The Kindle in this pile is deceiving - slimmer than anything else save the newspaper clipping, yet it currently holds over 150 books and can hold more than ten times that. The pile itself is deceiving because that's just one surface in my house currently overflowing with books I want to read. In fact, I've decided I need to live as long as Methuseleh if I have any hope of reading everything has caught my interest. And that's if I stop acquiring new material! So, how does one control your To-Be-Read pile? For that matter, how do you keep track of all the books you've managed to amass? I'm looking for ideas here so any suggestions you have are more than welcome. 
But then, I am surrounded by books and I love it. The abundance is a blessing. And no matter what kind of a mood I'm in, there's surely something I will enjoy curling up with. We often take the luxury of reading for granted. We never think about the gift of knowing how to read as just that, a gift. How often do we remember how fortunate we are to live in a country where we have the freedom to read anything we want. Even the smallest of our towns have public libraries where anyone is welcome to come and browse. Our electronic age has made it even easier to acquire books. We can read them on paper, held in our hands, or we can read them on Kindles and Nooks, on our smart phones and our tablets and our computers. Think about the pioneers who traveled west in covered wagons, carrying a handful of carefully chosen books with them and re-reading them over and over. Or the rare soldier or sailor who had but one book to his name and that book a prize possession. How about the indentured servant or slave who had been fortunate enough to be taught how to read because their work required it and they treasured a cast off book regardless of the subject matter. Or a prisoner with a precious book secreted under a mattress to be read only when no one was looking. I wonder what they would think of my library? Of my riches?

   It occurs to me that they would think I was lucky beyond belief. So, I guess the idea of trying to decide what to read next or worrying about the overflowing piles would make them smile or shake their head at me in reproof. Should I ever get up in the dark of night and come into my library and find one of these book-starved ghosts from the past curled up on my loveseat with one of my books in their hand, I think I'll ask them if they'd like a cup of tea to go with it and leave them in peace to enjoy the rest of my collection.