Thanks to the internet, I am increasing the number of books I read. Through the internet, and the people on it, I have been directed to authors and characters that are most likely the sorts that I enjoy reading most.
Because I have particular tastes and limited reading time, I've always had trouble selecting books, both from the library and the bookstore.
But, now I have a nice list of books and authors to read next.
The problem then becomes how to actually get those dead trees into my hands. (I'm still a dead-tree reader-- partly because I don't have enough of those special green strips of paper.) While the library is lovely, and cost efficient, it does have an unfortunate shortage of books by smaller presses and lesser known authors.
So, with those precious and wonderful books by small presses and lesser-known authors have to be purchased with the few dollars I have. Unfortunately, those same books are often more expensive than their large press counterparts. (Curses!)
I used to order them from Amazon. There's something delightful about a box of books arriving on the doorstep. And I admit falling prey many, many times to the oh, just one more book so I get free shipping! Yeah...
But, now that I'm back in town, returned from my exile, I'm only a mere five minutes to Borders. A baby Borders, not a full grown one, but still a BOOKSTORE and a Michigan-based company, for now. I learned something nice about ordering books through a store like Borders. You don't have to buy them until you try to take them out of the store. This is even better than books in a box, because I have the opportunity to learn more about the book. More than Amazon's random pages.
Plus it gives me an excuse (like I needed one!) to pay a visit to Borders and breath in that lovely scent of books. Am I the only one who finds the scent of bookstores euphoric? All those books... just waiting to be taken home. (Libraries are pretty good, but some of their books are musty.)
(Oh, the local bookstore we used to have on the shore of the mill pond, sadly, closed down when Borders moved in. Which is a tragedy really.)
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2 comments:
I prefer a paper book to an e-book, and when the paper is new it does have a unique smell to it.
In Toronto, Indigo bookstores are known to provide chairs for people to sit and read their books. I have done the same, often ending up purchasing the book I get half-way through.
Borders may be a big chain, but it's our big chain and I don't want to go back to Waldens and Daltons.
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