Have you heard of Library Thing? It’s an online library database manager that takes the card catalog, digitizes it, and puts it in my own house. Emily and I have been adding my books (and her books to her librarything file) and we love it. Check out my catalog which, at last count is only up to 201 books (with much to go).
This probably isn’t for everyone, I’m sure. But it is the perfect tool for a guy like me who buys too many books, since it’s getting to be pretty tough to keep track mentally of what I already posses.

I’m not sure at what point I got hooked on books. Some of it has to do with the fact that most of the “role models” in my early life had metric tons of books in their homes & offices. I remember my dad reading Mack Bolan books by the grocery-bag full. And the Pastors at my childhood church (not its real name) probably had over 1,000 books each in their offices. So I saw that reading was an important part of ministry and still do. One pastor that I follow on a regular basis claims that he reads a book a day. Rick Warren says that leaders should at least skim a book a day — how purpose driven! The purpose is simple: we must keep learning.