The bookstore is easily one of the greatest establishments that I can never possibly be without, or try to replace. I can replicate the physical bank with my online banking account, the post office of old is being driven out by the email address, and I can receive a PhD online without ever having set foot in a classroom. The bookstore is that one place where I can always find an adventure, compelling information, and a nice cup of coffee. People have said to me: "Why don't you go to a library?", but my answer is that the bookstore is so incredibly different from a library and that the two can barely even compare. At libraries one is susceptible to rules concerning voice level and eating habits, dust within old volumes that will clog even the most powerful air filter, and a cataloging system in drastic need of anarchistic reform. At a bookstore, one can bypass these limitations and health hazards, and explore an ever changing world of mystery and wonder.
Although I am partial to small businesses, one particular bookstore has always tickled my fancy, and that is Barnes & Noble, especially one such branch in my neighborhood. At this branch the friendly employees don't mind if you sit and read all day long (trust me I have on a rainy day), there is a nice little Starbucks in one corner where they make my cappuccinos just how I like them (bone dry), and there are two floors filled with shelves stacked with a gargantuan amount of knowledge that would take years for my human mind to possibly comprehend. My favorite sections are the New Nonfiction section, where I can find many ideas to explore and gripe about in every life and this blog, and the Graphic Novel section, where I can easily read the expensive works in a short while without being forced to pay the exorbitant price.
Besides the books, these breathtaking and mystifying caverns of prized oracles possess scores of titles of magazines ranging through all interests, from the informative (such as TIME) to the freakish (such as American Taxidermist). Once I realized that I could sit and read magazines I rejoiced that I no longer had to make appointments at free clinics just to catch up on the times (no pun intended). My favorite stopping points in the queue are based in the works of the news (which being a student makes it incredibly difficult to keep up with), the political and economic climate (for I need to know if I will one day have a paying job in order to remain sane), upcoming consumer technologies (I'm a die-hard nerd), and fitness and health magazines (again, I'm in college and I maintain a rather unhealthy lifestyle). My girlfriend and I will grab stacks of magazines and then plant ourselves in various locations throughout God's gift to the world and save countless dollars on all the magazines that we would have bought if we had the money or the lack of sense to go out and read these for free. Nevertheless, we do spend a significant chunk of change at the Starbucks, as in order to survive our expeditions we must refuel with coffee drinks and pastries.
I hope that you all have similar love affairs with these glorified libraries, where one may read, eat, drink, and save money. If you have not yet escaped the treacherous landscape of the library I hope that you will be able to direct yourself to the nearest bookstore and one day achieve salvation; I hope that if you have had similar experiences with bookstores you will use my word samesicle.
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