Word of The Day: Tsundoku

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Enchanted Seashells

This is the post I planned for Monday before we had that 5.2 earthquake. Since then, terra firma has been quiet around here, but I did finally install the earthquake warning app to be ready for the next one.

Here’s the word of the day…tsundoku.

I had no idea there was a specific word to describe a pile of unread books.

In Japanese, “tsundoku” means collecting books and letting them pile up, not for neglect, but for the joy of knowing they’re there, full of untold stories.

The word “tsundoku” is a combination of “tsunde-oku” (to let things pile up) and “dokusho” (reading books).

My professor son has stacks of books all over his house and is guilty of acquiring as many books as he does plants for the garden. Half of them are for teaching and the others are for pleasure, he says. They live sort of near the guy who won a lot of money on Jeopardy, Tom Nissley, and he opened Phinney Books, which is cool. Both of the kids have shelves of books, too, so it runs in the family.

Here’s what’s on my bedside table. I confess that I actually NEVER read AB’s book in its entirety, but since I proofed the first draft, there’s a bit of me in there somewhere. Of course there’s Leon (I know, I’m so predictable) and gifted books about crystals and gardening. I didn’t include all my chick lit books because they’re immediately devoured. I get most of those secondhand from DIL because we enjoy the same authors. She’s a neuroscientist and those reads are a way for her brainy brain to unwind.

My stack of ladies-in-waiting.

What titles are in your tsundoku?

Word of The Day: Komorebi

Posted on November 25, 2024 by Enchanted Seashells

Komorebi is a Japanese word that’s more of a feeling, that of “sunlight leaking through trees”. It describes the loveliness and wonder of rays of light dappling through overhead leaves, casting shadows on the forest floor.

There is a profound peace and sense of tranquility with komorebi. It creates a mood of calming gentle energy, reminding us of our connection to the earth.

Komorebi is comprised of several parts of different words: “Ko” means tree or trees. “More” means: something that comes through, something that shines through or seeps through. “Bi” means: sun or sunlight.

I’m grateful for these transitory moments of beauty, as if time stands still in abeyance of SOMETHING, as we observe nature’s simple but profound tenuity and we can deeply, finally– fully breathe.