On My Mind – Book Nooks – 6/30/2018

Apologies in advance of this one -it’s a pure vanity post – but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for awhile. As is obviously the case, the focus of this site has always been the books I’ve read – particularly but not exclusively Science Fiction & Fantasy. Having said that, I’ve also built the site to give me options. I added an “In The Cart” Category in case I ever wanted to convert it to e-commerce and sell books. I also added an “On My Mind” Category so that I could post on any topic that tickled my fancy.

This will be an “On My Mind” post inspired by something I saw on “Morgana’s Book Box”. Several weeks ago, she put up a post featuring about 10 really fun book nooks and matched them to personalities. She also asked her readers to comment or post on their perfect book nook. Well…here’s mine.

Let’s start with the caveat that there’s no room in the house that doesn’t work for books. We have a Sun Room out front that’s all windows and it’s perfect for day reading. The Living Room only masquerades as a TV room – the silly thing’s almost never on and the couch and chairs are almost always better used either for conversation or reading. Sue and I end every day in bed with books on our chests until they wind up bumping drowsy noses. In short, every room can serve as a Book Nook.

There is one room though – my special place – the place I retreat to on those weekends when I’ve decided to read laaaaaate into the night – either a scotch or a decaf in hand – depending on the mood and the nature of the work week – when I’m in the middle of a read so hot there’s no way I’m going to put it down – when everyone else in the house has called it a night – the type of sanctuary I’ve been wanting to create for a good 30 years – across multiple cities and multiple houses – my Library.

Here’s what you see as you walk in – that Banister Bookshelf I wrote about a couple of months ago – the most recent addition to the Library and the place where I’ve relocated some of my most valued titles.

Stepping in and looking to the left – I’ve got a whole wall of built ins that carry the largest part of my collection. As you can see, I’m already growing out of these – every shelf full and most double stacked. The first two verticals are all history, political science and current affairs. Every other vertical is 100% Science Fiction & Fantasy.

Last but not least – here’s the heart – my good ole leather bound, cowboy couch. There’s a side table made from the spoke of an old wagon wheel and it’s backed by a free standing shelf that my wife bought and painted for me one year as a present. That shelf’s also devoted to SF&F.

Last but not least – in case you made the mistake of assuming that books and reading were the only things going on in here – if you look closely – you’ll see that I have a comfy old TX Longhorns throw rug on the floor. Behind the chair – if you look very closely – you’ll see a framed print of the Sports Illustrated cover the year the Longhorns and Vince Young won the National Championship – another truly perfect, loving gift from my wife. The room is actually packed with TX and Longhorn memorabilia.

There it is – my Library – my Bibliocave – my Book Nook. Makes me smile just thinking about it. Thank you Love – for humoring me and for all your understanding and patience over the years. ❤️😍😘❤️