Books

So this is a B I do like.  I really do like books.  I wish I had a library (or multiple book shelves altogether somewhere) where all our books could be respectfully displayed & ordered, easily perused & picked up.  Space for the books we own already & the books yet to be acquired.  

Actually, I remember creating a library in my bedroom as a child.  Every book was categorised, each had a hand-drawn 'loan' stamp in the front, each had a location code taped to the spine & each shelf in the glass fronted cabinet was labelled.  I think I could lay my hands on one or two of those books right now. 

Like many, I love the feel & smell of a book ~ some I could literally stroke (momentarily) or bury my nose into, they feel & smell so good!  

So, given my love of books, of aesthetics, of the need to understand all things autism, it won't be a surprise to learn that our book collection is growing at a rapid rate.  With some books I simply enjoy looking at the pictures ~ these are the books that satisfy my love of aesthetics.  I'm in famous company.  Andy Warhol is quoted as saying:"

I never read, I just look at pictures."

With others I absorb the words ~ within this category are many of the books on autism & in these are numerous underlinings & notes in the margins.  At some point I'll revisit these & share highlights & musings here.  Going forward, as I finish a book, I will aim to post a review, as a memory jogger for me & in the hope it might be useful to passers by.

 For now, I have a stack of books waiting for their first page turn, waiting to be discovered & enjoyed.  These are a mix of fiction & aesthetics.  These are the ones where I want to carve out time to sit & enjoy without risk of interruption   And I have at least 3 books that are part read, 1 fictional, 2 factual ~ about autism (of course!).

The one I want to finish most urgently (& which was started most recently) was recommended to me by our CAMHS Consultant.  There's already much underlining ~ & I suspect my pencil work is as unfinished as the book ~ but I would already recommend it to anyone wanting to understand more about Pathological Demand Avoidance, or PDA.  It is:

Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome in Children / A Guide for Parents, Teachers & other Professionals

by Phil Christie, Margaret Duncan, Ruth Fidler & Zara Healy 
via Jessica Kingsley Publishers

I am reluctantly including an image (& link to the publisher ~ other retailers available) but doing so jars horrendously with my desire for appealing aesthetics, for which I can only apologise!

via Pinterest (original source unknown)