On the top shelf rests giant bear bookends that Kate gave to me for graduation. They feel full of lead, but they are full of potential, the potential to hold upright work after work of literature. I like that. They are pressing some books together as I write this.
The American Short Story Anthology and Bill Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words are the partially read books on this shelf. Also, there are four books up there that I have read. They are: notes from a small island, Rising From the Plains, Don’t Let’s go to the Dogs Tonight, and Slaughterhouse-Five. The unread book in the press is Cider House Rules. The last things held upright by the heavy bears are a thick collection of The Guardian Weekly. Sadly, my last issue will be delivered in two weeks and I will have to rely on the net to get my fix.
It is fun for me to visit parts of my room, house, life, and memory that I have neglected to think about because I have been there before, or in this case, because I have read those books before, or just haven’t got around to them. Until I visit those places, objects, and memories I scoff at the thought because I don't think they have anything to offer. So, I continue through the list.
Two Longmont High School yearbooks rest on the shelf below the bookends. Both haven’t been cracked open in a long time. Next to those yearbooks is a Fort Collins High School yearbook from 1999. It is solid purple. And next to those, three junior high yearbooks from Boltz. These books just haven’t made it to the basement yet.
Next, a Zondervan Bible cover with their classic tree logo and their now, I believe, retired slogan, “Rooted in Faith”. The Bible is a “youth” Bible. The ending is the same and so is the punch line.
Moving on, next is a Campbell’s soup cookbook that someone gave me for high school graduation. It was a nice thought, but the book was long forgotten by my senior year at UW when I had to finally cook my own meals.
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