Having a book collection can be both "blessing" and "curse". I have several books piled up on my shelves, waiting to be read, only to be succeeded by other books. I believe that books need to be cherished to the extent that one makes a promise to oneself to read them, regardless of their immediate relevance to one's current life situation. The other aspect of books is that, as I have suggested earlier, we can become more open to their messages when we consider them as conversations with living words and authors.
I have tried to make it a general rule not to collect books unless I am certain that I will re-read them at a later time. I am hardly one to re-read fiction, except if the book is quite exceptional. Recently, I have found that that books I am most likely to re-read are either Buddhist books or spirituality-based books such as Ken Wilber's. I consider that books are references and guides, and once these guides have made their mark, I need to see if they meant anything to my life.
On the other hand, some books do have a value that goes beyond their utility: they mean something that can never be quite captured. Having a book, even before reading it, always feels like having a special portal machine that can take a person through an exciting experience. Books have potency because they distill many thoughts that go through the brain, sometimes fastening a few key words of wisdom along the way. Honoring the mystery of books is one way that we can accept them into our lives, instead of always considering them only as practical tools for survival or knowledge.
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