Good Reads 01 // Why do you love books so much?

One thing that not many people know about me is that I love books. When I pick up a good book you can bet that you'll find me with my nose buried deep in that story for days until I finish. I can't tell you how many times Jack has come home expecting dinner and a clean apartment to find me snuggled up with a book with my eyes wide with excitement and the apartment in complete disarray.

However, it's not just the stories that drive my love for books. In college when I moved into my first real apartment the one thing I wanted more than anything was a bookshelf in our living room. Of course, my five other roommates were more concerned about throwing parties than displaying pretty books, so they filled my ideal bookshelf spot with a ficus plant (which we might have stolen from a neighboring apartment complex and which we might have named Ziggy because we thought his leaves looked like dreads) because it create a more "welcoming party atmosphere." The next year when I graduated college and moved back into my childhood room, the first thing I did was buy an extra large bookshelf to proudly and properly display my collection of favorite books. And you can bet that every nook and cranny in our tiny apartment now is filled with books (but really, I might have an issue with collecting books...) I've just always loved the feel of having a real book in my hand- the soft, worn paper between my fingers; the dark, contrasting ink against the faded cream paper- and I love that excited jolt of anticipation every time I pick up a book and realize that I'm that much closer to uncovering the answers that have been building up throughout the entire story. I've tried to use a Kindle and iPad, but I just can't get that into a story as well when I can't feel the weight of the pages and feel of the book in my hands. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but to be honest I fall in love with stories because of the whole package- from the intricately woven tales created from someones imagination to the details of the binding of the book- be it frayed and broken or brand new and un-cracked- and I feel like these pieces as a whole display the personality of the story and set the expectations for the adventure ahead.

All this to say I think I've found my favorite book yet, which is also the source for the title of this post (it's the name of the chapter I'm currently reading... as if I couldn't be more obsessed with the book, it also has awesome thought provoking chapter titles like this). I've been in a book slump recently and have been feeling a sort of withdrawal from the imaginary world, but Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan has completely filled that void. Based in modern day San Francisco (which makes it even more exciting), the story mixes modern day technology, the love of old books, and the charm and wit of a very relateable, early twenties, nerdy yet very cool guys named Clay. I'm only 100 pages in, but I already have a huge crush Clay and I'm completely intrigued by where the story is going. To give you a little teaser, Clay was recently fired from his job at a start up and desperately gets a job at a slightly creepy bookstore on Broadway. The store is infrequently visited by a few old, erratic bookworms who borrow books filled with code and Clay is currently the brink of discovering what they're doing with those books and...that's it, I'm not revealing any more! The book challenges the reader to think about the role of technology in today's society and the affect it's having on the written word- between having everything at your fingertips and the ability to shortcut tasks, to the required dedication and hard work to decipher and interpret books and the reward and feeling accomplishment when finishing them. For a book lover like me, I can't wait to see where this story goes and you can bet I'll be sharing a full book review once I'm finished (which will most likely be tomorrow since I can't put it down)!

Have you read Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore? I'd love to get your input and hear your thoughts! Also, if you have any recommendations for books I should read send them my way.  I'm always looking for a new good story or author to dive into and love recommendations!