Brain's on fire

Even though this past Winter was relatively short, it feels like it dragged on and on (and still is at the moment). The Man loves Winter and tried ever so hard to get me as enthused about the cold and crap outside, but I'm a beach girl. I, like my sister Am, have my own version of a cabana boy, his name is Fernando and all my needs are met in my mind.

One of my DREAMS is to own a bookstore. I would like to own a bookstore because as the different seasons roll around, I find myself searching for the "right book" for the season. I know you are probably giving me the same blank look that I typically get when I explain this to others. But trust me, I am NOT the only one with this particular compulsion. I am NOT a "book junkie" either.

To put it simply, in the Fall/Spring, authors like Dean Kootnz, Stephen King, James Patterson, John Grisham and the like are the ones I particularly like. In the Winter, it's my time to explore other authors, those that I haven't read before, or an odd book here and there that someone said I should read for either enjoyment or to maximize my old brain power. (Sorry Tony, the Cosmos is NOT going to stick)



Summer is a GREAT time to read all the fun books that I have sat on all year. Janet Evanovich, Tami Hoag, Nora Roberts, etc. Those are the ones that I wait to read. The ones that I have to force myself to read SLOWLY, otherwise I will devour them within a few days.

Being a voracious reader DOES have its drawbacks.

1. I am ALWAYS spending too much money on books that just came out. Remember as a kid when you would get your allowance and would find yourself scrutinizing the candy display at the store. You would pick a few, find something better, put other stuff back, pick up more. Spending hours pouring over the candy you know you can't have enough of. That's how I feel about books.

2. I horde books. I pile them on the headboard of my bed looking at them each night knowing I will get to read them soon. Smiling at the order I will be reading them in. I don't tell other people outside of my home which books I have if I haven't read them. I'm greedy. I can't let a new book out of my site.

The Man just shakes his head at me when we go into Barnes and Noble's. I'm sure he watches as I gingerly pick up a new release, reading the front or back cover to tease myself. Then place it ever so gently on the shelf. "Are you going to buy that one?" "Not until it's in paperback" He blinks and turns to find the books he's interested in. I think I heard him call me a book junkie or something.

I do struggle with hardcovers. I'm a bed reader, so if you have ever smacked yourself in the mouth with a hardcover, you know the setbacks. While reading a particularly juicy page and are hurrying to get to the next page, you know that it throws off the enjoyment of that next page when the book slips out of your clammy hands and the corner cuts into your lip. So I stick with paperbacks.

So as I'm discussing this with my boss the other day she looks at me and says, "Why don't you go to the library?" Ok, so here is where I am with it. I have probably been banned from the library. Did I tell you that I horde books? Yea, I horde 'em, meaning that I have books from the library in my collection. Some 20 years overdue. I hate giving the books back, so I just buy them. Then I can look at them and remember the words. I'm sure there is a diagnosis for this, but so far, I'm not in the DSM!