There was a random quote that caught my attention; so much so that I jotted it down on a paper serviette found in the car’s console; ‘the titles in your library reveal a great deal about who you are.’

With that in mind, I checked out which books have survived the moves and the culls. What they tell me is that I am rather boring and nostalgic. Well loved is, ‘The Covered Wagon- Emerson Hough’ has an inside cover inscription “ To Grandma with love from Evelyn. October 1924” That makes it over a century old, and the price pencilled in is 35¢… That one is a hard cover treasure, ‘The Virginian - Owen  Wister’ is a paperback published in 1969 and certainly shows signs of being well read. The hero to his opponent ‘When you call me that, smile.’– well, that quote comes to mind frequently. Tattered and torn and taped, half coverless is ‘Rilla of Ingleside - L.M Montgomery’, the only book I have ever purloined from a school library. Little wonder it is so worn, my youngest daughter is named Rilla. I find comfort and solace in a good re-read.  Bits of poetry on the shelf as well– ‘Robert Frost - The Road Not Taken’ is a collection of many of his words and works and I enjoy them all. His prose is poetry, John O’Donohue’s ‘Eternal Echoes’ speaks clearly to my heart and spirit. For lighter reading there is ‘Something Old, Something New’ a treasury of Lynn Johnston’s cartoons. They are more a graphic novel than cartoon.  A boxed set  of ‘The World of Charlie Brown’ has seen better days! It is so well loved, seeing any one frame allows me to see the story.

There is a collection of local history books, reference books for flora, fawna and wildlife. That would be evidence of my love for the out of doors, along with several how to garden books!

The largest collection pertains to spirituality. Books about the saints, the women of the Bible, devotional books, study books, reference books. Some were accumulated through my studies, many are gifts, and some have been purchased. That row in my little library would declare that I am a seeker, a searcher, and one who wishes to delve deeper into my faith journey.

It’s what is not in my library that is also noteworthy. There are no suspense, action packed, fantasy, nor  science fiction books. I have not read the Tolkien series, nor any of C. S. Lewis books, nor any of the Harry Potter series. I don’t do well with suspense or tales of man’s inhumanity to man. Reality is that when I start reading a book, if I think I may like it, I check out the last chapter. If I like the ending, I read the book. I have used that method for a lifetime and find it works well for me. I don’t need trigger books; books that will cause me to review and relive difficult portions of my life. I don’t need to be rigid with suspense or horror. That’s not fun for me.

Yep, stable, boring, seeking, nostalgic and devout. Pretty accurate.