Hi everyone! I hope you’ve had a great weekend and a nice Monday. It’s Family Day in Ontario, so I was lucky enough to enjoy the day off. It has been excellent.
I just caught up with last night’s episode of Girls (a show I follow religiously) and it has me feeling all melancholy and sentimental. So I thought I would tie it into today’s Monday Musing post!
When it comes to books, I do attach quite a bit of sentiment to them. Whether it be because its message really spoke to me, because I read it at a very specific time in my life, or because it was a gift from a special person, these emotions make it hard for me to part with certain books, and heartbreaking when I do have to let them go.
One specific instance I can think of is a dictionary that I owned. It used to be my mother’s dictionary, and on the title page, under her name, I had signed mine. Unfortunately, when I was packing all of my belongings to move them to Toronto, I had to give it away as it was just too bulky for me to bring to Ontario. Whenever I think about it, I feel like I should have kept it. Similarly, I remember receiving books from my mother as a child and asking her to sign and dedicate them to me. (I guess I’ve always been a sentimental person.) These books are not currently in my possession, but they are ones that I will cherish forever and ever.
Do you have any books that are especially important to you? What’s the story behind it?
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I am very attached to books that an author has signed that I felt some sort of connection with – whether I just liked the speech they gave, or they gave me writing advice, or they were simply nice. I find myself so compelled to get a signed copy, and I can’t imagine myself letting any of them go!
Yes! Books signed by authors are so special. They are truly the bookworm’s version of a rock star! It would be such a shame to have to give up any of my signed books.
I am attached to all my books, even the ones I haven’t read yet. Once I own them, it’s really hard for me to give them up. But, the books I am most attached to are my L.M. Montgomery books (it took me a long time to collect them all), and my set of 4 A.A. Milne books that used to belong to my mother when she was little.
Haha that’s very true! (Although there are some books that I have been debating giving away just because they weren’t my favourites and I can’t see myself reading them again.) I think the books passed along from loved ones are one of the best things ever. I would love to start a family heirloom with books…
My tattered copy of Jane Eyre. Someday, it might just fall apart, but I’ll always keep it.
Also… that scene on GIRLS, when Adam was wrapping Hannah’s hand… My heart was hurting. So. Much. I love Adam. I think Hannah never really appreciated him.
OMG GIRLS. It was so intense and heartbreaking. I love them, and I have a huge crush on Adam (Driver).
I love tattered books as it means they were well loved!
I will never let go of Harry Potter books #1 and 7. The first one was given to me by my aunt when I was nine, and it started the magic. The last one I bought at its midnight release party, and although it ended the series, it didn’t end my obsession. The rest of the books have been replaced because they literally fell apart from having been read so many times, but those two have so much sentimental value!
Aww! That just reaffirms by belief that books are the absolute best gifts. That’s so sweet!
I’m actively trying to divest myself of my attachment to my books right now. There are too many. I’ve been mentally picking them off my shelves to donate. But the books that I’ve really loved aren’t going anywhere. That said, there are a lot of books I seem to own that were very much OK but didn’t impact me in any way long term.
And yes, if people have given me a book, I can’t give it away.
I’m going through the same thing. I should really cull my book collection a bit as the bookshelf that I got last year is already way too full (each shelf has two rows of books already). But it’s so hard to choose which ones to give away!
I have a book that my husband gave me on our first date. He even wrote a message on one of the pages. Ha. We met on Eharmony and had been speaking on the phone for months before meeting. So he knew of my love of reading. I also have an old children’s book from when I was younger called “Are you my mother?” It was the book I first learned how to read. My mom read it to me and I read it to my younger sister. I loved it. 🙂
Awwwww! That is so amazing. Your husband sounds like a very sweet guy. I love that you still have the book your mom used to read to you and your sister. That’s so special.
Reblogged this on My Wonder Emporium.
I’ve got a few books with added sentiment, it’s strange how some become the ones I can never throw away and others don’t.
I’ve got an old crime novel, which isn’t amazing, but I love it because it was the first adult non classic I read as an early teen.