Lens Artists Photo Challenge #351 – Books

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This challenge from Ritva is a topic near and dear to my heart – Books. She asks us for “visual representations that highlight the beauty and allure of books, reflecting the passion of those who are truly bookworms amongst us.”

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

I’ve been a bookworm ever since I learned to read in elementary school. As I got older I never lost my love of reading or of libraries.

Long Room of the Old Library at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

When we visited Dublin, Ireland the first place we went was Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Long Room of the Old Library. Being surrounded by all of these beautiful, ancient books was a book lovers dream. I wanted to pick one up and look inside but of course that was not allowed.

My Bookshelves

Our home has a book case in almost every room. They are filled with collections of all kinds of books – novels, cookbooks, travel books, reference books, you name it. There is no rhyme or reason to the way the books are shelved. Even though I love the feel of a book in my hand I mostly read digital books these days.

Three of my favorite pastimes are photography, blogging and reading. When I’m in the middle of a good book everything else gets set aside. I’m in the middle of two books now and I’ve got several books I’m waiting on from the library. Thanks to Anne’s mention of “Travels with Charlie” I just added that one to my must read book list.

Last week I enjoyed seeing all of the creative responses to Anne’s Zooming challenge. I love learning new things and for some of us (like me) it was a new technique that was fun to do. I hope you will join us for Sofia’s challenge on Saturday, June 7 at noon Eastern Standard Time.

Many thanks to Ritva for this challenge Lens-Artists #351 – Books

For information on how to join the Len-Artists challenge please click here.

35 thoughts on “Lens Artists Photo Challenge #351 – Books”

  1. A lovely celebration of all things bookish. The Long Room at Trinity College feels like a cathedral built for quiet minds and curious hearts. Books in every room sure worthy of a home that breathes stories. Digital or paper, it’s the journey inside that counts. “Travels with Charley” is a delightful addition.
    Loved these clicks!
    Philo

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  2. I so very much enjoyed seeing the Long Room and the Library at Trinity College, WD. Completely awesome! You did a wonderful job photographing this and capturing the size and space of these magnificent rooms.

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    1. Jet, thank you! The Long Room at Trinity College is so huge it is difficult to capture it all in one photo. I took a lot of photos from a lot of different angles. I’m glad you got the feeling of the size of the room. That’s what I was hoping for.

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  3. Beth, I loved how you photographed the Long Room at Trinity College. What an amazing library. And thanks for putting “Travels With Charley” on your reading list. You won’t be disappointed.

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    1. Anne, I’m so glad you liked the photos of the Long Room at Trinity College. It was a challenge but I took a lot of photos trying to capture the size of the room. I thought we had a copy of “Travels with Charley” and my husband found it for me. As soon as I finish my book club book I’m reading it!

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  6. Wow, that library is excellent!!
    Have you read The Personal Librarian, about JP Morgan’s personal library? It is one of my favorite books.

    I love your thoughts on reading. Reading takes us places we would never imagine going.

    Thanks for the fun today! 📚❤️

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    1. Nancy, I’m so glad we visited that library in Dublin. I loved being surrounded by all those ancient books. Yes, I read The Personal Librarian a few years ago. I really liked it, too. I’m so grateful for my love of reading!

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  7. Oh my God! What a stunning image to open your post, Beth. It must have been a special treat to walk around in that library even without being able to touch those books. Fantastic gallery.

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  8. Thanks for the smile seeing all those books in such an amazing display. I love the Dr. Seuss quote too. One of my errands today is to return a book and pick one up from the library. I love the fact that since I’ve downsized that the local library keeps all my books on their shelves. 🙂

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    1. Judy, I know you are a fellow book lover! Did you donate your books to the library? Our library stopped taking donations a few years ago. I sometimes take books to one of the little libraries around our community where you can give a book or take a book. I still have a hard time letting go so some books, though!

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      1. When we moved cross country and were getting estimates to move, the book cases and books came into question. We gave the book cases away, and donated the books to various organizations like Goodwill, VA, Catholic Charities, and some to a friend’s mother in a senior apartment complex that had a library. We kept some that were signed, but I will admit it was strange at first to not own books, but after I got into the groove with the library, it has been wonderful. I put books on hold, pick them up, and if they don’t have it, they buy it. I probably only do one or two requests a year, but they’ve never refused me yet.

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  10. Beautiful images Beth – to be honest I never think about visiting libraries despite my love of books. Have been past the huge library in lower Manhattan a hundred times and never gone inside and now I want to go to the JP Morgan library in NYC having recently read The Personal Librarian. If you haven’t read it definitely add it to your list!

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    1. Tina, yes I read the Personal Librarian a few years ago. It was a good one. The Trinity College library was amazing. The photos really can’t do it justice.

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  13. That is possibly the most amazing library ever, I’m always in awe about it. And I love how this challenge is getting us to talk about books and recommending them. You have some interesting book on your shelves!

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    1. Sofia, yes the Trinity Library is amazing. I loved just standing there, being surrounded by all those books. I picked three random shelves to photograph. We have a wide variety of books in our home.

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  14. Interestingly, looking at the books on your shelves, I find that although we have similar interests, there’s only one book which is on my shelves. That surely says something about the sheer number of books available.

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