It’s no good, I have to tell you.  My name is Penny, and I’m a bookaholic. 

 It started at a very young age.  I blame my mother.

  She was a librarian and indulged her habit  in Bristol Library before she was married.  When we moved to Norfolk when I was very small our local village only had a voluntary library service in the St John’s Ambulance hut  and it didn’t take long for  Mum to volunteer.  Once it was taken over by the County Library she worked there part time and by the time I was at High School there was a posh new Library and Mum had a full time job until she retired.

 

So right from an early age, there was a never ending flow of books through our house.  I can’t remember not being able to read, but I can remember getting through seven Enid Blyton books a week in the summer holidays.  I actually struggle even now to choose books in the library because for years I was spoilt by my mother handing  me books and saying, ‘You’ll love these’, and I always did.

Now there are sooo many temptations to indulge my little habit.  There’s Bibliophile, ‘Three for Two’  and ‘Buy One Get One Half Price’  offers in Waterstones and W H Smith, and the most tempting one of all, Amazon.    I get into trouble about my Amazon habit,  My son, as a writer, (That Elusive Line) tells me stories about how it’s affecting publishing, and independent bookshops and I agree with what he says, and understand how frustrating it is to those who are affected by the march of big business.  But I’m doing my best to support EVERYBODY!  We have a lovely new independent bookshop in Norwich, The Book Hive, and I make every effort to support it,(and it’s not hard!) 

But Amazon.  It’s like a wicked siren insinuating itself onto my emails. ” Hello-oh!  Look…. You bought this, so we know you’d LOVE this…Go on, you know you want to…”

And I do…I do..and with one click it’s mine, and is delivered next day (Well I have to subscibe to Amazon Prime, don’t I?)

These days the temptations are always the books which feed my creative habit, and Oh, they are SO tempting.  So colourful, such wonderful photography and then, when they arrive so many of them even feel gorgeous, even sensuous, with satiny, velvety papers and covers…

And I wasn’t well, and I needed cheering up, and there was this book…

It’s just gorgeous…

(Sorry about the shiny bits, it’s that sumptious paper you see.)

These are so CUTE, and 2010 is the year of the baby in our close and extended family…

An entrelac blanket, so no sewing up required…

…and a simple sweater pattern sized from toddler to extra large man.

Somewhere to store all those yarns…

And even suggestions for wrapping up all the gifts for giving…

So today I’m off to Norwich to buy that last ball of yarn to finish the crochet blanket, and I might just have to indulge in a ball of something gorgeous to knit a little something or other…

Do you have a secret book habit?  Go on, you can tell me…

P.S. If you want a chance to win a childrens’ picture book, follow the link to the blog mentioned above!