It is clear that the books owned the shop rather than the other way about. Everywhere they had run wild and taken possession of their habitat, breeding and multiplying, and clearly lacking any strong hand to keep them down.
- Agatha Christie
Every time I go to Oxford, I browse bookshops, countless bookshops, sometimes a few times. Old bookshops have stacks of books piled high in every nook. Shelves full, and overflowing. I am always inspired by the books I find, to read books by authors I love, and also to venture out to new genres and authors. This, of course, means I tend to buy a lot of books, which leads to a very packed and heavy luggage, but it is so worth it.
Do I need to buy every book there? No, I could scour the internet and find it on Amazon, which I do sometimes. When I buy at used bookstores, there is no delay in the purchase, for that book may not be there tomorrow. If it's a new book (at Blackwell's for instance) I might wait and put it on my "to order later" list, but I always end up buying a good armful because that is supporting the local bookshop that has been family owned and is a source for so much good, inspiring reading for Oxford and beyond. I will gladly support that.
I will also gladly support the Oxford Literary Festival. We caught the last four days of the festival this time, and I had booked two talks to attend (with authors about their books), which were so enjoyable, and we stopped in to listen to a few more talks in the festival marquee. I browsed books by the 350+ authors in attendance for the festival. I grabbed inspiration from tables filled with classics, or modern books that I should read. I overheard other folks talking about a book or an author's talk they just attended. I know I am surrounded by bookworms and authors when I am there and it's inspiring.
No comments:
Post a Comment