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I guess I should blame equally my mother and the comic industry for making me something of a bibliophile. (I consider myself a bibliophile for two reasons 1) I have a personal collection of almost 800 books and 2) I specifically will only buy books in a series with the same cover type, even willing to wait a year to get the book since all my other editions in the series are paperback.)

When I was a preteen and living in a small town (Owen Sound ONT for the truly curious) I didn't have a lot of toys nor did I have all that much television to watch on my 11" b&w television. In the restless summer months, while off of school, I would get bored to the point that I would irritate my mother. Her solution to this was to tell me to go to the library (which was a 5 minute walk from our house) and find something to read. Her reasoning being that a Public Library MUST have SOMETHING I would want to read. Thus began my foray into the world of books. It wasn't long after that I became a voracious reader of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.

Now as to the comic book part. When I was a few years older and the family was better off financially, I began to 'collect' comics. Please note that this was during the comic collecting craze of the early to mid eighties. I can't remember how long after I started collecting that I began to bag, board and box my comics but I do know that it doesn't seem all that long after. I began to buy anything that was a number 1 (and let me tell you a lot of these were just dreadful) and I was a Marvel snob. I just couldn't get into the DC universe (which might have been a good thing as the cost would have truly been prohibitive). By the time I was in University I had an obsession to the point that my girlfriend (now wife) started supporting my habit. Part of my problem was my overwhelming desire, once I had begun to like a series, to try to collect ALL of the back issues to a series. And my need to buy all the crossover issues that were big at the time. All I can say was I wasn't all that discriminating and spent much more money than I should have. About 3 years after I graduated from University, just around the time I got married, I donated about 1500+ comics to the Good Will. You see, I couldn't get a reasonable price for the collection (as I was only culling the herd of the weak and sick) and my wife was not about to allow one room of the house just for boxes of comics. Hence and agreement was made, I would only keep those comics I truly loved (all my Dr. Strange and Sandman for example) and the rest we would donate. I don't regret my decision, but the collector in me would love to go over those issues to see just what I truly did have. Despite my intentions to the contrary I currently have a collection of about 1000 comics and it is growing.

So, back to the bibliophile. Now I have taken my collector instincts and am applying them to my personal library. I tend to buy books shortly after they come into the book stores (as most of the things I buy are mass market paperbacks and I have learned that if I wait more than a few months, it will become increasing difficult to locate and therefore purchase). However, I have become somewhat discriminating (probably not as much as my wife would like) as I only buy books/series that I either like the author or have already read and liked the series so far.

The comic collector in me can't stand to see a book abused or mishandled. I cringe when ever I see/hear the spine of a book being 'cracked' as a reader bends it backwards. I won't allow dog earring of pages, that's what bookmarks are for. I try ever so hard (even though I commute to and from work daily) to not scuff, scrape or mar the covers of my books. I have removed all the slip covers of my hard covers and have placed them in separate storage, both to protect them and because I find the natural spine of a hardcover more appealing. I am noticeably hesitant to loan my books for fear of my 'friends' mishandling them. I usually preface a loan with my expectations regarding the shape of the books return. If someone borrows one of my books and 'damages' it, I will NOT allow them to borrow again and I may (depending on the damage) replace the book (if I can). You could almost say I have a reverence for books in general. Reminds me of a favourite quote of mine, it is from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
In the first season the computer teacher is talking to Giles about his dislike of PCs.
PC Teacher "Giles, why don't you like computers"
Giles - "Honestly, it is the smell."
PC Teacher - "But they don't have a smell."
Giles - "Precisely."

I am certain that someone can emphasize with this as I know that I find the smell of a used bookstore to be exhilarating and comforting at the same time. The musty smell of old books can only give me happy thoughts.

Fortunately my wife reads almost as voraciously as I do and we read very similar genres, so my 'hobby' is quiet agreeable to her. We both wish one day to have a room in the house that is wall to wall, floor to ceiling book shelves with a couple of wing back chairs to curl up to a good book in.

Now as to the purpose of this blog, I intend to document and comment on the books I read as I read them. I also plan to include other books I have read, authors who I greatly enjoy and maybe some comments on some movie adaptations.

Thanks for reading this far and I hope my future blogs are of value in your future book choices.