Why I Refuse to Buy an E-Reader

As a six year-old child, I had one design goal for my future home.  It looked a little something like this:

Not much has changed over the years.  I'm slowly building a book collection.  The bookshelves won't fill up as quickly as I like because I have one rule that I refuse to waver from: I have to read each book before it finds a home on a shelf.  For me, bookshelves aren't about being "styled."  I don't want my bookshelves to hold vases.  I want them to hold books.  Books that I have read and treasured.  I don't want to buy books because they fit with my decor, or can be used as design filler.  I buy books because, for me, there's nothing better than getting lost in a story.  I've always been this way.  I blame my mother and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Every book in my apartment has been read at least twice.  Some of my favorites have been read upward of a dozen times.  When I see walls and walls of books like this, I see the endless possibility of stories, adventures, and knowledge.  I want to pass a library on to my children someday.

Also, having a ladder is not an option; it's a requirement.

All images via my Pinterest.