The Beauty of Library Books

Much has been discussed recently about the nature of public libraries and their place in a society that is increasingly reliant on computers, tablets and mobile phones for daily activity. We are now able to downlaod digital books for free from hundreds of websites, and can read them on our phones while we are out and about. There is no more need to carry around a heavy hardbacked book, or shove a battered paperback in your pocket or handbag. But I don't believe we have seen the end of real books.

Personally I adore my local library, always have done. It is the place I would find sanctuary as a child, it broadened my horizons as a teenager, it aided my studies as a university student, and now I frequent our library with my young daughter. They hold a weekly toddler and baby group where we sing nursery rhymes and read  books. When we attended yesterday my daughter was far more interested in selecting books to peruse than she was in actually socializing. That's my girl!

The question has been asked recently. Will our libraries survive the digital revolution? My answer to that is most definitely yes they will. I have a Kindle. I read books in PDF format on my computer, but I am far happier curled up on the sofa or stretched out in bed with a real, solid book in my hands. Despite having a TBR list of personal books that will probably take a good 5 years to get through, yesterday I picked up yet another library book that caught my attention. It is a hard-backed novel, called Whitby Vampyrrhic. I never heard of it before, but I spied it while I was gathering my daughter at the end of our library visit. Now I must be going. I have reading to do!

Bookshops - Do you buy new or secondhand?

I made a little observation recently while I was sitting in a corner of a Waterstones book store desperately hoping to sell some books, or at the very least entice someone to speak with me for a minute or two. Looking around at the neatly organized shelves, I saw the bright, shiny, clean covers of new books fresh from the printing press. I love the smell of a new book. I love the texture, and the way you can smooth your hand over the covers knowing that it holds treasures and adventures yet to be discovered.

 Independent bookshops are a dying breed on the British high street these days, so whenever I do come across such a place on my travels, I have to step inside just to experience the cornucopia of pleasure that it contains. I have to inhale the smell of new books, admire the artwork on the covers, hold a paperback and a hardback in my hands one after the other, and simply worship the magnificent tome, whatever its subject matter.

High street bookshops are all very well in their place. I enjoy visiting Waterstones, and I appreciate what they do for the industry. But my heart will always be in the old days. By that I mean I absolutely adore secondhand bookshops. They sit nestled in fabulous old buildings, usually medieval or eighteenth century. I step over the threshold into a dimly lit interior, and the smell of old books hits me like the welcome aroma of hot chocolate on a cold day. One thing I notice is that although these bookshops are dimly lit, you can always see all of the books with amazing clarity!

Then there are those crazy, obscure places that match the ethos of eccentric Britain. This is my territory! Only in Britain can you find a bookshop literally in the gardens of an ancient castle. This one is at Hay-on-Wye in Wales, just over the border from Herefordshire in England. Hay-on-Wye is known as 'the book town' and it is wonderful! Here you have a mixture of bookshops for old and new, but my favourite has to be the castle bookshop...

Do you have a favourite bookshop? Indeed, do you even bother with good old-fashioned books anymore, or are you an advocate for the e-reader? Please share your thoughts and observations...