Buy the Books
Last week my husband and I went out to lunch and to Barnes & Noble. We have been trying to go out to lunch for over a month, but our house has been germ-ridden since last month when I wrote a post about canceling our trip to Connecticut. It was a lovely afternoon. I puttered around the bookstore but didn’t buy anything and then had a good, though way too pricey, gluten-free burger. Life felt like it was returning to normal after the woe and doom that has filled our house. (Yes that is dramatic. Please, just let me have the drama.)
Last night, at 1:30 a.m. I woke up with a raging cold.
I managed to avoid all the illnesses of the past month except for feeling sniffly for a day or two and now, once the rest of them are basically better, I am stricken. (Again, the drama.) I have a terrible feeling this is a brand-new cold and we will now pass it from one to the other for the next month.
Did I mention I just booked a hotel for our rescheduled trip to Connecticut? We are supposed to leave in two and a half weeks. Would anyone like to place bets on all of us managing to come down with and recover from this cold in that time period? I’m not feeling particularly optimistic considering my son is still coughing from the last bout of illness.
I should have bought all the pretty editions of Jane Austen’s works that are shown in the photo above. I yearned after them but told myself I did not need to fill my shelves with all the different editions. I have multiple pretty, readable copies. I don’t need more. I was wrong. Of course I need more. They will comfort me on my bed of illness and bring joy into this darkened world.
Always buy the books; words to live by in times of sorrow. And in times of joy, I suppose. Basically, any time. Buy the books.
11 Comments
Lisa
That feels particularly unfair, with your trip booked again! Hopefully you will be feeling better soon.
The Barnes & Noble near me has been closed for a year, for “renovations.” There’s a grand re-opening announced for January, and I’m seriously thinking of taking the day off from work. I have missed browsing the shelves.
jllee656
You should definitely take a day off. Spend the whole day browsing and reading. It sounds lovely!
Kate
I’m so sorry you’re dealing with all this sickness! It certainly puts a crimp in the holidays, doesn’t it? Here’s hoping your cold doesn’t turn into the family plague and that you get to make your Connecticut trip as aschedule!
Claire (The Captive Reader)
Oh no! Rest up, take care, and I hope you are all healthy enough for your Connecticut trip.
jllee656
We leave in a few days and so far we are all reasonably functional…
Brona
Oh dear you really have had a bad time of it lately. And of course you need more Jane Austen.
I’ve had some dental issues these past months, and books have been my saviour. It’s true!
I hope you get over this latest bout quickly and that no-one elses catches it from you.
jllee656
This whole past year has been a bit of a washout. Hopefully, this year will be better. I’ll just buy more Austen. That should improve it. I’m sorry you have been dealing with unpleasant things too. Buy yourself some more books!
Katrina
I hope that by now you are feeling a bit better and haven’t passed it on to anyone, and that you don’t have to cancel your trip. I feel quite proud of myself because I’ve managed to donate some books to a charity shop. I was running out of floor space – never mind shelf space!
jllee656
Congratulations on managing to donate books! I am running out of shelf/floor space too.
Juxtabook
Colds are misable. Hope you’re feeling better. And as abookseller, I agree, buy the books, all the books!
jllee656
I’m happy to oblige! Where do you sell books?