Menobibliattached [men-oh-bibliatt-ached]; the condition of carrying a global library

For a weekly challenge over at MY TAKE, the theme was books.  I asked the question as to whether we would ever feel towards the electronic version the same as we have done to the crisp, turning-page type.

Whenever we moved house as a family, it was YAM's books which could cause her some stress...were they all there, are they okay?

Then came the first really big one.  The shift to Australia.  I threw a farewell garden party and invited all to leave with whatever items they wished.  Books were not on offer. They were packed and on their way down under already.  A few other items, but mainly books. There are a fair few vintage items.  Nothing particularly rare.  Certainly nothing majorly 'rich'.  But they add to my life.

When it came to clearing up prior to India, there was again the open garden party to divest myself of all the 'detritus' which builds in every home.  How on earth does that stuff gather around us?? The neighbourly decluttering was one of the best days ever.

I was really strong.  I had packed as much of my library as I could for storage.  However, the time had come to cull.  During the decluttering, there was many a fun discussion over a book or set and all those books being set free from me found their appropriate homes. As some of them were of spiritual, philosophical and historical matter, talk sprung off on all sorts of surprising paths.

When the time came to leave India, another 150+ books had been gathered and every one of them was packed and forwarded to Scotland.  They await the great reconnection of unpacking.

The books (and other items!) which had hibernated in OZ were also forwarded.  Regulars here will know that one box has NOT arrived at the destination.  I am 95% certain now, after investigations, that it is a box containing books.  Trouble is, until the great reconnection of unpacking, it will be unclear which books, exactly.  Not a lot I can do about it.  If they didn't arrive, I accept they were meant to be elsewhere.

One cannot imagine standing over an e-reader with a neighbour and having the sorts of spontaneous conversations sparked by the physical books that occurred in Sydney.

However, it may surprise you to know that one CAN become attached to an e-book.

It never struck me that it could be so until Voo-voo here (that's the Vaio, for the newcomers) took sickly during that short sojourn to OZ in October and November.  By the time we got to Edinburgh, the poor darling couldn't even get up in the morning.  I do not have an e-reader, so utilise a software version on the laptop.

Now I KNOW that once bought, they can be re-downloaded.  That did not appease the beating heart at the thought I couldn't access the books saved for reading later or waiting to be re-read.  I had been able to save all my data except the books.  It's because they are in the cloud thingo.  So stop panicking YAM.  No. No good.

PANIC!!!

Voo-voo got better.  Lo! All books intact.  It was a hairy moment.

Interesting, you see.  The words waiting for me carried weight.  I had been careful in selecting them and had handed over currency for them.  They had become mine.  Didn't matter that I couldn't cuddle up with them by a warm radiator.  Didn't matter that I have to keep hitting a button to turn the page...

Get thee behind me, oh ache for the biblio...