In my waging declutter battle — especially of the books that inundate me — I've "lost" this morning. And I blame Irene Saletan (one of the Kissoy Sisters). I'd posted a quote last night at Facebook from the Donna Leon Commissario Brunetti novel I'm currently reading and that incited a lively discussion in the Comments. Irene was the person who mentioned the new Donna Leon memoir Wandering Through Life so I HAD to check it out at Bookfinder.com and ended up ordering a copy. Alas, at the same time I spotted A Taste of Venice the Brunetti-themed Italian cookbook with recipes by Roberta Pianaro and culinary stories by Donna Leon. And Brunetti's Venice by Toni Sepeda. Yeah. Ordered.

It's a losing battle, I'm afraid. No matter how many books are in the pile at the foot of the stairs mostly earmarked for the Nottingham library sale in May, but some being handed off to friends. In the past couple years I've donated several duplicate gravestone books to be used as door prizes at Maine Old Cemeteries Association meetings.

No. Don't suggest I read books from the library. I usually want to OWN the book. Always have, from childhood on. And don't suggest ebooks — that's not as enjoyable reading experience for me as holding a real book in my hands. I need to see words on a page and be able to turn back or peek forward at will. I have a kindle and I have books on my iPad, but that's for traveling or if I'm somehow stuck somewhere without a real book. (When I habitually carried a purse that was small but large enough to hold a book, I had a paperback with me at all times. Now, because my preferred minimal purse is too small for a book, I still have one in the car in the pocket on the door.)

I also don't particularly care for audio books. Tom and I used to use audio books to fall asleep to and they were fine for that. But if I'm doing something else while listening to an audio book, I miss too much especially of the use of language, not just things that keep the plot going. I usually listen to music in the car — or NPR.


It used to be I "won" if, when I went to the library sale, I purchased fewer than I'd donated. (Most of the time I either "lost" or broke even.) I stopped actually going to the library sale a few years ago.

I doubt I'll have time for any actual decluttering today. I've got to review a copyediting sample I need to email back to the publisher and then I'm meeting a friend across the river in Maine to go first to a show opening reception at the Kittery Art Association and then on to the York Library for a performance by Jeff Snow.

But... This morning I had the brilliant idea of donating a machine that burns multiple CDs at a time (brought back, still in the box, from my sister's) to the silent auction at the Circle of Friends festival/gathering in May. That will make room for the digitizing turntable another friend is giving me (also still in the box).

It's hell to be literate...

Linn