Some of you saw my tweets on Thursday night and know about the fire that was close to my house. The fire started on Thursday afternoon and has burned through almost 1400 acres. At the moment, it’s 62% contained.
It was so close to our house, we could see the flames from our backyard. We were not ordered to evacuate but we didn’t want to take any chances. We packed up the essentials and loaded up both of our vehicles. We spent Thursday night at our house but stayed with family the next night.
We came back home today and I can’t even tell that the fire is still burning! I can’t see any flames, though the city does smell like there’s a massive BBQ going on. But the good thing is our house is fine and we are home! And now we have lots of unpacking to do O_o
Being lover of books, some of you may be wondering if I packed up any books and the short answer is yes, I did. Did I pack all of them? No. Simply put, there just wasn’t enough room for all of them. Sad, I know. And even sadder – the books were packed last. Priorities people! You should have seen the look on my hubby’s face when I started packing the books. Priceless.
I packed about 90% of my books. Here’s what was left on my shelves (aka: fire fuel):
This bookcase housed books I have read. I started grabbing everything I couldn’t part with: my Nicholas Sparks collection, the Sookie Stackhouse series, the BDB series, the Night Huntress series, my hardcover box set of the Twilight Saga, my *signed* copy of Twilight and everything else that was signed (including all the books that I just got signed by Maggie Stiefvater). [Looking at this picture now, I can’t believe I left behind Thirteen Reasons Why! I loved that book.]
Then I went back to my bookcase that holds my TBR stash and grabbed some more books. It was very hard choosing what to take and what had to stay. My heart ached! If you must, you can click on the pictures of the bookcases to see what was left behind *cringe* - but only if you must.
Now that the fire’s under control we have the pleasure (NOT!) of unpacking. I guess this gives me the opportunity to re-organize my bookcases. I only have my “read” books with me (the rest of my books are in the truck that my hubby’s driving and he’s at work right now) so I started there. And I must say, my bookcase looks much better than before!
Now it’s my turn to put YOU in the hot seat. There’s a huge fire and a mandatory evacuation has just been ordered. You’ve grabbed the essentials (people, pets, papers, photos and prescriptions - Dude! That could totally be a evacuation campaign - “Grab the 5 P’s” – I’m a genius I tell you!) and now you have 5 minutes left to grab books. To give you a bit of perspective, 5 minutes may seem like plenty of time but when you’re racing against the clock with a fire spreading like crazy it goes by in a flash.
What books are you grabbing to save from being turned to ash?
I'm so glad that everything turned out ok for you and your hubby! That is just too unimaginable! Having to choose what books you HAVE to leave behind!
ReplyDeleteMy 5 minute scramble would include:
- Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series
- My favorites from Christine Feehan's Carpathian series
- Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series
- Marjorie M. Liu's Dirk & Steele series
- My Kelley Armstrong books
- Any signed books that I have
That was really hard to answer! My heart is beating like crazy at just the THOUGHT of having to leave any books behind!
I don't know how you coped and managed to be so methodical about your choices, I'd honestly just want to swipe my arm across my shelves and dump them all into boxes!!!
Oh man! Tough question! I have a collection of signed comics so I would grab that stack for sure. And hmmm...I have a three shelf bookcase in my bedroom that holds my newest reads and some TBR's (this gets switched out a lot.) I would TRY to make my boyfriend exercise some muscle and carry out the whole darn thing lol...I DO have a dolly to load it on =) I'd also grab my anthropology textbooks and...and...the TBR pile by my bed...and the TBR pile in the guestroom...
ReplyDeleteAnd glad your all safe and sound! We've had some close fires here in the IE and it gets scary!
ReplyDeleteGlad nothing got damaged and everything turned out ok hon!
ReplyDeleteAs for 5 books...I really don't think I'm capable of choosing. I'd probably be standing in front of my bookcases with a fire extinguisher and a hose as the fire approached screaming "YOU CAN'T HAVE THEM!!!!" Lol. You'll see me on the news one day, I promise. Send flowers for my funeral? :)
I have lived through this personally and can tell you truly that the last fire that burned for 3 days I did not pack one book, not one. I packed pet food, pet carriers (X3), Prescription meds and clothes and bottled water and household papers and since at that time my disabled Dad was still alive there was not room for any books or even picture albums. It was a sad sad weekend waiting to see if we would have to leave or not and knowing that if my home would have caught fire that 30 some years of life with my husband and some of my latter years at home would be gone forever. I can tell you this though if would have had the room the books that would have gone were the autographed copies from authors as have an entire shelf of those beauties. More room than that no clue what would grab first!
ReplyDeleteThank goodness you and yours were spared and my sympathy goes out to those near you who were not, fire, flood, tornado, hurricane damage is devastating!
jackie ^_^
I'm so glad you are safe and sound. xoxo
ReplyDeleteGlad everything is ok. I live in Santa Barbara and evacuated twice in the last couple of years so I know how you feel. It is so surreal. I was in denial and grabbed the book I was reading and none others; I was convinced I'd not lose the house (and I was right, thank goodness). But, 5 minutes to grab books...I'll take my TBR shelves and my kindle. Books I've already read I can do without.
ReplyDeleteI would grab my nook! And my hard copies if HP, my Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens books, Sookie and Shiver and Linger.
ReplyDeletescriptures, and all the books in MY closet...Thats it.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap- I'm glad you're okay!
ReplyDeleteI would grab my Kindle, and honestly? All of my other books could go, except for four books- copies of Dune and Catch 22 that my dad gave me that were his originally, my ancient copy of the original Winnie the Pooh stories (that one might be safe at my parents' house) and this collection of Greek mythology that I love but haven't been able to find anywhere else. All my other titles could be replaced, either in print or ebook form, which is kind of weird to think about, considering how much I love my books. Great question though!
As a so cali resident, I was in your shoes in Oct of 03. the fire was literally just up the hill from our home and my parents visiting from N.Y. were horrified. My dad said this place is Sodom and Gomorrah you gotta get outta here! The heli's were dumping water like crazy and hubs said, should we pack up, I said nope don't feel like it. Thank goodness we didn't have to, but all my pics are in rubbermaid totes and that's what I'd take. I think if I started to grab books the hubs would literally kill me.
ReplyDeletePaula
Tomes Devotee
So glad that you and yours are all okay!
ReplyDeleteTough question on what books I would grab if I only had 5 minutes. Don't know if DH would even give me that long, but think I would try and grab my signed copies and TBR books. Hope I'm never in that situation though! :o
My house did catch fire, and the firefighters told me to get out of the house. I'd made sure my visiting grandparents were safe as well as my dog. I grabbed my other pair of glasses, my key ring, and my wallet/checkbook. That's it. I was totally focused on my loved ones and honestly didn't think about books. As I stood across the street and watched my house burn, I had two twinges: (1) that there was a very real possibility that I'd be clothes shopping wearing a purple robe, and (2) for a couple of the books I could be losing. But would I do things any differently? No. When your house is on fire, it's the living that matter. No matter how much I love them, books are expendable.
ReplyDeleteYipes! I'd probably grab almost all of my books if possible. I can pack pretty fast! I would want my Kelley Armstrong collection, my Kim Harrison collection, my Rachel Vincent books, Maria Snyder's books, Richelle Mead's, Melissa Marr's, Maggie Stiefvater's...really almost all my books!
ReplyDeleteI have quite a few signed ones too that I would be devastated to lose, especially ones that I know I got early, ones from Vicki Pettersson, Jocelynn Drake, my anthology collections as well because those are signed too!
I'll already have boxes/bags ready and waiting, so it will be time to fill em up! I already do such things when I know there's a tornado warning and we have to go downstairs and I live upstairs! Can't lose my babies! :)
@A Simple Love of Reading - I got anxiety just thinking about it too. As for being methodical about my choices, it did help that we weren't on a time crunch. We were never ordered to evac, we were just preparing it case we did. So having the time to get the "extra" was a luxury most people don't have. I think I should re-arrange my shelves in order of "fire evac" priority! LOL Though I do like your idea and the simplicity of just swiping my arm across the shelves! LOL
ReplyDelete@Vampires and Tofu - LOL!!! Now why didn't I think of getting the hubs to carry out the entire bookcase?!! Great idea! I need to get a dolly. Dang, you have books all over the place. Running back and forth and all over the place would use up some of those minutes! I think the BF and dolly plan is the best option. I'm lucky in the sense that I only have 2 bookcases and they're both in my bedroom.
@Natalie - You cracked me up! What kind of flowers shall I send?
@Jackie B - Oh honey, that must have been terrifying! Did your house survive the fire? Did you end up having to evacuate? I can't imagine losing everything. There are people out there (not in the particular fire by my house but in other fires) that aren't given a chance to grab anything. It's heartbreaking. I hope your house survived.
@Fiction Vixen - Don't think I'm letting you off the hook! You better answer the "hot seat" question!
@Helen - I remember those Santa Barbara fires!! I'm glad your house was okay! I think my husband was in denial too. He was freakin' washing dishes while I was packing! I was like WTF?!! And I did take my Kindle too :)
@Jennie - I think I grabbed my Kindle before any of the books. Sadly, the 2 HP books that I have (the last 2) would have burnt to a crisp.
@Julie - Oooh, what books are in the closet? I like your simple plan of action!
@Emily - I like your simple plan of action too! I did grab my ancient copy of Winnie the Pooh too along with some other ancient books. I think if I were pressed for time and only had 5 minutes, I'd grab all my signed copies and as much from my TBR pile as possible. It would be hard to let go of books that I hadn't had a chance to read yet.
@luv46kdz - LOL!!! I'm glad everything was okay for you in '03. I know it's no laughing matter while you're in the situation. I think I need to put all of our pictures in a rubbermaid bin. We have boxes upon boxes of pictures and it's a hassle to grab them all. That would slow us down terribly if we were to have been forced to evacuate.
@Alexia561 - You and I are on the same page (pun not intended). If I had had a time crunch, I would have grabbed my signed copies and as much of my TBR pile as possible.
@Cathy - Wow, I am so sorry that you lost your home. It sounds like you didn't have a chance to grabbed anything at all. I can't imagine losing sentimental possessions. And you're right, it's the living that matters. At the end of the day, everything else is replaceable.
@Jessica - You live in tornado town? That freaks me out. I can handle earthquakes but tornardo would make me cry like a baby.
I'm glad everything worked out for you, fires can be scary.
ReplyDeleteAs far as what I would grab, it would have to be all my Agatha Christie books, all my Mercedes Lackey books, The Thief of Always by Clive Barker, and a few other books I can never live without. Plus anthing that is signed.
I'm so glad you, your home, and your books are okay! We'd been watching the fire on the news (I'm in San Bernardino area).
ReplyDeleteWe had this scenario back when the Hondo Valley Fire hit in 2003. :) Sooo... of course I grabbed the dogs, my laptop, and my pictures. The back of the truck was filled up with a box of books. Now, I'd include:
Twilight Series, Hush/Hush, my antique (1800's) Romance novels, all my Edgar Allen Poe books, Stephen King Books and every book that was given to me by my BFF Lynsey. :) (That would be a tall order!)
Glad you are okay! We almost had a fire at my house a few weeks ago. My first thought was saving my cat, then my cabbage patch, third my laptop and then trying to find a way to haul all my books outside before they were turned to ash.
ReplyDeleteWho needs clothes?
Wow, not much more to say :0( This is exactly how I feel every summer when we pack up and evacuate for hurricanes!!! I completely understand your panic... my hubby doesn't even look at what I pack anymore, lol... I go straight to Barnes and Noble when I think we might have to leave... so nuts to add more to the panic pile of books :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post idea! I have no idea how I would choose. I would start with my Bibles and go from there...
ReplyDelete