Books

Over the years I have given away a lot of books, CDs, and DVDs, usually with some exclamation along the lines of "I can't believe you haven't heard/read/seen it! Go on, take it, really, and let me know what you think." Sometimes the items in question make their way back to me and sometimes they don't and when I next miss them, I buy another copy.

(Incidentally, I think my most frequently given away book is Jill Paton Walsh's 'Knowledge of Angels' and for DVDs it's probably 'Last Orders'. I've no idea which CD I've given away the most: I suspect that is more subject to what I'm currently listening to.)

One of the better things about getting older is that I've acquired a lot of books and CDs and DVDs, and many of them have memories associated with them, especially the books. That book at the centre of the picture, for example, makes me remember how I came across Bruce Chatwin, which was reading Alan Moore's 'Swamp Thing'. And that in turn makes me think back to the late eighties and the glut of fantastic graphic novels, which I don't believe has ever been surpassed.

Today, after our early dash to the tip in Kendal, we spent sometime finishing off cleaning the cottage, and then it was all about the unpacking. I spent a long time sorting the books: shelves for those I've yet to read, shelves for music books, all the Iain Banks novels together, one shelf for the Arthur Ransome series, and so on. I expect there were more important things to do - plumbing in the washing machine springs to mind - but there are priorities and then there are the things that are important.