"I may want to read it again one day" is the reason why my husband keeps every book he reads. Over 25 years most of them, never opened again after the first reading, have accumulated in our cellar. One day, however, thinking he'd never notice their absence, I donated most of them to a charity book sale. As I stood admiring the empty cellar, I heard Frank call to me, "I'm home early so I can get to the book sale before it closes."

While he was gone, I prepared for the worst. But when he arrived home empty-handed, I asked him if there had been any books that interested him.

"Yes, there were lots of good ones," he replied, "but I've got them all,"

Vocabulary Practice

Mark the best choice.

1. To 'accumulate' here means to ___.
a. become more
b. sell something
c. read a book
d. become useless

2. 'Cellar' is ___.
• a room in a hotel
• an underground room
• a very large building
• a big shelf for books

3. To '___' means to make a gift of something, especially for a good purpose.
• admire
• call to
• donate
• notice

4. 'Charity' means ___.
• some books which are no longer needed
• help for people who are poor or in trouble
• an organization for selling books
• a group of people living together

Questions for Discussion
1. Does Frank have the good books now? Where are they?
2. Do you think it is a good idea to keep the books after reading them? Discuss.
3. What do you think Frank will do when he understands what has happened?

Activity
1. Now you tell your friend(s) the story in your own words.

Miscellany
A quotable quote:
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.
Edison