Readjusting the Books

     With my head a bit stuffed, my sinus’s congested and a slight fever, the last thing I'd want to do is go outside into the world. The early part of the day was spent on the couch with an afghan pulled over me. I drifted back and forth between dreams and consciousness.   My hot cup of tea sat on the table and got cold, undrunk.

    Feeling as if I should be doing something other than lying around, I took a look at what I could see from my prone position. Directly in front of me was the television. No, that wasn’t anything productive. I would end up right where I was now, lying on the couch.

    On either side of the television are bookcases. There were a few piles of books on them, waiting to be put away. The shelves definitely needed a little reorganizing.

    Yes!  That is what I’ll do, put my books in order. The shelves on the left have two shelves which contain “Books on Books”. The vast majority of them are non-fiction but there are a fair number of fictional stories dealing with libraries, bookstores and “special” books. There is a copy of “84 Charing Cross Rd” by Helene Hanff, a couple of Nicholas A. Basbanes’s books, a copy of John Carter’s “ABC for Book Collectors”, “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean, “Ex Libis” by Ann Fadiman and “The Book of Flying” by Keith Miller to name just a couple. They all fit into the same description, they are about books. Unfortunately, they don’t all fit on the shelves!

    The piles sitting in front of these books were new acquisitions that hadn’t had a spot found for them yet, there wasn’t any room for them.  I started my chore, pulling out books on the shelves below. There were some classics, a group of Edward Abbey books, and a few that was once important to me but are no longer. Soon there were piles scattered across the floor. One pile was for discards, a small pile I’m happy to say and the others which could be put in different areas.

    My Neil Gaiman books moved down a shelf along with some other fiction. The Abbey books ended up on their sides, stacked against the Books on Books, acting as a bookend.

    I came across two old copies of Christopher Marley’s books, “Parnassus on Wheels” and “The Haunted Bookshop”, both of which were moved up the shelves to the book section. I also found in amongst the classics, a book I had been searching for, “The Bottom of the Harbor” by Joseph Mitchell. I knew I had it but wasn’t sure where it was. I had even considered ordering it but managed to resist the temptation. Really, I guess it's good that I didn't!

    After organizing the shelves in the one case, I moved over to the opposite side of the television. I opened the doors and wondered, “Where do I begin?” The books in this case are all “special” volumes. The top two shelves are signed books. There is a shelf of older books in the bookcase, some books my parents owned and a couple religious tomes. There are ten or eleven old Baedeker’s travel books and also an antique blue vase. I can see that the vase will soon be occupying a different spot.

    I did a little rearranging and cleared up the piles that were stacked on the front of the shelves. There was still more that could be done but the Joseph Mitchell book kept calling to me. I could keep working on the organizing or I could retire back to the couch.

    I was ready to revisit the waterfront in New York City. I love the way Joseph describes the scenery, the people, their jobs and their history. Yes, I’m off to the Fulton Fish Market of New York once again. The shelves can wait, the story is more important!