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I know that I have read hundreds of books (I suppose that I have read thousands). I have physically possessed many (even when, as it often does, this makes me feel selfish). It seems that I can freely let go of most other objects, but books, they cling to me. Once or twice a year, I purge. I send the books out into the world (or to the nearest thrift store or used book shop). I save a few that I know that certain folks will love and I pass them directly. Sometimes I like to leave an amazing book at a local restaurant or store for someone to stumble upon.

Still, I keep too many – hundreds. I treat my collection (often the well-loved books from my younger years are the most shabby) as a library. Anyone can take them home and keep them as long as they like. They can even keep them forever if they wish, but if I love the book enough, I will probably purchase another used copy to keep. It seems that I cannot stop.

Not every book that I keep is a classic, but they all serve some memory or remind me of a truth (fractured or otherwise).

The point? I do have one. I don’t keep track. There is no account for each book that I love. Yes, I do keep the most-loved words, but not the experience. My goal for 2008 is to start keeping track and, when possible, to review those that I read previously.

August 2008 - House Fire. The majority of my books burned. Maybe I will be less of a book consumer. Maybe not. :) ]]> 27 female New Albany, IN 01/2008 12/2009 14 472 322 true 5705847 read 9 true 1493370 currently-reading 141 true 1493369 to-read 142 false 4379333 fiction 88 false 4379327 children-s-books 60 false 4434896 suspense 49 false 4379328 community 39 false 4434923 memoir 38 false 4379340 social-change 27 false 4434846 economics 22 false 4434795 classic 21 false 4379331 food-and-agriculture 21 false 4379337 sustainability 20 false 4434841 spirituality 20 false 4434918 fantasy 13 false 4435296 sexuality-and-gender 8 false 4434854 housing 7 false 4434935 biography 5 false 4379334 running 4 false 4435023 poetry 4 false 4379345 experiential-education 3 false 4434826 research-methods 3 false 4435109 local 2 false 4434823 graphic-novel Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (Paperback) by David Foster Wallace]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79137417 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165604453s/6753.jpg 737372 Tabitha http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1234099819p2/737372.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/737372-tabitha Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:31:59 -0800 A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments (Paperback) by David Foster Wallace]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79137378 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165604451s/6748.jpg 737372 Tabitha http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1234099819p2/737372.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/737372-tabitha Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:31:29 -0800 Infinite Jest (Paperback) by David Foster Wallace]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79136534 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170880755s/75786.jpg 737372 Tabitha http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1234099819p2/737372.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/737372-tabitha Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:19:41 -0800 http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/15.Best_Historical_Fiction http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166668598s/14891.jpg 737372 Tabitha http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1234099819p2/737372.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/737372-tabitha Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:53:39 -0700 Promise And Betrayal: Universities And The Battle For Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods (Paperback) by John I. Gilderbloom]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/11528576 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175740883s/553483.jpg 737372 Tabitha http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1234099819p2/737372.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/737372-tabitha Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:49:40 -0700 Around the World in 220 Days: The Odyssey of an American Traveler Abroad (Paperback) by Andrew J. Farrara]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/17716723 http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xWMvGeHyL._SL75_.jpg 737372 Tabitha http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1234099819p2/737372.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/737372-tabitha Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:49:28 -0700 Down in New Orleans: Reflections from a Drowned City (Hardcover) by Billy Sothern]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22320517 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1185415458s/1577421.jpg 737372 Tabitha http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1234099819p2/737372.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/737372-tabitha Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:49:02 -0700 1 Dead in Attic: After Katrina (Paperback) by Chris Rose]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22320534 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255634865s/679525.jpg 737372 Tabitha http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1234099819p2/737372.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/737372-tabitha Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:48:56 -0700 Love and Anger : Essays on AIDS, Activism, and Politics (Paperback) by Peter F. Cohen]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/11520447 http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5152TXKNPZL._SL75_.jpg 737372 Tabitha http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1234099819p2/737372.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/737372-tabitha Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:45:51 -0700 Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (Paperback) by Michael Braungart]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/11521129 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165539278s/5571.jpg 737372 Tabitha http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1234099819p2/737372.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/737372-tabitha Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:45:21 -0700