Comments on: Traveling with Books http://richardoh.net/traveling-with-books-25.php Talks about Books, Films and Philosophy Fri, 02 Jul 2010 07:24:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Richard Oh http://richardoh.net/traveling-with-books-25.php/comment-page-1#comment-133 Richard Oh Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:49:58 +0000 http://richardoh.net/?p=25#comment-133 Hi Rima, thanks for your comment. Lucky for me, my whole household are nuts about books. Including some of my closest friends, whom I seldom want to invite to my library for fear of not being able to turn down their requests for any of my books. They've tried all sorts of approaches, such as suggesting that me being such a Zen-like person therefore I shouldn't be so possessive or even daring to think that I've got so many books that I won't be able to finish them in this lifetime. Never worked. Walter Benjamin wrote an essay about this in one of his books, Reflections I think it's called. Whenever he sees a book, sometimes a very expensive book that he has no particular need for, gathering dust on the shelf of a bookstore, he feels obligated to rescue it from its solitude. This suggests to me somehow book readers are solitary beings who connect on the deepest level with solitude. Harold Bloom, the great American scholar, says people who love books are those that feel their potentials not fully realized. Whichever way one may see it, I find that it's comforting to be surrounded with books. When my head is too full with distractions from the outside world, I very often sit down on the carpet floor of my congested library and browse through any book in my vicinity and I'll be instantly lost in another world, another time, totally forgetting about everything else. I hope you'll protect this little private space which you can call your own, always. I've been fortunate, I suppose, to have been blessed with such passion for books. And to have friends who share this love as well. The non readers will always be non readers, such is the reality. I've given up hope trying to convert anyone to reading. Because reading is, and should be, a personal discovery. Hi Rima, thanks for your comment. Lucky for me, my whole household are nuts about books. Including some of my closest friends, whom I seldom want to invite to my library for fear of not being able to turn down their requests for any of my books. They’ve tried all sorts of approaches, such as suggesting that me being such a Zen-like person therefore I shouldn’t be so possessive or even daring to think that I’ve got so many books that I won’t be able to finish them in this lifetime. Never worked. Walter Benjamin wrote an essay about this in one of his books, Reflections I think it’s called. Whenever he sees a book, sometimes a very expensive book that he has no particular need for, gathering dust on the shelf of a bookstore, he feels obligated to rescue it from its solitude. This suggests to me somehow book readers are solitary beings who connect on the deepest level with solitude. Harold Bloom, the great American scholar, says people who love books are those that feel their potentials not fully realized. Whichever way one may see it, I find that it’s comforting to be surrounded with books. When my head is too full with distractions from the outside world, I very often sit down on the carpet floor of my congested library and browse through any book in my vicinity and I’ll be instantly lost in another world, another time, totally forgetting about everything else. I hope you’ll protect this little private space which you can call your own, always. I’ve been fortunate, I suppose, to have been blessed with such passion for books. And to have friends who share this love as well. The non readers will always be non readers, such is the reality. I’ve given up hope trying to convert anyone to reading. Because reading is, and should be, a personal discovery.

]]> By: rimafauzi http://richardoh.net/traveling-with-books-25.php/comment-page-1#comment-132 rimafauzi Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:11:13 +0000 http://richardoh.net/?p=25#comment-132 Familiar story. I do that too, drives my husband crazy. I almost broke up with my then boyfriend once over books. He wanted me to get rid most of my books, as there weren't enough room in our apartment, and I wanted him to box his model planes to make room for my babies. At the end we compromised although now, after 5 years of marriage, his model airplanes are nowhere in sight, and my books are all we see. salam kenal richard. got your link from IM. Familiar story. I do that too, drives my husband crazy.

I almost broke up with my then boyfriend once over books. He wanted me to get rid most of my books, as there weren’t enough room in our apartment, and I wanted him to box his model planes to make room for my babies.
At the end we compromised although now, after 5 years of marriage, his model airplanes are nowhere in sight, and my books are all we see.

salam kenal richard. got your link from IM.

]]> By: Ingrid http://richardoh.net/traveling-with-books-25.php/comment-page-1#comment-25 Ingrid Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:30:19 +0000 http://richardoh.net/?p=25#comment-25 This really sounds familiar... How to stuff all the books into the suitcase... This really sounds familiar… How to stuff all the books into the suitcase…

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