Diary summary week ending 15th December 2024

[louisa maud]

I have a box of books which over time inherited  are quite dirty, one the complete works if Shakespeare  but who wants dirty books, not in content I might add, I feel like putting them to recycle but I have someone sitting on my shoulder telling me not to.

LM

[radstockjeff]

Having grown up in a house with very few books and bookshelves I now find myself at the opposite end of the spectrum with books and shelves all over the house. A constant appraisal takes place in my mind as to how to rationalise and lighten the load on the shelves, but that is as far as it seems to get.
When Jane died last year I  was able to make some more room on the shelves and gave away a lot of her books, which she used frequently in her preparation for her Local Preaching, to other Local Preachers in the area, having kept books of special value to us both.
I have made a rough list of where I would like my books to go when I eventually pass on but I recently noticed that a new second hand bookshop has opened locally and so I might see what they are looking for, and which might help lighten the load just a little. It will be a wrench as they all seem to have a special meaning to me and I will probably regret giving one away which next week I will have a need to refer to!
Heigh ho!
rj

[Marianthompson47]

When we fist married, and moved into our house, I commented - having lived very old house before, with large rooms - that I really wished that each room was about 1metre larger in all directions, to fit more bookshelves.
Well, decades later, the rooms haven't managed to grow, but we've realised that each wall in each room - except the downstairs 'loo, have bookshelves, all totally full, plus the landing and hallways, every bedroom .......
Need a bigger house. Perhaps if I keep on pushing against all the walls?
And I still really want a book for Christmas each year, just as I've had every year since before even I could read!
I find it really hard to part with books, anyone who borrows a book but then does not "remember" to return it, is on my blacklist, and the next time they ask to borrow something from my (groaning) shelves is clearly told, now "When you bring back ( name of missing book) then I'll think of it....
But over the past few years I've managed to hoof out for a charity I know, several big boxes of good quality paperbacks.
Haven't (yet) managed to get to a decent bookshop for this year's pressie-book......
TY

Oh! I can so understand you.

We (I) ..😂  have bookcases in the living room, the dining room and the bedroom.
I own all of Daphne du Maurier's novels and duplicates thereof.

I was lucky enough to be chosen among hundreds of other hopefuls to be given someone's entire collection.  She decided she no longer wanted to keep them!! I never understood but gratefully accepted them.

My collection has grown since we lived on a boat... Very little space for bookcases.

I don't lend mine any more since someone was loaned a precious book.. And never brought it back...I

[Viktoria]

We had a few books at home , they are my treasures, bought for pence by my Dad as a recouperating ex P.O.W.in the early 1920’s ,from a second hand bookstall .p on Manchester’s Shudehill market.
One is an absolute gem, Manchester’s Mediaeval ‘Shambles”, black and white half timbered buildings sadly lost in the 1940 Christmas blitz.
Streets mentioned in a book about amongst other things Peterloo, the reason for the gathering ,it’s aftermath and the effect on people’s lives.
Written as a novel but full of facts and a gem re the lives of Mancunians of that period 1819.
H.M.Stanley’s “ In Darkest Africa, “ his search for Dr,Livingstone.
A huge 19C dictionary with Pregnant blacked out , 
Sometimes priced only 6d in pencil on the inner covers.
But as an infirm ex POW that was a lot of money .
The Livingstine one terrufied - me, no photographs but illustrations of scenes like Arab slave traders marching native people in chains to the West coast where ships like that belonging to John Newton,slave trader, who also wrote
“  Amazing  Grace” ————were waiting to ship them to America’s
Southern States and The Caribbean , packed like sardines in the most  inhumane conditions.
I can’t sing that hymn. it smacks of “ Fire Insurance” to me.

I had to part with many books when I moved.
A visit to Hay on Wye is amazing ,millions of books, many on outside shelves in wind and rain ,but always busy when we have been and not at the festival time only.
Just finished a book with a string cycling theme,it brought back to me my sister who wanted a bike so she and her boyfriend could go Youth  Hostelling
It had to have a Claude Butler frame ,Sturmey Archer gears and a Reg Harris  saddle. Eventually to Mum ‘s and my relief ,she got what  she wanted ,she
started mithering every mealtime !!!!!
Daughter phoned this evening as always, I think son and I might get down soon ,we want to see the baby of course abd it will be a shorter visit too so I might cope with that.
Next heart appointment 27 th Jan but a letter making a phone appointment on 6 th Jan, maybe re the mis prescribing of a heart medication the day after my recent heart attack ,which was not for patients with Glaucoma, Underactive Thyroid , or a recent heart attack!!!
My eye pressure shot up,so more drops but the small print said not for heart patients!
However the marvellous Mr Agrawal at Rochdale Eye Clinic found one safe for me to use.
I don’t really want to make a big fuss re the wrong heart medication but it was explained to me this is a regular occurrence with that particular Dr. and
 I suppose he must be taken to task .
I was very surprised to be told that ,and I am sure my incident must be one of quite a few for me to be asked to report my case.

Well bedtime calls.
Hope all are warm and safe ,
By the way , it is a long-standing R.C joke re sprouts, well on the News today it was reported that sprouts are much bigger this year so maybe it is now time to start cooking them!
Viktoria.

[brigidmac]

Louisa Maud have you thought about donating them to an arty person or group . There is a trend to make sculptures or table designs from old books

Dirty books could be a problem but damaged books can be used in all sorts of ways to decorate....how about the toilet wAll ?

I used damaged vintage ladybird books to cover a miniature bookcase containing ladybird books then gave the lot for a charity auction

Tried to attach photo

[brigidmac]

Lovely book stories Viktoria.

My friend had a bad day  at local festival selling her Usbourn childrens
She's de- stocking so didn't have many Xmas books or usual favourites to sell
And the stall cost was £100 so she has to make that much profit for a day on her feet with no help loading or unloading her car. At 76 I think she should cut her losses and sell her whole collection to another Usbourn agent . Or try selling on line but it has to be half price or less  because the same ones are available in charity shops .

I've got some of her books so I can do some publicity for her .

[KGarrad]

Why are people still posting on a thread titled "Diary summary week ending 15th December  2024" when it's now 17th December?!

[Gillg]

OOps, KG.    We are just following like sheep, I'm afraid.
 
Books are a bit of a nightmare, I know, because my husband just can't stop collecting them.  He has several thousand and adds to the collection as he takes up a new interest.  Every single one is factual, not a piece of fiction in the whole collection (he's a scientist).  At one point he decided that he should get rid of some of them and set about selling some of them.  He found this very difficult and made very little money, as most of them are niche books with limited interest for others.  We bought our house with the intention of using one room as his study and the walls are lined with deep shelves, so that he can double stack the books.

Our son doesn't read much and has little interest in his father's collection, so we always joke that he would just throw the lot into a skip.  Our daughter doesn't like having much "stuff" around, though she is interested in some of the topics covered and would keep a few of the books.  There is much joking between the two of us about who will "go" first and who will be left dealing with the "library".

What has been a great joy to my husband is in danger of becoming a burden as we grow older.  I suppose it's the same with any large collection.  The lesson is - get rid of stuff while you can and don't leave it to others who don't have the same attachment to it.  It's hard, though, when you have an emotional attachment to something.  I'm still keeping my mother's piano, although I rarely play it, and people are finding it very difficult to sell pianos these days.  No one wants a big thing cluttering up their house and keyboards are much easier to deal with. 

[Roobarb]

Why are people still posting on a thread titled "Diary summary week ending 15th December  2024" when it's now 17th December?!

Because they're interested in the subject that was raised?