7 Comments
May 26, 2022Liked by Russell Smith

Russell...good article. When I was still working I might buy books knowing I likely would not read them soon and likely not till I retired. Now that I am retired I am so glad that I have books readily on my shelf to read. Yet, as an avid reader like you...you knew as I would that I could not go a year without buying a book. In fact, even though I have unread (by me) books on my shelf, at least once each year I go to B and N and buy a handful of books on the topic of the year, e.g., this year it is philosophy, last year it was also philosophy, 2 years ago it was Greek plays, 3 years ago Native American topics. etc. Complicating this is that I no only buy books, I stream them thru podcasts, from the Library, etc. or upon occasion I'll get a hard copy from the Library. In summary, not buying a book for a year would be tantamount to saying I'm not going to eat or not going to breath this year. Good topic!

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May 26, 2022Liked by Russell Smith

Love it.

I read The Design of Everyday Things in college. So fascinating.

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Great stuff, Russell. I've had this books quandary myself. When Catherine's Mom died three years ago, the work associated with dispensing and disposing of her books was considerable. I looked at my library and decided that I did not want to put anyone through that when I'm gone. I've slowly begun to shed books to Goodwill and other outlets, and I have TRIED to cut back on my buying. As I approach retirement--and having a goal of becoming more classically well-read in that time--I wonder if my bucket of a plan has a hole in the bottom.

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I love this. It is SO ME!!!!

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