We have been shelving
Before I met A, I did not devote much thought to the kind of person I would have liked to spend my life with, indeed I wasn’t considering spending it with anybody. But I think both A and I would have found it hard to get along with someone who did not like reading or books.
Recently, after nearly three years of us being in it, the bhoot bangla has acquired a sitting room (previously friends had to remain in the kitchen or sit on the floor or bed in my study) and the new sitting room has new shelves to accomodate some of our books.
It’s the one thing we don’t argue about. Having quarrelled, with differing intensity, about everything from whether we need a new rice cooker, to the colour of the wood floor and whether the knots in the wood should be visible, to whether the blinds should have a pattern or not…we are agreed that we need space for our books and are likely to keep needing it.
And what a pleasure it is to put books in shelves, leafing through them, reviving old memories and seeing how they add colour and warmth and welcome to a room.
Indeed for a long time I carried my books around in a trunk as I shifted houses with boring regularity, much like the girl in Marquez’s story who carried around her ancestors bones in a satchel tied round her neck(?)…
And finally, when I could give my books a proper home, it was such a pleasure.
We continue to live happily ever after, me and my books!
Some of mine are still in boxes waiting to be shipped! I haven’t read that story-what a lovely analogy.
Really colourful books in the shelves in the picture. Is this the picture of the shelves in your house? In my sitting room, the book shelves are easily one of the most colourful and attractive areas. And I agree leafing through them revives old memories. after getting married, i was pleasantly surprised that my husband had some of those books that i had been meaning to get but hadn’t.
“…they add colour and warmth and welcome to a room.”
Truly. Like nothing else.
I totally agree! Books are the best decor for a home. But now, after a quarter century of married life, it seems like books have taken over our home, overflowing from the shelves into all available empty areas, while we crouch in the ever smaller free spaces! But what a comfort and delight to know that such worlds of knowledge and pleasure are right there at arm’s length!
Ha, ha that’s what happened in the flats we grew up in, more space for the books less for the humans!
Nice
wish i could see the labels on the books 
…. we are shortly moving into a new house and cant wait to get the library done up…the first thing that both of us wanted in the new house was a nice cozy room with books filling the shelves!
Wow, how nice! will try and take a picture with titles sometime…
Beautiful bookcase, uttara, and I love the spaces: there’s room to grow!
I’ve come to believe that a couple that lives through the remodelling of their house can live through everything. Offspring included.
We haven’t finished…I am planning to bring over a shipment from India
. ANd am glad to know if we survive this, we will survive offspring!
Its really good that u both like reading books. My hubby is far away from book world so no chance i can set up library at home
Looks lovely! I have a nice collection of them and would love to display them in the open like this..but they’re safe in a wooden cupboard thanks to two reasons..one the dust in Madras will really not allow an open set up and two I absolutely hate lending books…so I just hide them in my cupboard! Is that big book on the top most shelf Sacred Games!?