I am in a Facebook group for readers and someone said that it takes 1,000 books to be classified as a library. I mean...game on. How many of us could hit that 1K book mark in our lifetimes? Or have you already? If I had the space, I would absolutely have a library. I would sit in the window seat and read all day long. It would be the best room in my house.
But it got me thinking. My local library is building a new one within 3 miles of my house. I want to drink an iced coffee and sit in a chair by the windows and read all afternoon. That is my dream. No one will bother me, no one will need me for anything, I could just spend an afternoon reading. And it would be amazing.
My husband and I are trying to plan a big vacation for the family and I mentioned that I'm all for hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, and paddle boarding...but I think one activity per day is good. My husband would love to do all that in like one day. He's an active kind of guy. He asked, well, what would your ideal vacation be? Reading on the beach. No hesitation, instantly, I said, "Reading on the beach." He told me that I can't spend thousands of dollars to just read in a different location. (bet me LOL), but honestly that would be my dream vacation. I want to read in every fabulous place in the world. Cafe in Paris. Beach in Hawaii. Deck chair on a cruise ship. Hammock in Cabo San Lucas. I mean, that is literally living the dream to me.
Is it so terrible that my favorite ideal days all involve reading? But since the vacation isn't planned yet, library in my own house is just in the imaginative stages, and the library up the street is real...I mean I guess I could just read in the new library and call it a vacation, right? I mean, reading can take you anywhere.
So how about you? Is it just me? Should you vacations involve outings and activities? Or is it okay to have some downtime with a book and realize you paid a bunch of money to read when you could do that at home? Or...are you like me and consider your book your adventure?
Laura Hunsaker can be found on www.laurahunsaker.com
My friend Debby, who travels everywhere, leaves my books in public areas in every country she goes to, so that's how I am a vicarious world traveler. I feel the same way about reading, though. In a book I wrote, I made the wasted under-the-stairway space into a library, and I have wanted one ever since. In my WIP, there are shallow bookshelves on the stair landing underneath a stained-glass window. Libraries must bring out the best in writer us--you think? I enjoyed your post!
ReplyDeleteThanks! And I love the fact that your friend leaves copies of your books everywhere! That's pretty awesome. She's a good friend :)
DeleteI so agree with you. I've never gone on a vacation without taking a book. I do look at the sights, but there are times I just want to sit in the hotel room or wherever and read. It's relaxing to read in various places. I never want to be like the woman on our tour bus in Ireland who read the latest Maeve Binchy the entire trip. She stayed on the bus at several sightseeing stops so she could read. Now, that's carrying it too far, even for me. LOL
ReplyDeleteLol Even we bookworms have our limits ;) But yes, I agree...balance, right? It's all about balance
DeleteI'd sign up for a vacation like that. When I travel I do like to go to other libraries and bookstores. When my daughter went to Paris, she took a picture of one of my books in a bookstore there. I loved that!!!
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