i *heart* books

i have a passion for books. i don't mean to offend anyone who may own a kindle, or another like device, but there is nothing like holding a real book in your hands. the smell, the texture of the pages, the weight and tangibility of them. no electronic device could possibly compare to that. ever.

i am a collector of beautiful books. here are some of my favorites that are kept on the shelf above my bed. the small leather book on the end is my grandmothers diary from 1947. i never knew her, but inherited her diary some years ago. she wrote everyday about things like doing chores (laundry was quite the task back then and consumed much of the day), playing bridge with the girls and motherhood. i treasure it.



okay, so don't hate me, but i recently found these lovely volumes of the count of monte cristo (published in 1914) at an obscure used bookshop in boulder for $1.00 each. yes. just a buck a piece. i still haven't gotten over the bliss of that find.



i have the entire collection of these childrens classics (the french short stories is not part of it). when we were living in pennsylvania, renting our home, we were rummaging through the garage (filled with tons of junk belonging to the owner) and came across these books. they were in sad shape due to being shoved in a box and stashed in the rafters. the garage was quite dilapidated and exposed the elements. after airing them out i was able to get most of the mildew smell out. i love the colors and graphics. gorgeous.

i couldn't do a post about books and not include a picture of just a few of our cookbooks. we use them frequently. the brick on the end is a treasure that stephan found last summer while skipping rocks with the boys under a bridge near the royal gorge. he fished it out of the stream.