Saturday, December 10, 2011

Book stores





Recently I was in a book store shopping for a Christmas Present for a roommate. I ended up spending a long time there. I realized that I am usually only in bookstores when I am staying with my grandparents. As such I have related book stores with puppies, embroidery, bead stores, hot cocoa, cousins and other things that are essentially comforting and only available when I escape life for a bit and go to Colorado.
But then I realized it was more than that. The more I read the summaries on the jackets or the more I just looked at titles I realized that books are just so great. Ironically that is why I became English major, but somehow I forgot that along the way. I do believe it is because certain things like plot and characters take back seat to getting a proper “analysis” of a work. But I can’t blame my professors for this (at least not completely) . It’s just what happened to me over the last few years.
But as I pulled book after book off the shelf they all said wonderfully different things. One would say: “You’re job is full of useless stress, want to solve a murder? At least that is a worthwhile kind of stress.” Another would say “Romance isn’t always bad. Sure it can be a little distracting when going undercover in occupied Paris. But what kind of woman can’t seduce a Nazi and lose her mind to a British spy at the same time?” Another would say “Remember me? You read me last summer, you said you loved me, but now I doubt you could even name all of my characters off the top of your head.”
Finally I realized that book stores are wonderful firstly because they remind me of my grandparents. But secondly because they are full of books. Books can teach you so many beautiful things. But that day they all reminded me that where I was—in a useless job and still stuck in school and broke—wasn’t the end. Thos books reminded me that in life no matter what is currently going on the future possibilities are endless.