Sep
Certainties of Books
I’m hard at work on book #3 in the Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series. But I need a little help from all of you.
As you know, my main character (Tori) is a librarian. Now, without going into too much detail, Tori’s beloved library (and thus the books it houses) suffers some damage. She–as any die hard booklover can understand–is crushed. Absolutely Crushed.
While a eulogy is a bit of a stretch in this situation (and certainly not the route I’m going), the loss of books certainly could elicit some feelings of nostalgia for someone who has used them as a focal point for her career. Which is where you all come in…
What do you see as some “certainties” about books? For me, it’s the fact that books can take a reader to places they may never visit otherwise.
Your turn… The more, the better.
~Elizabeth
P.S. I’ve just posted a challenge of sorts for those of you who have already read SEW DEADLY. Click on the “latest news” tab at the top of your page to check it out (psst…there’s a chance to win a prize)!
September 6th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I read to escape, to educate myself, for relaxation, for exposure to different cultures, places and adventures. Reading a book lets my imagination roam.
September 6th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Books are almost magical….they allow you to be somewhere or someone else for awhile. They inspire new ideas and different ways to think about old ideas….and they tend to leave you feeling happy, less stressed and/or motivated, creative and encouraged
September 6th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Hmm, you could also say that we “visit” places in the human mind we would never go otherwise, too, Laura. For instance, those of us who enjoy murder mysteries are generally not likely to either commit a murder or solve one, but we get to experience both of those events vicariously, through characters that you and other authors bring so vividly to life. All fiction has the potential to transport the reader into another realm, in a similar way.
Books in a library, though, are more likely to be nonfiction than fiction, since less than 10% of the books published are fiction (I know!). So some of the certainties about libraries are likely to be that one can find out almost anything from a book, sometimes one that was written many hundreds of years before we were born. It’s one of the coolest things ever, that the written word has preserved all the body of knowledge we humans have amassed, and continues to do so, even as we collect more knowledge. How amazingly powerful is that?
September 7th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Unfortunately, that very thing happened in Louisville, Ky., last month. A storm flooded the library, and thousands of books were lost. As was their bookmobile, HVAC system, and thousands of dollars in new computers, if memory serves.
I saw pictures of books in the water, and it put a lump in my throat. I felt a keen sense of loss, almost as if the library were our own. No, as you say, no eulogy. But certainly mourning.
I image the newspaper message boards and community blogs from last month have a lot of raw emotion in them. Might be worth a look.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:40 am
I’m not sure of how to explain these things, but for me, it’s not only the memory of the story that makes an impression. While I can (and usually am) transported elsewhere because of the story, in many cases, what’s going on at the time I’m reading a book, both external events and internal feelings, sometimes plays a big part in how I perceive that book. I can still remember the where I was and how I felt when I was reading The Hobbit for the first time, for example. It (and many other books) has had an impact on me that is singular to the ideas and meanings that can be compared with other readers. We can share many things that make the book special and important to us, but each of us, to varying degrees, also brings to that story the places and times we were in and who we were when it was read. The enjoyment of a book can change if we read it again in a different time and place because we’re different people, and that’s a certainty that I find incredibly cool.
I also know that for me, the smell of many books in a room/library, can fill me with feelings that no other smell can do. When I was in 7th grade, I dreamed about living in the school library. I felt very much at peace and in control when I was in there, and the smell was the biggest part of its ability to take me to that place of happiness.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Kate,
Yes! Absolutely! Everything you said, and just the way you said it! Awesome.
September 9th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
I read for different reasons. Sometimes to learn, sometimes to escape and sometimes for inspiration. But, it always brings joy (that is my certainty)! Very few things make me happier, than being safe, cozy and reading!
September 10th, 2009 at 12:33 am
These are all so good! Thank you! Very cool observation, Kate. What a neat essay that would make for a book publication.
And I like the notion of books bringing joy. Because you’re right, Leigh…even if it’s a sad story…the act of taking some time…allowing yourself the opportunity to experience something else for even a little while IS joyful. Great!
Dru and Nikki, I get you exactly! The escape, the magic. All of it.
Great tip in the Louisville library, Joe!
Karen, your comment about visiting a different part of your mind is dead-on. I guess those places are safer when we use a book to transport us there. Great!
September 10th, 2009 at 8:10 am
As a child, I needed somwhere comforting to go. The library was my esape. The bean bag chairs in the basement and the warm greeting from the librarian made me feel accepted. As a teenager, books taught me so many things. As a teacher, I used books not only for reading skills, but to show children how life can be different for them. Now as a writer, I love buying someone elses thoughts and words. I know you can check out books at the library or buy used books, but to me a trip to the bookstore to choose some new books is the pinnacle of purchases.