The Joy of Visiting a Bookstore

It’s self-care.

There it is. I see it! The glow of the lights of the local Barnes & Noble that are so warm and inviting, waiting to embrace me for a spell.

I park my car. It’s after dark, but this is a great time to visit. It seems less crowded. Yes, crowds do make me anxious, but book lovers are my kind of people. 

My heart flutters with anticipation as I walk to the entrance. I pull the heavy door and let myself in. 

SNNNIIIIIIIFFFFFFF. 

I need a moment to take in the intoxicating aromas of the store before I finally exhale: the general background notes of coffee from Starbucks, and the comforting smell of books, with their goodness of paper, ink, glue, and cardboard. 

(The library smells almost as delicious, minus the enticing perfume of coffee.) 

I take in the sights. Shiny, colorful, new books are on display in all of their beauty, with the latest releases and bestsellers prominently featured. I briefly fantasize that a title I’ve penned myself is on display among those one day. There are also gifts to be perused, magazines to fondle, and seating to be found. 

I take in the sounds. The subtle music in the background. The steady roll of the mechanics of the escalators. Quiet conversations. The gentle flip of the turn of pages under scrutiny. The exchanges at the cash registers. 

When my children were little, we took advantage of kids’ story time here, and they loved playing with the Thomas the Train. It was a refuge; a safe place for the kids to burn off some steam. And it was another way to expose my kids to literature. 

I suppose I inherited this love of bookstores from my parents, both of whom were avid readers. My dad never passed an opportunity to shop in one.

The fancy bookstores are mainly for looking, though. I rarely buy from here, unless it’s a book I simply must have right then or if it’s a gift. (I made exceptions for my kids, especially during their younger years.)

Used bookstores are where the real magic happens, though. 

This includes big chains like 2nd & Charles, where my young adult daughters and I can spend hours in the stacks. I usually come in with a list of titles on my wish list, and if my first search on foot comes up empty, I then bug someone at their service desk to check their inventory to see if any are in stock. I know this makes me one of their favorite customers! (Note my sarcasm…)

But, hey, one of their associates was kind enough to dive deep into the labyrinth of stacks with me in search of a coveted title confirmed to be in stock by their computer. If you’ve ever been to a 2nd & Charles location, you know that their inventory is so massive that it’s impossible to keep their collection super organized.

And we did find that book. That associate was a true hero.

Generally, gently used titles here cost well below retail. It’s well worth the time to browse.  

Other fun items here are used and new vinyl, CDs, DVDs, gifts, t-shirts, used toys and games, and stuffed animals. They also have a pretty wicked collection of oddities to tempt you while waiting to buy your treasures. It’s the adult version of the candy aisle. Their version of the smelly candle and noisy dog toy last-minute grab chute to funnel shoppers to the register like at TJ Maxx. 

What else can you find here? Really old books. Like first editions locked behind glass. Volumes that are so aged that each legit has its own story to tell beyond the pages they hold. 

Of course, I also love thrifting books. An aggressive hunter and gatherer of books that go in the category of “will read one day,” I try to snatch up as many interesting $1 paperbacks as I can. The thrift stores near colleges are ripe with textbooks that the bookstore wouldn’t take back, creating an opportunity to pick up some very interesting material. 

I picked up Phyllis Schlalfly’s book this way. (A bit of history here: she spearheaded the anti-ERA movement.) It was essentially the outline of the Republican party’s agenda through the years. To say that it lacked substance would be an understatement. It’s a 15-minute read, at best.

It’s amazing, though, the books you can find. I guess some avid readers discard their books as soon as they’re done with them. They must be neat freaks, or very generous. Possibly both. 

I keep my books in my stacks as treasures forever, much to my clutter-hating husband’s disappointment. 

One of my most recent finds is a copy of Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I was going to wait until it came out in paperback, as its retail price is $32.50. But something told me to visit a particular thrift store, and there it was, ripe for the picking, for $3.98. I nearly fainted with excitement at my luck! Kingsolver deserved the Pulitzer Prize. 

It always amazes me how many copies of Going Rogue by Sarah Palin are available at the local Goodwill. There’s always at least one copy, if not several, sometimes all lined up together like a disheveled army of skanks. 

But other political surprises include Omarosa’s book, Unhinged. and The Room Where It Happened by John Bolton, both inside looks at the Trump white house. With hardbacks two for $4, it was worth the investment. Still sitting in a stack of books on the floor of my mini library, unread. I’ll get to them one day.

And I swear, some fundamentalist Christian groups “donate” books just to wreak havoc. Cheap copies of The Bible and titles like How to Be a Good Christian Wife or The Subservient Woman. Planted right next to the also ever-prevalent copies of the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy. Well-played, Goodwill employees. 

Since book banning is a serious problem where I live, I also love to pick up books off of my county’s no-no list. Call me a rebel, but these titles have got to be great for them to be banned. I’ve read many on the list already, confirming my suspicions, but now I’m on a mission to find them all. For personal research, of course. And to collect multiple copies of the juiciest ones to share.

My favorite bookstores, however, are the little mom-and-pop shops. Some have new books. Some have used books. Some have both. I have to buy something if I go. 

You know the type: a quaint little shop in an eclectic part of town that also has treasures like books by local authors, works from local artists for sale, and a resident cat. Because a great bookstore always has a cat!

There’s a little shop in Carytown in Richmond called Chop Suey that has recently changed owners (and names). Their cat retired. I don’t know if a new one has taken residence yet. Perhaps a visit is in order…

But I’m a fan of them all. Fancy and new, used mega bookstores, thrift stores, or mom-and-pop shops, each serves a purpose in the book lover’s universe. 

Before you ask me why I don’t just go to the library to check out books (and don’t get me wrong, I also LOVE the library), I adore my collection of books, all trophies to be treasured, some waiting to be read, others already consumed and a part of my soul.

To part with them would be like cutting loose beloved old friends. And that’s never fun. 

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Lead photo of a small bookstore courtesy of Pixels for WordPress.

We recently ditched cable, so reading has become my primary form of entertainment.

Do you love books as much as I do?  I’d love to hear about it!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.