As a writer, I naturally love books. New books. Old books. Big books, small. Ebooks, paperbacks--I love them all. I love to read books. I enjoy writing them. I love to buy books, borrow books and trade them back and forth. Books make excellent gifts, both to receive and give away.
I love the smell of a new book, and the way the crisp pages rustle when I turn them. The smell of an old book is even better, and the way the worn pages feel between my fingers—fragile and soft. I like to think about the people who read the book before me. Was this one of their favorites? Is that why it's so dog-eared? Or was the book owned by many different people? Moving from reader to reader, from place to place. Who bought it and when? And I'm always in awe thinking about the authors who actually wrote the older books, back in the day before computers. It boggles the mind.
Not only do I love books, I love bookstores, too. New bookstores, used bookstores and how about libraries? Oh yeah. Aisles and aisles of books. Shelves upon shelves of countless books. All ready to be picked up and read. Pored over and studied. Savored and enjoyed.
Books not only give me reading and writing pleasure, they give me esthetic pleasure, too. I love to decorate with books. In my opinion, a room without books is a cold, unfriendly place. Almost every room in my house holds bookshelves full of books. I have small groupings of books decoratively placed under lamps, on table tops and even on the floor. Books not only hold the promise of wonderful stories between their covers, they beckon me with their warmth, inviting me to sit down and make myself comfortable.
I love to be surrounded by books. My keeper shelf holds old favorites, and I continually add new finds. When I'm down and feeling blue, I rely on my "comfort" reads to help pull me through. Old books are like old friends. They're always there when you need them.
I can't imagine my life without books. I have a t-shirt with the slogan: So many books . . . So little time. So true.
Happy Reading and Writing!!!
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