Books and mess

Our house is full of books and mess, but mainly books. Books are sacred to us I think and they fill the rooms like idols. Bookshelves overflowing, heaps on tables, heaps on floors, heaps on chairs and heaps on stairs. It's a large house but in danger of overflowing with books. We all gave books and got books for Christmas, so the heaps grow taller.

I've always got several on the go, a little heap by my bed and on the chair in the toilet. I seem to have a habit now of not really finishing them but picking at bits I fancy. Sometimes I lose a book for a while, in the mess, and then it turns up like and old friend and is good company again. I mainly read non fiction. Fiona read English at Oxford where they taught her to read really fast and she consumes novels with a passion. Isabelle once judged the book trust children's novel of the year competition and was given over 100 long listed books to read in a few months, she had to manage 4 or 5 a week. Thankfully it didn't put her off books and she has taken heaps to University but reports the shelves in her room have overflowed already. Robin also (secretly) reads much more than most 16 year olds, although his bedroom is relatively free of books, we could overflow into there and he'd probably not notice.

Our ex-lodger Dennis runs a book stall and he used to have his room completely filled with books, so we've still got a long way to go...

Fiona finished another novel today and I got a new book "Treasure Islands" (about tax havens - see I said I read non fiction) in the post. Maybe there's no hope for us at all or maybe when there's no more room we'll have to run a book stall like dear old Dennis.