Earlier this week, I was at lunch with Beverley --- one of my closest friends --- and I found myself handing her a copy of UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand as a belated birthday present. I had a hunch it would be something she would enjoy, and she was thrilled to get it, as she had read so much about it. Then I found myself suggesting a book for her to give her daughter, Ashley, for Christmas, since I know she is studying biology and the environment. It’s fun to be a book concierge like this --- trying to match the “right” book to a person. And the holidays can be a really busy time for that!
Last weekend, I was sitting in our family room, where fiction is shelved so that it looks over the collection of books that I have there. We moved into this house 21 years ago, and I have watched these shelves and others fill and tell a story about us. We have books grouped in categories. Nonfiction is on shelves in the living room, coffee table books are also in the living room --- though they are not on the coffee table, but rather on two of the stereo speakers to “dress those up” --- wine books are in the dining room, the most-used cookbooks are on two shelves under the center island --- and the others are in the pantry in the kitchen ---- and graphic novels and knitting books are in my office.
Outside the boys’ rooms are six bookcases with galleys and children’s/YA books, while their bedrooms hold their ever-flowing new favorites; they each have three bookshelves. And there are two overstuffed bookcases (along with some seriously high piles on the floor) in my bedroom. And of course everyone has books on their nightstands. We have a serious book habit going on --- an addiction. I have been told I should do some purging, but that would take away from my reading time.
And I confess that I like looking at the books on the shelves like this, as they bring nice memories of the authors who I have met, the events that I have attended, and where I was when I bought or read them. With our house having the feel of a library, I can do this walking into just about every room.
Tucked away on two shelves in the living room are holiday-themed titles. A few years ago, I decided that boxing and un-boxing them with the rest of the holiday ornaments did not make sense. They belonged in their own place. Some are rather dog-eared --- pop-up books that the boys could have been more gentle with when they were younger --- but those well-loved pages are part of our family history. Over the next few weeks, I will pluck out a few of these books and do something I rarely have time for --- I will re-read them. And with that, a rush of memories will flood back, and it will remind me that the holidays are a time for reflecting as much as celebrating.
Now I have received --- and given --- a lot of presents in my day. But there are books that I have both given and received that remain some of my most-cherished memories. And I plan to try to make more memories like that this holiday season.
To all of you who I know are booklovers, these next few weeks provide a real opportunity to share a love of reading with others in the form of a gift. And think about it, the experience of roaming the aisles of a bookstore to find the “perfect” gift will be a nice outing for you, too. And think of the memories you will be giving.
Next week, I will whip out the same cookbooks I always use to make Thanksgiving dinner. They are well-worn, and every stained page is a reminder of a previous cooking adventure. Yes, I know there are lovely Lucite cookbook holders; I even have two, but they never seem to make it out of the closet! And somehow those stains and the smears across those pages just feel right. They are a part of my Thanksgiving, just as other pages will be a part of Christmas.
Oh, and what was the book I recommended to Beverley for her daughter? It was THE WAVE by Susan Casey. I figured that with her daughter’s new-found love of scuba diving and her planned trip to study marine life in Honduras for her interim college course, she might enjoy learning a bit more about the science behind waves, as well as those who live to conquer them.
For a third holiday season beginning tomorrow, we will turn this blog over to authors, who will share their own holiday stories and memories of gift-giving and getting over the next few weeks. We consider these pieces to be a very special gift to us, and through their generosity, we are so happy to have it to share with you. We encourage you to comment on these posts when you feel the urge to. And I sincerely thank all our author participants and Elizabeth Bruce, our Editorial Assistant, who has done a brilliant job of pulling these all together.
Here’s to all of you creating your own holiday memories with books!
--- Carol Fitzgerald
Be sure to check back in with us tomorrow, as author Deanna Raybourn starts off the Bookreporter.com Holiday Author Blogs by sharing some of her favorite seasonal reads.
