Confessions of a bibliophile...

OK, I admit it, I have a problem. An addiction if you will. I buy books. Lots and lots and lots of books. My house is overrun with them. My wife is openly hostile towards them. I find myself having to routinely purge some books (some of which I haven't even read) by donating them to our local library just to make room for new ones that arrive almost weekly. Hell, almost daily. Last time I walked into a Barnes and Noble, I walked out $217.00 lighter, but with two bags full of marvelous books. I can't help it. I have no other vices (nothing major or illegal in any case), but I grew up loving to read. It was something my entire family did. My parents were both teachers, and they instilled a love of books into my impressionable soul at a very early age. As I grew older, and my income grew, I was able to indulge my passion more readily. As few as 10 years ago I would go into a bookstore, and drop $100 or so dollars every month or so. I had the time, and would generally stay on top of my reading. Don't get me wrong, I always had another book to move to when I finished the current one, but I didn't have a hoard of books that I hadn't read. Then, about 1996, came the internet explosion, and with it the greatest thing that ever happened (my wife would argue this point) to me: Amazon.com. From the first time I logged in I knew I had found nirvana. When Amazon offered the prime shipping deal ($79/year gets free 2-day shipping), I jumped at it! I've got stuff (not just books anymore) coming from Amazon almost daily. Over the last 10 years I've probably expanded my book collection 10-fold. I'm guessing that I now have 3000 or so books, not to mention 200+ DVDs; almost all of them purchased from (the satanic) Amazon.com. In any case, as long as I can afford it, I don't see myself changing too much. I love books. Like God's rod and staff, they comfort me. The fact that I'll probably never get around to reading them all doesn't faze me; I just love being able to go to my basement, browse through my library, and pick out something new that is perfect for the mood I'm in that day. Another new adventure starts! Here's some of my collection viewable on LibraryThing.