By Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
The waiting is the hardest part
~Tom Petty, The Waiting
If patience is a virtue then I am virtueless. Completely destitute. San virtues. Well, at least when it comes to waiting for books.
In my attempt for less, I have shifted from purchasing each and every book I want to read (and then maybe getting to them as they sit and collect dust on my bookshelf) to utilizing my local library system. The benefits are many, including less money spent on books, less dust collecting on those unread books and less stuff all around.
What kills me though is the waiting.
Currently on hold at my local library: Becoming (375 of 925); Educated: a memoir (705 of 731); An American Marriage: a novel (152 of 161); There there (212 of 231); Maid : hard work, low pay, and a mother’s will to survive (75 of 75); Manhattan Beach : a novel (2 of 2); A man called Ove : a novel (4 of 4); My year of rest and relaxation (53 of 53).
Luckily, I’ve got that dusty bookshelf full of books as my back up to keep me busy. One of my 2019 reading goals is to read 10 unread books I already own. Due to my place in those lengthy hold queues, five of the eight books I’ve read this year have come from my collection. I’ve also managed to purchase only two books this year — one for book club that I attempted to get from the library but was unsuccessful and another that I couldn’t pass up at my favorite local bookstore.
So, I continue to read what I can wait patiently for the rest.
trajectoryoflife.com 