The summer marches on and here we are in August. This is usually the part of the summer when I am aware of the impending fall semester, but there’s still enough time to get some projects done thanks to long days and no grading. This year, I’ve decided that the room I use as my office at home needs sprucing up to infuse some new energy into my work, and so I’m redecorating and painting (one wall of Glidden Rich Raisin, three walls of Glidden Clay Bisque). Because I will have to uproot many of my books from their normal resting place, I’ve decided that this is the perfect time to re-organize my collection of books.

Kicked out of their temporary housing, waiting for more permanent relocation.

This will be no small undertaking. The last time I counted, I had over 800 books. I’m sure I have more by now. For the past two years, I’ve been ferrying excess donations to a local public library from a friend’s house to a “Free Books” cart at the school library where I work. Students snatch them up fast. No matter how hard I try to resist, I can’t stop myself from looking through the new batch before bringing them to school. I always keep some for myself, so I’ve definitely picked up many more books than I would have if I had been only been purchasing them. My guess is that I’ve passed the 1,000 mark. Continue reading →