As a child, books had always been an integral part of my world. Since I was little, I have been an enthusiast of bookstores and libraries, where I spent a lot of time looking through their shelves and was intrigued by the characters of stories. Being in the position of an adult now, this enthusiasm for books only continues to blossom. Although most of the reading material now is accessed from electronic books and sites, I still enjoy walking into an actual bookstore whenever I get this chance.
Let’s be honest: there is something extraordinary about entering a bookstore with books in all possible forms at the tips of your fingers. I cannot help but enjoy a long walk down the rows, examining varied books by their covers or titles. I cannot fail to mention the feeling of holding a newly bought book, opening the taut binding, and getting a breathtaking smell of freshness from neat and unread pages.
In addition to the marvelous enjoyment of being immersed in books, I also get enjoyment when encountering new authors and storylines every time I scan the shelves of a bookstore. Though web browsing offers a particular convenience when looking for something specific, I have discovered the absolute pleasure of reading in a bookstore, which was a pleasure of aimless wandering, not intending to buy anything. The chanced book you encounter sounds intriguing; you know that you feel some connection to it even though you have not read the first pages yet.
Indeed, the purchase of new books not only helps authors, publishers, booksellers, and the whole literary industry stay alive. On the one hand, I love getting cheap deals on secondhand books, but on the other hand, buying full-price new releases reminds me that I am helping to fund my future books by covering the creative creator’s legacies.
In the end, having a hard copy of a novel in my hands, which I recently bought, filled with new thoughts, characters, and journeys to go on, makes me feel excited and hopeful. Even with the rise of e-books and online book retailers, I’ll never get tired of walking into my local bookstore (or bookshop) and leaving with a few titles in my hand, looking forward to another escapade to yet another universe.
