Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about books and reading.

This weeks question is…
“What’s the largest your personal library has ever been?
What’s the greatest number of books you’ve ever owned at one time? (Estimates are fine.)
Is your collection NOW the biggest it’s ever been? Or have you down-sized?
What’s the fewest number of books you’ve ever owned
(not counting your pre-reading years)?”

My answer…

At first glance, I was unsure of how I could answer this question. I love books – who doesn’t? – but with regards to the amount I own, I have to be honest… I have no idea! All I can state is that I’m at a time in my life when I own the most books I ever have.

Of course, when I was a little girl I had a lot of children books and these are what kept me entertained and my parents from ripping their hair out most likely. Having an older brother helped too as I inherited a lot of his children’s books. I still have them all stored away in safe keeping as I can’t bare to part with them. They’re my childhood, you know?

As I’ve grown I’ve aquired more and more books and I don’t recall ever throwing a book away. The ones that weren’t appealing, I give away to a local charity or to a friend that I think may appreciate it. However, I know I will never throw the books away that I buy which meant something to me. I own books which remind me of where I was when I read it, how it made me feel and what I was going through at the time. As well as for enjoyment, I own books which have been like a form of therapy for me and that have got me through difficult stages in my life.

Therefore, I’m not sure how many books I own and I don’t think I’ve ever known. I can’t state the fewest books I’ve ever owned or how many I have now. Books are around my home and I love the feeling that if I have a bad day or if I need some enjoyment, I have my favourite books on hand to help me through that.