Book Lovers Unite!

　
The Kindel is an electronic book and/or portable reading device that is able to download electronic books, magazines and other types of reading material. It uses an electronic paper reading display that replicates the view and text of a real book page. It comes in several different styles and several other companies also make a similar product. Although the Kindel, eBook and iPad devices are high priced, the actual book download is much cheaper than the physical book. So, ultimately if you are a frequent reader, you’ll make your money back eventually. With that said, it is still not for me. In my opinion, electronic book is a contradictory term. I love books. I love the smell of the paper and being able to dog - ear the pages that I want to go back to later. Should I come across a word I don’t know while reading, I will underline it, look up the definition and write it in the margin. I have actually had friends and family thank me for this when they have borrowed a book of mine to read. Until last November, the best part of my week was visiting a little used book store just a few miles from my home. The Store was called Book Box.
A Cow bell on the door, that is painted like a cow, chimes as I enter Book Box, a small used book store and one of my favorite places. The familiar smell of must and old paper is comforting, so I take in a deep breath. I deposit my books for donation in the designated basket marked “Thanks for Recycling“. Penny, the shop owner and only employee I have ever seen here, is in her usual spot behind the counter in her rocking chair working on a knitting or crochet project. Usually when I come to the shop she is reading. I always ask her about her book and every time she amazes me with a detailed description and her love for books is evident. Many times I have picked up a copy of what ever book she is reading because she has intrigued me. I have guessed that Penny must be in her late sixties and her accent tells me she is German. Although she is a short stout woman, she looks delicate. Her face is soft with kind eyes and flawless skin. I have been in this place dozens of times over the years and she looks exactly the same, almost as if she is preserved here. I imagine she doesn’t age because she spends so much of her time lost in books not living her own life, but the life of the characters within those stories. How amazing it would be if that were true.
“Good afternoon dear. Looking for anything special?” She recites.
“Yes thank-you, I am looking for something totally different today. I want a really sappy romance novel.”
With a sly smile she calls me “Cheeky” and points me to the left.
Book Box is more like a comfy old library then a store. It’s a pretty small place and decorated like a grandmothers house. Complete with a hand made sea shell wind chime hanging near the window with a yellow and blue bird print curtain. In the center of the room is a seventies style throw rug with hideous orange flowers trimmed in brown. The green from the leaves and flower stems is the color of pea soup. It is absolutely the ugliest rug I have ever seen, yet it fits perfectly here. Placed atop the rug are four high back chairs all of various colors. Two by Two facing each other and in between the chairs are antique end tables. The end tables are covered in lace cloth with a box of tissue and bowl of peppermints on each. A collection of mismatched book cases align the walls and there are long tables in front of those with stacks of unorganized books. In front of one of the higher shelves is a little wooden stool with “Stand up to be Tall : Sit down to be Small” painted on it. There is just the right amount of every genre of book here. From biographies to Sci-fi and even a small collection of children’s books on a little wooden shelf with a matching rocker. After I have perused the romance section and pulled a couple of books off the shelf, I settle into my favorite chair to examine them more closely. My favorite chair is big and red with very faint brown stripes. The cushion is warn and every time I sit down in it, I feel like I am being hugged. The butt indention, that probably took many years and I don’t want to think about how many butts to make, seems to be molded perfectly to me. As I am being hugged in the red chair reading book jackets, Penny offers me coffee or tea. She is so sweet. I feel at home here, safe and like time doesn’t really exist. This little hole in the wall shop is cheerfully eclectic and although, its visually stimulating, I often get lost in my thoughts when I visit. Here I am surround by millions of thought out words in all different styles of writing. I think about the minds who wrote them and the feeling put in them. I am inspired by the imagination, frustration, love, hate, fear and pride that went into the composition of each book. I often spend hours skimming pages with admiration as Penny silently sits in her rocker.
Last November Penny passed away and the store closed down. I no longer get my weekly fix of sniffing old books and Penny‘s interesting insights, however, I will carry the feeling with me for the rest of my life. I am a true book lover and although we are fast approaching a totally digital society in this one category, I choose not to move forward. I will not be clicking the “Like” button for Kindel.