books. It may sound boring, but it was actually a relaxing and welcome chore that took my mind off of a busy work week and a child with an ear infection.

I was also reminded how maintaining a library is a bit like gardening, for libraries, like gardens or cemeteries, take on a life of their own when not tended to. In some ways it is comforting to know my library will morph into something that resembles a more natural state without my presence, but then, what fun is that for me?