books | But I Smile Anyway...

Finishing touches!

21 Aug 2016 52 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Arts & Crafts, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, books, Bookshelves, Sonu Singh, Sorting out

That day of rest was definitely needed!

We had a generally good sleep, with one interruption at 3am… Lil Princess… it’s like some strange time for her, she always seems to wake then! But I got her back to her new bedroom, settled her and we ended up all sleeping until 9am!

And today was another hugely productive day!

I got my Arts and Crafts things all sorted and packed! And even Sonu Singh gave a helping hand!

And after a long afternoon, the landing looks like this!

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Just the filing cabinet to be moved, when my brother in law can come and help!

And my addictive drugs are packed and labelled and put away in the attic!

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Hubby Dearest had been busy too, finally reconnecting the PC up. We needed to rehome it, as the study, its old home was now a bedroom! He was convinced we should set it up in the bedroom, and that I should ‘lose’ my storage boxes for my photo albums and costume jewellery. I know I need to sort through that too, but there was no way I was having the PC in the bedroom. The TV is enough, without more electronics in there!

And I got my way! It has now been set up in the Dining Room, and all is well!

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And what of all those books? Well, I have around 4 boxes of books that we have deemed not necessary for us now ready to be distributed to school/charities, along with new but not played with toys! And the rest? I hate to say goodbye to books, so we kept the lion’s share!

One shelf in the Dining Room, and one each in the kid’s rooms!

I even managed to give our bedroom a little sort out, but it was just cosmetic… there is plenty I could be doing there too, but that’s for another adventure time!

So I think I can sleep a happy sleep…

Books – SoCS June 4/16

04 Jun 2016 19 Comments

by Ritu in Challenges, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, books, Linda G Hill, Socs

Linda’s SoCS prompt this week…

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “book.” Use any meaning of the word as your theme, or simply mention the word “book” in your post. Enjoy!

I love books.

My collection of children’s books is pretty extensive.

It started before I even had kids of my own to be honest, as I have always had the Teacher hat on, and if I saw a book that looked fun, I bought it.

My mum is the same, but her shelves were full of Danielle Steele, and Catherine Cookson, and nowadays, any family sagas, and war time home front stories.

She bought us books too, so when I became a mother, she presented me with a small collection of books saved from when I was a little girl, and the joy at seeing my own kids reading books I read as a child is immense.

My wish would be to have a room that I could call my library, and be able to store all my books… but alas, I don’t have that luxury, so as I read physical books, I end up passing them on to friends, or my mum, and only keep a select few.

In fact this is why I decided to get a Kindle, or I should say I was gifted it! I have a wealth of literature at my fingertips, and I don’t need lots of space!

It isn’t the same as a real book in my hand, that feeling cannot be replaced with an electronic device, but at least I can still read!

But I will not be parted from my children’s books!

The bookcase in the children’s room is sagging at every level. 5 shelves jam packed with books, and piles in front of it too!

I have two other bookcases. One is full of teaching resource books, and the other, partly fiction, and even more resource books. Some of these books are obsolete, and I should get rid/sell them, or do something, but I just can’t!

I struggle to walk past a bookshop… the smell of new books, those unbroken spines… thousands of words waiting to be read… but I have to be strong… and if I slip, and find myself inside, I allow myself a little peak, a sniff… then I walk out with a new list of books to buy!!!

I do whitter on… don’t I!!!

A Quick Question For All You Author-y Types!

19 Feb 2016 65 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, books, Publishing, Questions, Stories, Word Counts

Well hello, there all of you!

I was just wondering, for any of you that are published authors… or nearly there… when you have published a book/novel/novella, what has your total word count been at?

And if you have published a compilation of short stories… how many stories in your book, and what length were they?

And what about poems….? What is a good length or amount of poems in an anthology?

A whole bunch of questions, sorry!

Library

19 Aug 2015 24 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, books, children, library, love books

Guess where the munchkins and I spent our morning?

Can you believe that, given our collective love of books, it is was the first time they have been to the local library?! We got them memberships and while there, the were introduced to the Summer Reading Challenge which needs them to read at least 6 books over the break.

They were so excited that they eagerly chose their books, and said “Mummy, can we stay here and read some?” So we stayed for an hour or so, they read a couple of books each and got their first stamps too!!

It took me back to my childhood, and all the fun I had in our local library. Once we had our cards, I would walk there alone, and return my old books, and then browse for ages to find new books to borrow. I remember reading the whole Anne Of Green Gables series from that library! Slowly, as I grew older the library became less of a place to read fiction from, but as more of a study aid, and I spent must of my University study time in one. Gradually though, it became defunct for me, with me getting my own books to read, and the Internet for reference.

I forgot something! I loved the library and books at school so much that I was even the librarian in my fifth Year! Here’s a pic, but don’t laugh at the uniform and glasses!

Seeing these two enjoying this morning though, makes me yearn for those days again, and I hope many other children are introduced to the delights of their local library, for fun, not just for study!