Okay–here was an interesting article by Christopher Schoppa in the Washington Post.
Avid readers know all too well how easy it is to acquire books — it’s the letting go that’s the difficult part. … During the past 20 years, in which books have played a significant role in both my personal and professional lives, I’ve certainly had my fair share of them (and some might say several others’ shares) in my library. Many were read and saved for posterity, others eventually, but still reluctantly, sent back out into the world.
But there is also a category of titles that I’ve clung to for years, as they survived numerous purges, frequent library donations and countless changes of residence. I’ve yet to read them, but am absolutely certain I will. And should. When, I’m not sure, as I’m constantly distracted by the recent, just published and soon to be published works.
So, the question is his: “What tomes are waiting patiently on your shelves?“
It’s surprising, looking over my own list, how many books on my own TBR that don’t really feel like tomes or that haven’t been there for as long as I feel. The ones that stand out more than others would be:
* Cold Mountain by Charles Fraizer
* David Copperfield (although it’s only been on the shelf a few months)
* Giants in the Earth
* The Divine Comedy
* The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and other stories
* The Purpose Driven Life
* Utopia
This is the set of books that while I want to read them very much, I never seem to pick up and I will never get rid of. Eventually I will read them the mood suddenly strikes me … of it by some fluke chance I have nothing else to read in the house. But I love them. Four of them are actual classics, in cardboard boxes handed down from family members from their own collections. Others bought with good intentions. I look forward to the day when I can say that nothing haunts me on my shelf anymore.
