People might tell you that reading is a way to hide from the world, and sometimes it can be, but in my experience, people who love books are also interested in myriad other things. They love music and movies and travel food and (gasp!) even television. As a friend of mine says, books make you a glutton for life. They show you how much there is to be experienced in the world. So let them do that. Let them make you curious. Let them make you hungry. Let them give you more questions than answers.”
Rebecca Schinsky’s 5 Reading Rules for Book Lovers of All Ages
Sometimes reading certain newspapers or watching certain news shows I acknowledge to myself that one of the main reasons I enjoy them is because they are pandering to my biases - political especially. There is nothing quite like having your views agreed with, celebrated and supported.
And so it is with this quote - it feels so good to be thought of so highly simply because I am person who loves books!
Don't we book lovers and readers just sound like the best, most interesting people in the world?!?!?
I think that for me, books have always been a way of exploring the world beyond my orbit; discovering lives unknown; and understanding multiple possibilities. They can make you curious and hungry for experiences.
Even tho my introvert nature means I need to sit quietly and read books; often preferring that to actually engaging or talking with people; it never feels as if reading is shrinking my world; it always feels as if it is expanding my world and my knowledge and my understanding. Reading has been with me every step of the way - books have shown me so many things, comforted me, explained ethical and social dilemmas to me; helped me understand different relationships and choices.
Reading often sparks off an interest in something new or something I never even knew about - music, movies, food, art, gardening...it's all there to kindle a flame in you.
We came across these drawers full of library cards in a university in Prague. We had to pull them out, and rifle through the cards, wondering what wonderful books they related to, if they still existed or if somebody had borrowed them...
Rebecca Schinsky’s 5 Reading Rules for Book Lovers of All Ages
Sometimes reading certain newspapers or watching certain news shows I acknowledge to myself that one of the main reasons I enjoy them is because they are pandering to my biases - political especially. There is nothing quite like having your views agreed with, celebrated and supported.
And so it is with this quote - it feels so good to be thought of so highly simply because I am person who loves books!
Don't we book lovers and readers just sound like the best, most interesting people in the world?!?!?
I think that for me, books have always been a way of exploring the world beyond my orbit; discovering lives unknown; and understanding multiple possibilities. They can make you curious and hungry for experiences.
Even tho my introvert nature means I need to sit quietly and read books; often preferring that to actually engaging or talking with people; it never feels as if reading is shrinking my world; it always feels as if it is expanding my world and my knowledge and my understanding. Reading has been with me every step of the way - books have shown me so many things, comforted me, explained ethical and social dilemmas to me; helped me understand different relationships and choices.
Reading often sparks off an interest in something new or something I never even knew about - music, movies, food, art, gardening...it's all there to kindle a flame in you.
We came across these drawers full of library cards in a university in Prague. We had to pull them out, and rifle through the cards, wondering what wonderful books they related to, if they still existed or if somebody had borrowed them...
As someone who also loves to read I love that quote!
ReplyDeleteReaders of the world unite Gina! It feels good doesn't it? Big smile and glad your enjoyed.
DeleteI so agree about books. With a book one is never alone.
ReplyDeleteThe best companions EVER Olga - I agree! If I have a book, I am rich and completely at ease...
DeleteI began my career typing cards for a library catalog ... remember going to a conference and hearing about a wonderful innovation called "hypertext" little knowing it would change the world as we know it ... but the cards, they were the original hypertext links in print form, the beginning of each journey to yet another book to read. Magical in their own humble way.
ReplyDeleteI love the way libraries and those cards are really just the original hypertext - they really really are - one thing leads to another and another...
DeleteI love books and libraries, and library cards and...
P.S. Such serendipity ... look at what is pictured in this blog post that I visited right after yours: http://ravenandsparrow.typepad.com/raven_and_sparrow/2015/03/help-for-the-weary.html
ReplyDeletemmmm a delicious looking set of drawers Liz - drawer envy from over here!
DeleteI so miss the card catalogs in our libraries. Computers are more efficient, but the cases of cards were the physical embodiment of the collection....all of those possibilities for enlargement that the library stood for as a whole. Plus, little drawers are just cool.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree about how wonderful little drawers are just for themselves Dana - I love them! I often think they we leant a little bit differently or feel different about what we learn when we do it by hand, and get that tactile input...yes the internet is amazing - having all that information at your fingertips, literally; but there was always such satisfaction at tracking down the right book after searching the cards and checking the numbers and all that entailed...go well.
DeleteI just want those card cabinets!.... oooo how sad I was when the local libraries moved to computer catalogues -- yes its great for finding things etc etc etc .... but there was something magical about rifling through a card catalogue.... *cue soundtrack 'memories'*
ReplyDeleteRonnie - there were CORRIDORS of them! There was the smell, and the whole rifling motion, the flicking, re-flicking, starting agin...and the absolute delight when you found it! Yes, we are fortunate to live in an era where we g**g*e it all, but I am so glad I got to use the library cards...
Deletei have had these exact thoughts, fiona. there's one other thing for introvert me, books are way less exhausting than the groups of people, so you can take the idea away and chew on it and figure it out, then return and finish the conversation. there's never time for that in conversations unless you really know the person and can leave for a while...
ReplyDeleteOh Velma - books fill me up, they don't exhaust me like gatherings of folk do. And I think you're right about the time to process, reflect and ponder: books let you do it in your own time; whereas folk often want you to reply while you're talking to them! ; ) Keep reading and pondering...
DeleteTraveling in books is so good.
ReplyDeleteThose drawers full of library cards brings back not so pleasant moments trying to find what I wanted on the shelves. I love poking around the bookshelves, but hated searching for something specific. I admit to being very much a fan of the new way to find books, I think I might have done better in certain areas of school with such speedy research!
I think I am feeling a bit nostalgic perhaps Valerianna - I am in constant awe of what is possible to discover in a few minutes sitting on the couch with a device of sorts...and I can appreciate the frustrations when things had been mis-filed! But I do think we need to keep 'our hand in' as they say, and maintain the muscle memory and tactile nature of working with them to embed information and memory, so I guess that's why I am a maker still! Go well.
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