DAY 574

in {and out} Week 12: Books

Books have been with me since I can remember and reading is no doubt, one of my favorite activities ever. Indeed, once I learned how to do it, I haven´t stopped. Regardless of life circumstances, hectic schedules or overwhelming responsibilities,  I always have books at hand.

I read poetry, essays and novels of different types or on different subjects (just as a hobby) and I guess I have many habits and peculiarities that are typical of avid readers: I am truly faithful to some authors and I think of some characters as they were real persons. I am prone to imagine alternative situations to those which are part of the plot. I adore reading series of books with the same main protagonists and expect anxiously every new installment. I remember their stories, suffer with their conflicts and feel pleased with their successes. I often question the author (or characters) decisions along a novel and I usually discover myself being reluctant to accept some endings or to read the final chapter... in particular, when I have fallen in love with the story.

I could go on and on and on, but I´ll only mention one last thing: when it comes to books themselves, I feel a strong attachment to them as physical objects. The reason why this happens is not only because they allow me to go inside a parallel universe just opening them (this is captivating per se!), but because I find them extremely beautiful. I adore their appearance, their smell, their presence and as a result I love having them around me.

In fact, apart from ejoying the pleasures of reading, I also enjoy very much arranging and rearranging my books in beautiful -yet practical- ways, making them part of the decoration of my house, mixing and matching them creatively. I don´t like the traditional libraries where books seem to be inanimate items put in alphabetical order. On the contrary, I love to display them, creating little altars or still lifes.

Books have been (still are) an important part of my existence, of who I am. I have discovered, laughed and cryed much with them, they have been my wings and my roots, my friends, my solace in sorrow and an endless source of joy... so I cannot help but honor this relationship by making them visible.


This entry is part of a project I am developing with my friend Montse Gallardo. We´ll share a photo every week during 2015. Her photos will be always taken outside and my photos will be indoor shots only. We have created a Facebook page: In and Out. 52 weeks where you can see all the photos of the project.