A Possible Facelift

Me: a book hoarder

I have been thinking about changing my blog layout for some time now, playing around with different ideas.  I am a creature of habit so any change is difficult for me and I knew it was going to be a long process.  I was thinking about creating my own headline because I have pieces of an image in my head of what I want, I'm just having trouble getting them out.

My very elementary sketch

I'm quite possibly one of the least artistic people you will ever meet so my doodles amounted to nothing.  My brother is actually really talented with comic style drawings.  When we were growing up, he would draw all the time and I was always so jealous.  He gets it from my grandma who was an amazing artist.  You can actually see a couple of her pictures hanging in our living room in the first picture of this Harry Potter Party  post. 

A bit blurry but still hilarious!

But I digress, after my awful doodles I texted my brother to see if he would consider putting his talent to my uses with doodles of his own.  He was at work and one of his work friends thought it was a hilarious idea.  I sent him a couple of my ideas, explaining that in the first one my idea was was hoarding a stack of books that a little kid was trying to grab and I was kicking him away. They thought this was pretty funny and his coworker actually drew a couple things that my brother sent to me.  Although I don't think they will end up being a permanent part of my layout (but who really knows) I still HAD to share them with you.

The book falling off the top of the pile is Harry Potter!

This one took me some time to figure out.  I didn't know why the girl was holding a monkey and even after my brother told me it was a kid with a hat it took me 5 minutes of staring at it to see anything but a monkey and realize the kid has head down and he was being held by his backpack.

I Sound So Cultured When I Call Myself a "Collector"

Copyright 1884

How many of a certain item do you have to own before you can call yourself a collector?  I am going to say two and I am therefore a collector of etiquette books!  Allow me to explain...

Yes that says illustrated!!

Back in the summer of 2005 I was home from college to plan my mom's wedding.  We decided to head out to the beach for the day and on our way out stopped in the little town of Bodega (made famous by the movie The Birds).  We ended up in an antique store and I found my way to the books.  Shocking right!  A book of etiquette jumped out at me and I knew I had to have it.  Now you may be asking yourself how I remember the exact year that I found this little gem...well I remember because as I said it was when my mom was engaged and when we got home I read to her all the improper things she had been doing with her fiance...

Position of an Engaged Woman

Observe...

While the engaged woman is not to cut herself off from society entirely, yet she must remember that she has chosen her future husband, and should not encourage undue attention from others.  She is especially to avoid all flirtations.  Her mind should be turned to the future responsibilities which she is about to assume, and taken off the transient participation in social affairs.

Relations of an Engaged Couple
A young man has no right to appear in public with other ladies while his future bride remains at home. He is, after engagement, her legitimate escort.  She should accept no other escort when he is at liberty to attend her.  Neither should be too demonstrative of their affection before marriage.
Page 196

I'm not even going to mention that it was her second marriage.  Gasp!!

Jump forward to present time...I was, again, at an antique store with my husband and in-laws and found....

Copyright 1951

She has a book, I had to add it

Keeping along the same theme, allow me to enlighten you a bit more...

Second Marriages
When a divorcee remarries-unless the divorce is known to have been not at all of her making-the less said about it, the better; the general idea being that since she has once failed at marriage, time is needed to prove whether or not this marriage will be a good one.
Page 77

I mean really mother, you should have known better!

What is my fascination with etiquette books?  They bring about laughter and disgust and anger and amusement.  I love that I can read some things and I am able to laugh about them now.

 I'm off to read about telephone courtesy.

So Many Books, So Little Time!

I just realized that I read only 55 books in 2010.  Although that is depressing considering I was aiming for 100+ that is not the scary realization I just had.  If I read the same number of book this year (I am hoping to actually improve but for arguments sake lets stick with 55) I still won't be able to get through all the books that are sitting on my five...count them FIVE TBR shelves!!  Add to that the fact that my TBR shelves contain Anna Karenina, Under the Dome and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell which are all quite plump AND I plan on rereading Harry Potter again this year...I'm screwed...

What is a girl to do?

When the shock wears off I'm buying a book

Holy mother....I was playing the evil little game/reality check hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea, how much $$$ did I spend on books!!!

Oh it's bad folks...it's really bad.

I went into this thinking that I would be impressed with myself. I mean honestly I didn't start buying books until March 1st. I had a deal with my husband about that and I actually kept it!!! It was a big deal for me. I had March 1 circled on every calendar I own. So imagine my shock when I added up everything and the total was.....


$92.30

In one month!!!! One month where I completely held back on my book buying madness!

What's worse is I was just at Bibliophile by the Sea and Diane has only spent $91.88 all year! Oh Diane you are so much smarter with your money. You have spent less than me (barely) but you have bought more books...so many more books! I need to take a lesson from you. My goal for this month is to spend less than you.

I just need to get over the fact that on every day off I have I find myself at the bookstore. It is the only place I enjoy in this town. And what do I do when I go to the bookstore, look around, and know that I can't leave with anything? Panic, hyperventilate, cry. I go home in a deep lonely hole of depression and sit on the couch looking at my bookshelf knowing that my books know they won't have any new company so they are sad and I am sad that they are sad and all of this sadness can only be healed by one thing...a new book. So I go to the store and buy one and it's painless and all is right in the world and suddenly I realize that I am such a drama queen. Next time I'm not going through all this "oh I'm saving money bull" because I know in the end I will break down and buy the stupid book so I may as well skip all the dramatic wallowing/rationalizing and just buy the book to begin with.