TODAY’S QUESTION

 What’s your favorite section in the bookstore?

Okay, this daily passion prompt shouldn’t be too difficult. I love the bookstore. I imagine most bloggers do, since we write. Writers read, don’t they? They ought to, anyway, and bookstores are repositories for words. Millions and millions of words. Oh, how I love them!

So on to the prompt. Easy, right? Um, wrong. I’m not sure I exactly have a favorite section. I’m more like a diner at a fabulous buffet. I like to sample of a little of this and a little of that. I don’t want to fill up at the salad bar so I have room for the pasta station, but I can’t have too much of that or I might miss the prime rib. Oh, and dessert, don’t forget about that.

So here’s a typical bookstore visit for me: start with the tables filled with new releases and buy two get one free deals. These are generally novels, and I usually am tempted by a couple of them, but I extricate myself from their pull and move on to the craft section.  Here I’m drawn to quilt books, scrapbooking books, journaling books, and general interest books on living a more creative life. How many of these books can one own? I don’t know, but I have many.

From there I wander over to the education section. Am I feeling like an activist? Do I need some inspiration? How about some fresh approaches to old topics? This is the place to browse through my colleagues’ pearls of wisdom.

Feeling inspired or overwhelmed, depending on the mood and books I’ve viewed, I generally seek self-help. Maybe it’s a new approach to eating or fitness or some fabulous new exercise routine that involves lifting red velvet doughnuts to my lips (oh how I wish). I admire the people who pen these and not only get them published, but find an audience.

From here I may wander over to the children’s section. I may feel as though we need one more biography of Ben Franklin to really understand him, or one more poetry book for motivation, or one more biography of an inspiring woman to round out our curriculum. Usually I look at the price of these books and decide that I can find appropriate resources online.

Near the end of my visit (and stamina) I may cruise past the magazines. The latest quilt magazines are fair game. They usually offer as many exciting new designs as a book for a third of the cost.

Oftentimes I leave empty handed, but I always feel as though my soul has been refueled, thanks to the power of words.