I live
down the street from a public
library. Everyone there
knows my name, and my preference in
books. The thing is, I don’t like
libraries. I mean, they’re perfectly good if I need to do research or need a place to go where there is quiet, but if I want to
read a book I’m going to go out and
buy it. The words just seem to mean more when I’ve bought the
book. I know that the words are still the same wither
a trillion people have seen them, or if I’m the only one to lift them from that page. The
words are the same if I get the book from a library or I get it from the book store, but they seem all the more
beautiful when I know that if I ever want to leaf through the pages again, it will always be
within my reach, on the
bookshelf only a few feet away. I like knowing that every person who has leafed through my copy of a
novel has appreciated it. My
books aren’t meant to be
read by a student hurrying to finish before a test. My
books are meant to be
devoured and
worshiped. They are meant to be appreciated as the
artistic masterpieces they are.
I know I can get my words for free at the library only a few blocks away. And when I do go to the library I will be greeted by name. But, to me, the words are worth so much more than that.
Building up my own personal bookself makes me feel like an intellectual. Reading the books that are housed upon the simple wooden shelf transport me to extraordinary minds. With a flip of a page I'm being seduced by a young nymphet or falling down the endless rabbit hole.
If you’re not sure that you’ll like a book, don’t go to your local bookstore first. Find out a little about the author, or check out the book at the library before you buy. You wouldn’t purchase a piece of art with out viewing it first, treat your books like you would treat a piece of artwork.