Sunday Salon: Sizing up the issue
Is there a pair of fat trousers in your wardrobe? Maybe it’s a skirt or dress instead. I’m talking about the garment that many of us have lurking in the cupboard somewhere. The garment that you take out every now and again to guage whether you need to hold back from the ice cream or choccie biscuits for a while or step up the time on the treadmill. My own version is a taupe coloured silk skirt I bought from Episode for an awards evening more than a decade ago. It was part of a suit and while not designer prices, was more than I normally spent on clothes so  I’ve been loathe to discard it even when I could no longer kid myself that it fitted me.
It’s at this point that you are probably wondering what this has to do with our normal Sunday Salon catch up on bookish related things. Has BookerTalk gone completely off her rocker you may be thinking. In the words of the (fictitious) Prime Minister in the House of Cards tv series I’m currently watching: you might very well think that but I couldn’t possibly comment.
Fear now however, there is a connection. Of a sort.
You may (if you’ve been paying attention over the last few weeks) recall that I was bemoaning the fact recently that my acquisitive nature has meant I have too many yet-to-be-read books to fit into my bookshelves. Hence why I am following a self-imposed ban on buying anything new for a while so I can focus on reading a few of the ones I already own.
Now I could easily judge my progress by ticking them off as I read and coming over all smug when I see those little symbols creep up. But I decided I needed something rather more visual.
I have a pile of books bought as Christmas presents that are currently lurking on the floor, feeling rather neglected while they wait for a space to become available on what I like to think of as ‘my’ bookshelf. There is another little collection that I snuck into a bookcase shared with Mr BookerTalk hoping it would hide the fact I was buying rather lots of books towards the end of the year. I am not sure whether he has noticed but the game will be up before long I’m afraid…. There are 15 books I’ve found so far.
So I’m going to use these two piles as my version of the fat trousers. I’ll know I’ve made progress when I can fit all of these into ‘my’ bookcase. Â It’s not as easy as one in, one out since books come in different thicknesses as you all know. But once I can fit into the space again, then like all good weight watchers, the hard bit will be to keep it that way and prevent the equivalent of the midriff bulge coming back.
I’m planning to make a little more progress later on today. But first things first — would you just mind passing me that wicked looking chocolate biscuit…
Yeah I’m afraid my book shelves need fat trousers as well. They don’t all fit. So once a year in May I try to give up some to the annual book fair to make room. Until then books are on top of other books. good luck with your problem.
i did have a bit of a clear out but only of duplicated copies.
Unfortunately I’m wearing my fat clothes at the moment and my wardrobe is full of thin clothes that I ought to fit into – reading is not a great hobby for losing weight. I can relate to the book problem too but find my Kindle has plenty of room – I really will have a problem if that ever gets full!
I hadn’t even counted the Kindle. If I did, then I would be in real trouble
Read the thick ones first, that way you’ll get down the one shelf size all the sooner. 🙂
You are clearly much smarter than I am because I started with the thin books on the basis I can carry them around more easily when I have to travel for work.
LOL! Good luck with the “diet” I’m sure you’ll fit into the bookcase before you know it and I am sure it will be a much more enjoyable process than extra time on the treadmill and counting calories!
At least I won’t have to put up with sore muscles after reading
That’s a good idea. At first I was wondering where you were going with the blog post, but I like how you connected the dots re the bookshelf and the waistline 🙂
I like to keep you all guessing Nish
Something many of us can relate to! Love your analogy.
Unfortunately I relate only too well to the waistline problem Terri.
Since the answer to the first problem is elasticated waists, I’m wondering why no-one has invented elasticated bookshelves… 😉
Sign me up for that solution please!
I’d like to say that I can’t relate to what you’re saying, but unfortunately I can. Fortunately (on the flip side) most of the books aren’t purchased, but are from the library and can just go back. 🙂
Hm, Chocolate biscuit eh? Trying to picture what that would taste like. And I go through the bookshelf woes all the time myself.
I also have stacks of books on my TBR pile, but thankfully they have diminished a lot! Now they are mostly atop a bookcase in my office…with just 7 on the floor in my office. Much better…right? lol
Enjoyed the “fat trousers” analogy. Here’s MY WEEKLY SUNDAY/MONDAY UPDATES
go on, see if you can get those 7 into a space – if not, then using my fat trousers test, you have to slim the bookcase down further! Karen Heenan-Davies