It is a long while since I have taken part in a Sunday Salon. Social media has reduced the amount of time I read, as has writing and producing various presentations, syllabus and course material.

I returned to education and read History with Educational Studies in 1997. Education was my minor and by the end of the first year the education element was history and I moved to a history major. The amount of reading was overwhelming. As a mature student I had to pay my own fees and the usual domestic bills. I had 12 hours of contact time, and probably about 30 hours of reading. I still worked in pharmacy, mainly as a locum as that was all about I could manage, both in terms of hours and endurance.

Having moved house, I came across a number of papers, notes, scribbles and my paper copy of my thesis and pondered on ditching the lot. I might publish my thesis but that is very much in the future as I have a writing project that needs to be completed this week. (So why am I here writing this post?). As I could not make a decision I found a patterned box and dumped the lot in there, it now resides on the top of my bookcase, or one of them, taunting me every time I walk into my office.

I searched through my camera feed on my iPhone earlier and realised that in addition to some actual pictures, I have many, many snap shots of book covers. Books that appeal to me that I have seen on various social media channels or even in Waterstones. Am I the only one?

Smiths is the nearest bookstore to me and I use that term very loosely. There are also no independents and if independent shops were not going out of business I might even contemplate opening a bookshop, ah to dream. Despite the contention between supporting independents or using the chains, I do rather like Waterstones. You can wander and browse the shelf’s. I usually take a few pictures of books so I can check the price on Amazon, I know, shocking! There is something rather therapeutic browsing bookshelves and contemplating purchases.

Books are one of the things that I never experience buyers remorse with, how about you?