Never Underestimate The Influence Of Books
Last Updated on August 19, 2024 by Ingrid
Needless to say, I love books and everything related to them: libraries, antique book shops, hard copy books, Kindles, and my iBooks. I always walk out of a bookshop with at least one book. I end up with piles of unread (some barely started) books on my nightstand, but I just can’t help myself. What can I say? I am under the influence of books.
Some girls are crazy about shoes or gadgets. I feel the same about books. There is this urge to get them all and submerge into their wonderful world. They allow me to dream with my eyes wide open and feel like the characters do.
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Never Underestimate the Influence of Books
I had felt this way since I was little. In those days, I used to have a favorite library on the corner where my grandparents lived. Whenever we passed it, I had to enter.
If I close my eyes now, the specific smell of the crowded place fills my nostrils.
It was a tiny place with rows upon rows of books. Their shiny covers begged me to take them home, promising a journey to a different world.
Few passions have lasted as long and remained so vivid and true. To this day, books are one of my main passions, apart from traveling. Actually, the two are connected.
Books and Traveling
In my mind, I associate places with books and books with places.
For example, some years ago, I found Pamuk’s “My Name is Red” with its beautiful cover in an antique bookshop in London. I instantly bought it, though it was large and heavy and I only had a handbag.
Or Hanif Kureishi’s “The Buddha of Suburbia,” the novel that accompanied me to the beaches of Corfu.
“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe helped me discover Nigerian culture and history during my vacation on Africa’s opposite coast.
At the same time, I carried an Italian copy of “Eat, Pray, Love” around Rome during my time there.
I read “The Dalai Lama’s Cat” at the airport while waiting for my friend’s arrival.
Mukesh Kapila’s biography about Darfur also reminds me of planes. I left my copy on the plane returning from Vietnam, so I had to buy another one just to read the final chapter.
Books and Fond Memories
And then there are all the books I carried home when I returned from my Erasmus in Italy. I had a huge luggage that I could not move by myself because of everything I had stuffed in there, especially books.
There were books I had read before but also wanted to have in Italian, books I was introduced to while there, and books I was planning to read. Every time I went back to Italy, I made sure to make time to buy at least a new one and add it to my shelf of “international conquests.”
Also related, there are the places that facilitate my access to them, and if you ever find yourself in Bucharest and are as fascinated as I am, don’t miss out on this incredible place. You won’t regret it, I promise!
The worst part is that, like all of us, you will waste a lot of time getting lost on the shelves and taking pictures.
Thank you! Your kind words make me so happy 🙂
Terrific article! Books are like great friends, it’s always good to have a constant variety around you.
Books are such a comfort, you can always turn to them and find what you need. Beautiful post!