Of eBooks & Packing Boxes

Tamela Buhrke, book lover, finally succumbs...

I confess, six months ago I bought an iPad. I bought it because I was about to go on a cruise and needed something that could act as a computer while also providing me with hours of reading entertainment. As a lover of all things book, I didn’t think of the iPad as a replacement for my beloved paper bound books. It was merely a convenient way to travel.

Last month something happened that drastically changed my opinion. I know. I can actually feel you glaring at me, clutching at your signed copy of Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Australian. I get it. I was you before my iPad. Most of all, I was you before I decided to move into a smaller home.

The Packing

I haven’t been writing much on the Chiseled in Rock lately because I spent the month of July packing, then moving and the early part of this month unpacking. My previous home totalled approximately 2600 square feet and I had decided to downsize to a place with 1800 square feet that I was now sharing with a roommate. I had books in nearly every room.

First, I sorted through all my books to weed out the ones that I could bear to let go. Two whole boxes went to the used book store. Then I happily bought small boxes for my books, knowing they would weigh too much if I put them in larger boxes. Packing the boxes was like reuniting with old friends. I cooed over this book and laughed at the memory of that series. I packed them in order by series. The boxes were arranged by category: humor, urban fantasy, various fiction, various nonfiction, business and cookbooks. They were lovingly stored in a place that would keep them dry—all twenty-five boxes of them.

The Move

Wow. Um. These boxes are heavy. I thought I packed them in small boxes. How many of them are there? I didn’t realize I had this many books. What? Oh, is that another box of books? Why do I have so many books? My back is killing me.

The Unpacking

Hmmm... where am I going to put these. Maybe we can squeeze the small glass bookcase into the kitchen by the sliding glass door. Yes, I do need all these cookbooks. I have food allergies. Can I put these picture books on the coffee table? It’s fashionable to put picture books on coffee tables. Okay, maybe twelve is too many. Do I really need all of these books on business? Half of them I've downloaded the updated versions to my computer through Kindle. I really want to keep the ones on gardening.

There really isn’t any room for a bookcase in my bedroom is there? Maybe I don’t need the dresser? Let’s take a look at these books and see if... well, this series wasn’t this authors best. Maybe I could take them to the used book store? I’ve started reading this series on my iPad. I already have two of them. How many books do I have on my iPad? Forty-eight. Wow. That would be two boxes of books and a small bookcase. My iPad weighs just under two pounds and fits in my purse.

Don’t unpack those five boxes. I’ve decided to take them to the used book store. Credit? No, I’ll take the cash.