Tuesday, December 22, 2009

A Treatise on A Love Affair

I have a confession to make.

I've been in a relationship for years and never told anyone.

A relationship with... shhh... books.

Oh books. I have so many, and so many more to buy!!
Books are such wonderful things. I love the smell, I love the feel of a fresh, new book in my hand, the anticipation of cracking it open to see what sort of jewels it holds inside. I love old books too- the history, the thought of "how many hands have turned these pages?" If books could talk, what sort of stories would they tell- no pun intended! Every time I buy a book, I fall in love all over again. You can easily see why Barnes and Noble is my favorite and most prefered bookseller. They have EVERYTHING, and if they don't, they will get it for you.
There is something to be said for the little booksellers too. The faint feeling of walking into history, of being in good literary company, surrounded by the masters. Ah books.


Me, I consume the written word, any kind. I'm a big fan of non-fiction, mindless fun fiction and the occassional classic. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is my favorite classic, La Cucina by Lily Prior is my favorite fiction, and History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage was such a fascinating non-fiction read, that I can't wait to read it again.

I'm reading a very interesting book right now called "The Man Who Loved Books Too Much" by Allison Hoover Bartlett. It is a true story about a man who is a book thief. Now before you go thinking "well that's a dumb thing to steal" or "man I can think of a million other things to steal", this man steals rare books from antiquarian book sellers and book dealers. These books are sometimes worth thousands of dollars, and according to Bartlett, book theft is far more prevalent than fine art theft.
In this book, Bartlett explores the idea of the many types of "book people". I am a bibliophile, meaning I love books but not so much so that I feel I can't live without owning them all. The other term Bartlett uses is "blibliomaniac", people who feel a compulsive need to possess, by any means necessary, books, both old and new.

Now, I know none of you are out there stealing books (or at least I hope not), so I am curious to hear your thoughts on this idea of "book lover".

Are you a book lover? What kinds of books?

Lovers come and go, beauty fades, love sometimes too, but a good book will always be steadfast and true.

So, fellow bibliophiles, what are your favorites? Don't be shy.

Bookishly yours,
Nay

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