Books, Books, More Books

I was in a bookstore today and I enjoyed my time there very much.  It seemed at that point that I was fuelled by enthusiasm and not excess caffeine.  The excess caffeine came later.  Anyways, I walked around and found several books that I may want to read.  I felt hungry for them.  It was exciting.

I love books and reading and bookstores and today I wondered exactly what that means.  Sure, some people would probably just enjoy the experience, maybe buy a book or two and leave.  Not me.  But the question that I ask when someone loves books is "What is it that we really love?"  It's not that I love only one kind of book - I like fiction, memoirs, local history, writing and other genres.  Is there a common thread?  Is it the visual element of books, or is it words, knowledge, escape, learning?  Maybe different books offer us different thrills.  (Am I a total geek if I find books thrilling?  Hmm.)  But it still seems strange to me that if something is in book form (and e-books are fine with me too), I feel it has something to offer.

I suspose it's not really worth questioning this love.  It's one I share with many other people and since reading is a hobby that's not dangerous to others or self-destructive, I should enjoy it and stop thinking so much.  I'm so glad there are books, book reviews and bookstores.  Now if I could just finish reading the many books I have on the go, I might let myself buy a new book or two.  Here's to being immersed in books and loving it!

JAHD